The Hardest Part Wasn’t the Eating Disorder
In 1986 a friend wrote a poem about me. I was anorexic and disappearing. People who read it now feel relieved I survived that time. But here’s what they don’t know — being anorexic was actually the easy part. The hardest part came after.
Can Shapewear Really Be Body Positive?
A shapewear ad called itself “body positive” while selling products designed to reshape women’s bodies. I’m not against shapewear. But I am against sleight of hand marketing that mistakes a product for a solution — and keeps women stuck in the underlying pain.
My Story: From Anorexia and 200 Pounds to Happy Calories Don’t Count®
At seventeen I was hospitalized for anorexia at 80 pounds. At thirty I was 200 pounds and suicidal. What happened between those two moments — and after — became the foundation of everything I teach. This is my story.
Is Body Positivity Actually Making Things Worse?
“Love your body” sounds beautiful. But you can’t compel yourself to love anything — least of all your body. Here’s why the Body Positivity movement, despite its good intentions, often leaves women with more pain than peace.
Why We Accept Aging But Not Our Bodies
I finally went to the optometrist and was annoyed that my eyesight was changing with age. Then I noticed something ironic. We accept aging as something we can’t control — but we carry enormous shame about our weight and bodies because we believe we can control them. What if that belief is the problem?
You Will Never Get “A Body Like Hers” — And That’s Actually Good News
Meghan Trainor pulled her music video because her waist had been retouched without permission. Everyone’s fighting about Photoshop again. But here’s what we’re missing while that argument keeps us distracted — and the one sentence from Shape Magazine’s own editors that says everything.
Why Shame Never Works — And What Actually Does
Company executives keep calling me to help shame their employees into participating in wellness programs. And I keep gently telling them the same thing — shame doesn’t work. Here’s what Rotary’s Four-Way Test taught me about motivation, accountability, and why positive reinforcement is the only approach that actually sticks.