In this episode, host Cheryl McColgan interviews mental health professional Celeste Rains-Turk. She specializes in helping individuals improve their relationship with food and body image. Celeste shares her personal journey of overcoming disordered eating and how it inspired her to help others.

The conversation delves into the complexities of disordered eating, the impact of body positivity movements, and the importance of mindfulness in achieving a healthy relationship with food. Celeste emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to health and fitness, advocating for self-love while also recognizing the importance of caring for one's body.

The episode concludes with practical strategies for changing food associations and fostering a healthier mindset around eating. Celeste shares insights on diet breaks, the impact of choices on long-term health, and offers resources for improving food relationships, including coaching programs and an upcoming wellness retreat.

Connect with Celeste and learn more about the upcoming retreat at celestial.fit and follow her on Instagram.

Takeaways

Many individuals struggle with their relationship with food and body image.

Disordered eating can often go undiagnosed due to its complex nature.

Mindfulness can significantly improve self-esteem and body image.

The body positivity movement has both positive and negative implications.

It's essential to focus on health and longevity rather than just aesthetics.

Self-love should not lead to self-destructive behaviors.

A balanced approach to nutrition is key for long-term health. Understanding food relationships is crucial for emotional well-being.

The cycle of restriction and bingeing can be interrupted by trust in oneself.

The power of choice allows for healthier eating habits without guilt.

Diet breaks can provide mental relief and improve long-term results.

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/vcAQRWNmSbs

Episode Transcript

Cheryl McColgan (00:00.494)Hi everyone. Welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by the lovely and very smiley Celeste Rains-Turk and I am really excited to chat with her today because she is a mental health professional. She specifically deals a lot with helping people with their relationship with food, has so many free resources for that and so many programs. And in addition to that, she is a prolific podcaster and I've basically been pod-stalking her for the last two or three months.

Celeste Rains-Turk (00:07.45)You

Cheryl McColgan (00:30.294)I know a lot about Celeste, but now I'm going to share that with you guys, because I just think she is a really amazing source of information and really a light in the world of health and fitness. So Celeste, all that being said, welcome to the show. And could you just share with people a little bit about yourself? How did you become attracted to this mental health work and what lights you up about doing this kind of work?

Celeste Rains-Turk (00:53.403)Well, first of all, thank you for having me. I like your vocabulary usage. It's great. So what I'll start with what lights me up about this work because I think that lends insight into what got me into it. So what lights me up most about the work that I do is seeing people achieve something they didn't think was possible. So a lot of the people that I work with, they come to me almost on a last hope, a last resort.

thinking is there any way I can actually heal my relationship with food and my body without sacrificing my fitness and physique goals? Because so many of them have been told by fitness professionals or mental health professionals that they cannot do both and I want them to know that they can. So it is incredibly rewarding for me to see them actually achieve that goal. That is amazing because they don't expect to do that. Now, as far as what got me into it was I personally

Cheryl McColgan (01:32.974)been pulled by.

Cheryl McColgan (01:37.998)you

Cheryl McColgan (01:43.982)That is amazing because they don't expect to do that.

get to it was my first day of school in 2015 and prior to that I struggled with my relationship with food.

Celeste Rains-Turk (01:52.923)started competing in 2015. And prior to that, I had struggled with my relationship with food and my body image. A lot of disordered eating pathways for me where I would force myself to work out after anything that I ate. I would restrict heavily if I ate off off plan. I would have like a free meal or cheat meal, but that was really more like a cheat day. And I would literally wake up from

Cheryl McColgan (02:02.426)or needing pathways for me where I would force myself to work out after anything that I hate. I would restrict heavily if I hate office.

of free meal or cheap meal, but that was really more like a cheap day and I went to the grocery store.

Celeste Rains-Turk (02:22.647)I would wake up at midnight just to eat until the midnight the next day. Like it was my all out binge fast. And I feel awful the next day to the point where I'd be doing things like drainage massages and then restricting food and trying to drink as much water as I couldn't. My skin would feel like it was bruised. So I had seriously struggled with binge eating and

Cheryl McColgan (02:24.686)just to eat until the midnight the next day like it was an all out binge fast. And I feel like on a diet where I'd be doing things like a drainage massage with my hands and then just drinking food and trying to drink as much water as I could and my skin would feel like it was bruised. So I had so much period from binge eating and arguing with pulling the other roast up because I engaged in compensatory behaviors.

Celeste Rains-Turk (02:48.121)You could argue, believe me, a nervosa because I engaged in compensatory behaviors. And when I started the podcast in 2018, Confessions of a Bikini Pro, and I started talking to bikini competitors, I realized, my gosh, my message of build more than just a body is for bodybuilders. Why am I not serving this niche? And I launched my first program, which was a post-show blues program. I still have it. And I remember I got two people signed up and I was like, that's it.

Cheryl McColgan (03:08.8)And I.

Cheryl McColgan (03:13.806)that we're out to people's like, that's it.

Celeste Rains-Turk (03:16.091)I'm gonna do it, it's gonna be successful. Now granted, I had been running a business at that point three years as an online fitness coach, but I was so fascinated by the mindset behind things that I changed my degree from dietetics to psychology. And then in working on building my own psychology up and then having the podcast, I'm like, there's so much more here that I can do that I'm not doing. And in 2018, I graduated with my bachelor's in psychology.

Cheryl McColgan (03:21.422)I've graduate three years as an online fitness coach, but I'm so excited to try the mindset behind things that I changed my degree from dietetics to psychology and then working on building my own psychology after this. There's so much more here that I do that I'm not doing and it's disgusting that I graduated from a bachelor's in psychology. So I decided let's apply this.

Celeste Rains-Turk (03:45.371)So I decided let's apply this because I put so much of my research efforts and so much of the work that I did in school to these concepts. And I started serving people in this niche and it really just took off. And I'm really glad that it did because now I've helped competitors globally to achieve a relationship with food that they're happy with without actually giving up their competition goals. Or for those of them who did give up competing,

Cheryl McColgan (03:50.23)I did.

And I started serving people at this stage and it really just took off and I'm really glad that it did because now I've helped competitors locally to achieve the relationships that they're happy with without actually giving up their competition goals. most important thing about competing is that it was huge real change because they were forced to or felt that they had to because they were fighting at least with letting that go. So, that's it.

Celeste Rains-Turk (04:11.707)It was because they chose to not because they were forced to or felt that they had to it was because they were finally at peace with letting that go. So that's the that's the kind of stuff that lights me up and that's what got me there really.

Cheryl McColgan (04:24.174)Yeah, thank you so much for sharing your personal background, number one, because I think I quite often when I talk to people on here, I find most of the people that got into a certain kind of work has to do with some personal either struggle or passion that they had. And so that matches really well with what everything that you just said. And then the second thing that people might be thinking about listening to this interview, they're maybe like, well, why are you talking to somebody that just works with competitors, you know, or bikini pros?

And it's because I think the information that you have, like you mentioned your struggle when you were a young woman in high school and going into college, and that is not uncommon. I experienced it. I know others that have experienced it. To whatever degree it is, whether it's a full-blown eating disorder or just body dysmorphia, and I say quote unquote, just body dysmorphia, but that is a very serious struggle as well for a lot of people.

I think the fact that you've primarily worked with competing bikini competitors isn't your scope of knowledge because obviously this really applies to everyone. So I was so happy when you agreed to come on the show because I know it's not exactly specifically competitor related. But I also have a little bit of a personal interest in that. anyway, all that being said, let's just chat about a little bit just so people understand where you're coming from.