Angela M. Doss, FNTP, AMFT

What a horrifying, embarrassing, and yet totally unsurprising day... Psst! It’s okay to wake up now. . .... #eugenerobinson #attemptedcoup #domesticterrorism #january6th #happynewyear #food #relationship #change #attuningforks See more

I’m setting new intentions. And learning to grow into smaller spaces... Space is what you make it. . . #garden #intention #sacred #space #food #relationship #change #attuningforks

Resolve to have more fun with food this year! Resolve to *enjoy* food more this year! And now notice if you have an inner voice that’s protesting: But Angela, my problem is that I enjoy food TOO much! Chances are, if that’s what you believe, then your guilt betrays you. Because how can you truly be enjoying your food if you’re continually mired in guilt about it?... Feelings like shame and guilt keep the body in a state of chronic, low-level stress, creating an internal chemistry that runs counter to that required for optimal digestion. Cortisol and insulin spike, reducing calorie-burning capacity, while the excessive secretion of glucocorticoids inhibits the uptake of calcium in the intestines, contributing to bone loss. If you’re looking to make some changes this year, to feel better in your body (which is your birthright), then the first step is to work *with* your body and not against it. Pleasure and relaxation are necessary for proper digestion and a powerful metabolism. They trigger key digestive juices and a cascade of complex processes that set us up for health and wellness. Can our evolutionary predisposition to pleasure be hijacked? Yes, of course. And it often is, by addiction, poor quality foods, and other threats. Recovering from this hijacking can take time. It requires not just reliable information, but self-compassion too, and a readiness to rebuild a trusting relationship with the body. Cravings can reveal this kind of hijacking. They can also bring attention to underlying digestive issues, nutritional deficiencies, emotional needs, and much more. Whatever it is we are being invited to see, a multi-faceted approach is usually needed to sustain long-term behavioral change and build resilience to new challenges. When you’re ready, I can help. Please DM me for more info. . #coaching #psychology #cravings #stress #resilience #nutrition #food #relationship #change #attuningforks

I know the bitter taste of abandonment and betrayal as well as anyone. And if this year has had a theme of learning for me, it has been this that I no longer abandon myself. Not in feeling or friendship, conflict or career, or any other area where things become challenging. It took a pretty torturous NYE last year for me to realize I loved myself (and even liked myself) on a whole new level, and then to recommit myself to myself. It was a beautiful, tearful, and rapturou...s resetting. And in that way it was both a gift, and a preparation, for what would become 2020. I know a lot of people have been expressing the sentiment fuck 2020, but I am not among them. It’s been crazy hard, yes (it still is), but I am ridiculously grateful for every moment of this year, and the hard-won growth that has resulted. It’s been painful in ways none of us could have anticipated (I expect there’s a bit more of that still to navigate), and yet it’s been clarifying as all hell. Heck, I’d be grateful if all I got from 2020 was the poetry I’ve authored in the last year (which you can read in my story highlights, btw), but it’s been exponentially more than that. It’s also gifted me a garden and meaningful connection with an incredible community of regenerative gardeners. It’s called me into greater focus and intentionality in my work. It’s refined in me the fires of both activism and digestion. It’s invited me to continue integrating my shadow. (To name just a few.) And so, as parting words to the magnificent beast of a year that has been 2020 and to all of us who have survived it, I offer the verse of a great hymn: When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie / My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply / The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design / Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine. Happy New Year, friends and loved ones. Thank you for our relationship, whatever it may be. I value you and all the ways you support and challenge me to be a better, clearer, more authentic me. And I promise to keep on working the alchemy, for all our sakes. I hope you’ll join me. . #happynewyear #alchemy #transformation #coaching #food #relationship #change

I’ve been doing quite a lot of hiking here in Cali, as 2020 comes to a close, some new trails and some familiar. I’ve also been reflecting on my own journey this year, and all the ways in which I’ve grown. (They are many. They are profound.) And it occurs to me that we have strange ideas sometimes about what growth means. Often we think that, if we’ve truly learned from a difficult or challenging experience, then we shouldn’t still be confronting lessons of a similar natu...re. And that if we are, something must be wrong or broken about us. Respectfully, I submit to you that this is horseshit. It may feel at times that we are retracing our steps, that we are on the same path. Perhaps it is a familiar trail with familiar twists and turns, valleys and vistas. We may even find we operate on a bit of automation or muscle memory. But it is never a going back. Because YOU are different. You have changed. You have new eyes, new relationships, new experiences. And if you look more closely, you’ll see the trail is different too. It has new life, new death, new colors, new seasons. The ground beneath your feet may be familiar, but there are new sights to see. New beauty to explore. New teachings to discover. And now that you realize it, now that you can see these subtle differences, now that you’ve learned to look more closely and pay more attention, perhaps you stop a moment and think, It’s been forever since I visited. Was it always this beautiful? Why, yes. Yes, you were. I know I’m a bit of an abstract weirdo at times. But this is my way of saying... May your new year be blessed. May your hearts and bellies be full. And may you discover new ways to grow, even on familiar trails. . #newyear #growth #hiking #coaching #food #relationship #change #attuningforks

Many practitioners work off a definition of metabolism as the sum of the chemical reactions that take place within each cell of a living organism. But the reality of metabolic health is so much more. Research has demonstrated the astounding impacts of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and experiences, on our body’s chemistry. Each has its biochemical equivalent in the body and can also dramatically impact our digestive metabolism. Whether conscious or unconscious, each has the... power to create either a stress or relaxation/pleasure response in the body. It means that what we believe to be true about our food, and our relationship with food, matters... And it matters metabolically. By design, the chemistry of stress turns off digestion, and the chemistry of relaxation/pleasure turns it on. This happens because our bodies prioritize how we use energy, and they know better than to focus on digesting a salad when we are being chased by a tiger. In that moment, those resources are needed to ensure our survival. The stress response is a beautiful thing. It keeps us alive in times of acute danger. Unfortunately, the modern world isn’t the friendliest environment for a brain that can’t distinguish between an actual or perceived threat, between a hungry tiger and a work deadline. The result is that many of us exist in a chronic state of stress, which over time, can result in illness and disease, both chronic and acute. And so our definition of metabolism must expand, as must our solutions for healing. Along with the important fundamentals of diet, exercise, supplementation, and detoxification, we must also consider the roles of other key players -- including rest/relaxation, pleasure, spirituality, and relationships -- or meta-nutrients as I call them. If your current plan or practitioner doesn’t *also* carefully consider these aspects of your life and provide clear tools on how to address them, it may be time to consider one that does. l enjoy working with people who are ready to transform their relationship with food for good. Please DM me to learn more. . #metabolism #coaching #food #relationship #change #attuningforks