The Anti Diet Life

74. Functional Nutrition for Digestive and Autoimmune Health with Christina Stapke 11.06.2025 30min

In this episode, I’m joined by Christina Stapke, a Registered Dietitian and functional nutrition expert who brings a refreshing, non-restrictive approach to healing. Christina shares her personal journey of navigating digestive issues, fatigue, and hormonal imbalance—and how it led her to functional nutrition without falling into diet culture traps. We talk about how to shift out of a fear-based mindset around food, especially when you’re dealing with uncomfortable symptoms or exploring potential sensitivities.Christina breaks down what food intolerances really mean, what to know before jumping into sensitivity testing, and why curiosity is such a powerful tool in healing. We also dive into practical, anti-diet-friendly ways to support digestion—like breathwork, stress reduction, and digestive bitters (yes, they’re different from enzymes!). Plus, she shares what she wishes everyone knew about functional nutrition and the big red flags to watch out for when seeking support.Christina’s Website: www.seaandsprucenutrition.comChristina’s Instagram: instagram.com/sea.and.spruce.nutritionChristina’s LinkedIn linkedin.com/christinastapkeChristina’s Facebook: facebook.com/sea.and.spruce.nutrition

73. The Forever Meal Plan 04.06.2025 20min

Ever feel like you don’t have time to meal plan? In this solo episode, I’m sharing why I don’t have time NOT to meal plan—and how creating a “forever meal plan” has saved me tons of time, energy, and stress during the workweek. I walk you through the simple systems I’ve built to make meal planning take just 7 minutes (yes, really), including how I use meal kits, a go-to meal list, batch cooking, and a shared Google Calendar to keep everything running smoothly.Whether you’re brand new to meal planning or just looking to simplify your routine, this episode will show you how to set up a repeatable plan that actually works—for your schedule, your brain, and your body.Grab my Meal Ideas

72. Exhausted, Anxious, and Over It? Let’s Talk with Colleen Kurtz 28.05.2025 38min

In this episode, I’m joined by Colleen Kurtz—Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional—who specializes in helping burnt-out moms ditch fatigue and anxiety without falling into diet culture traps. We talk about why exhaustion, brain fog, and low energy aren’t personality flaws or just “part of motherhood,” but signs your body is asking for support.Colleen shares practical, anti-diet ways to nourish your body and calm your nervous system, including small but powerful shifts in self-care, stress reduction, and meal planning that don’t require rigid rules or perfection. We explore how our culture normalizes burnout—especially for women—and how to reclaim your energy with compassion, curiosity, and a deeper understanding of what your body actually needs.Colleen’s Website: https://mindfully-nourished.com/Breakfast Guide: https://mindfully-nourished.myflodesk.com/recipesEnergy Leak Audit: https://l.bttr.to/QFBR0

71. What to Do When You’re Freaking Out About Weight Gain 21.05.2025 26min

In this episode, I’m sharing what it looks like to stay grounded when weight gain brings up old fears or negative self-talk. Yes—even as a body image coach, I still experience moments of discomfort. I recently sized up in clothes (including a bathing suit!) and felt some of that internalized fatphobia creep in. But instead of spiraling into shame or dieting, I talk myself down with compassion, curiosity, and care—and I’m walking you through that process today.You’ll hear how I check in on my physical and emotional health without judgment, how I reframe weight gain as a neutral body change, and how I make small supportive shifts without making it about shrinking myself. If you’ve ever felt triggered by the number on the scale or the size tag in your jeans, this episode is a soft landing and a reminder: you are allowed to take up space and still be fully worthy of care.The Emotional Eating Solution

69. The Queer Side of Body Image with Liza Katsman 07.05.2025 43min

In this powerful episode, I’m joined by Liza Katsman—ICF-Certified Life and Leadership Coach, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, and queer-inclusive practitioner—for a conversation that goes far beyond the basics of body image. Liza shares her early struggles with food insecurity, body shame, and bulimia, and how healing her relationship with food became deeply intertwined with learning to trust herself as a leader and human.We dive into the unique and often overlooked ways diet culture shows up in the LGBTQ+ community—from the pressures and stereotypes faced by gay men, to the complex dynamics queer women face in decentering the male gaze while still experiencing body shame. Liza opens up about why coming out with an eating disorder was even harder than coming out as queer, how body checking is normalized in queer spaces, and why trans and nonbinary folks face heightened stakes when it comes to body image and safety. We also touch on the intersections of immigration, self-advocacy in medical settings, and the emotional layers of “shoulding” that come with navigating queerness and recovery.

68. Body Confidence with Jemma Haythorne 30.04.2025 41min

In this fun and fire-filled episode, Leah chats with Confidence Coach and certified hype girl Jemma Haythorne about what body confidence really means—and spoiler alert: it’s not just about loving your body in the mirror. Jemma shares her personal journey from deep body shame to fierce self-love, and why confidence isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you build.They dive into why you shouldn't wait to feel confident before doing the damn thing, how body confidence is more than mindset—it’s nervous system work too—and why regulating your body is the secret sauce to showing up bigger in life. From handling the inner critic to expanding your “window of tolerance” (yes, even in a crop top), Jemma breaks it all down. Plus, they explore how body confidence spills into relationships, career, and everything in between. If you’ve ever wished you could just feel good in your skin and trust yourself more—this one's for you.Banish Your Inner Bitch: https://inspirewellnessau.com.au/banish-your-inner-bitchJemma’s Website: https://www.inspirewellnessau.com.auJemma’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspire__wellnessJemma’s Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3TxBxkB8ITxfhwmtN8Atwb

67. Honoring Your Health with Amy Slabaugh 23.04.2025 38min

In this episode of The Anti Diet Life, I’m joined by Amy Slabaugh, a registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in gut health and Intuitive Eating. We dive deep into Principle #10: Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition—what it actually looks like, why it’s often misunderstood, and how to approach it without slipping back into diet mentality. Amy shares powerful insights on why nutrition is just one small piece of the health puzzle, and how emotional well-being, social connection, and variety in meals play equally important roles.We talk about how to recognize if you’re putting too much pressure on nutrition, ways to rebuild body trust, and how to create structure without rigid rules. Amy offers her "attendance checklist" approach while I share my "magic plate" method to help you explore freedom and balance in your eating. Whether you're navigating dietary limitations, trying to tune out external noise, or learning how to trust how food makes you feel, this episode is a gentle reminder that your relationship with food can be both empowering and flexible.Amy’s Website: www.amyslabaugh.com

66. Joyful Movement with Jill Monico 16.04.2025 48min

In this episode of The Anti Diet Life, I’m joined by Jill Monico, a fitness coach and newly certified Intuitive Eating Counselor with over 15 years of experience helping women feel strong and confident in their bodies—without falling into the traps of diet culture. After a 35-year struggle with dieting and body image, Jill shares how she reclaimed movement as a joyful, compassionate practice and now helps others do the same, especially women in perimenopause navigating body changes with grace.We dive into Intuitive Eating Principle #9 (Movement—Feel the Difference) and explore everything from internalized rules about exercise to nervous system cues, and the difference between movement and exercise. Jill also shares her powerful “5 R’s” framework for making peace with movement, how to find your “why” for fitness beyond calories burned, and why celebrating your body—yes, even now—is a non-negotiable. If you’ve ever felt at war with working out, this one’s for you.Website jillmonicocoaching.com IG @Jill-Monico IG @intuitiveeatingcollab FB Intuitive Eating Collab

65. Body Respect with Gillian Hood 10.04.2025 44min

In this episode, I’m joined by Gillian Hood, a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach, to dive into Intuitive Eating Principle #8: Respect Your Body. Gillian shares her personal journey with binge eating disorder and how it led her to study exercise physiology, shifting her perspective on movement and body respect. We explore what it truly means to respect your body, whether you need to love your body to have a positive relationship with it, and why acceptance isn’t the same as giving up.Gillian also breaks down the barriers that make body respect challenging and offers three practical skills to develop a more compassionate relationship with your body. Plus, we tackle the role of comparison—are you using it against yourself or as a tool for growth? If you’ve ever struggled with accepting body changes or felt stuck between body positivity and body neutrality, this conversation is for you!Poodle Science video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H89QQfXtc-kFearing the Black Body by Sabrina StringsGillian’s Website: https://HealthierOutcomes.comGillian’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianthood/Gillian’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthieroutcomesBad Body Image Day Guide: https://healthieroutcomes.kit.com/bodyrespect

64. Coping with Emotions with Kindness (instead of food!) with Dean Smith 02.04.2025 36min

In this episode, we dive into Intuitive Eating Principle #7: Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness. Joining me is Dean Smith, a holistic mental health expert with over 30 years of experience in trauma-informed healing. Dean shares his personal journey with anxiety, social anxiety, and emotional eating, shedding light on how food became a coping mechanism for his struggles with a stutter and learning disabilities. Together, we explore the difference between true emotional eating and eating as a byproduct of restriction, the importance of slowing down to process emotions, and how to develop a more diverse emotional toolkit.We also discuss the layers of emotion, the physiological components of feelings, and why trying to “get rid of” emotions isn’t the solution. We introduce practical strategies like using the Feeling Wheel, creating safety to experience emotions, and improving emotional fitness. If you’ve ever felt stuck in emotional eating patterns or struggled to process emotions in a helpful way, this conversation will provide clarity and actionable steps to support your healing journey. Tune in now!Dean’s Website: deansmith.com.auEmotional Eating Solution Free download that includes a feeling wheel!

63. Challenging Food Police with Jenna Talleda 26.03.2025 39min

In this episode, I sit down with Jenna Talleda, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, to tackle the ever-present food police—those critical voices, both internal and external, that dictate what, when, and how we should eat. With 16 years of experience in nutrition counseling and a personal journey of overcoming chronic dieting and food guilt, Jenna shares how identifying and challenging these voices can lead to true food freedom.We discuss the different personas these voices take on, how to recognize red flag words, and whether those negative food rules ever fully disappear. Jenna also offers practical strategies for amplifying positive food voices and reshaping inner dialogue to be more compassionate and supportive. If you've ever felt trapped in food guilt or struggled with conflicting messages about eating, this conversation is for you!Jenna’s Website: Your-nutrition-ally.comJenna’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/your.nutrition.ally/

62. Feel Your Fullness with Kate Foutz 19.03.2025 33min

In this episode of The Anti Diet Life, I sit down with therapist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor Kate Foutz to dive into Intuitive Eating Principle #5: Feel Your Fullness. Kate shares her personal journey from a lifetime of dieting to discovering intuitive eating, including how a skin condition led her to finally break free from restriction. We explore why so many struggle with feeling fullness, the impact of dieting history, and how scarcity mindset and the “clean plate club” can interfere with tuning in to your body’s signals.Kate also breaks down the idea of fullness as a spectrum—helping you determine the right place to stop eating based on peak pleasure and satisfaction. We discuss the role of distractions in both disconnecting and supporting fullness awareness, plus simple ways to add “speed bumps” to mealtime to check in with your body. If you’ve ever felt out of touch with fullness or struggled to stop eating without rigid rules, this conversation is packed with insights to help you rebuild trust in your body with self-compassion.www.waterwheelcounseling.com

61. Discover Food Satisfaction with Irma McDonald 12.03.2025 35min

In this episode, I sit down with dietitian and hypnosis practitioner Irma McDonald to explore Intuitive Eating Principle #4: The Satisfaction Factor. We dive into why satisfaction goes beyond just the taste of food and how slowing down while eating can enhance both enjoyment and health. Irma shares insights on the downside of distracted eating, the difference between emotional and physical cravings, and how to overcome guilt when eating delicious foods. Plus, she leads a guided exercise to help you reconnect with the joy of eating. If you’ve ever felt like food was just about nutrition or indulgence, this episode will help you find the balance you’ve been missing!Tune in to discover how to truly enjoy your meals without guilt, stress, or restriction—because satisfaction is the key to a nourishing, joyful relationship with food!www.irmamcdonald.com.au https://www.instagram.com/intuitiveeatingcollab/

60. Making Peace With Food with Lori Brown 05.03.2025 38min

In this episode of The Anti Diet Life, I sit down with registered dietitian and eating disorder specialist Lori Brown to dive deep into Intuitive Eating Principle 3: Making Peace with Food. Lori brings over 20 years of experience in nutritional therapy and shares her insights on what unconditional permission to eat really means—and why so many people struggle with it. We explore the common conditions people place on food, how to build self-trust through awareness, and the power of habituation in reducing the allure of "forbidden" foods. Lori also breaks down practical strategies for reframing food guilt, shifting toward food neutrality, and changing the language we use around eating. Plus, we tackle the see-saw effect of deprivation and guilt, the Last Supper Mentality, and whether food journaling can be a helpful tool in your journey. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the cycle of restriction and overeating, this episode is for you!Lori’s Email: loribrownnutrition@gmail.comLori’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lori_jo02/

59. Honoring Your Hunger with Rhonda Krick 26.02.2025 39min

In this episode, we dive into Intuitive Eating Principle #2: Honor Your Hunger with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor Rhonda Krick. We explore how diet culture trains us to ignore hunger, why primal hunger kicks in after undereating, and the various ways your body signals hunger—beyond a grumbling stomach. Rhonda shares insights on eating by the clock, differentiating physical vs. emotional hunger, and practical strategies to increase body attunement. We also discuss the many valid reasons we eat and how to navigate hunger cues if you’re on hunger-suppressing medications (yes, we’re looking at you, GLP-1s!).Rhonda brings her expertise in nutrition, psychology, and body image coaching to this conversation, offering a weight-inclusive, non-diet approach to honoring hunger without guilt or fear. Whether you're struggling to recognize your hunger cues after years of dieting or wondering how to trust your body again, this episode is packed with practical tips to support your journey.Rhonda’s Website: www.rhondakrick.comDifferent Types of Hunger Blog Post: https://rhondakrick.com/2024/08/09/types-of-hunger/Rhonda’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhondakrickrd/

58. Reject Diet Mentality with Reba Sloan 19.02.2025 36min

In this episode, I chat with Reba Sloan—dietitian, eating disorder specialist, and one of the first certified Intuitive Eating Counselors—aboutIntuitive Eating Principle #1: Reject the Diet Mentality. Reba shares her journey as an anorexia survivor and how intuitive eating became the key to healing. We discuss the all-or-nothing mindset, why ditching diet rules feels scary, and the science behind why diets fail (hello,Minnesota Starvation Experiment). Reba also shares herCHIME acronym for living with authenticity and connection, plus tips for navigating diet culture without getting sucked back in.Rejecting diet culture is the first step to food freedom, but it’s not always easy. Tune in for an insightful conversation on rebuilding trust with yourself, redefining health, and embracing a life beyond dieting!IG - https://www.instagram.com/rebaramblings/Website -www. sinnergywellnessgroup.com/Reba-Sloan

57. Vacationing Without Diet Drama 12.02.2025 25min

Tired of vacations feeling like a battle with your body, food, and exercise? In this episode, I’m sharing how my getaways have completely transformed since embracing the anti-diet life. No more crash dieting before a trip, stressing over “flattering” outfits, or obsessing over food choices. Instead, I’ve found balance—eating intuitively, moving in ways that add to my experience (not punish me), and actually enjoying photos without hyper-fixating on my body. I’ll walk you through the mindset shifts and practical strategies that helped me break free so you can, too. Tune in for a refreshing take on vacation freedom!

56. Celebrating the New Year + Anti-Diet Resolutions 01.01.2025 21min

As we ring in the new year, this episode is all about reflecting, celebrating, and setting the stage for a fresh start without the pressure of diet culture. Leah looks back on the highlights from her first year of podcasting, thanking her incredible listeners and guests for their support, inspiration, and engagement. She also shares why she’s taking a well-deserved break in January and what it means to embrace rest as part of an anti-diet lifestyle. Leah dives into what anti-diet resolutions look like—focusing on self-compassion, connection, and adding more joy and freedom to your life instead of restrictive goals. Tune in for tips, reflection prompts, and a heartfelt call for your input on topics and guests for the year ahead. Let’s start 2025 with intention, kindness, and trust in ourselves. Happy New Year! Top 5 Episodes 5th: Ep04 The Problem With Calorie Counting4th: Ep11 Non-Diet Diabetes Management with Laurel Kimmerly3rd: Ep05 How to Start Loving Your Body with Sydney Robilotta 2nd: Ep12 The Weight/Wardrobe Connection with Jennifer Mackey-Mary 1st: Ep13 How to Stop Emotional Eating with Jenny Cheifetz Message me on Instagram My favorite goal planner: Makselife

55. The Nuances of Intuitive Eating with Lauren Samuel 26.12.2024 36min

In this episode, I sit down with Lauren Samuel, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, to unpack the complexities of intuitive eating. Together, we challenge long-held beliefs about food, discuss the importance of flexibility, and explore how intuitive eating goes far beyond just focusing on hunger and fullness cues. Lauren shares insights on what it really means to give yourself unconditional permission to eat, whether all food rules and emotional eating are inherently bad, and why finding satisfaction in meals is important—but not always necessary. We also dive into some of the more layered conversations around intuitive eating, like addressing the misconception that it's only for the privileged, balancing practicality with satisfaction, and offering steps and words of caution for those just starting their journey. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the nuances of intuitive eating, this episode will help you embrace the process with clarity and confidence. https://www.embracemindbodywellness.comhttps://www.intuitiveeating.org/certified-counselors/

54. Size-Inclusive Chronic Pain Management with Brityn Jowers 18.12.2024 39min

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Brityn Jowers, a nervous system enthusiast, certified somatic coach, and therapeutic pain specialist, to explore chronic pain through a revolutionary lens. Brityn unpacks the neuroscience of pain, the profound role of the brain-body connection, and the newly expanded definition of trauma—and how all of these intersect to influence chronic pain. She also shares insights on cultivating a sense of safety within the body and deepening attunement for those navigating chronic pain or a trauma history. We discuss why understanding your pain can be a powerful step toward healing and how societal factors like fatphobia can actually worsen chronic pain experiences. Brityn also tackles the question of how much weight truly impacts joint health, offering a compassionate, science-backed perspective. Rooted in her holistic and justice-focused approach, this conversation is filled with practical tips and paradigm shifts to help you reconnect with your body, reclaim your inner wisdom, and begin to heal. https://www.healin-myself.com/https://www.instagram.com/imhealinmyself/