Compassionate Conversations with Esther Kane, MSW

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Are you afraid of menopause because you've heard horror stories from older women? In this episode, Esther Kane, women's psychotherapist (25+yrs), interviews Susan Willson, Nurse Midwife & author of Making Sense of Menopause. They discuss how this stage of a woman's life can be a higher calling to heal unfinished business & explore our innate wisdom & creativity.
00:00:00 Compassionate Conversations Introduction
00:00:24 Introducing Susan Willson
00:01:52 Esther explains why "Making Sense of Menopause" is one of her favourite books
00:02:37 Reframing menopause as a transformational journey
00:03:50 Spirituality and the aging process
00:06:19 Why menopause is so hard & why do we fear it?
00:07:37 The 'deification of youth' in western culture
00:08:25 Facing loss of our younger selves is essential
00:08:42 Most books about menopause focus on diet/exercise
00:11:35 How women are creating healthy narratives re: aging/menopause
00:12:00 Importance of working through unresolved trauma
00:12:44 How the medical model has led women to not trusting their bodies
00:15:14 Three kinds of estrogen in women's bodies
00:15:25 Estridiol- makes us want to take care of others
00:16:30 Estriol- triggers creative centres in the brain
00:18:08 Easy fix for vaginal atrophy
00:19:27 Menopause as a "crossroads"
00:20:51 Why it's important for women to tell their stories
00:24:16 What Esther wishes she had known while going through perimenopause
00:26:42 Create a community of women in this transition
00:28:29 Empowering rituals to mark this rite of passage
00:45:11 Esther's healing- finding & using her voice
00:54:20 Lifestyle adjustments to ease the transition into menopause
01:02:14 The powerful effects of inviting JOY into your life
Where to find Susan and her book:

Links
www.estherkane.com
Instagram:
@estherkanemsw
Facebook:
Esther Kane, MSW, RCC

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Do you struggle to feel confident in your body regardless of your size? Watch this enlightening interview where Canadian Psychotherapist Esther Kane speaks with Summer Innanen-a professionally trained coach specializing in body image, self-worth and confidence. She will give you some wonderful tips which will increase your body confidence starting now.
Episode Contents:
0:00 Compassionate Conversations Intro
0:24 Body Image Series Intro
2:44 Introducing Summer Innanen- Body Image Coach
3:30 Summer's personal story
13:59 Why so many of us dislike how we look
19:20 Concrete steps we can take to feeling more comfortable in our own skin
27:42 Difference is between ‘body positivity’ and ‘body neutrality’
38:09 How body image and patriarchy intersect and how a feminist lens shifts this
45:23 Summer's journey to love/accept/appreciate about the body she has
51:00 A ‘bigger picture’ vision of what is possible for all of us regarding body image
54:48 Inspirational body image healing stories from Summer's clients
To find Summer Innanen:
https://summerinnanen.com
Resources mentioned:
Sonya Renee Taylor: The Body is Not an Apology
https://www.sonyareneetaylor.com/the-body-is-not-an-apology
Virgie Tovar: You Have the Right to Remain Fat
https://www.feministpress.org/books-n-z/you-have-the-right-to-remain-fat
Jes Baker: Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls
https://www.sealpress.com/titles/jes-baker/things-no-one-will-tell-fat-girls/9781580055826/
Joy Arlene Renee Cox, Ph.D.: Fat Girls in Black Bodies: Creating Communities of Our Own
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/645672/fat-girls-in-black-bodies-by-joy-arlene-renee-cox-phd/
FREE resources:
To read a whole lot of articles I've written on women, eating disorders and body image, click on this page:
https://www.estherkane.com/category/eating-disorders/
To receive my 6-part audio program, Making Peace With Food and Our Bodies:
https://www.estherkane.com/#newsletter
Watch my YouTube videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-DU4xM_co9zSxOWZvd08oA

Links
www.estherkane.com
Instagram:
@estherkanemsw
Facebook:
Esther Kane, MSW, RCC

Do you avoid going to yoga classes as a larger bodied person because you fear being judged for your size or are afraid you won't be able to do the poses properly? Yoga is a practice that is available for every body, regardless of shape or size. Watch this video where Canadian Psychotherapist Esther Kane, MSW, RSW, RCC speaks with a yoga teacher who specializes in teaching those with larger bodies self-acceptance in a welcoming, light-hearted, supportive, non-judgmental and fun way.
Episode Contents:
0:00 Compassionate Conversations Intro
0:24 Body Image Series Intro
2:44 Introduction of Jill Moran
3:26 Jill's personal journey which led her to creating XL Yoga
12:14 Why people living in larger bodies are so turned off by mainstream yoga classes
15:50 Tips for advocating for what you need in a yoga class
19:35 The comfort of being in a room with others with larger bodies
22:20 Changes needed in the worldwide yoga community to make it more inclusive
25:05 Advice for someone living in a larger body who wants to try a yoga class but is hesitant
25:30 Benefits of going to a yoga class designed specifically for people living in larger bodies
27:00 Why women don't want to accentuate their bellies
31:30 Body positivity vs body neutrality
33:54 How we can learn body acceptance through yoga
36:00 Where Jill is at in her own personal journey
39:34 Conclusion of interview
Jill Moran and XL Yoga can be found here:
https://www.xl-yoga.ca
FREE resources:
To read a whole lot of articles I've written on women, eating disorders and body image, click on this page:
https://www.estherkane.com/category/eating-disorders/
Get Rid of Relationships that Drain Your Energy: 10 Tips:
https://www.estherkane.com/#newsletter
Watch my YouTube videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-DU4xM_co9zSxOWZvd08oA

