How do you know if you’re finally done with dieting? It’s the million-dollar question, right? You can start by listening to this conversation with Sinéad Crowe, an intuitive eating counselor and perinatal mental health practitioner, who shares her journey from restrictive diets to a balanced, intuitive relationship with food. Sinéad opens up about how her struggles with dieting and binge eating came to a head when she saw how it was affecting her son—pushing her to make a lasting change. Togethe...
Nov 11, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 130
Get ready to rethink what you know about binge eating and food addiction in this eye-opening conversation with health coach, occupational therapist, body image, and binge eating coach, Stefanie Michele. With her decades-long journey with binge eating, Stefanie shares insights to help break the stigma around it. You'll learn why binge eating is often more about emotional suppression and dietary restriction than willpower alone. Stefanie and I unpack common myths from wellness culture, like labeli...
Nov 04, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 129
Did you know that October is ADHD awareness month? It is! 🙌🏽 In this story session, I invited community member Jenny to share her ADHD story with us, from her childhood diagnosis in 1984 to the challenges she’s faced in perimenopause. She opens up about the brain fog, anxiety, and her decision to shift away from traditional stimulant medications towards practices like yoga and hiking for relief. I loved hearing her articulate her insights into the unique relationship between ADHD and intuitive...
Oct 28, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 128
Ever wondered if soy is a friend or foe during menopause? You're definitely not alone. There's so much conflicting information that it’s hard to know what to believe. Some people, like me, are big fans of including soy regularly, while others say it should be avoided completely. It’s a hot topic in the world of nutrition, women’s health, and especially menopause—and today, we’re diving right into it. I’ll start by clearing up some common myths, then get into the science-backed benefits of soy. P...
Oct 21, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 127
Can you imagine a world where food choices are driven by joy, not fear? Today I’m joined by non-diet, weight-inclusive dietitian Abbie Attwood to explore the three most common roadblocks to intuitive eating. We dive into the "messy middle," that tricky space where you’ve left behind diet culture but haven’t yet found your sweet spot with your eating habits. These common hiccups include: ➡️ the impact of fear-based nutrition messaging ➡️ the discomfort of navigating a world without food rules and...
Oct 14, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 126
In this episode, we tackle a topic that deserves a heck of a lot more attention than we’re giving it—our pelvic floor. Kim Vopni, the "Vagina Coach," and founder of the “Buff Muff Method” helps us understand what it means to care for your pelvic health through perimenopause and menopause. Kim shares valuable advice on managing common symptoms like painful sex and annoying leaks. We dive into the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, hormonal changes, and whether those popular biofeedback devices ...
Oct 07, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 125
What would it take for you to truly embrace and even get excited about this season of life? In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome back Kate Codrington—author and midlife coach—who always brings such warmth, joy, and wisdom to these conversations. Together, we talk about the different stages of life as seasons—spring's exploration, summer's energy, autumn's reflection, and winter's rest. Kate and I challenge the idea that menopause is simply about loss and share how we can create gentle, nur...
Sep 30, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 124
Isn’t it refreshing to hear this dieting trope “you are what you eat” turned on its head? In this episode, I had the privilege of chatting with Dr. Emma Beckett, an Australian nutrition scientist and the brilliant mind behind You Are More Than What You Eat . Dr. Beckett’s book dives into the science of eating behaviors, but she makes it all so relatable and easy to understand. We’re cutting through the noise and addressing why dietary myths and labels like “good” or “bad” can mess with our healt...
Sep 23, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 123
Is it just me, or is the “fight menopause” messaging starting to feel a bit stale? Yes, midlife 100% comes with its challenges (many of which we’ll tackle together in Season 5 with the help of some fantastic experts and guests). But to kick off this season, I wanted to share three reasons why I think life post-menopause is pretty awesome. My favorite being that midlife is this incredible opportunity to transform your relationship with food and your body. I’ll share how we can learn to work with ...
Sep 16, 2024•17 min•Season 5Ep. 122
Welcome to this week's episode of the Midlife Feast, our season four finale! 🎉 For this special episode, I invited my sister, Friedel to join me. We didn't grow up together, (those details are in the episode) but by luck, we both ended up living in the same city in the Netherlands and I couldn’t be more grateful to be sharing this season of life with her! We dive into our shared experiences and differences, especially around menopause. While I went through early menopause, my sister, at 46, is ...
