The Innovative Therapist

Episode 44. Today I have the pleasure of talking with Shadoe Ball. Shadoe is an artist and writer that lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and adorable dog named Gertie. Her essay, Stranger Words was included in the anthology BIG: Stories about Life in Plus-Sized Bodies, published by Caitlin Press. She is also the person behind the Instagram account "The Word Fat", an art project that encourages submissions from everyone. Her only rule for this project is to be compassionate and curious about the feelings that may come up during the process.  IG: @shadoeball and @TheWordFat and @tinygertie What to Expect in This Interview: In this week's episode, Shadoe and I talk about: How she came to find intuitive eating (you'll be surprised about where she learned about it!)Her journey moving from chronic dieting to using intuitive eating and body liberation to stop obsessing about making her body smaller.Her concerns about rejecting diet rulesFears of weight gain and how she handled thisHer favorite parts and hardest parts of intuitive eatingWhat gentle nutrition looks like for her and how she is learning to tune in and nourish her body Are You New Here? Welcome! I’m so glad to have you. You might be wondering what this blog and podcast are all about. We relate everything in this podcast back to motivation, but not the hustle and grind kind. Truly sustainable motivation that keeps you feeling energetic and engaged in your life for the long haul. We talk about why “I’m just not motivated” is a myth, and why the TYPE of motivation you have is so important to fully understand. If you are ready to learn about motivation and respecting your body in an effective way so that you can live a life you truly love, you are in the right place. Check out the Foundational Episodes of the Motivation Made Easy Podcast here! Introduction: What is this podcast all about?Episode 1: Want to Get & Stay Motivated? A Crash Course on Motivation, Weight Loss, and HealthEpisode 2: How Dieting Steals Our MotivationEpisode 3: How To Get Motivated To Improve Your Health (Motivation 101)Episode 4: How to Transform Health Fears Into Forward Progress Do you ever worry that you are wasting your life? I definitely did. In fact, I wrote that in my journal many years ago when I was in the middle of the diet-binge roller coaster ride. I woke up every day thinking about food, my body, and what I would eat that day to "be healthy"The notebooks I had filled with calories and points could fill up a spare bedroomSocial events and vacations immediately prompted the thought "they will notice I gained weight" or "I need to lose weight by then"Deep down I knew I wasn't living life the way I wanted to, but I didn't know how to pull myself out of it. If this is you, I want you to imagine what it would feel like to feel empowered in your body and proud of your choices on a consistent basis. I promise you, it isn't too late. Dieting steals our motivation. It makes us ineffective. It keeps us spinning our wheels in a system that was never built to work. If you are ready take the first step to motivating yourself with what matters to you, download my free Cultivate Powerful Motivation guide (which is quite beautifully designed if I do say so myself), and walk through the 3 simple steps to cultivate motivation that works for YOU in 15 minutes or less. You will get a simple formula to write ONE SENTENCE you can use to motivate yourself on a daily basis. You can write it on your bathroom mirror, put on the background of your phone, or just read it and repeat it in your mind. Look, I know how much it hurts to live a life worrying you are missing out, not stepping into the person you were truly meant to be, vibrant, passionate, curious, vulnerable, and brave. You can listen to the podcast all day, but taking that first step, putting pen the paper (or typing on your phone) is required for true change.

