Shohreh Davoodi

Shohreh Davoodi

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Archives for August 2019

The words "Self-Care and Community through Fandom with Jessica | #8" superimposed over a galaxy scene of planets.

Self-Care and Community through Fandom with Jessica | #8

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Exercising Without Mirrors and Moving Beyond Weight Loss with Kim Gould | #7

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Life Through the Lens of Cancer with Maegan Brundage | #6

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Purity Culture and Sexual Health with Erica Smith | #5

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Weight-Inclusive Eating Disorder Treatment and Body Image with Jess Sprengle | #4

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Diet Culture in the Fitness Industry with Christina Montalvo | #3

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Health At Every Size and Weight Stigma with Ashley M. Seruya | #2

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What Does It Mean To Redefine Health and Wellness? | #1

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Shohreh completely changed my view of coaches and my overall mentality on exercise, nutrition, and what living a healthy life looks like. Shohreh empowered me in a way that no health professional ever has.

-Jenny S.

fitness inspiration to women

Shohreh has helped me make important changes to my lifestyle that I have actually maintained! My confidence is the highest it has been in a long time.

-Sharmila G.

Shohreh has helped me reignite my passion for fitness and regain my confidence in myself, which means so much to me. She's a knowledgeable, compassionate, and patient coach and I honestly couldn't have hoped for anything more.

-Ariel H.

Shohreh helped me break down my previous assumptions of what it means to be “healthy” and organize my complicated feelings around food and fitness. Now, I know that moving my body can be fun and food is no longer a constant source of guilt for me. My body is no longer an enemy to be punished but a friend.

-Mia M.

We worked on my self-confidence and intuitive eating. Shohreh helped me learn to trust my body and to love the one I'm in!

-Marie Z.

I can hardly believe I was just an online client of Shohreh’s because although I never met her in person, I feel I got to know her so well through her super personal and intentional approach to coaching. It felt like I always had a friend rooting me on and listening carefully to every trial and triumph I went through.

-Abby K.

austin fitness coach

Shohreh challenges me without being mean, instructs me without being condescending, and genuinely encourages me while also making me laugh.

-Sarah G.

Let’s connect on instagram
@shohrehdavoodi

I want to live in a world where I don’t have to

I want to live in a world where I don’t have to post this reminder, but based on the questions I received during the queer Q&A in my stories and the convos in my DMs, this post is necessary.
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To the folx who are not out to everyone in their lives or anyone at all: YOU. ARE. VALID. Coming out is not what makes you queer. Coming out is not how you get your stamped and signed queer community card. Do you consider yourself LGBTQIA+? Then WELCOME! You are queer enough, even if you never tell another soul.
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To the folx who have appointed themselves gatekeepers of the queer community: CUT. THAT. SHIT. OUT. I know that our community is sacred. I know you want to protect it. But when you invalidate people’s identities and believe there are boxes that must be checked to prove yourself as a “real” queer person, you are protecting the community from a threat that isn’t real. And in doing so, you’re hurting people who need our love and support.
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Coming out is complicated! Understanding your identity and unpacking patriarchy and heteronormativity is not easy. Shedding the layers of who you thought you were may require exploration over time and trying out new things to figure out what feels “right.” That process should be embraced, not ridiculed!
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Emotional readiness, comfort, safety, and individual circumstances must be taken into account when making decisions about coming out. The more marginalized an individual is, the more dangerous and costly it might be to come out. And some people just straight up don’t want to come out, and they don’t have to!
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To all my queers who don’t feel queer enough, I see you. I accept you. I adore you. And my gay ol' heart is sending you hugs. I’ve got big “fuck you” energy to spare for anyone who dares suggest you don’t belong. 💖🌈

I invite you to finish off your Pride month in the

I invite you to finish off your Pride month in the gayest way possible by listening to this fabulous episode! 🏳️‍🌈🥳💖 I welcomed back a handful of favorite past guests to join me for the inaugural Pride Panel, and the tea is piping hot.
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I both moderated and participated in this panel discussion, and I was joined by the lovely @ericasmith.sex.ed, @glamputee, @therockyverse, and @swoffstyle. Our conversation was filled with plenty of joy and laughter, even while recognizing how somber this Pride feels in the midst of a global pandemic and widespread protests against police violence in the U.S.
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We had a lot of fun, and we also weren’t afraid to tackle some tough topics facing the queer community, including how to support the baby queers out in the world and ways to foster cross-movement solidarity. Come for the kiki, and stay for the shade.
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If you enjoy this episode, I encourage you to tip your panelists and donate to some of our favorite organizations! You can get the details for how to do that in our bios in the show notes, which can be found at shohrehdavoodi.com/52 (and that’s also where you’ll find a full transcript of the panel discussion).
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You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, and more. Be sure to subscribe, share with friends, and rate and review so other people can find the podcast too. 🎤🌈

HAPPY PRIDE! 💖💜💙 • This bi pride video

HAPPY PRIDE! 💖💜💙
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This bi pride video has done so well on TikTok (and I received so much love for it in my stories) that I figured it deserved a permanent place in my grid. It’s a pleasure to provide a few moments of joy during such a heavy time.
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Here is your annual reminder that I identify as bisexual and queer, and biphobia and bi erasure are not welcome in this space (or anywhere as far as I’m concerned).
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My sweet friend @glamputee dropped a truth bomb while recording our Pride Panel episode that I have not been able to stop thinking about. They talked about how every coming out story is beautiful in its own right, and the specifics of each story are unique to us and a part of who we are.
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Just because I didn’t get to come out in my youth and live out loud in my fullness as a queer person earlier doesn’t mean that when I came out in my late twenties the experience was less than in some way. My story is important and incredible by virtue of it being mine, and what a gift that is.
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Thank you to those who really see me and celebrate me all year long, not just in June. It doesn’t go unnoticed. And definitely check out episode 52 when it drops tomorrow, because the Pride Panel was such a life-giving community conversation to host and be a part of.🌈🏳️‍🌈🍭

