The Body Myth

Finally Free From Diet Culture featuring Maureen Schiller

Ronit’s mom Maureen joins The Body Myth for a conversation about being thrust into dieting by her mother at age 15 with doctor-prescribed pills and how from that point on her relationship with food and her body would forever be painful and complicated. From Weight Watchers to calorie counting to compulsive and binge eating, decades of yo-yo dieting took their toll on her self-worth and ability to eat intuitively. Now, after years trapped on the diet culture roller coaster she shares what she’s learned and how it feels to be free.
Maureen Schiller has been an advocate for women of size for the last 35 years. She’s been in the plus size fashion industry where she has moderated fashion shows and dressed women to look and feel their best. She practices body acceptance, which is an ongoing process. She enjoys being social with family and friends. Laughter is wonderful!
The NYT article and recording we discuss: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/11/magazine/weight-loss-pandemic.html
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Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander 

Loving Our Bodies When They’ve Been a Source of Pain featuring Stephanie Weaver

Stephanie Weaver, author of the Migraine Relief Plan Cookbook joins The Body Myth for a conversation about the toll of chronic illness on her feelings of peace with her body, having undiagnosed disordered eating for 40 years, how being riddled with insecurity about her body distracted her from her life’s purpose, and the changes she’s made emotionally, physically and nutritionally to meet her body where it is.
 
Stephanie Weaver is a writer, speaking coach, and recipe developer based in San Diego, CA. She has a Master of Public Health in Nutrition Education from the University of Illinois. She’s the host of The Blue and Yellow Kitchen and The Resilience Series on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Her Migraine Relief Plan Cookbook will be out in July and is available for pre-order now. Learn more about her at stephanieweaver.com
https://www.instagram.com/sweavermph/
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Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander 

14-Years Recovered from Binge-Eating Disorder featuring Ronni Robinson

Ronni Robinson joins The Body Myth for a conversation about being 14-years recovered from binge eating disorder and how she came to understand that the love she was missing during her childhood was what she was for decades trying to replace with food, her passion for helping others find their self-worth, and her memoir “Out of the Pantry” chronicling her 30 years of binge eating and compulsive overeating.
Also in this episode:
-menopause and body size
-Overeaters anonymous
-Breaking family relationship patterns
 
Ronni is a member of the Sandwich Generation; she's the tired lunch meat layered between two college-age children and aging parents.
She is a writer and indoor cycling instructor who lives in Eastern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband in their second year of empty nesting, as both kids are off to college.
Ronni’s passion is helping others who are struggling with eating disorders. She also does public speaking about eating disorders and emotionally abusive relationships.
“Out of the Pantry” is Ronni’s debut memoir, chronicling her 30 years of binge eating and compulsive overeating, and her journey to recovery.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronnirobwrites/
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Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander 

Coming Back to Your Body featuring Natalie Serianni

Natalie Serianni joins The Body Myth for a conversation about being a college athlete and losing herself in perfectionism and performance, society’s messages about our size, the effect dissociating from her body had on her well-being, and how she’s learned to integrate the physical, mental, and emotional and find joy in her body again.
Also in this episode:
-how motherhood helped her appreciate her body
-when she learned to stop pushing herself 
-A reading from Natalie’’s essay “Well Played” 
 
Natlie’s essay “Well Played” https://www.themanifeststation.net/tag/natalie-serianni/
 
Bio:
Natalie Serianni is a Seattle-based writer, professor, and mother of two with work at Motherwell, the Manifest-Station, Ruminate Magazine, ParentMap, SheKnows, and Literary Mama. She has an essay included in the recent anthology, "The Pandemic Midlife Crisis: GenX Women on the Brink." Her work centers on grief and motherless motherhood. Connect with her on Instagram and Twitter.
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Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander

Body Appreciation After Childhood Trauma Featuring Lisa Kohn

Lisa Kohn joins The Body Myth for a conversation about growing up in the Unified Church commonly known as the Moonies, and how shame about her burgeoning sexuality and defying the church soon manifested as Anorexia and drug use. Lisa shares how she found freedom, overcame years of self-destructive behavior, and offers her advice for body appreciation and self-care.
 
Also in this episode:
-Lisa’s memoir To the Moon and Back
-signs of Anorexic and rigid thinking
-raising kids body positively 
 
Lisa Kohn is the award-winning author of to the moon and back: a childhood under the influence, a memoir that chronicles her childhood growing up in the Unification Church (the Moonies) with her mom and a life of “sex, drugs, and squalor” in New York City’s East Village in the 1970s with her dad, as well as The Power of Thoughtful Leadership. She is a keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and executive coach (www.chatsworthconsulting.com) who brings to others the tools, mind-shifts, and practices she’s found and created that have helped her heal, as well as the hope and joy she’s let into her life. She will always tell you that she is a native New Yorker, but she currently lives in Pennsylvania.
 
Websites:
www.lisakohnwrites.com
www.chatsworthconsulting.com
 
Social media:
https://www.instagram.com/lisakohnwrites/
www.facebook.com/lisakohnwrites
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakohnccg/
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Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander

Overcoming Binge Eating Disorder and Embracing Body Acceptance featuring Amy Scheiner

Amy Scheiner joins The Body Myth for a conversation about having bariatric surgery at age 17 and its consequences, her experience with binge eating disorder, how 1990’s body image and diet culture impacted her sense of self, the disconnect between the mental health and medical systems, the memoir she’s written and how she's helping others share their body stories.
 