Episode 43. "Stay silent, stay still." Have you ever unconsciously followed that command? I know I have. Today I have the pleasure of talking with Racheal Rickabaugh where we dive into learning and un-learning and her journey of regaining the sense that her body, and her intuition, could in fact be trusted. Racheal is a 33 year old second grade teacher from Grand Haven, Michigan.  She is passionate about supporting her students' social/emotional development and fostering a mindset for learning in her classroom. She enjoys walks along the pier, board games, listening to podcasts, reading, and spending time with her friends.  Racheal enjoys writing.  Currently, she does it mostly for herself but has blogged a bit and hopes to have a more public platform one day. Check out her blog on her eating disorder journey here. Today Racheal shares about her journey with her relationship with food and her body. Racheal is one of my early blog and podcast listeners/readers and has been such a wonderful part of the Psychology of Wellness community. She was one of our Founding Members of the Body Respect Program, our online program. What I have so appreciated about Racheal is her inquisitive nature, her deep desire to understand her body, openness to learning, and wanting to look at things truly holistically. She has the BEST questions. Many times when I’m asking questions to guests on the podcast or various settings, Racheal is the voice behind them! I’m so excited to dive in today and have her share more about her journey. In this interview, we cover: Racheal's early relationship with food and her body and how being biracial growing up in predominantly white West Michigan impacted her identity and sense of selfHer progress with weight loss and flexible habit change (and the impact of people's comments and being asked to share this publicly online) and when it turned into an eating disorderHere extreme skepticism at first with Health at Every Size and Intuitive Eating (e.g., "I thought they were BS") and what eventually changed her mindHow she has used science and research to really empower herself and achieve a more wholistic and flexible view of health than ever beforeWhat she wants providers and people to know about making comments about weight loss Want To Support Local Bookstores Near You? Buy your books from Bookshop! Support local bookstores near you and this blog and podcast and help prevent Amazon from completely squashing the local book market. Are You New Here? Welcome! I’m so glad to have you. You might be wondering what this blog and podcast are all about. We relate everything in this podcast back to motivation, but not the hustle and grind kind. Truly sustainable motivation that keeps you feeling energetic and engaged in your life for the long haul. We talk about why “I’m just not motivated” is a myth, and why the TYPE of motivation you have is so important to fully understand. If you are ready to learn about motivation and respecting your body in an effective way so that you can live a life you truly love, you are in the right place. Check out the Foundational Episodes of the Motivation Made Easy Podcast here! Introduction: What is this podcast all about?Episode 1: Want to Get & Stay Motivated? A Crash Course on Motivation, Weight Loss, and HealthEpisode 2: How Dieting Steals Our MotivationEpisode 3: How To Get Motivated To Improve Your Health (Motivation 101)Episode 4: How to Transform Health Fears Into Forward Progress Do you ever worry that you are wasting your life? I definitely did. In fact, I wrote that in my journal many years ago when I was in the middle of the diet-binge roller coaster ride. I woke up every day thinking about food, my body, and what I would eat that day to "be healthy"The notebooks I had filled with calories and points could fill up a spare bedroomSocial events and vacations immediately prompted the thought "they will notice I gained weight" or "I need to...

Episode 42. Have you ever had a health scare (for you or a loved one) and been frustrated with yourself that it didn't propel you to make a big lifestyle change? On today's episode of the Motivation Made Easy podcast, I talk about our family's experience learning of our high genetic risk of cancer. I share this as one example of how fear of loss can help motivate positive health changes when we have the right mindset. Are you ready to take that first step? Are you sick of decision fatigue and feelings of overwhelm? You wake up feeling anxious, not sure what to eat or focus on in your day. Not exactly sure how to spend your time. Maybe you end up scrolling your phone or just jump into your emails, not really sure how to spend your time. You finish your day focused on all the things you didn't get done, frustrated and angry that you aren't more focused on what truly matters. Maybe you felt that you weren't present with your kids or loved ones? I know that's the one that hurts me the MOST. I think we have all been there. If you are ready to start getting clear on what you should be spending your time on and what's helpful, it first starts with clarifying your values. The #1 strategy I hear over and over that is MOST HELPFUL in developing autonomous and sustainable motivation is to clarify your values. Have you done it yet? Or lately? I, for one, do this regularly, particularly when I'm feeling a bit lost. And as a new entrepreneur, this happens quite often! Grab the free guide at DrHondorp.com/goals, which will walk you through a step by step process to get started on clarifying what matters to you and what you should be focusing on at this season of your life. I promise you; it’s never too late to stop dieting and start truly living. A Personal Story Today we are getting personal. I talk first about about having basal cell carcinoma last year and how a recent experience brought up fears about our