Eating Habits for Life

How do I stop eating for comfort? It’s one of the most common questions I get from high-achieving women, and it usually shows up after a rough day at work, at 8pm on the couch when you’re not hungry but the ice cream is calling, or right after a meeting that left you stressed and drained. In this episode, I explain why emotional eating happens, why stress eating feels so automatic, and why fightin...

What if the reason weight loss feels so hard has less to do with your body or willpower, and more to do with 5 thoughts you keep telling yourself? If you’re a high-achieving woman who can handle just about anything life throws at you but still struggles with emotional eating, overeating, cravings, or weight loss, this episode is for you. When you’re successful everywhere else, it can be especially...

Ever feel like your eating habits don’t make sense, even when you’re doing everything “right”? Unresolved grief could be the missing piece. This week, I’m joined by Dawn Michele Jackson, Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist, to talk about the surprising link between grief and emotional eating. Grief isn’t only about losing a loved one. Dawn shares the many ways it shows up in life, from divor...

With Halloween just around the corner, comes tempting treats, sugar cravings, and overeating the Halloween candy. However, imagine that this Halloween is different and you're able to trust yourself around candy, enjoy a treat or two, and move on without food guilt. In this episode of Eating Habits for Life, I'm sharing how to stop overeating Halloween candy, particularly when it's in the house. I'...

If you're tired of eating habits that only work while you're "being good," this episode is for you. I'm sharing the 7 eating habits you can actually keep for life - the same ones I help my clients build in Lighter. These are the habits behind clients who lost weight and kept it off for months and even years, through babies, breakups, and stressful seasons. You'll walk away knowing exactly what mak...

Feeling like your work stress or overwhelm keeps affecting your eating and don't know what to do about it? In this episode of Eating Habits for Life, I'm breaking down the 3 stress eating patterns I see most often in high-achieving women, so you can spot exactly which one is running the show for you. I'm also sharing some of my methodology for how I help my clients still have healthy eating habits...

If you've ever caught yourself craving salty snacks, sneaking bites off your kid's dinner plate , or reaching for ice cream the second the house finally goes quiet, this episode exlains exactly why. I break down what's actually happening in your brain when chaos hits at home and food becomes the thing you reach for. Whether that's toddlers melting down, a mess in the house, or kids or pets demandi...

If you've lost the same 10 or 15 pounds more than once, or you're stuck in a cycle of struggling to feel in control around food, there's a reason it keeps happening, and it's not what you think. I break down what's actually going on in your head that keeps you looping on food and weight, even when you're doing all the right things. I share a client story with two specific shifts that finally broke...

She pushed her plate away, boxed up the rest, and walked out of the restaurant without a second thought, and it had nothing to do with willpower. In this episode of Eating Habits for Life, I break down the one automatic thought that keeps so many high-achieving women eating past full every time they go out to eat. You'll hear exactly how one of my clients caught that thought and flipped it, and wh...

You have a habit of eating snacks or sweets when stressed, but even when you're aware, you do it anyway. And the reason why isn't what you think. In this episode of Eating Habits for Life, I'm shedding light on why you stress eat even when you know better, plus giving you 3 quick steps to start breaking your stress eating habits. Listen in so you can go from feeling frustrated, discouraged and pow...

If your eating habits suffer when you're exhausted, this episode explains exactly why that happens and how to stop feeling like tiredness controls your food choices. I break down what's actually happening in your brain when you're running on empty, and why willpower isn't as "offline" as you think. I share a personal example from marathon training nights when I'm completely wiped out, plus a clien...

If you're in burnout and wondering why you're eating when not hungry, overeating, or snacking on "junk" or sweets, there's definitely a link. I'm walking you through what's actually happening in your nervous system during burnout, why it makes food feel like relief, and a real client story that shows exactly how this shows up in a busy career and family life. I'm giving you 3 simple nervous system...

