In this episode, Kimberly and Alex discuss his extensive background in working with children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He spent much of those years taking a non-traditional approach from just behavioral to prioritizing fun and community. This work led him to keenly understanding the importance of local agriculture, nutrition, and the gut-brain connection, and eventually he began working as an animal butcher and supporting his wife’s work, The Wild Nutritionist. Aspects of their discussion are connected through the thread of the importance of holistic care for ASD individuals as well as local farming, nutrition, and the gut-brain connection.

Bio

Alex Johnson is a father, butcher, former autism specialist, husband of Kate Pope, The Wild Nutritionist, and long-term friend of Kimberly’s. His background in theater studies, and then psychology, led him to working with children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder for over a decade. Understanding the needs of this population then helped him transition to regenerative agriculture and animal butchery.

What He Shares:

–Working with children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder

–How and why ASD has changed in recent years

–Harms and limitations of diagnoses and labels

–Transitioning to regenerative agriculture and butchery

–Prioritizing community through local farming

What You’ll Hear:

–How Alex began working with kids

–Studied theater and psychology

–Role play and autism in 2010

–How insurance changed autism

–In home and in community teaching to kids with ASD

–Bringing families together with potlucks

–DSM-5 refining definition of ASD

–Disproportionately diagnosed in boys versus girls

–Severity ratings (1, 2, 3) of ASD

–Issues with self-diagnoses

–Performative vulnerability

–Challenges in diagnosing ASD

–Social, Communication, and Behavior

–Familial approaches to ASD and community

–Neurodivergence and ASD labels

–Limitations of checklists of diagnoses

–Gut issues and ASD

–Behavioral versus holistic and community care

–Regenerative agriculture, nutrition, and ASD

–Transitioning to animal butchery

–Small-scale, mobile harvest operation

–Mobile Harvest Truck

–Art of animal butchery and carrying traditions

–Politics and farming

–Community care in farming and rural areas

–Nutritional needs for families

–Getting kids involved in family nutrition

–Importance of local farmers markets

–Talking to local farmers

–Buying seasonal produce

–Harms of individual priorities versus community

–Returning to community care

Resources

Website: https://regenerativecookingschool.com/

IG: @wildnutrionist

In this episode, Kimberly and Kathryn discuss Kathryn’s work in Jungian psychology, psychotherapy, embodiment, and body image. Kathryn walks us through her workbook which is designed to help women understand how much body image issues are distractions from feelings of anxiety and ambivalence about their lives. Instead, she describes how to create the capacity to unearth more deeply rooted thoughts, feelings, and sensations in our psyches and our bodies.

Bio

Kathryn Holt, PhD, LCSW, is a depth psychologist and writer. She completed her PhD in Jungian/Archetypal Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute and has an extensive background in long-term psychotherapy, feminist psychoanalytic group therapy, community ritual, dance and movement practices, intentional psychedelic work, and more. Her latest workbook “Overcoming Body Hatred: A Woman’s Guide to Healing Negative Body Image & Nurturing Self-Worth Using CBT & Depth Psychology” helps women identify their purpose, manage stress, change cultural messaging, and cultivate embodied presence.

What She Shares:

–Body preoccupation as a defense

–Cultural obsession with young and beauty

–Building capacity for ambivalence

–Fostering emotional intelligence for ourselves and others

–Approaches to our childrens’ body image issues

What You’ll Hear:

–Writing dissertation a baby during pandemic

–Publishing workbook from dissertation

–Why Kimberly avoided body image discussions

–Body preoccupation functioning as a defense

–Issue of projection onto women’s bodies and suffering

–Locating conditioning as inherited

–Self-sensing our own bodies

–Self-objectification and projection

–What is under the fantasy of our ideal body image?

–Body image work puts us into reality

–Culture’s obsession with youth

–Preparing for bodies changing and age

–Fantasy that bodies are fixed means problems are fixed

–Living with body dissatisfaction and preoccupation

–Parenting girls and young women around body image

–Listening, inhabiting, and growing with body changes

–Defensiveness of body image decreasing intimacy with self

–Distinguishing between thought versus physical sensation

–Foundational psychological work with body image

–Dialectical behavioral therapy and psycho-spiritual therapy

–Jungian and spiritual psychology

–Internal versus cultural

–Ending our delusions to be our full selves

–Increasing tolerance for anxiety to get underneath it

–Body ambivalence as inevitable

–Accepting ambivalence in all areas of life

–Inundated with images

–Defenses keep us from the solutions

–Fostering emotional intelligence for us and our children

Resources

Website: https://www.kathryncholt.com/

IG: @dr.kathryncholt

In this episode, Kimberly and Tyson discuss the magnitude of pornography including addiction, nervous system regulation, and recovery. Tyson describes his own personal journey being addicted to and then healing from porn addiction and how that informs his work with men and couples today. He discusses the prevalence of porn, how it functions with technology and AI, and how many men use it to either up-regulate or down-regulate their nervous systems. Rather than moralizing porn and porn addiction, Tyson describes how to find healing and freedom through channeling real life force as well as advice for women who may have partners or sons addicted to, or exposed to, pornography.

Bio

Tyson Adams is a trauma-informed IFS men's coach, somatic bodyworker and psychedelic facilitator. After spending 20 years addicted to pornography, he outgrew it ten years ago and has found his passion and purpose in helping other men master their lifeforce energy. He also co-facilitates men's work leadership intensives and works with couples experiencing intimacy challenges. When he's not working you'll catch him on a rock wall or riding a slackline in sunny San Diego.

What He Shares:

–His own addiction and healing from porn

–The normalization and prevalence of porn

–Porn and the nervous system

–Advice for women and mothers

–How to heal from porn addiction

What You’ll Hear:

–Tyson’s first introduction to porn at early age

–Boyhood innocence being fractured

–Secrecy, shame, and hiding with internet porn

–Joined fraternity in college

–Porn chairman in fraternity

–Normalization of porn and drinking

–90 percent of porn has some form of violence

–A third of internet searches is porn

–Expecting partners to mimic porn content

–Normalization of extreme sexual behaviors from porn

–Highjacking nervous system

–No age verification

–Comparing ourselves to AI models

–War on nervous system and spiritual warfare

–Installing browser blockers on children’s devices

–Ages 8-9 typically first exposure to porn

–BARK.us Blocker and search tracker

–Importance of early conversations with children

–Importance of community in these conversations for men and boys

–Blind spot in mens’ groups around sex and sexuality

–Inflation of power causing harm in mens’ groups

–How and why Tyson ended porn addiction

–Psychedelic use with studying pornography

–Preys on trauma and normalizes behaviors

–Men using porn to activate energy and nervous system regulation

–Women and porn addictions

–Seminal fluid as a life force

–Healthy number of ejaculation frequency

–Not moralizing porn addiction

–Women blaming themselves for partner’s porn addiction

–Seek therapy and trusted community help in partner’s addiction

–Hope and healing is possible

–Open communication and repair

–Developing archetypes with sex worker

–One on one work and IFS sessions

–From thinking to feeling way to orgasm

–Nervous system resetting with clients

–Convergence of technology, porn, and psychedelics

Resources

Tyson Adams' Website

IG: @tysonadams__