Episode description:Holly Toronto is a Certified Master Level Coach who specializes in body image. She has five years of experience helping people stop prioritizing other people’s expectations of beauty, belief, or behavior so that they can live their life from a place of wholeness, fully aligned with the truth of who they are. Holly joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to explore factors that impact our relationship with our bodies, as well as some strategies to improve it. Holly first unpacks how purity culture shaped the way she learned to relate to her own body. Messages about sexuality contributed to body distrust and triggered negative body image at a young age. Her body shame increased as she grew into early adulthood and experienced acne. She adopted a “pure food” diet meant to clear her skin, but lost weight and received validation for that instead.Though it seemed normal and even “healthy,” in reality, the highly restrictive diet was taking a serious toll on Holly’s mental and physical wellbeing. And then came a turning point. Holly shares how finding intuitive eating impacted her life and career by challenging misguided ideas of health and set her on a path toward food freedom and body trust. She dispels common myths about intuitive eating and describes how she walks alongside her clients who adopt it. Emphasizing the importance of body trust and partnership, she offers tips for anyone seeking to heal their relationships with their bodies.We cover:

The parallels between sexual purity and “pure” or clean eatingMyths and realities of intuitive eatingThe far-reaching impact of body image healingHow to relate to your body as a partner instead of an objectHow to honor and trust our body signals

In Holly’s words:

On the gifts of intuitive eating: “What intuitive eating gave me was a sense of trust in my body—that I don’t have to manipulate her for her to be healthy. For her to be strong. For her to be exactly what she needs to be. I needed to disconnect the weight from the worth and the weight from the health.”On the importance of body trust: “This body that we live in was our original life partner. And like any partnership, trust is the foundational element.”On connecting to ourselves: “Body image healing can be a gateway back to ourselves—to a sense of deeper homecoming, connection to ourselves, and what we want to be putting out into the world.”

Find Holly on Instagram @holly.toronto. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977.—About the podcast:Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking.You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends!Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.