family history. I share that my husband has Lynch syndrome, a genetic mutation that greatly increases his risk (and potentially our kids) of many types of cancer. How to Transform Fear into Positive Progress When (Fear-Based) External Motivation Does Not Motivate Have you had a health scare in the past where you really hoped it would propel you to make habit changes in your life, but it didn't? I know this is extremely common, because I would often talk to patients about this. They might have recently had a heart attack and be incredibly frustrated with themselves that they weren't "taking it more seriously." I can relate to this, as I think many of us can. In the past, before I stopped dieting, I always hoped that health scares would motivate me to live a healthier life. I would try to use them as a reason for eating differently ("I have high cholesterol, I shouldn't have that") but really when push came to shove, it didn't work. The motivation was solidly in the external category. A "should" that was not transforming into any internal motivation any time soon. How to Merge the Eating Disorder & Weight Management Worlds in a Healthy Way We happened to find out about my husband having Lynch syndrome when I was working in a Preventive Cardiology clinic that recommended plant-based eating. Therefore, I decided to try out the Forks Over Knives Meal Planner as this was often being recommended to our patients. It basically gives you a concrete grocery list and meal plan to follow every week so that you don't have to stress about what to eat or what to buy at the store. It does have all plant based recipes, but you can absolutely add meat or other foods you enjoy to the pre-planned meals if you'd like. And, it's very affordable! I highly recommend trying it if you want to save time and take worry away from planning your own meals. However, more than focusing on the meal planner, I recommend that you focus on your internal WHY for making changes in ...

Episode 41. "I am just not motivated." "I just need more willpower." Have you ever said or thought something like this? Well, it's actually not supported by science. "I'm terrified I'm wasting my life." I wrote this in a journal in the middle of the diet-binge cycle. And frankly, I kind of was. I’m here to tell you it’s never too late to gain control of your eating, respect your body, and live a life that’s TRULY consistent with your values. But you need to take the first step. One of the very first steps in developing truly autonomous and body respecting motivation is to clarify what actually matters to you. Not your mom, not your sister, not your best friend, YOU.  The more you reflect on this, the more you can connect your values to your behaviors in a sustainable and empowering way.  Grab the free guide at DrHondorp.com/goals and get started today. I promise you, it’s never too late to stop dieting and start truly living. You will not regret it. It Ain't About Amount, It's About Type In episode 39, we talked all about the 3 KEY psychological needs that facilitate long-term behavior change. As a refresher, they are: AutonomyCompetenceRelatedness Today, we are building on this information to talk about different types of motivation. The different types listed above (ranging from external to internal) are: External: You do the behavior for the reward or to avoid a punishment. Should or shame based motivation would fall here. Also exercising for the calorie burn or to lose weight would also fall into this category. Introjected: This one is still shame-based, usually. The behavior is often motivated by guilt and shoulds and the person is often putting a lot of internal pressure of themselves to do it, which makes it hard to keep up over the long-term. If nothing else it's because stress and pressure is exhausting. Identified/Integrated: These types of motivation are based in the person you want to be, like you exercise because it's personally important and/or consistent with how you want to show up in the world. You may or may not love it all the time, but often doing a certain exercise is part of who you are, part of your identity. Intrinsic: You do the behavior because something about it is inherently enjoyable. Examples of Internal Motivators for Exercise I wrote a detailed post on this in the past, that you can check out here. The idea with this list is to give you ideas about some of internal motivations for some. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers here, but the list below is just for ideas of what some internal motivators might be for you. As a reminder, here are some of the ideas: Make Exercise a Social Occasion Improve Mobility and Reduce Pain Manage Stress or Boost Your Mood Increase Focus & Concentration Improve Creativity & Problem-Solving 5 Tips to Move Towards Internal Motivation For Exercise Be on the lookout for ways to make exercise more enjoyable or fun! Time to move away from the shoulds! As children, at some point we intuitively loved to move our bodies. Many of us have lost touch with that and we need to work to get back in touch with our body and what movement it actually likes. I made a free 10 minute audio to help you with this goal. Grab it for free here! Make a realistic plan for the timing and routine that will work best for YOU. Have you heard those articles about the fact that you should workout in the morning? Yeah, me too, and they stress me out. Working out in the morning is great because you get it done and you are less likely to have things come up that get in your way, however, this isn’t right for everyone. Right now, working out in the morning sounds terrible to me. I want to sleep in, so I let myself. In the evening if a walk sounds better than a strength/cardio workout in my basement, I let that “count.” Being flexible in this way leads to better mood benefits from exercise and ...

