#108: Nourishing an Anti-Diet Pregnancy with Bri Custer
There is a special brand of diet and wellness culture that comes for you when you're pregnant. From the “permission” for your body to change, to pressure around food choices, to beauty standards for pregnant people, we're getting into it all.
Artist Bri Custer joins the pod to share, vulnerably, about what pregnancy has been like as she heals from a lifetime of disordered eating, and works towards a peaceful relationship with her body. Bri is so special to me as a human being, a friend, and a client. She has done so much reflection around these topics and I think you'll get a lot out of this conversation, whether you are pregnant, considering getting pregnant, or even if you don't ever plan to.
Gentle reminder that this can be a sensitive, difficult, and personal topic. I know this from personal experience. Please listen to this episode if it feels compassionate and kind to listen to a conversation about pregnancy. You are always loved and supported here.
We discuss:
Bri's experience with dieting as a child
Unpacking generational cycles of body shame and restriction
The temporary permission that society gives us for our bodies to change during pregnancy
The pressure to maintain a specific diet during pregnancy to maintain your own health and a child's
The blame and shame around not "eating right" during pregnancy
The popularity of post-partum exercise programs and the harm they can cause
The pressure for dietary changes to combat PCOS and infertility issues pre-pregnancy
The importance of combating food morality and going back to foods we love as a kid during times where food and eating is difficult during pregnancy
How pregnancy is a wonderful lesson in trusting the wisdom of your body
Setting boundaries around social media and mental resilience to diet culture during pregnancy
Challenges around body image during pregnancy
Asking not to be weighed before and during pregnancy, and if weight is needed to monitor one's health and their growing child's
Beauty standards during pregnancy and how harmful they are
Body checking during & after pregnancy and the importance of centering curiosity and compassion
About Bri:
Bri Custer is an en plein air painter investigating perception, memory, and color through the New England Landscape. Her work has been featured by Clover + Bee, Candyfloss, and on the Create! Magazine blog and can be found at Nahcotta in Portsmouth, NH and Sorelle Gallery in Westport, CT. Bri has been working with Abbie for roughly a year, and began her anti-diet journey in 2022. She is currently a full-time artist based in Concord, New Hampshire with her husband, Bryan and hound-lab mix, Vinny. Follow her @briiiiicuster on Instagram and see more of her art on her website.
Support the show:
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Social media:
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Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
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