In todays episode I am joined by my friend Anthony. He is joining me to share his personal story as a gay black man. His story may seem super happy at first but he too has lived through the bullying of not only being a gay man, but a gay black man in a predominently white community. He shares with us who is personal hero and motivator is as well as his thoughts surrounding the political struggles the LGBTQ community face today.

I hope you'll listen and enjoy our conversation just as much as I did.

Trigger Warning:

Before we begin, please listen with care. This episode includes discussions about violence, domestic and sexual abuse, gun violence, eating disorders, calories, and body weight. If any of these topics are difficult for you, please check the show notes for resources and support.

In today's episode, we're covering so much—how exercise and nutrition go hand in hand, the importance of properly fueling your body, and how nutrition can enhance your ability to protect yourself when needed. We'll also dive into kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, and self-defense, with a special focus on why self-defense is so important within the LGBTQ community.

If you or anyone you know and love is suffering from drug and alcohol addiction, there IS help. You can call or text 988. If you are looking for LGBTQ exclusive help, please call 561-763-9837.

If you or anyone you know and love is suffering from an eating disorder you can call or text 988 but may also call the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at (866)-662-1235 during normal working hours for more specific eating disorder assistance.

If you or someone you know needs emotional support due to distress from gun violence or other crises, the SAMHSA Distress Helpline is available 24/7. Call 1-800-985-5990 for immediate crisis support. You can also text "TalkWithUs" to 66746 to access the Public Distress Helpline.

Please take care of yourself.

Be sure to rate and review this pod because its the best way to make it visible to more and more people. Bye!!

Some resources preovided by todays guests:

LGBTQ+ self defense classes around the US:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qj5jiarVAcAI83Q71GBolb6b1Lk5IAoGWrL9DY7a79w/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Underdog Martial Arts Gym, Asheville NC:

https://www.underdogmartialarts.com/

Self Defense for Women and Femmes run by Colleen:

https://guerrera.fit/

Non-profit supporting individuals in combat sports get help with mental health (founded by Alexa Conners, good friend and trainer at Underdog):

https://iycorner.org/

In today's minisode I hope to help you understand a bit more about how drugs and alcohol lead to malnutrition.

If you are a client of mine, you may have been directed to this podcast as a way to reinforce what we discussed in our group today so be sure to let me know what you thought during our next session. For anyone else, I definitely would love to know what you think so be sure to reach out to me either through a DM on instagram or send me an email!

Just some resources I used today:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537191/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6668875/

https://www.jandonline.org/article/S0002-8223(10)00872-2/fulltext

https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/what-are-long-term-effects-methamphetamine-misuse

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2841129/

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002149.htm

https://www.harmonyridgerecovery.com/vitamins-supplements-meth-recovery/