Episode 40. This episode is all about why dieting does not work and how getting caught in the ineffective dieting cycle keeps us distracted from learning to take great care of ourselves and focusing on the things that matter. Topics Covered We talk about why dieting does not work and instead causes stress and often increases food obsession.Although many people assume that they are "failing the diet", many of their perceived "failures" (like binge eating) are 100% caused by dieting itself. But yet, we blame ourselves and start another diet or "eating plan" and keep the cycle going.Giving up dieting does not mean giving up any pursuit of your health. In fact, quite the opposite is usually true. Giving up dieting lets us see more clearly what matters and what we need to do logistically to improve our health, if that's what we choose. We just get to do it without all the diet-binge-shame BS. I talk about the Minnesota Starvation Experiment and how 36 men that were "starved" (put on a 1570 per day diet and lost 25% of their weight) became obsessed and preoccupied with food, and lost all interest in other things like hobbies, sex, etc (Keys et al., 1950). I discuss some of what this can teach us about the biological impact of dieting.I talk about the research study looking at calorie restriction without food monitoring (with pre-packaged meals) and how that increased cortisol, suggesting that calorie restriction itself inherently causes stress (Tomiyama et al., 2011) which makes us more prone to weight gain. Learn More About How Dieting Fails Us Check out my blog post for a comprehensive overview of the ways diet fails us (called "How Dieting Fails Us: A Comprehensive Guide"). Self Control is a Limited Resource We only get so much willpower and self control in a given day. People with sustainable habits they feel good about are not fighting tooth and nail every single day to keep them up. If you find that you DO have to use significant energy and willpower on simply maintaining your habits, then chances are they aren't sustainable. And believe it or not, it IS possible to form practices that don't exhaust you. I wrote previously about how to use this knowledge in our favor and learn to make habit changes that can actually last over the long haul. Check out the post here: NEWSFLASH: No One Has Enough Willpower for Dieting. Dieting Messes with our Biology It isn't just in your head. Food is fuel, and we need enough of it to thrive. Our bodies fight incredibly hard to reject our dieting attempts, and much of the weight regain people experience is a result of this. Sadly, we still tend to blame ourselves for weight regain because the scientific explanation is not often talked about. There is solid research on the biological changes that occur after weight loss, and it does not bode well for the diet industry. If this doesn't convince you that diets are failing us, and not the other way around, I don't know what will. Check it out here: How Dieting Messes with Our Biology. Dieting Erodes the Very Things that Are Essential for Long-Term Change We know from decades of research on motivation that we all need three psychological needs met to promote behavior change over the long-term: Competence RelatednessAutonomy Without these needs being met, sustained change in any important area of your life is unlikely. Dieting usually diminishes all three. More on this here. Defining the "Diet Mentality" An attempt to control your weight as the ultimate goal.The mindsets involved in a weight loss attempt that comes from a place of external "should-based motivation".Often coming from a place of "I'm not ok" as I am now. Typically this is the message we get from the diet and weight loss industry. "I'm not ok, but I could feel SO great and confident about myself if I just lost weight!"It comes along with an assumption that whatever program or plan you are taking part in knows wh...

Want to learn how to get a stay motivated for healthy habits for the long term? You must understand your type of motivation.