Also in this episode:
-growing up hearing relatives disparage her size
-the connection between autoimmune and eating disorders
-why some facilities for eating disorders can make them worse
Bio: 
Amy Scheiner is a memoirist, essayist, and feminist. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook University and teaches Creative Writing. Amy hosts a body awareness series on Instagram called "What's your body's story" where she posts accounts of people sharing their body's experience. She is currently seeking representation for her memoir, WHO I ONCE WAS.
www.amyscheiner.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/Bodies_Talks_Stories/
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Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander 

Overcoming False Images of Perfection featuring Simi Krishnan

Simi Krishnan joins The Body Myth for a conversation about growing up feeling she didn’t match up to societal expectations of how she was supposed to look, the years of stringent dieting and exercise regimens she pursued to reach unrealistic goals, how she came to understand what being healthy means and learning to embrace body differences.
Also in this episode:
-the body image climate teenagers are faced with today
-how stereotypes are changing
-why weight as a measure of happiness is a moving target
Outside of her role leading analytics, Simi Krishnan is also a Co-producer and director of The People Tree, a live Storytelling show in downtown Naperville, a suburb of Chicago. The people tree is a female founded and owned business focused on enriching the lives of the local community with real stories from real people.
Community storytelling transforms and enlightens the teller and audience alike.  When we really listen and connect with the stories, they have the power to change us.The People Tree creates platforms and spaces for anyone in the community to share their stories in personal and meaningful ways. 
www.thepeopletree.org 
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Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander 

Misogyny, Fatphobia, and the Morality of Size featuring Dr. Kate Manne

Dr. Kate Manne joins the Body Myth for a Conversation about the material, social, and political costs of living in a larger body, how health concerns have been weaponized against fat people, the moral degradation anyone whose body strays from Western and racist ideals experiences, her own history trying to shrink her body to unrealistic and unsustainable proportions, and the work she’s done to make peace with herself.
 
Also in this episode:
-Dr. Mannes essay in The New York Times “Diet Culture is Unhealthy. It’s Also Immoral”
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/03/opinion/diet-resolution.html
-Her new book-in-progress about the history of fatphobia
-How her earliest encounters with misogyny became the impetus for her work
 
Kate Manne is an associate professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University. Her research is primarily in moral, feminist, and social philosophy. She is the author of two books: Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny (Oxford University Press, 2017) and Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women (Crown/Penguin, 2020). Manne is currently working on a book on fatphobia, and regularly writes opinion pieces, essays, and reviews in venues including The New York Times, The Boston Review, Politico, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post.  
LINKS:
Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny
Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women
www.katemanne.net 
Twitter: @kate_manne
Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander 

More Body Peace featuring Lisa Garpestead

Lisa Garpestad joins The Body Myth for a conversation about the messages we get from loved ones about our size and appetites, overcoming a life of dieting, and finding a way to live without the noise of body judgment.
 
Also in this episode:
-Survey answers to the question “How many diets have you been on in your life?”
-How younger generations are approaching body diversity
-Learning to make peace with food
 
Lisa Garpestad lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, three teenage children, and two dogs.  Having moved around the country due to her husband's job for several years, she is thrilled to be back in her hometown for good!  Lisa enjoys working as a preschool teacher, it allows her to be creative and silly on a daily basis.  When not working, she enjoys photography, reading, (mostly suspense), traveling, podcasts, tv show binging, and time with family and friends.
 
Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
 
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
 
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
 
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
 
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander

Raising Body Positive Teens featuring Signe Darpinian

Signe Darpinian joins the Body Myth for a conversation about catching changes in behavior before they become eating full blown eating disorders, how body image is contextual, the social media-parent-peer effect on teens, helping kids become critical viewers of the media, and treating our bodies with respect even when we don’t like them very much.
Also in this episode: 
-how parent diet history affects teens
-the trouble with wellness culture
-nurturing a friendship with our bodies
-Ryan Reynolds
 
Signe Darpinian is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, and host of Therapy Rocks! a personal growth podcast. She is also the co-author of No Weigh! A Teen’s Guide to Positive Body Image, Food, and Emotional Wisdom as well as the forthcoming book How to Raise Body Positive Teens: A Parent's Guide to Diet-Free Living, Exercise and Body Image, both with Jessica Kingsley Publishers in London. Signe provides tele-health therapy services in the state of California. 
To learn more about Signe, visit
Instagram:
 
-Current Statistics & Research on Eating Disorders: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/statistics-research-eating-disorders
-Stice E, Ryzin MJV, A Prospective Test of the Temporal Sequencing of Risk Factor Emergence in the Dual Pathway Model of Eating Disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol 128(2), Feb 2019, 119-128.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-63717-001
-More on statistics about boy and men:
Dr. Jason Nagata (he edited the 2021 book Eating Disorders in Boys and Men.).
-The Tripartite Influence model of body image and eating disturbance (parents, peers, social media).
Ronit is a writer, teacher, and mom who has taught elementary school through high school and whose writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, Salon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Writer’s Digest, Scary Mommy, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about her body image struggles and the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was named Finalist in both the 2021 Best Book Awards and the 2021 Book of the Year Award and a 2021 Best True Crime Book by Book Riot. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts’ 2020 Eludia Award and will be published in 2022. She is also host and producer of the podcasts And Then Everything Changed and Let’s Talk Memoir.
More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com
Have a body image story you’d like Ronit to read on air or want to take the Your Body and the World survey? Follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZiXP1FklUkWaYg4T6IAqFKDRp6OIvef4be8SRHVaaWt044w/viewform
Sign up for monthly podcast and writing updates: https://bit.ly/33nyTKd
Follow Ronit:
https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/
https://twitter.com/RonitPlank
https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank
Photo credit: Baran Lotfollahi on Unsplash
Theme music: The Lighthouse by Sounds Like Sander