Empower Hour With Carla Rush

⁠⁠⁠⁠For coaching enquiries/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Click here to support my run for Action Cancer⁠⁠⁠⁠ ❤️

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the Freedom Formula here ⁠⁠⁠⁠Enter code "EMPOWER" for 20% podcast listener discount

Take away your workouts… your routine… your ability to exercise…

Do you still feel like you?

Or are we panicking about what this means about you, your sense of control or how your body will change?

This week I'm getting into something nobody really talks about - what happens to your sense of self when your workout routine disappears.

Because it's not just about missing the gym. It's the mood dip, the restlessness, the "have I even done enough to eat this?" thoughts that can show up.

Because let’s be honest… exercise isn’t just something we do - it becomes who we are.

And when it’s gone? So is routine, control, and emotional outlet.

We’re getting into:

• Why your mood and mental health can feel tied to training

• The guilt and restlessness that hits when you're forced to rest

• How exercise quietly becomes your proof you're "on track" (and what happens when that's gone)

• The link between exercise and food control

• Signs your relationship with exercise has got a little… codependent

• And how to rebuild an identity that actually supports you (not traps you)

• Practical steps to avoid an identity crisis the moment you have to pause your training routine 

Because injuries, illness, life being life? Not rare. Not always bad luck. Not you doing something wrong.

They're part of the deal of having a body and if your whole sense of self lives inside your routine, you're going to feel it every single time.

Let's fix that. 💪

ope you enjoy! Follow, rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and share the episode someone who needs to hear this ❤️‍🔥

⁠⁠⁠⁠For coaching enquiries/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Click here to support my run for Action Cancer⁠⁠⁠⁠ ❤️

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the Freedom Formula here ⁠⁠⁠⁠Enter code "EMPOWER" for 20% podcast listener discount

This episode came from something I’ve been noticing a LOT lately with clients, (and partially inspired by the incredible book Stolen Focus by Johann Hari.

We’re getting into how social media and screen time can quietly influence body image, food choices, and self-talk — and what you can actually do about it without deleting every app and moving to a cabin in the woods.

You’ll leave this one feeling more aware, more in control, and much less at the mercy of your phone 🫶🏻

We’re chatting:

• The link between social media, body image, and eating habits (and why it’s not random)
• How constant exposure to “ideal” bodies shifts your perception and fuels comparison
• Why your mood after scrolling directly impacts your food choices
• The connection between body image and binge–restrict cycles
• How social media subtly feeds food guilt, all-or-nothing thinking, and low motivation
• Why your scrolling is often automatic and how to bring awareness back in
• Practical ways to interrupt the scroll → compare → feel crap → overeat loop
• Simple shifts to use social media more intentionally without cutting it out completely

This isn’t about blaming yourself or deleting your apps - it’s about understanding what’s going on so you can take your power back ❤️‍🔥.

Hope you enjoy! Follow, rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and share the episode someone who needs to hear this ❤️‍🔥

⁠⁠⁠For coaching enquiries/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Instagram ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Click here to support my run for Action Cancer⁠⁠⁠ ❤️

⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the Freedom Formula here ⁠⁠⁠Enter code "EMPOWER" for 20% podcast listener discount

Is this my first ever real rant on the podcast?!

One too many poor coaching experiences, and I am FED UP. So I imagine that you might be too.

In this episode I'm chatting...

• Why the fitness/coaching industry is even giving me the ICK right now
• How to tell when coaching is actually helping you… vs just putting you on a never-ending diet
• Leaving unhelpful coaching relationships (even when it’s awkward)
• 4 things you might be told to do by your coach that could explain why you feel like the problem

Hope you enjoy! Follow, rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and share the episode someone who needs to hear this ❤️‍🔥

⁠⁠⁠⁠For coaching enquiries/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Click here to support my run for Action Cancer⁠⁠⁠⁠ ❤️

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the Freedom Formula here ⁠⁠⁠⁠Enter code "EMPOWER" for 20% podcast listener discount

Welcome back! In this episode we are unpacking....

• The surprising link between body pride, exercise consistency, binge eating, and your relationship with food
• Why waiting for body changes to feel proud keeps you stuck in the “waiting room” (& delaying living)
• The subtle costs of not feeling proud on intimacy, and opportunities elsewhere in life (eg career, relationships)
How building body pride today can actually support long-term body composition change

Practical ways to start building body pride this week - even if you're struggling to find anything to appreciate right now

If you've been held back by thinking pride is for other women, or athletes – this episode is fo you!! 🫶🏼

Hope you enjoy! Follow, rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and share the episode someone who needs to hear this ❤️‍🔥

⁠⁠⁠For coaching enquiries/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Instagram ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Click here to support my run for Action Cancer⁠⁠⁠ ❤️

⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the Freedom Formula here ⁠⁠⁠Enter code "EMPOWER" for 20% podcast listener discount

"I need it, it keeps me in control" — I hear this from clients all the time. And honestly? I get it. Calorie tracking feels safe, productive, and like you're doing something. But there's a difference between tracking as a tool… and tracking as a crutch.

