ABOUT US - ABUNDIA - Plus-Size Women - Fat Acceptance

DIVERSITY HANDS - plus-size women - Fat Acceptance - HAES (Health at Every Size)

retreat

About Us

Abundia was created in the spring of 1990 when a group of therapists*, who are women of size, decided to meet to discuss ways to live fully, joyfully and abundantly in a culture that does not appreciate large women. Because they felt empowered by their gathering, they decided to expand their Abundia Circle and invite other large women to share the weekend with them. The first Abundia retreat was held in 1994 near Chicago. Since then women have been coming together annually to share their stories of pain and triumph with tears and laughter. By the end of the weekend they leave feeling supported and empowered.

*The therapists, collectively known as the "Abundia 5," are:

Jeanette Zweifel, Ed.D., LCPC, MFT
Sue Ross, Ed.D.
Cheri Erdman, Ed.D., LCPC
Barbara Spaulding, LCSW
Sally Strosahl, MA

Abundia: The Next Generation - In 2006, the leaders of Abundia passed the torch to two new leaders, Sandy Dixon and Leeann Enright.

Sandy Dixon, MS, RN is working as the manager of a Cardiopulmonary Department at a local hospital in the Chicago area. She teaches plus-sized water aerobics, has 3 great adult children and one adorable grandson.

Sandy’s journey into size acceptance began in 2000 at her first Abundia retreat. She was a middle-aged RN working on a masters degree in exercise physiology in an attempt to find out why she was fat and how she could change. With the help of the strong women in Abundia and the Health at Every Size (HAES SM) movement, she has learned to accept herself as she is and appreciate the beauty of diversity in all sizes.

Leeann Enright’s last diet was more that 15 years ago although at the time she didn’t know it would be her last. She did know that she had done everything under the sun to lose weight and never kept it off. When she first heard a few things about size acceptance the topic scared her. She went to her first Abundia in 2001 and more consciously began exploring the power of accepting herself as she is and living her life today.

She has a masters degree in Organizational Development and Change Management and over 15 years experience in business transformation and change management consulting. She is so excited to be working with Sandy to bring Abundia and its message of acceptance to other women. It’s through gatherings such as Abundia that she continues her journey and growth as a woman with an unlimited number of adjectives to describe herself, including fat.