If boredom makes you feel that urge to eat something crunchy and salty or something sweet, I want you to know the "problem" is not what you think. And if the problem isn't what you think, the solution isn't either. In this episode of Eating Habits for Life, I break down what's actually happening in your brain when boredom hits, and why it feels especially uncomfortable if you're a woman who's used...

You know you're not hungry, but you eat the cookies, crackers with hummus, or nuts anyway. If that's ever left you confused or frustrated with yourself, this episode is for you. I'm breaking down exactly what's happening in your brain when exhaustion and decision fatigue take over after a long shift, and why your prefrontal cortex checks out before your primitive brain takes the wheel. If you're a...

If healthy eating only works when life is calm and falls apart the second things get stressful, this episode is for you. I'm walking through 7 signs you're relying on willpower to lose weight, instead of habits that actually stick. As a former Physician Assistant with 15 years in healthcare, I see this pattern constantly in the women I coach, especially Nurses, Physicians, Physician Assistants, an...

If you've ever found yourself standing in the break room eating the leftover cupcakes from your colleague's birthday, or going to town on the cookies on the couch at night, this episode is for you. I'm breaking down why sweets feel almost impossible to resist during a busy shift, and why that has nothing to do with willpower or self control. As a former Physician Assistant of 15 years, I know firs...

If you're a busy woman in healthcare who's exhausted by constant food thoughts, food noise, emotional eating, or stress eating, this episode shares the 3 proven steps to quiet your mind—without relying on willpower, restrictive dieting, or GLP-1 weight loss medications. You'll learn how to stop obsessing over food by changing your environment, eating enough during the day, and, most importantly, b...

If you've ever gone straight for the crackers or the cookies after a brutal day and then spent the next hour beating yourself up over it, this episode is for you. I'm breaking down why emotional eating isn't a sign of weakness or a lack of self control, but your brain doing exactly what it's built to do: protect you from discomfort. I share a story about my dog Jonny during a thunderstorm to make...

If you're skipping meals all day at work and then losing control around food the second you walk in the door, this episode breaks down exactly why that happens and what to do about it. I explain the hidden effects of underfueling during a healthcare shift, why "I don't have time to eat" is a thought, not a fact, and how that one belief is quietly setting you up to overeat at night and for night sn...

I love snacks just as much as you do. But my snacking habits changed partly due to this mindset shift I used to change my relationship with snacks. Because there's a difference when you're using snacks as fuel and when you're using them as comfort, relief, pleasure, excitement, or as reward for a challenging day in healthcare. So listen in on this one for the mindset shift that not only changed my...

You can't control your husband, your teenager, or your mother-in-law... so why do you keep trying to control food the same way? In this episode of Eating Habits for Life, I'm breaking down why your relationship with food works exactly like your relationship with a person. And why trying to white-knuckle your way through overeating, emotional eating, or mindless snacking never actually sticks. I'll...

You’re at a party… you’ve already eaten… but you feel that pull to go back for more. What do you actually do in that moment? In this short episode, I walk you through how to handle the urge to overeat at summer parties, barbecues, events in real time, without relying on willpower or trying to “just stop.” This isn’t about food rules, portion control, or restriction. It’s about learning how to paus...

If you’ve ever gone into a summer party excited… but also thinking, “I’ll probably overeat like I usually do…” this episode is for you. In this episode, you and I are breaking down the subtle thought that keeps you stuck in a cycle of overeating at social events, and why it has nothing to do with a lack of willpower. You’ll hear how one small shift can completely change your experience around food...

If you’ve ever felt like eating helps you deal with stress, even just a little, this episode changes how you see that. Because while stress eating can feel like relief in the moment… it’s often the very thing keeping you stuck, overwhelmed, and disconnected from what you actually need. In this episode, you and I are looking at why using food to cope with stress doesn’t actually solve the stress, a...

Many women in healthcare believe their stressful job is the reason they can't stop stress eating, emotional eating, or reaching for snacks after a long shift. In this episode, you'll learn the biggest misconception about stress eating and how your thoughts, emotions, and nervous system play a much bigger role than you realize. As a former Physician Assistant and now Eating Habits Coach, I'll show...