Episode 38. This episode is a reflection on how things have been going, and the ways I'm working towards practicing what I preach. I will cover: A little update on some of the things going on with me latelyWhat I've learned over the past 9 months of being an entrepreneur and working fully in the way I want to with peopleHow I'm working to work smarter not harder and how you can do the sameWhy we often need to slow down and create space to create true and lasting changeReflections on our August Digital Declutter from the Digital Minimalism book Want To Support Local Bookstores Near You? Buy your books from Bookshop! Support local bookstores near you and this blog and podcast and help prevent Amazon from completely squashing the local book market. I highly recommend Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World and will be talking about the impact it had on us in August in today's episode. Are You New Here? Welcome! I’m so glad to have you. You might be wondering what this blog and podcast are all about. We relate everything in this podcast back to motivation, but not the hustle and grind kind. Truly sustainable motivation that keeps you feeling energetic and engaged in your life for the long haul. We talk about why “I’m just not motivated” is a myth, and why the TYPE of motivation you have is so important to fully understand. If you are ready to learn about motivation and respecting your body in an effective way so that you can live a life you truly love, you are in the right place. Check out the Foundational Episodes of the Motivation Made Easy Podcast here! Introduction: What is this podcast all about?Episode 1: Want to Get & Stay Motivated? A Crash Course on Motivation, Weight Loss, and HealthEpisode 2: How Dieting Steals Our MotivationEpisode 3: How To Get Motivated To Improve Your Health (Motivation 101)Episode 4: How to Transform Health Fears Into Forward Progress Ready to motivate yourself in a truly effective way? Are you sick of feeling pulled in a million directions, stressed about all the things you are not doing? Tired of dieting and fixating on the scale, but unsure what else to focus on? Does the term "anti-diet" make you think "anti-motivation?" I'm here to tell you that moving away from dieting is the BEST way to cultivate lasting motivation for the things in your life that matter. I should know. I spent 13 years of my life doing all the "good diets" under the sun. And what did I have to show for it? A whole lot of half completed food journals, mostly weight gain, a loss of belief in myself. If you are ready to ask the question, what SHOULD I be focused on instead, then it's time to take the first step: Getting SUPER clear on what matters to you right now. This is the #1 strategy I hear over and over that is MOST HELPFUL in developing autonomous and sustainable motivation, is to clarify your values. Have you done it yet? I do this exercise at least twice a year now, particularly when I'm feeling a bit lost and directionless. Grab the free guide at DrHondorp.com/goals which will walk you through step by step a process to get started on clarify what matters to you, and what you should be focusing on at this season of your life. It’s never too late to stop dieting and start truly living. How to Know When You Need to Create Some Space Do you know your signs of stress or Impending burnout? They're different for everyone, and the first step in figuring out when it's time to slow down is being attentive and having the ability to recognize those signs. You may get irritable, unfocused, or scatterbrained. Or you might try to focus on things you can control, only to get angry or frustrated when they don't go the way you want. And if you DO recognize that you feel overly stressed, it's probably time to create some space in your life for restoration. A good way to better recognize signs of burnout is to activel...

Episode 37. Dr. Theresa Osmer is the founder of FLOW Chiropractic. Dr. Osmer received her Doctor of Chiropractic from National University of Health Sciences near Chicago, Illinois, in 2012. She has additional post-graduate training in prenatal and postpartum care, pediatrics, functional rehabilitation, ergonomics, athletic taping, and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Osmer also has the Webster Certification, Mercier Therapy certification, and has recently completed her training to become a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner. Born and raised in Michigan, Dr. Osmer grew up in Owosso and is the oldest of 5 girls! She attended Michigan State University for her Human Biology degree with a specialization in Bioethics and Humanities. Following graduation, Dr. Osmer and her husband moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Outside of FLOW, Dr. Osmer is very involved in her Grand Rapids community with The Junior League of Grand Rapids and The Grand Rapids Community Foundation as a 100 New Philanthropist. In her free time, Dr. Osmer enjoys spending time with her family (including her Golden Retriever, Roubaix-Salsa, her nephew August, and her niece Savannah), cooking, and traveling. As a self-proclaimed “Mermaid,” Dr. Osmer is happiest in the water or on a beach! You can connect with Theresa at her website FLOWChiro.com or on Instagram. Want To Support Local Bookstores Near You? Buy your books from Bookshop! Support local bookstores near you and this blog and podcast and help prevent Amazon from completely squashing the local book market. Are You New Here? Welcome! I’m so glad to have you. You might be wondering what this blog and podcast are all about. We relate everything in this podcast back to motivation, but not the hustle and grind kind. Truly sustainable motivation that keeps you feeling energetic and engaged in your life for the long haul. We talk about why “I’m just not motivated” is a myth and why