Jul 15, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 121
Juggling menopause and a career is incredibly exhausting when you’re faced with the often unpredictable challenges of sleep issues, brain fog, and “crime-scene” periods as I like to call them. In this episode, I chat with Lauren Chiron, founder of Women of a Certain Stage, about turning menopause from a taboo topic into one of empowerment in the workplace. Lauren and I explore how job design, recruitment, and HR systems can support menopausal employees. She shares insights on using engagement su...
Jul 08, 2024•27 min•Season 4Ep. 120
What happens when the pressures of motherhood push you to the brink? In this episode, I'm excited to welcome Tova Leigh, a hilarious mother of three (and fellow twin Mom) who brilliantly exposes the realities of motherhood in a world where social media often only projects perfect parenting. We also explore embracing body changes as we age, shifting our focus from seeking external validation to prioritizing self-care and finding humor in the chaos. Tova is also a huge advocate of educating parent...
Jul 01, 2024•42 min•Season 4Ep. 119
We're mixing things up and adding some fun to our usual midlife and menopause discussions by talking about travel and adventure. Join me as I chat with Natasha, aka The Voyagiste, the creative force behind the Food Joy and Body Joy retreats, including the upcoming one in 2025. We'll share details about these life-changing trips and how they help you step out of your comfort zone. Even if travel seems out of reach, tune in to hear inspiring stories of personal growth from solo and group travel. D...
Jun 24, 2024•37 min•Season 4Ep. 118
Today we're diving into emotional eating, cravings, and why everyone experiences them at one time or another. We'll also talk about how wellness and diet culture often blame menopause and hormones for cravings. I'll share what we actually know about these cravings and hormone changes. More importantly, I’ll share a framework to help you decode your cravings—whether it's late-night snacking, work-time munchies, or a craving for something crunchy Your questions and comments have shaped this episod...
Jun 17, 2024•28 min•Season 4Ep. 117
Today we’re diving into a fascinating intersection of midlife: athleticism, high-performance sports, and intuitive eating. My guest today is Pam Moore, an occupational therapist who wears many hats: journalist, stand-up comedian, certified intuitive eating counselor, and seasoned athlete with her own journey through disordered eating. In this episode, we explore the unique challenges faced by midlife athletes who are still competing and striving for peak performance while trying to break free fr...
Jun 10, 2024•38 min•Season 4Ep. 116
For this Story Session, I’m joined by one of the most authentic examples of joyful movement. Sandra Mikulic is here to share her inspiring journey from treadmill workouts to outdoor trail races. At 43 Sandra started walking on her treadmill, gradually picking up the pace. In 2018, she went on her first outdoor run, a 7K jog. The experience made her feel like an Olympian, despite her modest pace. This newfound passion led Sandra to sign up for four local races, including a half marathon and three...
Jun 03, 2024•35 min•Season 4Ep. 115
As May comes to a close, we're still chatting about bones, osteoporosis, and overall bone health. So the obvious choice was to welcome back Rebekah Rotstein to help us tackle the common worries many of us have after a bone density or DEXA scan, especially when faced with diagnoses like osteoporosis or osteopenia. If you’ve ever been nervous about your T-score and wondered if you’re doing everything right, this episode is for you. Rebekah will help you understand what T-scores and DEXA scans mean...
May 27, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 114
We're diving into a tricky topic today: orthorexia. While it’s not officially classified as an eating disorder, it shares a lot of similarities and is a form of disordered eating. What most people don’t understand is that perimenopause is a particularly vulnerable window for developing it. For this reason, I'm honored to have Dr. Morgan Francis with us—she's an eating disorder therapist and she's here to help us wrap our brains around a definition of orthorexia. You’ll discover how to protect yo...
May 20, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 113
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll recognize today’s guest and know you’re in for a real treat. Sleep expert Dr. Leigha Saunders ND is back to help us make the connection between sleep and burnout-a very common experience in midlife. As we dive into the challenges of parenting, caregiving, and the never-ending cycle of stress and sleep struggles, we'll help you spot the early signs of burnout—because knowing is half the battle to keeping it at bay. Dr. Leigha will help us recognize the si...
May 13, 2024•31 min•Season 4Ep. 112
Welcome to another episode of the Midlife Feast! Today, we're diving into my favorite topic: intuitive eating and breaking free from the dieting cycle. Joining us is the incredible Dr. Alexis Conason, a US-based psychologist and author of Diet-Free Revolution. We're not just scratching the surface here; we're exploring the behavioral and emotional aspects of intuitive eating. Dr. Conason’s approach, woven beautifully with storytelling, offers a fresh perspective that resonates deeply with those ...
