A little about Body Equity Alliance and me.... As CEO of the Body Equity Alliance, I lead our efforts to engage in advocacy and activism, provide education, liberatory coaching, navigation, and communications, and influence public policy on issues related to eating disorders, weight stigma and weight discrimination, and health equity. What we do: •Provide navigation of healthcare and other systems (travel, social situations, family, etc) for higher weight individuals, with and without eating disorders •Support integration of body liberatory concepts through individual coaching and support groups designed to provide practical tools and emotional support •Coach and support families and loved ones on concepts of body liberation and weight bias through psychoeducation focused parent groups and individual sessions •Assist organizations in creating inclusive policies and environments that accommodate higher weight people •Consult on marketing and communications content to ensure weight-inclusive language •Provide lived experience input on research projects •Develop strategic advocacy campaigns involving weight stigma & discrimination •Advise on health equity and public policy work •Present to audiences in in schools, healthcare settings, trade organizations, associations, professional conferences, corporations, and governmental agencies Who we advise: • Individuals & Families • Corporations • Healthcare organizations • Research institutions • Social justice organizations • Governmental agencies Why we do what we do: Weight bias, weight discrimination, and weight stigma have a significant negative impact on the lives of those who live in higher weight bodies with or without eating disorders. Discriminating against people based on body size and weight stigma affects all aspects of fat people’s lives, from employment, education, and healthcare to housing, leisure activities, and well-being. How I got here: My dedication to public health began when I was part of a team working to ensure cancer patients had ongoing access to critical treatments. Driven by my own struggles and recovery from binge eating disorder, I founded the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) to address the unmet needs of people with the most prevalent eating disorder. After 10 years of pioneering work, BEDA merged with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) in 2018 after noteworthy milestones that included working to add binge eating disorder (BED) to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual’s 5th Edition (DSM-5), developing a national awareness week addressing weight stigma and intersecting oppressions, creating industry-leading educational programming, and public policy work at the state and national levels. More work in the healthcare arena, education around moving past social determinants of health to health equity, and a dedication to healthcare as a human right has prepared me to help clients make important shifts in their own lives and work.
This is really important work, on an issue that flies under the radar of most people. Glad you're here.
So appreciative of the work that you do
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!
Pres., Council on Size & Weight Discrimination
1yThank you for doing that work! ❤️ I will add you to the resource list of CSWD.org and any other lists I have access to!