MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, & Body Image Issues by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
Publisher: Unsolicited Press (January 26, 2021) Category: Self-help, Non-Fiction, psychology, memoir, health/wellness, inspirational, eating disorder recovery, weight loss, & body positivity Tour dates: March-April, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-950730-69-8 Available in Print and ebook, 282 pages
Description MeaningFULL by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
“MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, & Body Image Issues” is a blend of motivational self-help, memoir, psychology, and health and wellness. Alli Spotts-De Lazzer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an expert in eating and body image issues, and a woman on the other side of her own decades-long struggle with food and body.
A $702 billion global diet/nutrition and weight loss industry shows that people worldwide are devoted to achieving maximum health and their desired bodies. Yet mainstream approaches are failing these individuals, and sadly, science proves this. Intent on gaining the “health” and “happiness” that diets promise, consumers keep trying. They become sad and frustrated, believing they’re failing when they’re not. They simply need a legitimate, alternative path, which “MeaningFULL” offers. Through the contributors’ diverse, real-life mini-memoirs followed by Spotts-De Lazzer’s commentaries, readers will learn about themselves and discover their unique, unconventional formulas for conquering their issues. Along the way, “MeaningFULL” will also guide them towards more self-appreciation, wellness, and fulfillment.
Review MeaningFULL by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
Alli Spotts- De Lazzer is therapist who specializes in family therapy and eating disorders. In this book she has collected 23 stories from people about their struggles with weight and body image issues.
From the day we are born, society inundates us with the message that we must strive for perfection. Supermodels, movie stars, even today’s internet sensations begin programming us from a very young age with the idea that we must fit into a certain mold in order to be acceptable. And that mold is one of a thin, shapely young women. There is a reason Barbie dolls looked the way they did. Girls grow up striving to have that kind of figure. Sadly, many with do anything to try to achieve it.
But a supermodel’s body is, obviously difficult to achieve and as such, many of us will spend a lifetime struggling with our weight and body image, desperate to obtain a standard that is almost unobtainable. Some of us may only toy with dieting occasionally, but the people in this book made dieting into an everyday (and sometimes every moment) war on themselves.
Reading these stories, I felt such sympathy for these people who have struggled so much to achieve what they believe to be their own ideal look. For the woman who gained weight during her pregnancy only to fall back on food as a comfort when her baby was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and her husband left her. For the woman who started a business at a young age and became so obsessed with achieving perfection that she began drinking Ipecac to induce vomiting. For every story that represented another life and another hand over hand climb out of the rock bottom pit of misery.
Every story is concluded with a note from Spotts-De Lazzer analyzing the story and providing a therapist’s viewpoint, which was very welcome.
I personally grew up with a family struggling with weight issues. Most of my family must have tried every diet out there. I was the only one who had trouble actually gaining weight. Besides my family, I have known so many people struggling weight and body image issues, especially in my work as a social worker in mental health.
I am giving 5 stars to this moving look at diet culture and body image. This is the kind of self-help book that we need more of in the world! I am mostly retired from social work now however, I will recommend this book to my collogues, for their clients in the struggle.
About Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
Alli Spotts-De Lazzer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and a “CEDS” Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, and a person on the other side of her own decades-long struggle with food battles and body dislike. She has presented educational workshops at international conferences, hospitals, and graduate schools and has published articles in trade magazines, academic journals, and online information hubs.
A believer in service and advocacy, Alli serves on multiple committees and created #ShakeIt for Self-Acceptance!—a movement embodying its message.
This giveaway is for one print copy with 2 winners. It is open to the U.S. only and ends on March 31, 2021,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, & Body Image Issues by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
Publisher: Unsolicited Press (January 26, 2021) Category: Self-help, Non-Fiction, psychology, memoir, health/wellness, inspirational, eating disorder recovery, weight loss, & body positivity Tour dates: March-April, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-950730-69-8 Available in Print and ebook, 282 pages
Description MeaningFULL by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
“MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, & Body Image Issues” is a blend of motivational self-help, memoir, psychology, and health and wellness. Alli Spotts-De Lazzer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an expert in eating and body image issues, and a woman on the other side of her own decades-long struggle with food and body.
A $702 billion global diet/nutrition and weight loss industry shows that people worldwide are devoted to achieving maximum health and their desired bodies. Yet mainstream approaches are failing these individuals, and sadly, science proves this. Intent on gaining the “health” and “happiness” that diets promise, consumers keep trying. They become sad and frustrated, believing they’re failing when they’re not. They simply need a legitimate, alternative path, which “MeaningFULL” offers. Through the contributors’ diverse, real-life mini-memoirs followed by Spotts-De Lazzer’s commentaries, readers will learn about themselves and discover their unique, unconventional formulas for conquering their issues. Along the way, “MeaningFULL” will also guide them towards more self-appreciation, wellness, and fulfillment.
