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New program starting in January 2025- make sure you get on the list to be the first to get information about it!
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Learning love for yourself as you let go of extra weight
It is not at all uncommon for artists and creatives to struggle with being able to take good care of our bodies. The video below goes into depth on that.
We have tried all the things that others try, and have felt the deprivation and self-judgment that comes with dieting and trying to control our cravings.
Weight Loss with Love is a group designed for creative people of all sorts who
These are the major goals of Weight Loss with Love:
Who WLWL is not for- this may be obvious from what I said above, but just in case
Who am I and why am I doing this?
I started WLWL, very selfishly, because I wanted a group to share this journey with and I wanted it to be based on all the things that I care about. I wanted to learn to love myself even as I was asking myself to let go of extra weight. I wanted a way to do this very hard thing with ease and kindness. I wanted not to count calories obsessively or have strict rules that trigger feelings of deprivation and depression, but rather to learn to make healthy decisions with ease.
What I have found is that I love these hour long meetings, and I always feel kinder and more inspired. I see and feel very gradual shifts in how we relate to ourselves and our bodies. Each of us is on a different journey- making different choices about the practical steps to lose weight and get in shape, but the deep learning of self-love and compassion, deep nurturance and nourishment, that infuses our lives now, is consistent.
I am an artist, a psychosynthesis trained life coach, a long time teacher and a single mom of a teenage daugher. That last piece was very important to my creating this program because I really really did not want her to inheret my discomfort with my body, or my lack of ability to take good care of myself. And I was seeing signs that it was not looking good.
So, though, mostly I am coaching artists in their creative work and lives and businesses, and I love doing that, I felt compelled to dive into this work as well. It turns out that there is some good overlap.
My training and philosophy
Psychosynthesis coaching is a profound and complex system of working with all aspects of the Self: body, mind and spirit. The basic philosophy is that each and every one of us is whole and has an urge towards health. Where there are parts that seem to be pulling us in unhealthy directions, there is some deeper story that can be attended to with compassion, gratitude and forgiveness such that those parts (like the drill sargeant and the rebel) can let go of trying to control everything and we have less internal friction and more inner alignment.
The other part of my philosophy, built from my own creative experience as well as my training in Authentic movement and psychosynthesis, has to do with how the imagination is an amazing tool for shifting our relationship with ourselves and our environment. I use improvisational movement and guided meditations to help release old stories and create new ways of being that support a healthier, happier and more easeful life.
The added bonus
The shocking thing is that as we loosen the grip of harsh self judgements around our bodies, there seems to also be more ease in our creative lives. And as we dive more fully into the nurturing qualities of our creative work, there is less pull toward the unhealthy food choices.
We have tried all the things that others try, and have felt the deprivation and self-judgment that comes with dieting and trying to control our cravings.
Weight Loss with Love is a group designed for creative people of all sorts who
- hate the idea of dieting or caring about your weight, but find you are heavier than is healthy or physically comfortable
- have tried to lose weight in the past and may have lost some weight, but then when you lost focus, the weight came back on and even got higher, grrrr.
- know that there is more to it than just having strong will power- but don't know how to get to, or past, the deeper issues
- really just want to love your body and be able to do the things you want to do with ease, strength and no pain
- are tired of struggling with this stupid issue
These are the major goals of Weight Loss with Love:
- Develop a more balanced and healthy aproach to self-care, letting go of the inner drill sargeant who sets all the rules and repremands you for not succeeding in them and softening the inner rebel who eats the icecream late at night when the drill sargeant is tied up with exhaustion. Instead discovering how to really nurture yourself, listen to your needs and lean in to ways of supporting yourself that feel good. Compassion.
- Discover, create and embrace habits that support your goals for letting go of the extra pounds and feeling better in your body and your life. Kindness.
- Decreasing the level of stress and anxiety that courses through our veins and causes our fat cells to demand chips and chocolate. Ease.
