In 2005 therapist Hilary Kinavey, MS, LPC and nutritionist Dana Sturtevant, RD started facilitating groups to help women let go of food/weight obsession. Realizing that they shared a similar approach and philosophy regarding food, weight, body image and health – one directly counter to that of conventional institutional paradigms, the two decided to merge their practices to create a partnership that would offer a revolutionary approach to women seeking answers regarding eating disorders, weight loss, exercise, and nutrition. Believing that these topics were complex and multifaceted, Hilary and Dana set out to forge a multi-pronged approach to solving and resolving questions around weight and food/nutrition issues, and Be Nourished was born.
Encouraging a non-diet approach to food, weight and health, Be Nourished offers workshops, classes and retreats to tackle sensitive topics like conscious eating, body acceptance and hunger awareness as well as counseling, yoga, and massage therapy to holistically complement the supportive atmosphere we believe is needed to realize long-term body acceptance, an ability to eat intuitively and the power to, psychologically and physically be nourished.
What is our approach?
We believe that the capacity and potential to change is within every person. Our passion is helping people explore how an enjoyable relationship with food happens naturally when the focus is more on nurturing the body and mind and less on dieting. We encourage a non-diet approach to food, weight, and health.
Our approach helps people heal from the side effects of chronic dieting. People who repeatedly diet often experience a “diet backlash” – increased rigidity regarding good and bad foods, restriction leading to increased bingeing, reduction in trust of self with food, feelings about not “deserving” food, social withdrawal and shortened duration of dieting episodes.
Be Nourished offers workshops and services to help people heal the dieting mind and move towards a more authentic relationship with food. We first work consciously to reject the dieting mentality and learn to make peace with food by allowing unconditional permission to eat and enjoy food. Intuitive Eating teaches people to turn towards inner cues and discover what satisfaction and fullness feel like individually. The emphasis is on honoring health and taste buds together through gentle nutrition. Movement, in this approach, is respectful of the body and focuses on finding fun, joyful ways to move the body.
You can also read more on our Be Nourished blog.