Why Happiness Is the Real Source of Personal Power
Three friends, three completely different problems — divorce, financial crisis, a diet that wasn’t working. But they were all feeling exactly the same thing: powerless. Here’s what I think we get wrong about power, happiness, and why our circumstances don’t actually determine either one.
Why Advertisers Keep Making You Feel Bad About Your Body (And How to Stop Them)
My husband plays piano in bars. His job is to read the room and play whatever keeps people happy and spending money. Advertisers work exactly the same way — and once you see that, their power over you completely changes.
Why Your Relationship With Your Body Is Like an Arranged Marriage
Every time someone asks me about self-acceptance, a song from Fiddler on the Roof pops into my head. Stay with me — because this arranged marriage metaphor might be the most honest thing I’ve ever said about why we struggle so hard with our bodies.
Don’t Make a Resolution — Do This With Your Body Instead
Every New Year we shore up our resolve and declare this will finally be the year we win the battle of the bulge. But what if the battle itself is the problem? Here’s why resolutions keep failing — and what to do instead.
One Word That’s Secretly Blocking Your Body Goals
There’s a word most of us use dozens of times a day that quietly shuts down every possibility before it has a chance. It shows up constantly when women talk about food, their bodies, and why change feels impossible. Here’s what it is — and what to say instead.
How Change Actually Happens (It’s Not What You Think)
A newsletter arrived with the words “we regret to inform you” — and just like that, everything shifted. Unexpected loss has a way of cutting through the noise. Here’s what it reminded me about change, choice, and how we experience our lives.
Why the “Diet and Exercise” Model Is Based on a False Cause and Effect
A friend challenged me when I called diet and exercise “a lie.” She had a point — so I looked up the definition of lie. What I found, plus a story about a banana and a tunnel, changed how I talk about this forever.
How Ice Cream Ads Are Secretly Shaping How You Think About Food
I was watching a TV ad for ice cream when I realized the company wasn’t just trying to sell me dessert — they were reinforcing the belief that ice cream is bad in the first place. Here’s how advertising shapes your thought process around food without you even noticing.
Why Exercising to Burn Calories Is Keeping You Stuck
A producer on a commercial shoot called me an athlete and I nearly laughed out loud. I don’t train for marathons. I don’t push through workouts I hate. I only move in ways that feel good — and apparently that’s exactly what athletes do. Here’s what I mean.
The 5 Steps to Healing Your Relationship With Food and Your Body
A reader wrote to me about celiac disease, food allergies, and feeling like she wanted to trade her body in. Her situation was unique — but the path forward was the same one I’d recommend to anyone. Here are the five steps that change everything.