🎥 In this episode, Dr. Brian Mowll welcomes Holly Bertone, a former FBI counterintelligence analyst turned holistic health coach, to talk about breaking free from emotional eating and food cravings. 

Holly shares her 40-year struggle with emotional eating, her rock-bottom moment, and how she transformed her FBI training into a practical three-step system to help women quiet food noise and build a healthier relationship with food.

From FBI to Food Freedom

Holly opens up about her journey—from high-achieving professional to cancer survivor, to health coach—while secretly battling shame, cravings, and late-night ice cream binges. Drawing on her background in pattern analysis, she explains how she discovered the “hidden codes” behind emotional eating and how reframing those patterns helped her and her clients regain control.

Why Willpower Doesn’t Work

Diets and “everything in moderation” often fail because cravings begin in the brain—before food even touches your lips. Holly breaks down the science of dopamine, the half-second decision window, and why emotional eating isn’t about discipline. Instead, it’s about seeing your triggers, stopping them in real time, and shifting your brain’s pathways.

The 3-Step FBI Method

Holly shares her signature framework—See It, Stop It, Shift It—to uncover triggers, interrupt cravings, and rewire your brain. Through this process, food stops being a source of comfort and simply becomes food. She explains how clients are able to “put the fork down” within 10 days, and why retraining the brain is more effective than chasing the latest diet.

The Bottom Line

Food cravings, stress eating, and guilt don’t have to control your life. By applying neuroscience and pattern recognition, Holly shows that emotional eating isn’t about willpower—it’s about building new, healthier pathways. With the right tools, food can finally take its place as nourishment, not a coping mechanism.

Key Takeaways

3:15 – Holly’s story: from FBI agent to health coach

6:40 – The cycle of cravings, shame, and food noise

10:25 – Why “moderation” and willpower don’t solve emotional eating

14:50 – Belly hunger vs. brain hunger explained

18:40 – How food soothes emotions like stress, boredom, and loneliness

25:10 – The limitations of intuitive eating when cravings run the show

31:00 – The 3-step process: See It, Stop It, Shift It

37:20 – Potty training your brain: retraining automatic responses

43:10 – Early wins: clients putting the fork down in 10 days

45:55 – Holly’s free gift: The Emotional Eating Tactical Blueprint

Resources

🎁 Get Holly’s free Emotional Eating Tactical Blueprint: DM “blueprint” to @holly.berton on Instagram

Follow Holly on Instagram: @holly.berton

Learn more about Dr. Brian Mowll: https://drmowll.com

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