Jenna explains mindfulness and intuitive eating in ways that seem both familiar and new. In this keynote, Jenna transforms the mundane act of nourishment into a meditation and brings these concepts from idea into practice. Appropriate for all audiences, including recovery groups.

Jenna teaches us to love ourselves even when we don’t like our reflection. She acknowledges the challenges of aging in a youth-obsessed society, telling the deeper truths that aging reveals, while keeping it relatable and upbeat. Befriending Your Body is essential for women’s groups as well as professionals working with an aging population.

Polyvagal theory has emerged as an important framework for how the nervous system is always trying to protect us. Based on the work of Dr. Stephen Porges and Deb Dana, Jenna has applied the concepts and practices of polyvagal theory to the nutrition field – both for the clinicians themselves and the people they support. In this workshop – that can be either a 1-hour talk or a 3-hour pre-conference workshop – attendees are introduced to the three basic elements of PVT: hierarchy, neuroception, and co-regulation. Dietitians will learn to identify the various nervous system states of regulation and dysregulation, notice the triggers that put them into dysregulation, and develop a catalog of resources to bring them back into regulation. Participants leave with an expanded sense of self-awareness and practical tools to use in day-to-day dietetics practice and life.

None of us likes to have difficult conversations but realistically we must be able to engage in all different types of communications, including those that make us want to run away. In this talk, Jenna weaves together the approaches of mindful non-violent communication, somatic experiencing, polyvagal theory, and radically compassionate presence. Participants will learn how to stay simultaneously calm and authentic, honest and compassionate, intentional and empathetic. They will gain skills and practices to stay regulated and present in their bodies as well as phrases to use to support compassionate communication and, when necessary, regroup and come back at a later point. You might never enjoy difficult conversations, but after this workshop you will feel capable and confident having them.

Meditation has risen in mainstream culture over the past several decades as a form of self-help but given the tumultuous landscape of life in the 21st century, it might better be considered an essential survival skill. Much of what we have learned about meditation is misleading or oversimplified. Meditation is not just about being calm and happy; it’s also essential to helping us navigate difficult emotions and times in our lives. In this talk, Jenna provides the necessary background on meditation to understand its basic philosophy and view as well as its practical applications. Participants will learn and practice a specific meditation technique and gain the necessary skills to bring that practice into their everyday lives for the long term.

Emotional eating is a complex, multifaceted, and misunderstood issue. Few aspects of our relationship with food are as maligned as emotional eating, and our specific story about it contains hidden information essential to truly understanding our needs and ourselves. In this talk – which can be a 1-hour event or a 3-hour interactive pre-conference workshop – Jenna offers you a deeper understanding of the many contributors to emotional eating including cultural, biological, and emotional factors. Participants will learn how to decode emotional eating; understand what is happening in their bodies, hearts, and minds in real time; and create a personalized menu of options to meet their needs with mindfulness, precision, and compassion. Ultimately they will view emotional eating as an important form of communication from their “inner teacher.”