025: Why It's Not About the Weight, Feeling Emotionally Safe in the World, and the Freedom of Realizing Your Childhood Trauma Was NOT Your Fault with Joanna Kessling

Meet JoannaHi. I'm Joanna. I'm so glad you're here. Those closest to me call me Jo. I'm a supportive coach and change doula, living and working in Charlottesville, Virginia. I love this special town and feel fortunate to call it home. The Jersey girl in me misses pizza and Wawa sometimes though ;)I'm an empath, INFP, HSP, and Enneagram 4. I thrive on real conversations and the places reached beyond small talk. How are you... really? The tender spaces of genuine connection. The powerful alchemy of brave truth.I never set out to be a "weight loss success story," though I spent most of my life wishing I was in a different, usually smaller, body. It took me years of therapy to understand the connection between my personal traumas and my body. How trauma separates us from ourselves. Stranger in a strange land... finally becoming connected again allowed everything to shift. It took even me by surprise and I learned a great deal. However, when weight loss is the only lens it is a disservice to us all. What I firmly believe is that health is possible at any size, and I support the HAES philosophy. I also believe you can love your body and want to change it. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix, no magic pill, no miracle remedy, as diet culture would be so glad for us to believe.The weight, for me, was subconsciously about staying hidden. About creating a buffer of safety in a world that felt terrifying. Compounded by messages about my unworthiness from diet culture, I found a place of deep self-hatred. To feel safe enough to be seen, as well as deeply worthy of existing despite the shape of my body, transformed everything. The internal shifts took place before the practical actions, like a key turning in a lock. I am here to amplify the message that recovery from trauma is possible, even when it seems utterly hopeless. A life of connection and safety is possible. Things can get better. You can reconnect with your body. It may change, it may not. Either is okay. True wellness is holistic, system-informed, and based in sustainable practices that feel good. How do you feel in your life and your body? How do you want to feel?I am part professional encourager, part tender confidant, part intuitive guide. I am a perception shifter and the best wing woman. I love working with a wide variety of people, but especially resonate with creative folk, introverted feeling types, and HSP's. Are you working to make change in your life or in your work? I'm here to support you, brave one.People + Resources MentionedMara Glatzel (Joanna and I first met in one of Mara's offerings...highly recommend!!!!)Liz Lamoreux and her pocket talismans which helped Joanna find her voice and tell her storyThe Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller, a book Joanna finds instrumental in her healingConnect with JoannaWebsite | InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.