Compared to Who? Body Image for Christian Women

My guest today is author Brittany Ann from Equipping Godly Women . Brittany joins me today for a conversation about the need to always be right! Do you always have to be right? Do you stew and stress if you feel like others are getting it "wrong"? Do you like to have the last word? If being right is important to you, take a listen to today's episode. Brittany and Heather discuss the ways always ha...

Today's show features best-selling author and Proverbs 31 speaker Karen Ehman. Karen and Heather talk about people pleasing, why we do it, how it hurts us, and how to know when we're doing it. If you're afraid to say no or feel stuck in a people-pleasing rut, today's episode is for you! Karen shares her story of people pleasing and how her childhood family dynamics contributed to her tendency to w...

Have you been struggling with body image so long that you've convinced yourself there is no way out? Or, maybe you feel like you've tried everything to make the pain go away, but nothing seems to work. Feel like you will "never be better" is a feeling of hopelessness. The frustration is real. On today's show, Heather unpacks the lie that there is no hope or that you'll have to feel bad about your...

Today's lie is a common one. We're constantly told by the culture that if we just loved ourselves more, we wouldn't struggle with body image issues. More self-love (or self-esteem) would free us from the pain of not liking ourselves. It's as if there is some magic switch that can flip, and suddenly, we love ourselves and don't hurt anymore. But it's just not true. Self love isn't an actual path to...

On today's Intuitive Eating coaching call, Heather and her coaches, Char-Lee Cassel and Erin Todd of the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women Podcast, talk about how we stress over what other people think of us as we back away from dieting and grow more comfortable with food freedom. Our conversation goes many directions as we explore topics like: How do you talk to a friend who has been told that...

Today's lie is one that most of us aren't even conscious of. And yet, how often do we find ourselves changing clothes a dozen times before we see people or stressing over how we look or what we said? Could it be that the reason we stress is that we're worried about what image we are portraying? Are we concerned that if we don't look or act like we believe we should, people won't think of us in the...

Most of us hate that "out of control" feeling. That's why diets are so appealing. They give us a plan and help us feel like we are in control. When we're "off" the diet we feel out of control, so we try another diet or "health plan" so we can feel our sense of control restored. Today we tackle the truth behind why our eating patterns are disrupted by diets and overly controlling behaviors. We look...

Have you believed that it's possible to keep your body from changing? Maybe you've believed that you could stop aging, weight shifts, or other physical changes if you followed someone's plan or just did "all the things" right. Have you felt guilt, shame, or "out of control" feelings because your body has changed and you didn't stop it? Oh friend, today we're going to explore the world of lies surr...

Do you want to be appreciated or do you want to be approved of? These two words sound similar, but we don't often think about their differences. Yet, when we confuse appreciation and approval, we can send our hearts on a wild goose chase after something they already have in Christ! If you've ever felt under appreciated or lived for the compliments and kudos of others, this episode will encourage y...

Today we start a new series for the month of September called "Lies We Believe." The first lie we tackle is the myth that if you just lose weight or get your body to the size you want it to be, you won't stress over body image any more. This is the lie sold to us through every before and after photo in every weight loss ad. This is the lie that most permeates the marketing of diets. And it's one w...

Today's show explores the one muscle in our body most of us never think about exercising, our pelvic floor! We talk about how this little set of muscles has all of your organs resting on it and how many of the issues women experience, from peeing a little when you sneeze to frequent bathroom trips, to posture problems or back pain, could all be related to pelvic floor dysfunction! Guess what: It's...

Do you wrestle with feelings of disappointment at the end of fun seasons like Summer or the holidays? If so, you may have Chronic Disappointment Disorder (or CDD). It's not a real disease, but Heather has experienced it as if it were. Today, she tackles what to do if you feel disappointed at the end of this season and if you wrestle feelings of sadness or loss as you transition between the seasons...