the TYPE of motivation you have is so important to fully understand. If you are ready to learn about motivation and respecting your body in an effective way so that you can live a life you truly love, you are in the right place. Check out the Foundational Episodes of the Motivation Made Easy Podcast here! Introduction: What is this podcast all about?Episode 1: Want to Get & Stay Motivated? A Crash Course on Motivation, Weight Loss, and HealthEpisode 2: How Dieting Steals Our MotivationEpisode 3: How To Get Motivated To Improve Your Health (Motivation 101)Episode 4: How to Transform Health Fears Into Forward Progress Are you ready to take that first step? Are you sick of decision fatigue and feelings of overwhelm? You wake up feeling anxious, not sure what to eat or focus on in your day. Not exactly sure how to spend your time. Maybe you end up scrolling your phone or just jump into your emails, not really sure how to spend your time. You finish your day focused on all the things you didn't get done, frustrated and angry that you aren't more focused on what truly matters. Maybe you felt that you weren't present with your kids or loved ones? I know that's the one that hurts me the MOST. I think we have all been there. If you are ready to start getting clear on what you should be spending your time on, what's helpful, and what it's, it first starts with clarifying your values. The #1 strategy I hear over and over that is MOST HELPFUL in developing autonomous and sustainable motivation is to clarify your values. Have you done it yet? Or lately? I, for one, do this regularly, particularly when I'm feeling a bit lost. And as a new entrepreneur, this happens quite often! Grab the free guide at DrHondorp.com/goals, which will walk you through step by step a process to get started on clarifying what matters to you and what you should be focusing on at this season of your life. I promise you; it’s never too late to stop dieting and start truly living.

Episode 36. This week I am incredibly excited to talk to Joanna Pustilnik, MS, RDN. Joanna is a non-diet Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and personal trainer with a background in disordered eating and eating disorders, metabolic and digestive health, plant-based nutrition, and fertility and women's health with special focus of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. She sees clients locally in Arlington, Virginia at MindBodyHealth.com Are You New Here? Welcome! I'm so glad to have you. You might be wondering what this blog and podcast are all about. We relate everything in this podcast back to motivation, but not the hustle and grind kind. Truly sustainable motivation that keeps you feeling energetic and engaged in your life for the long haul. We talk about why "I'm just not motivated" is a myth, and why the TYPE of motivation you have is so important to fully understand. If you are ready to learn about motivation and respecting your body in an effective way so that you can live a life you truly love, you are in the right place. Check out the Foundational Episodes of the Motivation Made Podcast here! Introduction: What is this podcast all about?Episode 1: Want to Get & Stay Motivated? A Crash Course on Motivation, Weight Loss, and HealthEpisode 2: How Dieting Steals Our MotivationEpisode 3: How To Get Motivated To Improve Your Health (Motivation 101)Episode 4: How to Transform Health Fears Into Forward Progress "I'm terrified I'm wasting my life." I wrote this in a journal in the middle of the diet-binge cycle. And frankly, I kind of was. I’m here to tell you it’s never too late to gain control of your eating, respect your body, and live a life that’s TRULY consistent with your values. But you need to take the first step. One of the very first steps in developing truly autonomous and body respecting motivation is to clarify what actually matters to you. Not your mom, not your sister, not your best friend, YOU.  The more you reflect on this, the more you can connect your values to your behaviors in a sustainable and empowering way.  Grab the free guide at DrHondorp.com/goals and get started today. I promise you, it’s never to late to stop dieting and start truly living. You will not regret it. What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)? PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and it's important to note that it is a SYNDROME rather than a disease. What's the difference? Well, diseases have one cause, but symptoms can show in very different ways. When it comes to syndromes, we aren't 100% sure what the cause is but the symptoms are very similar. We do know that PCOS is a hormonal syndrome that usually shows in increased levels of androgens, which can but doesn't always lead to irregular menstruation, persistent acne, development of cysts on ovaries, and more...which can in turn cause issues with fertility. Androgens should be found in everyone. These hormones include testosterone and DHEAS, and these are the hormones that increase sex drive and focus. We often see higher levels of androgens in those who have been diagnosed with PCOS, but this can vary from person to person. How is it diagnosed? The truth is, it isn't 100% clear. There is still a large gray area when it comes to PCOS, and there is also disagreement and conflicting information in the medical field. However, the Rotterdam criteria is mostly commonly used and accepted to diagnose PCOS. It requires that a patient must have two out of three of these criteria: Oligo-ovulation (irregular ovulation) or Anovulation (no ovulation)Hyperandrogenism (high levels of androgens)Polycystic ovaries Hypothalamic Amenorrhea It's possible for Hypothalamic Amenorrhea to be misdiagnosed as PCOS, which is incredibly dangerous. HA is a condition that is characterized by the hypothalamus failing to produce a key hormone that signals ...

