05/26/2025
In case you've been wondering:
Embody Lib is short for “Embodying Liberation.”
The name came to me almost immediately back in 2018, when I had an increasing number of opportunities to publicly share my lived experience with an eating disorder and how it intersected with my years of work in public health nutrition.
At the time, I was living the harmful impact of weight-centric models across healthcare, food systems, and public health spaces. The exclusion and marginalization of higher-weight, trans, and disabled People of the Global Majority wasn’t just happening because of individual bias; it was deeply embedded in the structures, policies, and practices that shape our lives.
I knew we needed more than a mindset shift. We needed a movement.
One that could disrupt harmful systems, reimagine what health and well-being look like, and create conditions where everyone (regardless of body size, ability, gender, or how they are racialized) can access care, dignity, and health on their own terms.
But for that to happen, I couldn’t just study or talk about liberation. I had to live it.
In fact, I had to embody it.
“The moment we choose to love, we begin to move toward freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.” – bell hooks
To embody liberation is to recognize that our bodies don't only hold our struggles. They hold stories. Histories. Legacies.
Our bodies, the way they are perceived and treated, are shaped by ideologies like racism, poverty, ableism, and anti-fatness.
Our bodies are not separate from these realities—they carry the weight of them every day. (pun intended)
But they also carry the possibility for change.
This process has been far from easy. It’s meant unlearning internalized narratives about food, health and well-being. But it’s reshaped how I move through the world, how I care for myself, how I relate to others, and what it means to build a world where all bodies are treated with the dignity they deserve.
And it’s reminded me that real liberation is both personal and collective.
There have been times when I’ve wondered whether the name “Embody Lib” feels too aspirational, too out of reach for those who feel stuck in the status quo.
But maybe that’s the point.
Maybe what we need right now is something that helps us imagine a future where liberation is not just possible but already underway.
If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear from you.
In your current work, what would it look like to move toward liberation for yourself, your community, and the people you serve?
Additionally, I invite you to join me for the Body Lib Basics Learning Series starting this Wednesday on May 28th, at 8 PM ET. You can learn more and register here:
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