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Hi Everyone! I’m Esther Kane from Compassionate Conversations where we push the boundaries of comfort to empower you to become all that you dream of being. Having been a psychotherapist for over 25 years, I am all-too-familiar with the fact that we humans prioritize comfort and that is why I believe that so many avoid therapy altogether.
In my role as therapist, I have the honour and privilege to journey alongside people who have the courage to face aspects of themselves that they aren’t proud of such as addictive behaviour and unhealthy relationship patterns. Many of these people have also buried past traumas which feed their addictions and low self-worth. These are the folks who are willing to take risks and examine their inner life with a flashlight together. It is always difficult and hard work, but they are willing to do whatever it takes in order to heal and grow.
If you are ready to do the same, then you’re in the right place. Compassionate Conversations is all about getting honest and real with ourselves, letting go of the past along with behaviour patterns which are no longer serving you, and growing into the person you have always wanted to be.
In these podcasts, I will share incredibly powerful and life-shifting tools and practices I teach to my clients-the most important one being self-compassion- I have found that this one element is absolutely essential in order for us to heal and transform our lives.
I don’t just teach these tools. I practice them myself every single day. Why? Because I cannot take my clients to any place that I have not been myself. When I look back on my life now, I can’t believe how far I have come and how much healing is possible for one person. I am living a life that I never dreamed was possible for me. I owe so much of this to the compassionate conversations that my own therapists, guides and mentors over the years have had with me. On our journeys, we need others who can pave the way for us; those brave souls who managed to overcome obstacles and difficulties and make it to the other side and are living proof that it’s possible!
I will be interviewing many of these amazing people so that they can inspire and uplift you and give you the tools you need to transform your life for the better. I welcome you with open arms into these compassionate conversations. Please don’t forget to follow this podcast, give it a great review if you really enjoy it and pass episodes onto others who could also benefit from them. Thanks and enjoy!
Watch my YouTube videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-DU4xM_co9zSxOWZvd08oA

Links
www.estherkane.com
Instagram:
@estherkanemsw
Facebook:
Esther Kane, MSW, RCC

Send us a text

Are you a fan of Ketogenic Woman (Anita Breeze)? I sure am! Here she shares her personal story which contributed to a significant weight gain before she found the ketogenic way of eating. I was touched by her story and deeply moved by the emotional healing she has done in order to heal her relationship with food and her body. I think you will be too. Enjoy!
Episode Contents
0:00 Compassionate Conversations Intro
0:24 Body Image Series Intro
2:56 Introducing Anita Breeze
8:14 Going beyond the typical weight loss story
9:51 What Anita learned about women's roles from her family-of-origin
21:03 What messages Anita got about food and weight from a young age
24:38 Identifying the link between multigenerational trauma and her struggles with food and weight
36:00 Using food for emotional reasons- food as comfort
38:12 Healing the relationship with her mother
46:10 How her relationship to food and her body has changed over time
47:47 Anita and Esther discuss one of the most important areas to address in order to heal our relationship to food and our bodies: unfinished emotional business and past traumas
52:15 Anita's 'before and after': resolving unfinished emotional business and past traumas
53:28 Wrap-up
Show Notes
Where to find Anita:
Her website:
https://ketogenicwoman.com
YouTube Channel:
Ketogenic Woman
To watch my interview with Dr. Joan Ifland on Highly Processed Food Addiction, go here:
https://www.estherkane.com/podcasts/highly-processed-food-addiction-with-dr-joan-ifland/
Dr. Georgia Ede and her book, Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind, can be found here:
https://www.diagnosisdiet.com
FREE resources:
To check out Esther's writing and podcasts/videos on women, eating disorders and body image, go to this page:
https://www.estherkane.com/category/eating-disorders/
To receive Esther's 6-part audio program, Making Peace With Food and Our Bodies:
https://www.estherkane.com/#newsletter
Please don’t forget to subscribe to this channel, click the 'like' button, give it a great review if you really enjoy it and pass episodes onto others who could also benefit from them.

Links
www.estherkane.com
Instagram:
@estherkanemsw
Facebook:
Esther Kane, MSW, RCC