About Us

Connie Sobczak and Elizabeth Scott, LCSW, founded The Body Positive in 1996 because of their shared passion to create a lively, healing community that offers freedom from suffocating societal messages that keep people in a perpetual struggle with their bodies. Connie’s experience with an eating disorder in her teen years and the death of her sister Stephanie inspired her life’s work to improve the self-image of youth and adults. She founded The Body Positive in honor of her sister, and to ensure that her daughter Carmen and other children would grow up in a new world—one where people focus on the things in life that really matter. Elizabeth has been practicing psychotherapy for 25 years, specializing in eating disorders treatment. She is committed to The Body Positive’s work because it brings great meaning to her life when she can help people leave body hatred behind and become free to focus on their precious life purpose.

our mission

The Body Positive teaches people how to reconnect to their innate body wisdom so they can have more balanced, joyful self-care, and a relationship with their whole selves that is guided by love, forgiveness, and humor.

Founders

Connie Sobczak

Co-founder &
Executive Director

Connie Sobczak is a mentor, writer, educator, and award-winning video producer. Her experience with an eating disorder in her teen years and the death of her sister Stephanie inspired her life’s work to create a world where all people are free to love their bodies.

Elizabeth Scott

Co-founder

Elizabeth has been practicing psychotherapy in Marin County, California for 28 years, specializing in eating disorders treatment. She has refined the core Competencies of the Be Body Positive Model to be appropriate for the treatment, as well as the prevention, of eating problems.

Board Of Directors

Jen Gorman

Interim Board Chair

Jennifer Gorman, MC is the Director of Operations at Center For Discovery, where she has been fortunate to work since 2002, initially as a Program Director and therapist and currently as the leader of Discovery’s growing eating disorders division. Prior to joining...

Paul Hammond

Vice Chair

Paul Hammond has collaborated with The Body Positive for several years as a creative consultant, working on videos, print and digital graphics, and the new Body Positive Psychotherapy continuing education online course. Paul and his wife, Christina Spann, recently...

Catherine Cardoza Conner

Treasurer

Catherine Cardoza Conner is Managing Partner of the Cardoza Family Partnership, a real estate development and investment company. Her community involvement includes board and committee service with Girl Scouts Heart of Central California...

Priscilla Tran

Secretary

Priscilla Tran comes to us with an extensive background in community development, marketing, and case management, spanning 11 years. With her heart rooted in service, she has served as Division Director of March of Dimes in the state of Nevada and...

Jessica Diaz France

Jessica Diaz France, the Board Chair, began working with The Body Positive as a high school peer leader in 2001. Since then she has supported the organization by helping to write curricula, developing and facilitating peer leadership trainings, blog writing, and...

Jan Maseda

Jan Maseda is a recent retiree after more than 30 years working in the nonprofit sector. Jan began her professional career as a Paralegal, working for over 10 years in Los Angeles. After a brief hiatus to have two children, she became the Regional Director of Special Olympics...

Babak Sani

Babak Sani is an attorney specializing in intellectual property law. He is a partner at the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend where he has been practicing for nearly 25 years. Babak has been a longtime supporter of a number of non-profits focusing on education...