There is never a legitimate reason to make fun of

There is never a legitimate reason to make fun of another person’s appearance. FULL STOP. And yet, I constantly see people trying to excuse this shitty behavior.
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The following are NOT free passes to put someone down because of their appearance, no matter how much you want them to be:
❌The person has done or said harmful things to you or others.
❌The person is a “Karen."
❌The person is blatantly racist, sexist, ableist, fatphobic, etc.
❌You perceive the person to be “unhealthy” because of their size or habits.
❌The person is a public figure so you believe their appearance is “fair game.”
❌The person is the President and “you have to hit him where it hurts.”
❌You are uncomfortable with what the person is wearing or you believe it to be out of style.
❌The person has made fun of *your* appearance.
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I understand why people default to mocking appearance when they want to hurt someone. I used to do it too. We live in a culture that is obsessed with looks, has made a sport out of judging celebrities’ bodies and outfits, and props up a multi-billion-dollar weight-loss industry. When we make fun of what a person looks like in this kind of culture, it's a shortcut to implying they’re less worthy, lovable, and good. Which is all the more reason to STOP DOING IT.
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When people cause harm, focus your criticism on the harms that they have caused. Focusing on what they look like or how they dress serves no real purpose other than to (1) give you a sense of control when you feel powerless, (2) hurt people in the same way you’ve been hurt, or (3) allow you to experience a temporary high from the agreement and laughter of others.
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Eradicate this urge within yourself. And then, when you see others doing it, call them out and don’t accept any excuses. 🛑

As a continuation of yesterday’s post about intr

As a continuation of yesterday’s post about introducing kids to diverse cuisines, I also want to say that adults can totally explore and experiment with food too. I work with a lot of my clients on this very thing.
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Many people grow up eating pretty limited diets for a variety of reasons (access, availability, picky eaters in the family, allergies, dieting/restricting, etc.). And not everyone knows how to expand beyond what they’re familiar with or trust their bodies to guide them (thanks diet culture).
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So here are some tips to help you embark on your own food exploration journey (with the caveat that I’m not suggesting you need to force yourself to eat foods that you don’t like or don’t want to eat):
👩🏻‍🔬Approach the process with curiosity and openness. You’re the scientist, and eating is the experiment. Test hypotheses, gather data, then do it again.
🍱Try #allthethings! Go to the grocery store, pick something out that looks fun, and learn what to do with it. Get a CSA box. Order from local restaurants with cuisines you’ve never tried before. Ask for recs. Browse Pinterest.
🍴If most of your diet is made up of a particular type of food (e.g., packaged foods), at first bite you might not enjoy something different (e.g., fresh fruits & veggies). But it's not uncommon for our palates to grow to enjoy flavors once we’ve tasted them multiple times (consider beer or coffee).
👅Your taste buds change over the course of your life. Foods you used to dislike could potentially become current favorites. I hated yogurt growing up, and now I think it’s great.
👩🏻‍🍳It’s not always the food you dislike, sometimes it’s the preparation. If you were only fed boiled, unseasoned vegetables as a kid, then it makes sense you have an aversion to veggies. Different ingredients and foods can be prepared and seasoned in limitless ways. Test and adjust!
🍮Have international food nights with friends, or ask friends who grew up with different food cultures to share some of their faves.
🤔If you naturally default to foods you’re familiar with, think about the elements of your favorite dishes and try to find those elements in other foods you haven’t tried.
🦄Fuck rules & have fun!

Growing up in a mixed-race household meant that th

Growing up in a mixed-race household meant that the food I ate as a kid was mixed too. My mom is a white Midwesterner, so we ate pretty much all of the typical “American” foods in our home. But unlike most of my friends, we also ate copious amounts of Persian food.
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After my mom and dad got married, my mom dedicated herself to learning how to cook Persian food, both to make my Iranian dad happy and also to try to get approval from her new extended family and community. So I grew up eating more rice (polo) dishes than I can count, and things like khoresh, mast o khiar, ghormeh sabzi, tahdig, kabab, and kotlet. The flavors of lime, saffron, sumac, rosewater, and fresh herbs are familiar and comforting to me.
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Yet I always worried about having friends over when my mom was serving Persian food and wished she would make something “normal” for them. I was embarrassed when kids at school would comment on foods I brought for lunch, such as paneer and halva on naan (a pita bread sandwich with a combo of sour cheese and a sweet tahini paste inside).
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It’s important for parents to teach their kids that American foods aren’t “normal” or the default. If parents of white children would make an effort to introduce their kids to diverse foods, flavors, smells, and colors of different kinds of cuisine, then BIPOC kids would experience far less othering over the foods they eat (and white kids would get to enjoy a wider variety of deliciousness, frankly).
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A belief that American food is “normal” and the food of most other cultures (particularly Black and Brown ones) is “ethnic” is white supremacy in action. Sweeping generalizations that whole cuisines are “weird” or “gross” are discriminatory. Every culture has a variety of foods, and while you might not like some dishes, that doesn’t mean the entire cuisine should be written off. I’m guessing you don’t like every American dish either.
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Food and culture cannot be separated. How you talk about food can further racism or fight against it. Make sure you know the difference. 🥙🥗🍚🥒🍵

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