top of page
Untitled design - 2024-06-13T191728.403.png

RECLAIMING THE BLACK BODY

9 (17).png
Heading (6)_edited.png

Let's build a community together! Stay updated about contests, giveaways, special announcements and my book tour! 

9 (17).png
P1070340.jpg

 Pre-Order Reclaiming the Black Body 

Untitled design - 2024-06-14T184500.693.png
Amazon-logo-white.svg.png
Books-A-Million_logo-white.png
barnes-and-noble-logo-white.png
walmart-logo-black-and-white.png
Untitled design - 2024-06-14T190603.975.png

Reclaiming the Black Body

Reclaiming_the_Black_Body_spine_burst_ed

Nourishing The Home Within

"Due to the impact of generations of trauma, many of us have learned to disconnect, ignore and suppress our bodies' communication signals. Reclaiming the Black Body is an invitation to restore that connection while healing ourselves holistically." 

- Alishia McCullough

WHAT YOU GET

COMMUNITY

MEETINGS

GUIDED

MEDITATIONS

 KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS GUIDE

GUIDED EMBODIED

 PRACTICES

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

JOURNALS AND

T-SHIRTS

P1070253
P1070258 (2)
P1070251 (1)

How often do you think about your relationship with your body, and with your food? We nourish our bodies daily, but how often do we actually consider the connection between what we put into it and how we see ourselves? Reclaiming the Black Body is an invitation to explore these vital relationships, especially for women and femmes whose bodies have been constantly vilified over time. Growing up, I did not think much about my relationship to food, or that my body was something I could relate to in a kind or loving way. I viewed food as a necessary means of survival, and occasionally a guilty pleasure. I thought of my body as something that needed to be changed in order to fit into mainstream, white-centric definitions of “fitness,” “health,” and “beauty.” This idea that somehow I needed to be fixed was rooted in a deeply ingrained culture of punishment and conformity. As a Black girl growing up in a very religious household in the rural South, forcing my body into submission was expected as a means of safety, belonging, and dignity in my community. The shape and size of my body was connected to my worth.  Eating issues have become so normalized that many of us deal with them but do not view our relationship to food as disordered. This is especially true in communities of color, largely because eating disorders have long been mislabeled as something that only impacts thin, white cisgender women. It wasn’t until I went to pursue a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling that I learned about eating disorders, and subsequent body dissatisfaction. From then on, I began to connect the dots about my own relationship to eating and my body.  In reality, my relationship to food was heavily disordered—or as I prefer to say now, imbalanced. During my teenage years I was consistently undernourished. I regularly restricted my food intake in an attempt to alter my body to be slim but thick in all of the “right” places. This period of restriction was often followed by eating foods that were considered “bad”—then came the guilt, and the feeling that I had to punish myself by withholding food again because of my “poor” choices. My attitude toward food was dictated by control and rigid rules, rather than being seen as a source of joy and nourishment. As I began to do more digging into this dynamic as an adult, I came to realize that the root cause was part of a much larger, much deeper story.  ​ What we put into our bodies is greatly impacted by our global ecosystem. For Black people experiencing eating imbalances, then, it’s critical to examine the systems that have fundamentally disrupted their relationship to their bodies and nourishment: Colonization, capitalism, enslavement, Jim Crow laws, and much more have contributed to this disconnection, powerfully shaping who—and how—we are.  ​ While eating disorder awareness and treatment has been amplified in white communities—particularly among cisgendered able-bodied white women—practitioners, scholars, and researchers estimate that Black communities experience higher rates of eating disorders and disordered eating than the overall population. We know that Black women and femmes tend to experience a disproportionate amount of trauma, violence, marginalization, discrimination, and adverse childhood experiences, compounded by misogynoir and racism—all of which can amplify eating disorder symptoms by increasing imbalanced eating behaviors and stress. We also know that social factors can create disparities in our relationship to food—things like: a lack of access to affordable and diverse food options based on our zip code, lack of access to clean water, stress, lack of sleep, socioeconomic status, illness, a family history of food scarcity, or a lack of affirming body movement options. These kinds of personal experiences have a direct correlation to the development of eating imbalances in Black communities. Clearly, there is some real unpacking to be done here—and the stakes couldn’t be higher.  ​ When I first got started in this field I was one of only five Black eating disorder practitioners in my state of North Carolina. As you can imagine, there were very limited conversations about eating imbalances in Black communities. From the beginning of my career, I have been vocal and committed to shifting that representation for myself, my colleagues, and all human beings who feel that the treatment of eating imbalances are not inclusive of their own experiences. We deserve to feel safe and seen, and to be able to show up in these spaces as our whole selves.  ​ Due to the impact of generations of trauma, many of us have learned to disconnect, ignore and suppress our bodies' communication signals. Reclaiming the Black Body is an invitation to restore that connection while healing ourselves holistically. I have spent years looking into the historical, ancestral, energetic, cultural, embodied, systemic, psychobiological and land patterns that have gotten us to where we are now, while getting to the root and origin of the wound associated with the eating imbalance condition. Throughout this book, we will take our time to unwind each thread of disconnection and allow those threads to lead us to a space of contending with the truth. By acknowledging this truth, it is my hope that readers are offered a powerful opportunity to rejoin themselves, integrating all of the information, medicine and wisdom gathered within the book’s pages to foster more awareness, liberation and healing within our bodies, communities, and culture.  I believe that the healing we do within ourselves begins to ripple into the collective body, and shifts the world and ecosystems to be more sustainable and regenerative. This is the medicine that is so needed in our world right now.  Alishia McCullough, LCMHC

"I believe that the healing we do within ourselves begins to ripple into the collective body, and shifts the world and ecosystems to be more sustainable and regenerative. This is the medicine that is so needed in our world right now." 

