One Year of Not Eating After Dinner — What we learned from our experiment
In this reflective and candid one year check in, Philly sits down with her accountability buddy, leadership coach and podcaster Kerene Strochnetter, to unpack their joint experiment: an entire year of not eating after dinner (NEAD). What began spontaneously at a Paddy Gower event in Wellington turned into a daily check in ritual, deep self inquiry, and a surprisingly emotional journey.
Together, they explore why they started, what worked, what didn’t, the realities of emotional eating, and how habits shift over time. They share their personal data, stories of celebration and struggle, what they learned about themselves, and why neither of them hit 100 percent — and why that’s perfectly human.
This conversation is full of compassion, curiosity, behavioural insight, and laughter, offering listeners a relatable look into creating healthier habits without shame or perfectionism.
Topics We Cover
* How a casual dinner conversation turned into a year long experiment
* Why “not eating after dinner” is more complex than it sounds
* Habit versus hunger
* Tracking data, accountability, and the reality behind success rates
* Emotional eating, comfort, reward and self soothing
* How life stressors and social situations influence eating
* The power of environment on behaviour
* Riding out cravings and catching yourself in the moment
* What worked, what didn’t, and what they’ll change for “Version 2.0”
* Why perfection isn’t the goal — self kindness is
About our Guest: Kerene Strochnetter
Kerene is the founder of Mindful at Work, where she coaches leaders and teams to create healthier, more conscious workplace cultures. She’s also the host of the Little Addicts podcast (currently paused while she writes her book of the same name), a grandmother of five, a proud shoe addict, and a friend and fellow wellbeing junkie.
Key Takeaways
* A year long experiment isn’t about perfection — it’s about learning.
* Emotional eating often shows up in moments of overwhelm, reward, or habit.
* Accountability partners make behaviour change far more sustainable.
* Success rates naturally shift over time — discipline is easy at the start and harder in the messy middle.
* Tracking data brings powerful awareness (and sometimes humour).
* “Catching yourself” is a skill that gets stronger with practice.
* Self kindness, not restriction, leads to real change.
Tune in to hear the full conversation, the funny confessions, the honest moments, and the insights that emerged from 365 days of checking in, texting, trying, slipping, learning, and starting again.
Connect with Kerene
kerene@mindfulatwork.co.nz [kerene@mindfulatwork.co.nz]
www.mindfulatwork.co.nz [www.mindfulatwork.co.nz]
www.linkedin.com/in/kerenestrochnetter/ [www.linkedin.com/in/kerenestrochnetter/]
www.instagram.com/kerene_strochnetter/ [www.instagram.com/kerene_strochnetter/]
Connect with Philly
www.wellbeingfirst.co.nz [http://www.wellbeingfirst.co.nz/]
www.instagram.com/wellbeingfirst_nz [www.instagram.com/wellbeingfirst_nz]
www.facebook.com/wellbeingfirstnz/ [http://www.facebook.com/wellbeingfirstnz/]
www.linkedin.com/in/phillippa-powell/ [http://www.linkedin.com/in/phillippa-powell/]
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