But For Real Episode 14: Body Grief & Disability Advocacy with Jayne Mattingly

Podcast
Written By Colleen Werner

Today’s episode is so exciting as we have our first guest external to The Gaia Center – the phenomenal Jayne Mattingly.

JAYNE MATTINGLY is a disability advocate and eating disorder helping professional. She is also the Founder of the non-for-profit The AND Initiative, which aims to provide inspiration, advocacy, resources, support, and the gifting mobility aids to those with chronic illness and physical disabilities. Jayne lives in South Carolina with her husband and pets. Through her personal experiences and in sharing the stories from everyday people, Jayne illustrates that our body has not and will never be against us. Her new book, THIS IS BODY GRIEF is where we begin.

This episode covers:

Tea & Crumpets

Valerie can’t stop talking about Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix and how it explores the problematic aspects of the wellness industry – a much needed discussion, and it being a fictional show may be a more accessible format for folks who can’t quite see the issues.

For our fellow neurodivergent besties, Emerson’s latest obsession is the Structured app. It combines your calendar, to-do list, and habit tracker, all with fun colors – and the functionality even within the free version is pretty solid!

This week, our guest Jayne can’t stop talking about her book tour, as well as Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the Superbowl Halftime Show – relatable for most of us, I’m sure. 🤪(cue Not Like Us 🎶)

Step Into My Office

This week, a listener wrote in about her preteen daughter going through puberty and getting her first period. Despite the listener doing her best to talk openly with her children about body changes and seeking to provide them with correct information and reduce shame about our bodies, her daughter is still really struggling.

Jayne provided valuable wisdom on how this connects to body grief and body trust, and Val and Em shared thoughts on their memories from that phase of their lives.

The Lore

Three years ago, Jayne had a total hysterectomy as a result of PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, hemorrhaging…you get the picture. Because of this surgery, she very quickly got thrown into menopause, far earlier than when it typically occurs. If you want to learn more about her experiences with early menopause, you’ll have to check out episode 14 💁🏻‍♀️

The DSM: Body Grief and Disability Advocacy

The main event of this episode is all about the genesis and collective experiences of body grief. Jayne shared insight on her personal experiences with body grief as a result of having an eating disorder as a child and young adult, as well as becoming disabled and chronically ill as an adult.

There is also an important conversation around ableism, microaggressions, and intersectionality both in healthcare spaces and just in our society as a whole, especially in today’s political climate where many disability rights are on the chopping block.

Jayne also shares a bit about how the way she views body grief differently than other types of grief, as well as the both the differences and crossover between body grief, body positivity, and body neutrality.

If you want to hear more, both episode 14 and Jayne’s new book THIS IS BODY GRIEF dive into the topic more comprehensively.

Now That’s What I Call…OKAAAAY

Jayne picked "Supergirl" by Krystal Harris for its nostalgic vibes (Princess Diaries, anyone?) and the childlike joy it brings.

Fire Dumpster Phoenix

Emerson’s find for the week is about a colony of beavers in the Czech Republic building several dams nearly overnight that saved local authorities a ton of paperwork + nearly 1.2 million euros!

Val’s find for the week is an article about a baby thriving after surgeons removed the mother’s womb from her body to complete spinal surgery and then stitched it back inside. The baby is now 3 months old and hitting all of his milestones – YAY modern medicine!!!

If you want to learn more about any (or all) of these topics, click the podcast player at the top of this post or the YouTube video down below to listen to the full episode and dive in with us.

Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode:

Connect with Jayne Mattingly:

DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

Colleen Werner
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