Praise MeaningFULL by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
“First, let me tell you….YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! Why? Because it will resonate with you at some level. Whether you’re the person that has had a moment of, “I can’t wear that” or “I don’t like the way my (insert body part here) looks in that shirt” or “That food is bad/good for me”. I promise something in this book will touch you. For me, there were many “A-HA” moments that made me tear up a bit reading them knowing that I was not alone. Alli does a fantastic job of letting these stories unfold, letting the writer tell their truth and where they’re coming from, and where they are going. You will laugh, you might cry, but you will definitely be better for reading this! Highly recommend. 5 SHINING STAR STICKERS!!”-cedarparkmom
“I loved your book so much it was an absolute joy to spend this valuable weekend time reading it. . .I really feel this book should be read by everyone in Western culture. This is so much more than a series of stories from people with eating disorders, it is a reflection on American (and to a large extent the whole of western) society. The pressure we put on ourselves and each other to look a certain way, unattainable aspirations that are robbing us of our health and robbing us of our ability to enjoy life. I am sure everyone can benefit from reading this book, and everyone will either relate to some elements of the stories, or know someone who has suffered from similar issues.”-Caroline Watson, from the U.K.
“I SAW MYSELF IN THIS BOOK. I was fortunate enough to read a copy of this book prior to it’s formal release. I expected to read story after story about other people. But, as I dug deeper, I realized, I was reading about parts of myself and parts of my family and friends within each story. I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s a very easy read. Even if you don’t think you need to read this book for your own personal journey, it’s worth reading to better understand what your family or friends might be going through. It has definitely heightened my sense of awareness.”-jrjanuszewski
“A BREATH OF FRESH AIR. MeaningFULL is just that; meaningful. It is FULL of hope and encouragement. Readers will surely recognize themselves in one of the many, beautifully diverse stories of food and body image struggles and triumphs. As an eating disorder therapist, I feel confident in recommending this book to my clients as the author takes great care to engage readers in a safe way that focuses on healing. Her straightforward commentary at the end of each mini memoir is refreshing and illuminating, helping to eliminate any potential misreading of the information presented. Need a fill-up on hope? Grab this book and settle in.”-Josie Munroe, LMFT
“Reading MeaningFULL was like seeing myself in a mirror – sometimes I liked what I saw, sometimes I cringed a little, and sometimes I got a true glimpse of myself. The 23 stories featured in this book made me laugh, cry, and feel a lot of hope – not just for myself, but for everyone who has a contentious relationship with food and with their own body. The storytelling in MeaningFULL is excellent and it was easy to connect with and feel empathy toward the storytellers. The notes from Alli at the end of each story, which have incredibly useful commentary and suggestions are what make Meaning Full such a worthwhile read. I really appreciate how freely resources are shared with the reader. Alli knows that overcoming food, weight, and body issues takes so much more than reading a book. She offers real information and suggestions for how to do the hard work. She also offers hope and glimpses of real lives that are so much better for having done the work. MeaningFULL was not always easy to read, especially when I related too much to a storyteller. It was so worth it, though! I felt seen and I felt compassion from Alli in every word she wrote. I think that there is a lot to be gained from reading this book for everyone – if you don’t have a hard time with food, weight, or body issues, you know someone who does. MeaningFULL is chock full of insights for everyone.”-Darcysmom’s, Goodreads
Interview With Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
TR: Please tell us something about ‘MeaningFULL’ that is not in the summary. (About the book, person you particularly enjoyed writing, etc.)
ASDL: When I started the book, I had little idea of what the heck I was doing. I’d only published academic articles. But this could not be those. Soon after I created a short proof of concept, I discovered I was deeply challenged and felt discouraged as a writer. Throughout the next year and a half/two years, I’d find that I’d feel those feelings often.
Every time I threw MeaningFULL in the trash, I was able to find someone who could teach me what to do to UN-give up. And amazing souls were willing to provide feedback along the way, too. Since I could find no prototype for this kooky fusion of genres, it required a lot of fixing and revising. And, THAT story is nowhere in the book!
TR: Though you are a professional in the field, you most likely still had to do some research for ‘MeaningFull.’ How much time and effort went into your research for the book?
ASDL: Tons! Putting what I think I know in print, to exist permanently, takes a lot of reviewing and double-checking. It was also important to me to offer a variety of accessible resources—meaning, articles that can be Google-searched by readers. Those each needed to be thoughtfully found and chosen.
TR: How long did it take you to write this book from concept to fruition?
ASDL: It took around three years; I began curating it in late 2017.
TR: Tell us about your cover. Did you design it yourself?
ASDL: The JOY in the cover Unsolicited Press created and chose was irresistible to me. I loved that the people seemed to represent who was in the book and who might be reading it.
TR: What are you currently working on?
