Full But Not Finished

30. When Body Image Meets Aging: a conversation with Deb Benfield

Aging is natural, but women are rarely allowed to experience it that way. In this episode, I talk with Deb Benfield, author of Unapologetic Aging, about the pressure women face to keep defying the evidence. This conversation is really about the promise underneath anti-aging culture: that if we can stay young enough, thin enough, smooth enough, or close enough to the ideal, we might stay safe, wanted, respected, and socially protected. Deb talks about why that promise is so powerful, why it becomes especially intense in midlife, and why it can cost women so much of their attention, creativity, sexuality, and actual life. We also talk about the body hierarchy, the fear of becoming irrelevant, the way younger women are being pulled into anti-aging fear earlier than ever, and what it means to come back into the body from the inside rather than constantly evaluating it from the outside. This is a conversation about aging, but more than that, it's about compliance, embodiment, and the possibility of using midlife for something more... fun. Deb Benfield is 67, a registered dietitian, nutrition therapist, and body image coach who has spent over 40 years working in the ED and body image world. Her current work focuses on helping people mend their relationship with their aging bodies. Deb's Unapologetic Aging Circle [https://www.debrabenfield.com/group-coaching] Deb's Book: Unapologetic Aging [https://www.debrabenfield.com/book] More from Stef: Binge Eating to Intuitive Eating (BE2IE) Self-Study Course iamstefaniemichele.com/iamstefaniemichelecourse.com [https://iamstefaniemichele.com/iamstefaniemichelecourse] Substack (essays on body image, appetite, and the nervous system) iamstefaniemichele.substack.com [https://iamstefaniemichele.substack.com] Instagram (daily thoughts + short-form content) instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele [https://www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele]

29. Gentle Nutrition After Diet Culture: How To Make It Simple

Nutrition is a complicated, sometimes scary word after ED recovery or dropping out of diet culture. You may want more energy, steadier meals, better digestion, or a way of eating that supports your body more consistently. But the second nutrition enters the conversation, it can start to feel threatening. Old rules come back. The pressure to get it right comes back. Even a small thought about protein, vegetables, or blood sugar can start to feel like a case for rebellion. In this episode, I'm talking about how to include nutrition in a non-diet relationship with food without turning it into another set of rules or self-sabotage. I get into overthinking, rebellion, adding instead of subtracting, keeping nutrition basic, all-or-nothing thinking, and why one food does not cancel out another. I also talk about life seasons, because what makes sense for your food has to make sense inside your actual life. This is a conversation about letting nutrition become a neutral, shoulders down experience. More from Stef: Binge Eating to Intuitive Eating (BE2IE) Self-Study Course iamstefaniemichele.com/iamstefaniemichelecourse.com [https://iamstefaniemichele.com/iamstefaniemichelecourse] Substack (essays on body image, appetite, and the nervous system) iamstefaniemichele.substack.com [https://iamstefaniemichele.substack.com] Instagram (daily thoughts + short-form content) instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele [https://www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele]

28. Life After Dieting with Guest Allison: Food Freedom, Body Image, and Motherhood

In this episode of Full but Not Finished, I'm talking with Alison about finding food freedom as a mom after weight gain, years of dieting, and years of living in the binge/restrict cycle. The Body Image Workshop is open! [https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/body-image-workshop] Allison grew up in peak 90s diet culture, with cottage cheese, "Can't Believe It's Not Butter," and the message that gaining weight was something to fear. When her body changed in adulthood, dieting seemed like the obvious answer. What followed was years of restriction, overeating, guilt, and starting over again (including one meal plan that told her to eat exactly 12 scallops for dinner). We talk about what it took for her to see the pattern clearly (through the eyes of her husband, who watched the cycle repeat. In this episode, we cover: * Motherhood, weight gain, and recovery after dieting * Perfectionism around food, movement, and parenting * What support from a partner can look like * Body image (including shopping and crying in the car) in a bigger body 🍽️ Raising kids and breaking the cycle * Healing in gray areas (not making a big deal out of eating a lighter dinner) ⚖️ Food morality and the fear of "doing it wrong" * Why recovery does not happen the day you stop dieting If you're trying to recover from chronic dieting, binge eating, or body obsession while also navigating motherhood, body changes, or the fear of passing this down, this conversation will resonate. Learn more about my work: www.iamstefaniemichele.com [https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com] Hi, I'm Stefanie Michele. I help people heal their relationship with food, body image, and themselves through a nervous-system-aware, intuitive eating approach.

27. 5 Real-Time Tools for a Bad Body Image Day

Bad body image day? I'm sharing five things I use in real time to interrupt the spiral, work with nervous system dysregulation, and get through a trigger without letting it take over the whole day. We talk about body neutrality, somatic tools, movement, distraction, and what to do when you're too flooded to think clearly. (This episode idea came to me as I was talking to a client on Whatsapp and walked by a full length mirror -- and worked through it in real time.) In this episode:• how I work with a body image trigger in real time • why distraction can actually help • how movement helps when body image feels urgent • one simple somatic tool for dysregulation • what I do when I'm too flooded for any of the above The Body Image Workshop: www.iamstefaniemichele.com/body-image-workshop [http://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/body-image-workshop] Hi, I'm Stefanie Michele. I help people heal body image struggles, binge eating, and their relationship with food through nervous system work, somatic tools, and deeper self-understanding.

26. Body Image and Perfectionism: Why It Never Feels Like Enough (A Conversation with Kristina Bruce)

What happens when two body image coaches start talking "off the record"? (also: Join The Body Image Workshop [https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/body-image-workshop] this May for more of this type of conversation) In this special joint episode, Stefanie Michele - a Binge Eating Recovery Coach and Kristina Bruce, a Body Peace Coach share a raw, unedited conversation that was originally happening offline. We realized the "good stuff" coming up was too important not to share, so we hit record. We're diving deep into the high cost of perfectionism in how we've viewed and treated our bodies for decades. We're pulling back the curtain on what it actually looks like to unlearn the shame and find authentic body peace. In this episode, we discuss: * The "Dangling Carrot" of Thinness: Why reaching your "goal weight" never actually feels like arriving. * Soul Disconnection: How the pursuit of beauty standards forces us to disconnect from our intuition and life force. * Subtle Trauma: How offhand comments from family and friends shape our body image from a young age. * The Path to "Enoughness": Why recovery isn't about fixing your body, but removing the negativity that blocks your inherent worth. * Stefanie's Turning Point: Making the decision to stop fighting her body after decades of binge eating. * Kristina's 40-Day Experiment: A radical approach to letting go of negative self-talk and sitting in the truth of who you are. This is a different kind of episode—no scripts, no filters, just two women who have been through the fire talking about what it really takes to heal your relationship with your body. CONNECT WITH US: Stefanie Michele www.iamstefaniemichele.com [http://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/] https://www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele [https://www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele] Kristina Bruce www.kristinabruce.com [http://www.kristinabruce.com/] https://www.instagram.com/kristinabrucecoach/ [https://www.instagram.com/kristinabrucecoach/] Download for free The Guide to Body Peace: www.kristinabruce.com/guide [http://www.kristinabruce.com/guide] More from Stef: Body Image Workshop https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/body-image-workshop [https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/body-image-workshop] Substack (essays on body image, eating, and the nervous system) iamstefaniemichele.substack.com [https://iamstefaniemichele.substack.com] Instagram (daily thoughts + short-form content) instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele [https://www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele]