Move Beyond Food Rules and Body Criticism
Spend less time criticizing your body, feel more at ease around food, and make choices that feel supportive rather than driven by rules or fear.
Hi, I’m so glad you’re here.
I support women who are tired of being consumed by diets, food rules, constant self-criticism, and the pressure to eat, move, and look a certain way—and who long to enjoy dinner with their family without guilt, keep favorite foods in the house without feeling out of control, and make choices around food and their body without constantly second-guessing themselves.
You may be here because you’re exhausted by how much time you spend criticizing yourself, thinking about how much you weigh, the food that you should or shouldn’t eat, and how you should move your body. Maybe you’ve tried endless ways to feel more in control, only to find yourself caught in the same painful patterns.
You often experience a constant barrage of thoughts about what you should and shouldn’t eat, how many calories or carbs you’ve had, or whether you’ve stayed within your points or macros.
You’ve tried diet after diet-Keto, Whole30, Mediterranean, intermittent fasting—hoping the next one will finally work.
You often catch yourself criticizing how you look, how much you weigh, and what you “should” be doing to fix it.
You feel trapped in cycles of self-criticism and punishment-and-reward mentality, fluctuating between rigid control and feeling out of control around food.
You only allow yourself certain foods at certain times—dessert on Sundays, favorite snacks on weekends, or “treats” only after you’ve earned them.
You may have found some relief through a GLP-1 medication while still struggling with body criticism, food rules, or feeling like your worth depends on your weight.
You long for the freedom and ease of trusting your body’s cues and making peace with food and yourself, but you're terrified of losing control and gaining weight.
Feeling that you need to do everything “right” and criticizing yourself when you fall short.
Trying to remain rigidly in control because uncertainty feels uncomfortable or unsafe.
Feeling regretful, ashamed, or disappointed in yourself when you eat in a way you didn’t intend.
Constantly worrying about food, your body, or how others may perceive you.
Putting other people’s needs, preferences, or approval ahead of your own.
Turning to food for comfort, relief, distraction, or a break from difficult emotions.
Letting your weight, appearance, or eating choices influence how worthy or “good enough” you feel.
Second-guessing your own needs and decisions and looking to others to tell you what is best for you.
Feeling at peace with your body, food, exercise, yourself, and your life does not come from adding another diet, protocol, or resolution. It begins to arrive when we gain clarity and understanding about the parts of us that fuel this struggle.
A different way forward begins not with more rules, but with a return to yourself.
If you’ve spent years thinking about food, criticizing your body, starting over on Mondays, or wondering why you still can’t stop picking apart your body despite everything you’ve tried, I want you to know something:
You’re not failing.
You’re not lacking willpower.
And you’re definitely not alone.
Many of us have been taught to believe that changing our bodies will finally bring us confidence, acceptance, peace, and safety. We’ve learned to look outside ourselves for answers. We look to books, diet plans, social media, and wellness trends, searching for the next thing that will finally tell us what to eat, how to move, or how our bodies should look. We follow endless rules to measure up to beauty standards we never created in the first place.
The truth is, these struggles show up around food and appearance, but often run much deeper. The patterns that you find yourself caught in often developed for very good reasons and deserve to be treated with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment and frustration.
In an effort to feel safe, loved, and accepted, parts of us may have developed ways of coping that, over time, became deeply ingrained in patterns that may look like:
My work with women does not include diet plans, weight loss strategies, food tracking, exercise programs, forced body positivity, or telling someone what they should or shouldn’t eat. Instead, I offer women a supportive, nonjudgmental space to begin unraveling the messaging that drives this struggle and to explore the parts of themselves that are stuck in the endless battle with food and body image. I help women slow down, understand their relationship with their bodies within the broader context of our relentless diet culture and a society that convinces women they need to shrink their bodies to be loved, accepted, and successful in their lives.
Together, we begin to build a foundation of awareness, compassion, acceptance, and body wisdom, so you can reconnect with your genuine needs and begin making choices from a place of self-trust. From this place, you begin to reclaim your mental, emotional, and physical energy and resources to create a balanced, meaningful, and happy life that feels true to you.
My approach weaves together mindfulness, somatic awareness, parts work, and a non-diet philosophy aligned with the principles of Intuitive Eating.
Mindfulness for learning to notice thoughts, emotions, urges, and body sensations without immediately reacting to or judging them.
Somatic Awareness for reconnecting with your body as a source of information, while creating a greater sense of safety and stability.
Parts Work for understanding the different parts of you that may criticize, control, restrict, soothe, rebel, strive, or fear change, as well as developing a more compassionate relationship with them.
Non-Diet Philosophy for learning to reject diet culture, listen to your body’s cues, and make peace with food.
Establishing enough inner space around all of the noise creates the conditions for self-trust and inner wisdom to emerge. And it is from this place that you can begin to listen to what you genuinely need and make choices that feel more aligned.
How this works
Coaching is a collaborative and individualized process created with care and trust. You are the expert on YOU, and my role is to work in partnership with you and support you as you move from struggle to ease, from control to connection, from criticism to compassion, from confusion to clarity, from fear to trust, and from frustration to fulfillment.
Our sessions together are built with care and trust, and our work together may include:
Understanding what is underneath: together, we explore the patterns, beliefs, and behaviors of these protective parts and what they may be preventing, providing, or protecting you from, so you can begin to experience less inner conflict and more ease in your body and in the choices you make.
Reconnecting with your body and inner wisdom: you begin noticing your body’s needs and preferences, and what feels supportive and true for you with greater clarity and compassion, so you can take care of yourself without guilt, doubt, and fear.
Practicing compassionate, aligned action: learning to take small steps rooted in self-respect and self-care rather than fear, shame, or punishment, so you can live your life from a more grounded, clear, and empowered place.
Instead of waking up in the morning and criticizing the size or shape of your belly in the mirror you begin noticing the critical voice without automatically believing it, and respond to yourself with more compassion and appreciation.
Instead of stepping on the scale and letting that number dictate how happy you are for the rest of the day, you begin to realize that a number cannot tell you how worthy, healthy, or okay you are.
Instead of automatically guesstimating the calories in each slice of Friday night pizza with the family and deciding you can only have 2 slices, you begin paying attention to what sounds good, what your body is asking for, and when you feel satisfied.
Instead of shuffling through your closet trying to find the one outfit that fits you now (versus the ‘skinny’ wardrobe you’ve been holding onto), you begin to choose clothes that fit and feel good on the body you have today.
When instances like these are no longer your constant background noise, when you are finally free to focus on other things—like savoring your morning latte, being present with your family on pizza and game-night, and untying your mood from the number on the scale—that’s freedom.
What clients may begin to experience:
Greater awareness of what triggers your moments of food and body distress, and increasing space between an urge and a reaction.
A more compassionate and understanding relationship with the protective parts that fuel painful and exhausting patterns of body-checking, self-criticism, auto-pilot calorie counting, etc.
A greater sense of peace with your body, your self, and your life, with fewer “shoulds” and instances of negative self-talk.
Less shame and more self-compassion when you see yourself in photos—so you can focus on the joy, not self-judgment.
Increased ability to recognize and respond to your body’s cues—not just hunger cues, but all of the communications your body sends to tell you what you need (and don’t need).
More confidence in making choices that feel aligned with your needs and preferences rather than outside rules.
A growing sense of self-trust, self-respect, and greater ease in your relationship with your body and your health.
More freedom to be present in relationships, activities, and daily life.
This support might be right for you if you're weary of cycles of self-criticism, control, powerlessness, and discouragement, and you’re longing for lasting, sustainable change. Maybe you’re curious about how mindfulness, somatic approaches, and parts work can help you gain more freedom and build greater trust and connection with yourself, and you’re open to gradual, compassionate change. Maybe you’re looking for support alongside or separate from therapy services
Whatever your reasons, I am here and always available for a conversation to determine if this type of support will meet your needs and be a good fit.
What working together might look like:
I offer in-person or remote sessions via Zoom, each lasting 60 minutes. Coaching packages and session-by-session rates are available depending on your needs. When you sign up for your first session, you will receive intake forms and a questionnaire that I kindly ask you to return to me before our appointment. During our initial session, we will go over your paperwork and discuss any goals and concerns you may have. I strive to create a supportive, non-judgmental space that will enable us to build a relationship grounded in trust and honesty. It is in this space that we work together to begin to understand where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’d ultimately like to be. Our sessions move at a pace that you’re comfortable with in order to explore without pressure, shame, or being told what you “should” do.
A little bit about me:
I am a mindfulness and somatic-based wellness coach, and I am credentialed through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). I have additional training in Internal Family Systems, and my work is rooted in a non-diet philosophy.
I understand how deeply food and body image struggles affect your relationship with yourself, your life, and the people you most love and care about. I believe that meaningful change begins when we replace judgment with curiosity, compassion, and safety.
My work with women matters to me because I’ve been there. As a chronic dieter, I believed that the peace, love, and acceptance I yearned for were on the other side of losing 10, 15, 20 pounds. I spent years trapped in cycles of weight loss and weight gain fueled by self-criticism, restriction, overeating, overexercising, discouragement, powerlessness, and fear. What I came to realize was that the freedom, love, and acceptance I was seeking would never be found in a smaller body. And once I realized this, I learned to give myself the very things I had been outsourcing for most of my life.
And that has made all the difference.
The way forward begins with a return to ourselves.
FAQs
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No. Our work together will never be about food plans, weight goals, calorie counting, or nutritional prescriptions.
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No. Our work together can begin with a simple willingness and curiosity about learning to relate to yourself and food differently.
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No. Coaching is not a substitute for medical care, psychotherapy, eating disorder treatment, or individualized nutrition counseling. When appropriate, I welcome collaboration with therapists, registered dietitians, and other members of your care team. When necessary, I will refer clients to appropriate care and treatment.
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Yes. Coaching can complement work with a therapist, registered dietitian, or other provider when that combination of support is appropriate for you.
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Fear about abandoning protective strategies that have helped you feel safer and more in control is both normal and understandable, and a willingness to approach this fear with compassion and care is essential for meaningful change and growth. I will never push you to do any work before you feel ready.
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A discovery call is an opportunity to share where you are and where you’d like to be, learn more about coaching and my approach, and explore whether working together feels like a good fit. Discovery calls are always free and without pressure or obligation.