ASDL: Getting the word out about MeaningFULL! Also, maintaining my private practice.
TR: Besides its fusion of genres, what’s something distinctive about MeaningFULL?
ASDL: The community of it. As it was evolving and being workshopped, many hearts and minds touched the pages. Now that it’s in final form, a reader whose heart or mind it touches will also (hopefully) feel connected. We—you and me—are not alone in our struggles, triumphs, and quests to find our unique formulas to wellness and our contented lives.
About Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
Alli Spotts-De Lazzer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and a “CEDS” Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, and a person on the other side of her own decades-long struggle with food battles and body dislike. She has presented educational workshops at international conferences, hospitals, and graduate schools and has published articles in trade magazines, academic journals, and online information hubs.
A believer in service and advocacy, Alli serves on multiple committees and created #ShakeIt for Self-Acceptance!—a movement embodying its message.
This giveaway is for one print copy with 2 winners. It is open to the U.S. only and ends on March 31, 2021,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
The Desire Factor: How to Embrace Your Materialistic Nature to Reclaim Your Full Spiritual Power by Christy Whitman
Publisher: Beyond Words Publishing (April 21, 2021) Category: Self-help, Motivational, Creativity, Inspirational, Non-Fiction Tour dates: March & April, 2021 ISBN: 978-1582707594 Available in Print and ebook, 208 pages
Description Desire Factor by Christy Whitman
There is no limit to the amount of happiness that we, as human beings, can experience. There is no limit to how much love, laughter, excitement, or satisfaction we can feel. This universe is unendingly abundant, which means that it has the ability to yield to us whatever experiences we desire. Why, then, do some people manifest their desires so fluidly and naturally, while others are living lives of struggle, mediocrity, or quiet desperation?
Hard work alone does not guarantee a positive result. In fact, pushing forward with determination and effort when things are not going as planned usually only makes a bad situation worse. Energy – not action – is the source of all manifested things, and The Desire Factor is the definitive guide to achieving energy mastery.
The Desire Factor provides one of the most current, comprehensive, and easy to apply explorations into the realm of energy, and shows readers how – by purposefully calibrating the energetic frequency of their dominant thoughts, moods and expectations – they can bring any desire into physical form.
The book is built around 7 universal principles, each of which assists readers in connecting with and deliberately harnessing the divine energy stream that sources all things. These are:
The Principle of Alignment
The Principle of Focus
The Principle of Joyful Expectancy
The Principle of Having
The Principle of Loving
The Principle of Surrender
The Principle of Action
Each principle builds upon the last one, and together, they provide a clear path – not just toward the manifestation of objects, experiences and conditions you desire to create in each important area of your life – but toward the personal evolution your desires are guiding you to embrace.
Excerpt Desire Factor by Christy Whitman
How is it that desires are made manifest? How come some people seem to manifest so easily with great results while others struggle for years—if not their entire lifetimes—trying to create what they want? What exactly is the formula for becoming the happy, abundant, wildly successful versions of ourselves that we truly wish to be? And how is it that our thoughts—seemingly so etheric and intangible—turn into objective, material realities like relationships, cars, career breakthroughs, magnificent vacations, and high-end handbags?
It may seem that taking physical, concrete action is the obvious—even the only—path to creating all of the above. And the more we intensely desire something, or the bigger that desire looms in the distance, then the greater the effort we feel we need to apply. This is the essence of the no pain, no gain mind-set that so many are still living within, which tells us that paying our dues and working hard is the only way to fulfill our heart’s desires. Clearly, we can accomplish certain things just by applying physical force and mental effort. After all, just about everyone is capable of devising a plan and executing it, in the same way we can move a pile of rocks from one place to another.
But what about the fulfillment of truly extraordinary—even miraculous—desires? Is physical action alone responsible for the sudden flash of insight that evolves into a multimillion-dollar enterprise? Is mental effort the principal force at work within the artist who writes a song in fifteen minutes that wins her a Grammy and becomes a part of pop culture forevermore? What about the “chance” meeting that delivers you face-to-face with your soul mate, or the single piece of information that drops into your lap and ushers in a whole new way of life?
When a desire—big or small—manifests this easily, it feels almost miraculous. But it’s not a miracle. The people in this world who are the happiest; who have energy, vitality, and clarity; who have plenty of money, creative self-expression, and loving and supportive relationships aren’t accomplishing these things through hard work or effort alone. They are allowing them into their experience through their alignment. And the manifestations themselves are rarely the primary source—and certainly not a lasting source—of their happiness. The real joy comes from the feeling of being in the flow of life and having the direct experience that the universe is our willing, cooperative, creative partner.
