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I sat down with my new friend, Holly Berton who is a former Chief of Staff in FBI Counterintelligence turned emotional eating expert.

Holly shares how her childhood experiences, her high-achieving career, and her own struggles with emotional eating led her to develop a method using FBI-inspired tactics to overcome food obsession and cravings.

Together, we get into the shame, the guilt, and the internal chaos so many high-achieving women feel with food, even when they "look" like they have it all together. This is not about willpower. This is about rewiring your brain and creating lasting change to stop emotional eating. If you’ve ever struggled with emotional eating or food obsession, this one is for you.

Episode Highlights

• 03:40 – The truth about labels like “emotional eating,” “binge eating,” and “food addiction”
• 06:10 – What changed in our generation: discomfort, smartphones, and the loss of hobbies
• 09:40 – From puzzles and psychology to FBI counterintelligence and food patterns
• 14:25 – Holly’s emotional eating story and her turning point with ice cream
• 20:45 – Why the health coaching education system missed the mark
• 23:25 – FBI-level tactics: patterns, blind spots, and threats applied to food
• 27:40 – The 3 S’s: See It, Stop It, Shift It – a simple but powerful rewire method
• 33:30 – Dopamine, cravings, and why willpower doesn’t work
• 37:00 – The karaoke study: how shifting emotions can change behavior
• 42:00 – Is it better to abstain or allow moderation? Here’s how to tell
• 45:10 – How your identity impacts your relationship with food
• 48:00 – 8 questions to ask yourself if you’re wondering whether you struggle with emotional eating
• 51:00 – Holly’s special freebie: The Emotional Eating Tactical Blueprint

 Key Takeaways

• Emotional eating affects women across all sizes, backgrounds, and levels of success
• Dieting and willpower won’t fix what's rooted in survival patterns and coping
• Holly’s 3-step “See It, Stop It, Shift It” approach helps rewire the brain and interrupt cravings
• The dopamine hit comes before the food hits your mouth, which is why you can feel out of control
• Identity and past trauma deeply influence eating patterns—it’s not about laziness or lack of effort

About Holly

Holly Bertone is a certified health coach and former Chief of Staff at the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. After decades of her own emotional eating struggles and a high-pressure career, she now helps high-achieving midlife women take back control from food and cravings. Combining her background in behavioral analysis and neuroscience with her personal experience, Holly has built a powerful framework that empowers women to break free from emotional eating and finally feel in control.

 Connect with Holly

Get her Emotional Eating Tactical Blueprint free when you DM “blueprint” on Instagram!

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holly.berton
• Website: https://www.pinkfortitude.com
• Free Blueprint: https://www.pinkfortitude.com/blueprint

If this episode resonated with you:

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Join the Conversation, Coaching and Community:

Continue learning, talking, and getting coaching and support around emotional eating, midlife women’s health, and menopause by joining the Emotional Eats Community. Click here to join: https://kimhynes.com/emotional-eats-community-sign-up

CLICK here for a FREE tapping video to STOP EMOTIONAL EATING

Use this short, powerful 7-minute tapping (EFT) session to help stop emotional eating after work, before dinner, or whenever the cravings hit hard.

https://kimhynes.com/late-day-emotional-eating-tapping-video

Connect with Kim:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimhyneshealth Website: https://www.kimhynes.com Podcast: https://kimhynes.com/podcast

If you like the Emotional Eats podcast, please subscribe, follow, and leave a 5-star rating and review. Tag us on social media—I would be so grateful.

 

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Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is not intended to replace working with your doctor, medical provider, or mental health professional. It is for conversation, information, and entertainment only.

Note: Some links may be affiliate links, and I may receive a small commission or sponsorship support at no extra cost to you. These partnerships help me keep the Emotional Eats Podcast going and allow me to continue creating free content to support you on your journey.