Welcome to Nourishing Words, fellow traveler on this life journey . . .
I’m Heidi Schauster, and I write this newsletter, hosted by Substack, from my cozy home outside the city of Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Sometimes, I write in a coffee shop in Vermont after dropping off my daughter at college or while visiting the ocean in Maine, where I thrive in the salty air.
Nourishing Words includes posts about healing food and body concerns; raising kids to have healthy relationships with food, their bodies, and themselves; and living a fully embodied life — all the way into midlife and beyond.
This newsletter is for those doing healing work and the professionals who support that healing.
Sometimes it’s both/and.
I write from thirty years of experience as a nutrition therapist and eating disorders specialist. I endeavor to communicate in a trauma-informed way as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP).
I also bring to my writing lived experience as a person who has recovered from an eating disorder, a proud and bumbling parent of two incredible young adults, and a lifelong dancer embracing a 50+-year-old body.
I believe all bodies deserve care, love, and to take up as much space as they do. I also believe that a whole and embodied view of ourselves is far more important than outward appearances. I know that it can take work to get to that deeply respectful view of ourselves, especially if life encouraged us to develop a severed connection with ourselves and our bodies.
I know that hard work is worth it.
I love to work with individuals in that deeply self-discovering and self-caring place—and to write about it.
I’ve created a post, entitled Writer, Interrupted, that tells more about my journey as a writer and how I pivoted and healed to get back my writer's voice.
I’m also an independent author of the multi-award-winning books Nourish: How To Heal Your Relationship with Food, Body, and Self (Hummingbird Press, 2018) and Nurture: How to Raise Kids Who Love Food, Their Bodies, and Themselves (Hummingbird Press, 2024).
The latter is a compassionate guide for parents and caregivers navigating the challenging waters of raising children and teens in a culture that is weird about food and bodies. You can read the Introduction of my book Nurture: How to Raise Kids Who Love Food, Their Bodies, and Themselves here.
I have also been featured as an expert in nutrition and recovery in the Huffington Post, Oprah Daily, Prevention, and Women's Health Magazine, among others.
Other fan-favorite articles include one I wrote about what self-care is and is not and about my social media project with my college-age daughter.
I also don’t think we talk enough about letting go of the children we raise and what it’s like to fill the “empty” nest, so I started a monthly First Friday Chat for anyone who wants a place to share about this subject. I’m also offering this Chat space on monthly Second Fridays for “Creative Clincians” who are trying to balance the demands of helping work and artistic or creative pursuits. Information about how to join these Chats are located here.
Most of my writing is free, but there are some benefits to being a paid subscriber for only $4.17 per month—less than most lattes.
As a paid subscriber, you’ll have access to special “meatier” articles and the entire archives, as well as the feeling of good ju-ju that comes from supporting my work as a writer and change-maker, as well as the production of my books. I’m working on Book #3 for a young adult audience.
Founding Members (at only $100 for the year) also receive signed copies of my first two multi-award-winning books and a pile of gratitude for supporting my work. As I develop my offerings on Substack, Founding Members continue their support at this low yearly rate.
I am adding this pay structure to keep my writing on Substack sustainable. If you can’t pay for a subscription, no worries. You can help by liking, commenting on, and restacking my posts so more people have an opportunity to read my work. I also won’t be offended if you can’t get to the emails in your inbox sometimes. I completely get that. If finances are an issue, contact me and ask for a free paid subscription. (An oxymoron, I know, but no questions will be asked.)
Please feel free to share all or part of my newsletter with friends, fellow parents, those who aim to be more embodied in their lives, or anyone else you think might benefit.
Every new edition of Nourishing Words goes directly to your inbox. I hope you will enjoy being part of a supportive community that helps you heal, thrive, and feel nourished.
With warmth in this shared life journey,
Heidi
Heidi Schauster, MS, RD, CEDS-C, SEP
(she/her/hers)
Website: https://www.anourishingword.com
Books: https://www.anourishingword.com/the-book
Social:
https://www.instagram.com/heidischauster
https://www.youtube.com/@NourishingWords_HeidiSchauster
https://www.tiktok.com/@nourishingwords