- Understand the challenges that our cultures and environments pose, (stressors, enticing and unhealthy foods, and ciber work and play environments the keep us physically inactive, for example) and find ways to mitigate the damage while still being an active member of our lives. We can't change the world all at once, and we don't want to run away from it, so we need to adapt, make good choices, and forgive ourselves for not being perfect. Foregiveness.
- enjoy being in a physical body- your very own specific physical body. Love.
- oh, yeah and a slow steady easy letting go of weight.... with the caveate that it really does take time if you are going to not bounce back. Patience.
Who WLWL is not for- this may be obvious from what I said above, but just in case
- It's not for someone looking for fast weight loss, or a boot camp kind of atmosphere
- It's not for someone who has a lot of trauma that they have not worked with a therapist on. There is a ton of healing that happens here, but it is built on a foundation of each of us having done our own work so we are not opening up raw untouched inner material. Safety.
- It is not for someone who wants to heal or fix others. This group is safe for all of us because we are each talking from and about our own experience and not judging or assuming we know what is best for others. Deep respect for each of our processes. Safety.
Who am I and why am I doing this?
I started WLWL, very selfishly, because I wanted a group to share this journey with and I wanted it to be based on all the things that I care about. I wanted to learn to love myself even as I was asking myself to let go of extra weight. I wanted a way to do this very hard thing with ease and kindness. I wanted not to count calories obsessively or have strict rules that trigger feelings of deprivation and depression, but rather to learn to make healthy decisions with ease.
What I have found is that I love these hour long meetings, and I always feel kinder and more inspired. I see and feel very gradual shifts in how we relate to ourselves and our bodies. Each of us is on a different journey- making different choices about the practical steps to lose weight and get in shape, but the deep learning of self-love and compassion, deep nurturance and nourishment, that infuses our lives now, is consistent.
I am an artist, a psychosynthesis trained life coach, a long time teacher and a single mom of a teenage daugher. That last piece was very important to my creating this program because I really really did not want her to inheret my discomfort with my body, or my lack of ability to take good care of myself. And I was seeing signs that it was not looking good.
So, though, mostly I am coaching artists in their creative work and lives and businesses, and I love doing that, I felt compelled to dive into this work as well. It turns out that there is some good overlap.
My training and philosophy
Psychosynthesis coaching is a profound and complex system of working with all aspects of the Self: body, mind and spirit. The basic philosophy is that each and every one of us is whole and has an urge towards health. Where there are parts that seem to be pulling us in unhealthy directions, there is some deeper story that can be attended to with compassion, gratitude and forgiveness such that those parts (like the drill sargeant and the rebel) can let go of trying to control everything and we have less internal friction and more inner alignment.
The other part of my philosophy, built from my own creative experience as well as my training in Authentic movement and psychosynthesis, has to do with how the imagination is an amazing tool for shifting our relationship with ourselves and our environment. I use improvisational movement and guided meditations to help release old stories and create new ways of being that support a healthier, happier and more easeful life.
The added bonus
The shocking thing is that as we loosen the grip of harsh self judgements around our bodies, there seems to also be more ease in our creative lives. And as we dive more fully into the nurturing qualities of our creative work, there is less pull toward the unhealthy food choices.
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"A lot of groups and approaches are either/or-- all focused on weight or all focused on loving your body as it is. In this group there is room for both and they are held with a lot of care, focus and skill. I love how well Val shares her info, experience and her honesty and ongoing process. I can't say enough!" JB
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How does it work?
more information coming soon!
How you can join?
Start by making an appointment for an intro conversation with me (Val). We will discuss what is going on for you, what your goals are, where your challenges are and what strategies you are working with. Most people find that whether or not they end up working with me, the intro call is very useful, supportive and clarifying.
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"I have only been doing this a month or so and I feel better. I am sleeping better. I am gentler with myself.
Val creates an open honest, non judgmental discussion where I find myself sharing easily. Her follow up questions to what I say always makes me think more carefully and deeply. All the group members share thoughtfully in responses to the way she shapes the discussion ..sharing what is going well and what is challenging. It seems to me we can be honest in our exchange in a way that makes a difference." E.R. |
