What people are saying . . .
“Leslie's thoughtful, empathetic, generous and deeply empowering approach to our work together has quite literally changed my life. I came to her in a state of total disconnection from my body and was struggling to navigate forward in healing my historically disordered relationship with food and movement. Meeting with her weekly has yielded tangible and consistent improvements in my ability to relate to myself, to feel physically grounded in my body, and to move towards listening to and accepting my body's wisdom. When we met, exercise was extraordinarily, viscerally difficult for me to engage with, and I feared I wouldn't be able to enjoy it again; with her support, I have been able to reconnect with movement, find new joys in embodying my particular form, and re-conceptualize exercise in a way that suits my values and affirms my past experiences. Now, nine months since our first session, I still have more work that I want to do with Leslie to reach my healing goals, but I feel excited about this work because I am lucky enough to pursue it with her clear, kind vision and voice. I am profoundly confident in Leslie's skillful guidance as a facilitator of my connection to myself. Leslie is a delight: she is a practitioner who brings levity and clarity to messy moments while sitting comfortably and lovingly with the humanity of the mess. She models humility, patience, self-compassion, and a sincere commitment to the wellbeing of others in our daily interactions. It's been a true gift and honor to work with her and learn from her facilitation.”
Tayib
“Over the past year, working with Leslie has provided me with improved resilience as she has educated me on the mind-body connection and techniques to reduce stress and improve overall wellbeing. She explains concepts and techniques very well. I did not know much about the Somatic discipline but have found it to be extremely helpful. I highly recommend Leslie’s expertise and approach.”
M. Lenihan
“Your course was such a pivotal moment in my life-- you, the space, the books, the memories of that experience are treasures to me! I had a hundred forms of loathing for my body and now I have almost nothing but positive feelings for my body (and I know how to move through the negative).
Listening to my body and "watching" it adeptly choose what it needs on a moment to moment basis is like witnessing a wonder of the world or a miracle of nature.
My suffering around food and my body drove me to seek out the real sources of the trouble and a real solution (e.g. not more dieting!)
This area of my life was the source of so much suffering but now it's been removed and I feel a freedom and ease I didn't even imagine existed. One other thing I would like to add is how endlessly impressed I am with my body's ability to know and achieve its own delicate equilibrium. The only thing standing in "its" way is my resistance to tuning into and honoring the messages my body gives, which of course is where Eat for Life comes in. I am so grateful!”
Holly
“My experience with Leslie Smith Frank’s Mindfulness-Based Intuitive Eating workshop was eye-opening in the relationship between food, my body, and my emotions. After a lifetime of battle with self-control, diet mentality, judgment, shame, and feelings of failure and powerlessness, Leslie’s workshop provided a safe, supportive place to explore the root of my struggle with food. I was eating without awareness of how I was responding to emotions, whether I was hungry or full, what I wanted to eat, or the characteristics of the food I was eating. Food was the drug that provided escape from the present moment.
What I learned was that by pausing to connect with myself, to practice awareness of hunger, needs, and emotions, I can use food to nourish, and not to escape. And enjoy, without guilt or judgment. I became aware of the quality of the food I eat, and how different foods make me feel. I’m aware that food is usually not what I need at the moment, and have learned to take care of myself without using food to escape. Today I choose food based on whether I’m hungry, whether the food is what I want, and whether the choice will support my health.
Whatever other tools you use, mindfulness is the foundation of our relationships with food. Leslie’s workshop will start you on a path of self-discovery.”
Lisa