In this episode we're getting into ....

• Why calorie tracking feels so safe - and the hidden trade-offs that come with it
• The signs it's shifted from useful tool to emotional regulation
• Why stopping feels so scary (and what that's really about)
• What a healthier, calmer relationship with food actually looks like instead

If you've ever logged a meal in a restaurant toilet or felt your day was ruined over 50 calories — this one's for you 🫶🏻

For coaching enquiries/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬

Instagram ➡️ ⁠@carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻Want to submit a topic or question for a future episode? ⁠Click here⁠

Get the Freedom Formula here ❤️‍🔥.

Follow, rate and share with someone who needs to hear this ❤️

I'm finally pulling back the curtain on The Freedom Formula 😍 After months of creation, and pouring everything I wish I'd had during my fitness journey into this, it's here ❤️‍🔥

In this episode, I am walking you through:

• Why I built The Freedom Formula (and the gap in the fitness industry that screams it's needed)

• What's inside: 20+ modules across The Never Start Monday Method + Body Image Breakthrough
• Why this is nothing like anything you have tried before when it comes to diet and body confidence
• Who it's for (and who it's not for)

• How it works (self-paced, no monthly subscription)

To join The Freedom Formula, click here.

For coaching enquiries/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬

If you have any questions about The Freedom Formula, msg me on instagram ➡️ ⁠@carlarushcoaching⁠ 🫶🏻

If you’re stuck in the restrict–binge cycle, constantly “starting again Monday,” or swinging between being completely on track and completely off the rails — this episode is going to call you out (in the best way😘).

This week we're unpacking it all 👇

• The sneaky ways perfectionism shows up with calorie tracking, food planning, and deciding a whole day is "ruined" over one biscuit
• Signs perfectionism is what's triggering your overeating/ "I'll start again Monday" cycles
• The psychology behind why perfectionism develops
• The real reason behind all-or-nothing thinking (it's not just high standards)
• Why letting go of perfectionism doesn’t mean lowering your standards

• Why society rewards perfectionism — and the quiet cost nobody talks about
• The link between "perfect" dieting and binge-restrict cycles

And I'm also sharing lessons from my own perfectionist journey — from chasing A*'s to how all-or-nothing thinking almost broke my relationship with food in my late teens and early 20s, and what travelling SE Asia taught me 🌍

Episode 39 - How To Stop All-Or-Nothing Thinking With Imperfect Action is your key to breaking free from perfectionism with food, exercise and habits — without lowering your standards.

🚨 NEXT WEEK I'm announcing something built specifically for the all-or-nothing thinker!

Join my email list to get an exclusive one-time early bird offer — only available Feb 21st–Feb 23rd 👉

Click here for my website and coaching info.

For coaching enquiries/questions - Message me on WhatsApp 💬

Instagram ➡️ @carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻

Don't forget to follow so you don't miss future episodes on improving your relationship with food and your body, and rate the podcast ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love ya! 🫶🏻

I’m running the Belfast Marathon on May 3rd!! 🏃🏼‍♀️

And today I’m taking you on the journey with me! We’re talking about what marathon prep actually looks like when you support performance, recovery and your relationship with food.

I’ve ran 3 half marathons and 1 full marathon to date (with many more races in store for 2026 👀).As a nutritionist and online coach who has done this before, I am sharing my training and nutrition strategy between now and race day. Borrow what helps 😘

I'm sharing:

• How I’m structuring my running week (and why I’m not married to rigid plans)
• How I gauge calorie/energy needs to make sure I'm supporting the training
• Exactly how I’m fueling long runs, easy runs, and rest days
• The body image side of marathon prep and why weight loss should NOT be the goal

For coaching enquires/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬

Instagram ➡️ ⁠@carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻

Want to submit a topic or question for a future episode? ⁠Click here⁠

Follow, rate and be super to share the episode with someone who could benefit from listening

Click here to support my run for Action Cancer ❤️

So… I got my pole shoot photos back 🕺🏻 and I’m a lil obsessed 😌

Feeling proud of my pole pics got me thinking about the other kind of photoshoots that are big in the fitness world… and yep, it fully reinforced how I feel about them.

This episode is about fitness and physique photoshoots, what they actually require behind the scenes, and why they so often do more damage than good when it comes to body image, food, and your headspace.

We’re chatting:

• What fitness photoshoot prep really involves (and why it’s so extreme)
• Why body image often gets worse with a shoot, not better
• How photoshoots can fuel restrict-binge cycles
• The red flags that a fitness photoshoot is a bad idea for you right now

We're also talking about how to support yourself through this choice and things you need to know first.

For coaching enquires/questions - ⁠Message me on WhatsApp⁠ 💬

Instagram ➡️ ⁠@carlarushcoaching 🫶🏻

Want to submit a topic or question for a future episode? ⁠Click here⁠

Follow, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and share the episode with someone who could benefit from listening ❤️