Today's show is another Intuitive Eating Coaching Call with Heather's friends Char-Lee Cassel and Erin Todd from the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women Podcast. We tackle Heather's journey with food sensitivities--including how Heather operated for ten years with a belief system that certain foods were making her not feel good based on MRT testing. Heather talks about the different foods she's a...

How do you tell your man about your body image or food issues? Should you even tell him? What if he doesn't understand? What if he is making them worse and you need to help him correct course? Or, what if he's engaging in behaviors that are making you feel more insecure about your body than ever. Today's episode will tackle all things in this arena including how to tell your man that you struggle...

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you'd probably call yourself a Christian. You may even say that's our religion. But, when we follow diets, there is a temptation to follow a false religion. In fact, that's why diets sell and why Christians love diets so much--there's a lot of similarities between following a diet and our walk of faith. But, it's important in the end to know which "religion"...

In today's episode of 7 Minutes of Scripture, we're talking about God's sovereignty and your body and body image! It's tough to tackle one of the biggest, richest, and deepest passages of the Bible in such a short amount of time. But, today, Heather attempts to apply Paul's wisdom about the sovereignty of God to our bodies and body image issues. If you've ever struggled with believing that God mad...

Is your body your friend or your enemy? Are you on the same team or are you always at odds? Do you feel like your body fights you? Or, maybe you've just never liked it...and making peace sounds nearly impossible. No matter where you are at on your body image journey, befriending your body is a helpful part of the process. Today, Heather talks about being kind to your body from several different an...

Back-to-school shopping time gives an opportunity for body image issues to flare! Sometimes the issues are our own--we may project our own body image issues onto our kids, fearing they will follow in our footsteps as their size or shape changes. Or, it may be that our children are already expressing dissatisfaction with their bodies--and back-to-school shopping can be a rough time for both parent...

If you feel the urge to find a new diet for the Fall, you're not alone. Back-to-school time triggers us with the lure of a fresh start, new routines, and the promise that maybe this Fall we can find the plan to solve our issues for good! But, is finding a new diet or plan the best way to find body image freedom? Today we talk about this and more. If you really want to start a new diet soon -- this...

Are you stuck comparing who you are today to who you were ten, twenty, or more years ago? If so, today's episode is for you. We're going to talk about how to stop comparing yourself to your younger self. We'll explore how we tend to romanticize and idealize those older versions of ourselves. We'll also look at how to reprogram our brains and accept the reality that a changing body is more normal t...

Wondering what to do and what not to do on a bad body image day? Here are five tips to help you navigate those days when you wake up and feel "bleh" about your body. If somedays you feel more consumed with your body and the desire to change it feels overwhelming, know you are not alone. We all have bad body image days. Even if you've made great strides towards freedom from obsessing over your body...

Did you know that healing your body image may require you to escape from something you've likely been trapped in for a long time? Diet Culture-the ways we think having a better or "healthier" or thinner body will save us-has trapped many of us in its "escape room" for decades. We're told if we can do all the things, figure out the right combinations, and break the secret codes, then we will escape...

In today's "Hot Coaching Tips" episode, Heather talks fitness trackers, Apple Watch, and all the other little exercise bullies that we wear on our person. We talk about the good, the bad, and the unexpected when it comes to these tracking devices. Do you have to have your watch on to get "credit" every time you walk? Do you never leave home without your tracker? Take a listen today and see how thi...

Most of us who diet or try fitness/wellness plans aren't looking to be on a plan forever. We just want to rest. We just want to be normal with food. But what does that even look like? Are you so far from feeling peaceful and "normal" around food, that you can't even conceive of how that would look? That's what we're talking about in today's "Hot Coaching Tips" episode. Here are some points we cove...

In today's Intuitive Eating coaching call, Heather talks to her coaches, Erin Todd and Char-Lee Cassel from the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women podcas t about how she's spent so many years trying not to eat and how unfamiliar it is to have that permission. Today we start by looking at scripture. In Proverbs 13:25 the Bible talks about eating until their hearts are content. Then in Proverbs 14...