The Innovative Therapist

The Innovative Therapist


How to Empower and Motivate Others to Lasting Change

April 03, 2023

Episode 91. Part 2 of my coffee chat with Dr. Sapna Doshi is here! So grab your favorite beverage of choice and join us for an honest conversation about the fields of weight management, eating disorders, and health.


Our goal in this 2-part series is to have these episodes be relevant for:


  • People (whether you are an individual looking for an empowering healthcare team) who want to be inspired and motivated to create optimal health and thrive
  • Clinicians who work with people on their health, eating, and/or weight who want to have a full range of options and strategies to help their clients thrive and feel empowered and excited about their health journey

What to Expect in This Interview

In this interview, we cover:


  • What most people truly want in a provider (e.g., therapist, dietitian, other helping profession)
  • What people don’t want, but as providers we are often pulled to do
  • How the concept of psychological flexibility can be so crucial for providers
  • Why working on yourself and your own therapist or provider parts is always needed to continue to guide and empower your clients and patients in the most effective way
  • How the framework of Self-Determination Theory helps us understand what truly works to motivate and empower others
  • Some common client/patient presentations that can elicit anxiety in providers (ranging from weight gain as a response to intuitive eating to the opposite, having a client wanting to lose weight when their provider is recommending a non-diet approach)
  • How to adopt a non-shaming growth mindset versus a fixed mindset when it comes to all things weight, health, eating, and helping others

Also! If you are a therapist, dietitian or helping professional looking to learn more about the best ways to support and empower your clients…

Sapna and I are planning some super cool workshops and learning community opportunities just for you!


Next workshop is on Friday April 21st from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. Sign up today using this link!


If that date has passed, then sign up here to be notified about future offerings!



“We all want to feel secure and safe and feel good about what we are doing. The reality is that it’s a very nuanced process to meet humans where they’re at. I think our goal is reducing shame from all sides and also knowing it’s super normal to judge people who aren’t super aligned with you but if we keep doing that, it’s just not helpful.”


– Shawn Hondorp, PhD



Support Local Bookstores Near You!

Did you know that that if nothing slows their momentum, Amazon will have almost 80% of the book market by the end of 2025?


Look, I love the convenience of Amazon, but I’ve got a super cool way that you can support local bookstores and my blog and podcast simply by buying books like you already do! You can choose any bookstore on the list in the US (they plan to expand to other counties in the future) OR you can just let the donation get split between all stores. They have raised over 15 million dollars for local bookstores. On my bookshop, you will see my absolute favorite books related to health and wellness, courage and vulnerability, and even my favorite fiction and kids books!


My recent favorite related to achieving a deeper level of healing is No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. This model of healing has been incredibly helpful to me personally. I’m also using it with clients and seeing great results. This book isn’t specific to eating or weight concerns, but is really one of the best ways I’ve found to help work with that deeper root cause of any behavior you are struggling with and I think you’ll find it super interesting and valuable.


So if you believe in supporting local businesses and want to support my blog and podcast, please consider buying your books through Bookshop from now on!


The Psychology of Wellness Bookshop Link.



Disclaimer: This blog and podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual professional advice or treatment, including medical or mental health advice. It does not constitute a provider patient relationship.


Disclosure: Using the Bookshop.org links in this post means that I would get an affiliate fee if you purchase from the online bookshop (this supports my business, and local bookstores too!).