May 06, 2024•31 min•Season 4Ep. 111
Join me and parent coach Oona Hanson for a compassionate conversation about the tangled relationship between diet culture, body image, and family dynamics. Drawing from both professional expertise and personal journey through eating disorder recovery, Oona offers helpful insights into the subtle ways language shapes our beliefs about food and self-worth, and how these patterns impact the next generation. Together, we call out why parenting in the face of eating disorders is so tricky to navigate...
Apr 29, 2024•43 min•Season 4Ep. 110
If you're ready to hop off the dieting rollercoaster, you might be starting to wonder what body acceptance really means for you. But here's the thing: a lot of folks mix up body acceptance with giving up, and it’s just not the case! So, in this quick solo episode, I'm going to offer you a crystal clear definition of what body acceptance is, and what it isn't. The big takeaway? You don't have to stay feeling stuck in the “suck”- as I call it. You can have freedom in your relationship with food an...
Apr 22, 2024•12 min•Season 4Ep. 109
Building and maintaining new movement habits can feel daunting, especially if you don’t enjoy moving as much as you did in the past, or are learning to navigate changes to your physical abilities in midlife. But as my guest and I both agree, fitness culture has way overcomplicated what counts as success when it comes to fitness goals. In this episode, personal trainer and nutrition coach, Michael Ulloa joins me to share his inclusive (and refreshing) perspective on fitness. We peel back the laye...
Apr 15, 2024•28 min•Season 4Ep. 108
If dieting has left you flat-out exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally, I want to assure you that you are not the problem. The problem is that diets and food rules have called the shots for decades of our lives. New diets mean new rules. More rules mean more confusion. And in midlife, we’re starting to realize that our brains and bodies are tired of trying to do more with less. But why do you keep wanting to try another diet? And why do most healthcare professionals still recommend the...
Apr 08, 2024•42 min•Season 4Ep. 107
The body acceptance and un-dieting journey is not for the faint of heart. It’s why so many people tell me they will be ready to work with me after they try this “last diet” one more time. Body image work tends to bring up more questions than answers and it takes a lot of courage to sit in all of the emotions that come with the questions. To help us unpack the many layers of this conversation, I’ve invited nutritionist and body image coach, Steph Dodier to help us understand why our brains natura...
Apr 01, 2024•37 min•Season 4Ep. 106
In my work supporting women in midlife and menopause, there are some regular and recurring themes to the questions I get. Whether it’s a client, someone in the community, or DMs, they typically go like this: “I don’t understand what’s wrong with me.” or “There must be something I’m missing.” I always reassure them by saying, “I can’t tell you how common that is.” Why is it so common? If you’re over 40, you can thank the 1980s for many of the beliefs you have about food, nutrition, and health. Ha...
Mar 25, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 105
When we begin to heal from all the damage diet culture has had on our growth and development, it can feel very urgent to get it “right” for our kids and learn how to keep diet culture out of our homes. While this deserves to be a top priority, it requires a lot of grace. In this episode, nutritionist and fitness coach, Tracey Harper helps us understand why rewriting the narrative for the next generation demands that we continue healing in our relationships with food and our bodies. She will help...
Mar 18, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 104
In this special story session, Christina Testut—a kindergarten teacher and champion of body acceptance—joins us this week on The Midlife Feast to share her inspiring un-dieting journey and the lessons that quarantine taught her about embracing body diversity. She shares why her weight-loss “success story” became unsustainable, physically, mentally, and emotionally. As a mother and educator, she recognized the urgent need to redefine beauty standards for impressionable young people and took a pow...
Mar 11, 2024•26 min•Season 4Ep. 103
Tight pants. Bloating. IBS. Food sensitivities. If you’re one of the many people who have experienced gastrointestinal discomfort in midlife, you know how complex this issue is. Dr. Kim Bretz ND is joining me to answer some of the most frequently asked gut health questions. She will help us understand that there’s a fair amount of confusion about our gut because we’re navigating both physical symptoms and perceptions all at once. We’ll dive into FODMAPs, why digestive diversity is so important, ...
Mar 04, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 102
Diet and wellness culture do a fantastic job “shoulding” all over us, especially when it comes to the habits we put into place. This pressure does not mix well with our already strained capacity in midlife, making it necessary to ask ourselves if the habits we keep are serving us anymore. That’s why I’ve invited health coach and behavior change expert Heather Sayers Lehman to help us dive into this work. Habits can be powerful tools, but they should be a reflection of how attuned we are to our o...
Feb 26, 2024•41 min•Season 4Ep. 101
