Body Neutral, Jessi Kneeland
Body Neutral, Jessi Kneeland
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Body Neutral
A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Body Image Issues

Author: Jessi Kneeland

Narrator: Jessi Kneeland

Unabridged: 14 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 06/06/2023

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

“An incredible resource for those who are looking to find greater peace with their bodies in order to live a more empowered, joyful, and meaningful life.” —Matt McGorry

A life-changing guide to reclaiming your relationship with your body—and yourself

Have you ever thought that if only you could change the way you looked, your life would be better? It’s so easy to imagine that by changing the outside of our bodies, we’d feel better on the inside. But we all know that even if we could magically attain a so-called “perfect” body, our problems wouldn’t actually be solved. That’s because body image issues are never just about the body: they’re always about something deeper inside.

As a longtime personal trainer and coach, Jessi Kneeland has seen hundreds of clients achieve their fitness goals but still feel trapped in a web of body hatred, anxiety, obsession, and dysmorphia. Searching for a solution, Kneeland set out on a quest to discover what it truly takes to help people understand, process, and heal their body image issues for good. They share their discoveries in Body Neutral, where you’ll learn:

The power of “body neutrality”—the ability to accept and respect your body, even if it isn’t the way you’d prefer it to be.Which of the four “body image avatars”—each of which represents a different root cause for body image issues—aligns with you and your relationship with your body: the self-objectifier, the high achiever, the outsider, or the runner.Actionable and unique methods to help you strip away the layers of false meaning, excess power, moral significance, and shame that have been preventing you from both connecting to and appreciating your body, and feeling truly worthy as a person. 
There is a reason you’re unhappy with your body, and Body Neutral will help you discover what that reason is and how to defuse its power, freeing you to enjoy a life of true confidence, security, and satisfaction.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF which contains the Avatars Self-Assessment and the Recommended Reading and Frequently Asked Questions appendices from the book.

About The Author

Jessi Kneeland (they/them) is a coach, writer, and speaker dedicated to helping people overcome the suffering associated with body anxiety, insecurity, and negativity, and to improve their relationship with their bodies. After working as a personal trainer for a decade in New York City, Kneeland became an iPEC certified life coach and launched a coaching practice centered around the meaningful work of self-acceptance. Their innovative approach allows them to partner with clients individually and in groups to help them find body acceptance, a strong sense of self-worth, and true confidence. They are committed to the pursuit of body neutrality—a philosophy predicated on the idea that how we look is the least interesting and important thing about us. Their work has been featured in Women’s Health, Shape, Pop Sugar, Refinery29, BuzzFeed, Hello Giggles, and more, and their TED talk has been viewed by over 50,000 people. They live in North Carolina with their partner and cat.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Magen on January 11, 2024

What I loved: The theory. There's a lot to think about, and I love thinking. What I didn't love: The homework. I hate books that give you homework or ask you to set goals. I also agree that this was a little too PC beyond what made sense for the topic. Don't get me wrong, I'm also a queer, enby, AFAB,......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on October 02, 2023

Wow this is serious business, with a structural lens but actionable on the individual level. It's definitely got me thinking, and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's long though, and full of tons of prompts. One of the few books I'd say might be better to buy than check out from the library.......more

Goodreads review by Kathleen on November 27, 2023

I wanted to like this book but there was too much here to cause me to dislike it. The author is REALLY into social justice, which is fine, but that often has nothing to do with body issues. For example, she keeps bringing up systems of oppression, and bizarrely, that the US is a colonialist country (w......more

Goodreads review by Brooke on July 16, 2024

First of all— this is not the Bible for body image issues. But I think it’s a good place to start and identify your patterns. The quiz and archetypes are helpful. However, the theory section needs some work. Sometimes her language can confuse me and is almost counterintuitive. She was just so wordy......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on April 12, 2024

I've had body image issues for at least a decade and a half now, and this may sound naïve, but I had never really considered what might be the underlying reason(s) for them. Kneeland presents four "avatars" that describe common profiles of people who struggle with body image. This book will make you......more


Quotes

One of PureWow’s 11 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in June
One of Love What Matters’s 5 Books About Body Neutrality To Add To Your Reading List


“Body neutrality means rejecting the idea of having to love or hate our bodies and instead just accept the fact that they’re there. Rather than celebrating the way our body looks, why don’t we focus on what our bodies can do? In writing this guide, longtime personal trainer and coach, Jessi Kneeland (they/them) set out to discover what it truly takes to help people understand, process and heal their body image issues for good. According to Kneeland, there’s a reason you're unhappy with your body, and Body Neutral seeks to help you discover what that reason is and how to defuse its power, freeing you to enjoy a life of confidence, security and satisfaction.”
—PureWow

“A must-read book that dives deep into the concept of body neutrality. It serves as a great jumping-off point to understanding this concept. Kneeland offers valuable insights and practical advice on how to cultivate a more positive relationship with your body. Through personal stories and thought-provoking exercises, Kneeland encourages readers to embrace body neutrality, focusing on self-acceptance and appreciation rather than constant scrutiny and body shame.”
—Love What Matters

Body Neutral is an incredible resource for those who are looking to find greater peace with their bodies in order to live a more empowered, joyful, and meaningful life.”
—Matt McGorry

“In Body Neutral, Kneeland illustrates a liberating pathway to help people untangle their self-worth from their body image, healing their perceptions of their bodies as they go. Navigating the work of body neutrality through identifying ‘body image avatars,’ Kneeland helps people get to the root of their body anxiety and utilize strategies to heal. This is an important book for people ready to interrogate their feelings about their bodies and move toward body neutrality in practical, manageable steps.”  
—Lexie Kite, PhD, coauthor of More Than a Body

“Refreshing, transformative, revolutionary. Body Neutral is an actionable, practical guide to overcoming not only our individual body image suffering, but collectively dismantling the hierarchies that exist at the root of these issues, and moving toward greater justice, fairness, and equity for all bodies.”
—Molly Galbraith, cofounder of Girls Gone Strong and creator of GGS Academy

“There’s a lot here for readers who are serious about coming to terms with their body image and willing to do the work to make it happen.”
—Booklist

“Kneeland presents a fresh approach to body acceptance in their thought-provoking debut. . . . Kneeland outlines an inclusive attitude toward self-acceptance aimed at readers of all races and gender identities, and the advice is informed without getting preachy. Anyone hoping to repair a troubled relationship with their body should give this a look.”
—Publishers Weekly