- Alishia McCullough

P1070350.jpg
Heading (10).png

"Due to the impact of generations of trauma, many of us have learned to disconnect, ignore and suppress our bodies' communication signals. Reclaiming the Black Body is an invitation to restore that connection while healing ourselves holistically."

- Alishia McCullough

Meet The Author

Alishia McCullough (she/her) is a millennial Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist and Founder of Black and Embodied Consulting PLLC.

She specializes in somatic therapy, trauma healing, and eating disorder treatment with a focus on cultivating embodiment and fostering anti-oppression. In 2020, Alishia co-founded the Amplify Melanated Voices Movement, a global movement to elevate the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color online and in-person. Alishia currently runs the self-paced online course Reimagining Eating Disorders 101. An accomplished writer, Alishia is the author of a collection of poems called Blossoming, and the forthcoming book, Reclaiming the Black Body (2024).

In her work, Alishia centers the intersectional narratives of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, dual-heritage, and individuals indigenous to the Global South, andor those who have been racialized as 'ethnic minorities' experiencing mental and emotional distress. She also specializes in working with those living with eating disorders, upholding the values of body justice and fat liberation within Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous,  People of Color (QTPOC). She was one of the Mental Health Expert Influencers in Meta's 2022 Well-Being Collective. Alishia's work has been featured in Bustle, Popsugar, BlackGirlNerds, Essence, Reckon, Wondermind, SELF, STAT News, Peace Talks Radio and Forbes.

FEATURED IN

Heading (8).png
2560px-Stat_News_logo_edited.png
Untitled design (83).png

What Others Are Saying . . .

"In a world where silence suffocates and stereotypes shackle Black bodies, Alishia emerges as a radiant force for Black body liberation. Her radical approach ignites crucial conversations around myths and disparities of eating disorders within Black communities and paves pathways to liberation and self-love for all Black bodies..."

Patricia Duggan

-

Licensed Therapist and Somatic Healer 

"As we navigate creating what we truly desire and deserve in this ever-changing and challenging world space, you want to find and be drawn to people who are not only expressed in their wisdom, but embodying it through who they are and how they show up and share in the world. Alishia is one of those people...."
 

Ash Johns

-

Certified Psycho Spiritual Life Coach, Ancestral Healer, and Conscious Business Strategist

"Alishia McCullough has paved the way for understanding the legacy and wisdom needed to heal disordered eating in the Black community..."
 

 

Dr. Shawna-Murray Browne

-

Liberation-focused Psychotherapist and Principal Consultant at Kindred Wellness, LLC 

"Alishia McCullough's work has been a beacon of light in the field of healing and embodiment. Her writing provides a sense of grounding and ease unlike any that I've experienced, and calls to each one of us interested in transforming and transmuting the experiences of our bodies..."
 

Jessica Wilson

-

Dietician and Author of It’s Always Been Ours: Rewriting the Story of Black Women’s Bodies 

"Alishia McCullough's contributions are truly invaluable, transforming the mental health landscape for Black and brown communities..."
 

Maria Sosa

-

Licensed Therapist and Founder of @HolisticallyGrace on Instagram
 

Alishia is a healer, thought leader and paradigm shifter. Her work is truly ahead of its time and is helping to usher in body liberation and for Black folks that expands generations. I’m thankful to have experienced her brilliance and wisdom in this lifetime.

 

 

Ilya Parker

-

Educator and Founder of the Decolonizing Fitness movement

P1070340.jpg

 Pre-Order Reclaiming the Black Body 

Untitled design - 2024-06-14T184500.693.png
Amazon-logo-white.svg.png
Books-A-Million_logo-white.png
barnes-and-noble-logo-white.png
walmart-logo-black-and-white.png

More Of  What Others Are Saying . . .

"In the traditionally conservative landscape of eating disorders, marked by a lack of substantial innovation, Alishia stands out as a much-needed force for change. She has emerged as a trailblazer, actively reshaping the field by introducing groundbreaking initiatives..."

Gloria Lucas 

-

Eating Disorder awareness Educator and Founder of Nalgona Positivity Pride 

"Alishia's work comes from a place of intentionality, compassion, empathy, with a decolonial lens and centers on health at every size and body liberation."
 

 

Dr. Hortencia Jimenez

-

Professor, Certified Health Coach and Activist in the Anti-diet Movement

"Alishia shines a light on the complexities of Black identity, autonomy, and empowerment. This groundbreaking work promises to challenge perspectives, ignite important conversations, and inspire readers to embrace their own narratives..."

Whitney Trotter

-

Dietician and Host of the BIPOC Eating Disorder International Conference

"With Reclaiming the Black Body, Alishia McCullough is helping to usher in a new and critically needed wave of Black liberation; one that centers on body-based freedom..."
 

Dr. Mariel Buque

-

Trauma Psychologist and Author of Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma 

"Alishia’s work is a testament to reclaiming one’s body, and embodying love of Self. Her legacy will be one of empowerment and healing as her work calls us to join the fight for body liberation and dismantling systems of racism and oppression that directly impact our bodies, especially Black bodies. I look forward to seeing how her words touch the hearts and souls that are calling for its medicine!"

 

Natalie Y. Gutierrez

-

Psychotherapist and author of The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color

bottom of page