Episode 35. Today I have the pleasure of talking with Victoria Evans. Victoria Evans began her career in the corporate world with a prominent Fortune 500 company in the beauty industry in Montreal. During this time, her challenges related to eating disorders, mental health,  extreme dieting, and overexercising became a catalyst for creating a solution to an issue millions of women deal with today. As a successful Intuitive Eating Coach, she is disrupting the wellness industry through her fundamentally science-based approach. Victoria helps countless women heal their relationship with food by optimizing their mindset for happier and healthier lifestyles.  You can find Victoria and connect with her here! IG: @victoriaevansofficial LinkedIn: VJEVANS This Episode was SOOOOO good. Here are the Highlights: If you are like me, you love to understand the science of WHY something works. But also, I'm a practical person. By the time I found Intuitive Eating, I had tried every diet under the sun, and frankly, most of them were quite "healthy" by societal standards. I did Weight Watchers many times, MyFitnessPal, Jenny Craig, and tons of self-directed attempts, usually recording calories or making myself a meal plan. My first Weight Watchers attempt worked fairly well, meaning I lost some weight and kept it off for maybe a year or so. What Victoria does so well in this interview and her work is really breaking down the science of why intuitive eating is so effective. She ties it to a theory by Stephen Porges called Polyvagal Theory that helps us understand our body's threat response and what starts it. This interview helps explain things like: Why binge eating never was and never will be a willpower problemHow your brain is trying to self-protect, because your primitive brain, the part that makes sure you stay alive, truly hasn't evolved for the availability of food that we have todayHow understanding your body and it's physiology can be the difference that truly makes the difference for you in reclaiming your relationship to food and getting your life back The True Meaning of Intuition This episode really made me think about and consider the term intuition and how SO many of us get out of touch with our true intuition and how much of a disservice this is doing for us and the world. Intuition is not a single way of knowing—it's our ability to hold space for uncertainty, and our willingness to trust the many ways we've developed knowledge and insight, including instinct, experience, faith, and reason.- Brene Brown As you listen to this episode, keep an open mind and really consider how your body and physiology work, how you might inadvertently be activating your threat response, and what you might be able to do instead. Are You New Here? Welcome! I’m so glad to have you. You might be wondering what this blog and podcast are all about. We relate everything in this podcast back to motivation, but not the hustle and grind kind. Truly sustainable motivation that keeps you feeling energetic and engaged in your life for the long haul. We talk about why “I’m just not motivated” is a myth and why the TYPE of motivation you have is so important to fully understand. If you are ready to learn about motivation and respecting your body in an effective way so that you can live a life you truly love, you are in the right place. Check out the Foundational Episodes of the Motivation Made Easy Podcast here! Introduction: What is this podcast all about?Episode 1: Want to Get & Stay Motivated? A Crash Course on Motivation, Weight Loss, and HealthEpisode 2: How Dieting Steals Our MotivationEpisode 3: How To Get Motivated To Improve Your Health (Motivation 101)Episode 4: How to Transform Health Fears Into Forward Progress “I’m terrified I’m wasting my life.” I wrote this in a journal in the middle of the diet-binge cycle. And frankly, I kind of was.