Whether it’s the manifestation of a ten-million-dollar winning lottery ticket or the manifestation of a choice parking spot at the mall at Christmastime, the joy and satisfaction we feel as we watch something we desire fall into place comes from knowing that we attracted that outcome to us, through our clarity, our receptivity, and our alignment. We allowed ourselves to be guided to the right place at the right time, and we accurately interpreted the clues that were being offered to us by the benevolent universe of which we are all important parts.
In truth, these clues—which have the very real potential of leading us quickly and joyfully to the spontaneous realization of everything we desire—are all around us, all the time, pointing the way toward everything we desire in every important aspect of our lives. But to pick up on them with clarity and accuracy, we have to be open to receive. In other words, the energy we are broadcasting through our thoughts, our moods, and—importantly—our expectations must be in energetic resonance with the outcome we desire.
It’s All About Energy
We now know that everything within this seemingly material universe, ourselves included, is made up of energy. Einstein proved this, and modern science and quantum physics have further confirmed and expanded on the understanding. What appears to our senses as solid matter is simply energy, vibrating at different rates of speed. Your eyes translate light waves into sight. Your ears translate sound waves into hearing. But nothing material actually exists. And this means that the “stuff” that makes up the entire universe is actually not stuff at all. It’s energy.
Energy is the currency of life. It’s the force that animates all things. Energy is at the basis of everything, and there is no beginning, ending, or limit to this potent, powerful source energy. And here, of course, the questions naturally arise: If the energy that creates all things exists in abundant supply and is equally available to everyone, then why is it that some people manifest their desires so fluidly and naturally while others are living lives of struggle, mediocrity, or quiet desperation? If divine energy is at the basis of all things and we all have equal access to it, then how is it that some people are using it to create their version of heaven on earth while others—by depriving themselves of it—are creating a living hell? What are the hidden mechanics behind the reality that each of us is living, and why is that reality so vastly different for each of us?
The answer to all of these questions is the same. Everything comes down to the alignment, or misalignment, of our own personal energy field. The energy that creates worlds is available to each of us at all times, but as individuals, we have the option of allowing it to fuel us, inspire us, and guide us, and we also have the option of remaining ignorant of its astounding power and therefore denying ourselves access to it. This is the incredible power of free will. The degree of our happiness or unhappiness, our satisfaction or deprivation, and our experience of abundance or lack is simply a reflection of our relationship with this energy stream. And that relationship is entirely within our control.
Advance Praise Desire Factor by Christy Whitman
“The Desire Factor is a testament to the success principles I’ve been living and teaching for more than forty years. Whether we experience happiness or unhappiness, success or failure depends on what we, ourselves, believe we are deserving of. What we think about, talk about, feel strongly about, and act on, we attract into our lives. In this book, my friend Christy Whitman lays out a reliable road map for how to do all of the above on purpose.”-Jack Canfield, coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul® series and The Success Principles™, and a featured teacher in The Secret
“In The Desire Factor, Christy Whitman has pulled back the curtain and revealed how successful people fulfill their desires. Well-written, with engaging, easy-to-relate-to stories, this book will guide you to a completely new understanding of what fulfilling desires means and why you have the desires you have. This is one of those books to put on your must-read list.”-Chris Attwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Passion Test and Your Hidden Riches
“As a TM meditator of almost forty years, I’ve often felt profoundly connected to our collective quantum soup. Christy Whitman’s The Desire Factor beautifully makes the case that desire not only doesn’t deserve its bad rap (thanks a lot, Adam and Eve), but it’s actually one of the soup’s most transformational ingredients.”-Tom Bergeron, TV host and soup resident
“The Desire Factor is a handbook that teaches you how to manifest any desire, big or small. Christy reveals the art and science of creating fulfillment and empowerment in every aspect of your life. Bravo, Christy, for sharing these important principles.”-Cynthia Kersey, bestselling author of Unstoppable, founder & CEO of Unstoppable Foundation
About Christy Whitman
Christy Whitman is a Transformational Leader, Celebrity Coach and Law of Attraction expert, as well as the two-time New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Having It All and Taming Your Alpha Bitch. She is also the author of the international bestseller Quantum Success. Her forthcoming book The Desire Factor will be released April 21, 2021.
Christy has appeared on the news, The Today Show, The Morning Show, Ted X, and The Hallmark Channel and her work has been featured in the media in various publications. She’s been featured in Goalcast, People Magazine, Seventeen, Woman’s Day, Hollywood Life, and Teen Vogue, to name a few.
Christy is the CEO and founder of the Quantum Success Learning Academy & Quantum Success Coaching Academy, a 10-month Law of Attraction coaching certification program. Christy has helped certify over 3,000 life coaches and has helped countless others to unlock their power to manifest. She lives in Scottsdale with her husband Frederic and her two boys Alex and Maxim.
This giveaway is for 1 print copy each for 3 winners and is open to Canada and the U.S. only. This giveaway ends on April 29, 2021 at midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, & Body Image Issues by Alli Spotts-De Lazzer
