Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast — Less Food Noise. More Life.

Girlfriend, if you're tired of the never-ending cycle of body checking, comparing yourself to everyone around you, and feeling trapped in a body you don't recognize, this episode is for you. Host Lindsey Nichol breaks down the 4 categories of body image according to the National Eating Disorder Collaboration and walks you through practical exercises to challenge the negative body ideals that are keeping you stuck.

The 4 Categories of Body Image:

Plus, You'll Learn:

✨ You are NOT your body - Your body is a vessel, not your identity

Write out every detail of your "perfect body." Then ask yourself:

Today, look at someone in your life without judging or comparing their body to yours. Find ONE thing you can admire or appreciate about their body. Then reflect on what this reveals about your own body ideals.

Look at yourself face-to-face in the mirror and say OUT LOUD: "I am willing to do the hard things. I am willing to make changes in my life. I may not be seeing what is real and true because of false distortion, but I can choose right now to appreciate, respect, and care for me regardless."

Choose one body part you criticize. Now reframe it - what can you appreciate about this part? Just like you appreciated something about someone else, extend that same grace to yourself.

Instead of idolizing being skinny, focus on STRENGTH. Instead of weighing less, focus on HEALTH. What would change in your life if you made this shift?

This episode is for you if you're:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "Do you not know that your body is a temple? You are not your own. You were bought at a price. Honor your body to honor your creator."

Join the Community: Connect with other women on the recovery journey in Lindsey's private Facebook community - www.herbsestselfsociety.com !

Work with Lindsey: Ready for one-on-one support? Lindsey offers personalized recovery coaching. Visit www.herbestself.co/services  to book a complimentary consultation and see if coaching is the right fit for you.

Take Action: Grab your journal, do the exercises from this episode, and share your insights in the Her Best Self Facebook community. Recovery isn't meant to be done alone, girlfriend!

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If this episode resonated with you—if you saw yourself in Lindsey's rejection story—please subscribe to Her Best Self wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review. Your reviews help other women who are tired of perfectionism and people-pleasing find this show and realize they're not alone.

Share this episode with a friend who needs to hear that her rejection story can become her redemption story.

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She understands how core beliefs formed in childhood can create and maintain eating disorder patterns, and she's passionate about helping women identify and transform these beliefs to find lasting freedom.

If this episode helped you feel hopeful again and remember your worth isn't found in your body or on your plate, please share it with someone who needs to hear this message. Your support helps more women break the chains of limiting beliefs.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder

What if I told you that the eating disorder you're battling isn't really about food at all—it's about rejection?

In this deeply personal episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on my own rejection story and how those painful moments shaped my relationship with food, my body, and control. From being told to "get in line by size" at dance practice to corporate disappointments and broken friendships, I'm sharing the rejection wounds that led me down the path of disordered eating.

Here's the truth: perfectionism is rejection prevention. It's the way your brain tries to avoid the emotional trauma of feeling "not enough." And your eating disorder? It offers the illusion of protection—a false comfort that promises to fix everything and prevent future rejection. But the only thing it really does is lead to the deepest rejection of all: rejecting your own worthiness.

Today, we're dissecting rejection together. I'm meeting you in that painful place so you can discover what I've learned: your rejection story can become your redemption story. Rejection isn't the end—it's God's protection, His redirection, and often the most powerful motivator for transformation.

If you've been shrinking yourself to fit into spaces you were rejected from, this episode is your invitation to take up space again, feel free again, and reject the rejection that was never yours to carry.

[02:30] The moment everything changed: My dance practice rejection story and how one comment shifted my entire relationship with my body

[05:00] Why perfectionism is actually rejection prevention—and how it fuels your eating disorder

[07:15] The cycle that keeps you stuck: Fear of rejection → False control → Isolation → Disordered eating behaviors → Reinforced rejection fears

[09:45] How early experiences shape your relationship with safety (and why you desperately want to be seen, heard, and loved)

[12:00] Protection strategies your brain uses: Numbing through restriction, creating physical armor through body changes, food rituals as predictable comfort

[15:30] My personal rejection timeline: From Disney on Ice to corporate promotions, college boyfriends to broken friendships—the moments that shaped my story

[18:00] The powerful reframe: Rejection is God's protection and redirection. What would you have missed if those doors had stayed open?

[20:30] How recovered people reject rejection—practical steps to heal and move forward

[23:00] The three questions to ask when rejection voices show up: "So what? Says who? Who cares?"

💔 Perfectionism = Rejection Prevention: Your eating disorder isn't about food. It's your brain's attempt to avoid the pain of feeling "not enough."

🔄 The Rejection Cycle: Fear of rejection leads to false control (food/body manipulation), which leads to isolation, which reinforces rejection fears, which prevents you from being seen, heard, and loved.

✨ Rejection → Redemption: Your rejection story matters because it can become your redemption story. Every painful moment can be transformed into power.

🚪 If those doors had stayed open, what would you have missed? Rejection is often God's redirection toward a better path you couldn't have imagined.

🛡️ Protection Strategies Keeping You Stuck:

💪 Recovered People Reject Rejection: They show up imperfectly, embrace progress over perfection, create healthy boundaries, build self-trust, and sit with uncomfortable emotions.

🎯 The Most Powerful Truth: No one needs to like you but you. You are approved by God who created you and put a seal of worthiness on your birth certificate. You're not rejected—you're redeemed.

📝 What are your rejection stories? What moments made you feel unseen, unheard, or unloved?

📝 How did those rejections shape your relationship with food and your body? When did you start "the exhausting project of trying to shrink yourself"?

📝 What parts of yourself have you rejected? Movement you loved? Activities that brought joy? Nourishment? Rest? Connection?

📝 If those doors had stayed open, what would you have missed? What blessings came from closed doors?

📝 What rejection are you still carrying that isn't yours? What old wound keeps replaying as current truth?

✍️ Write out your rejection story. This isn't to create trauma—it's to find freedom in laying it down, forgiving it, and moving forward.

🗣️ Practice the three questions: Next time rejection voices show up ("you're not good enough," "you can't eat that"), respond with: "So what? Says who? Who cares?"

🔄 Reframe your rejections: List your biggest rejections, then write what you would have missed if those doors had stayed open.

💪 Start doing the next right thing: Show up imperfectly, embrace progress over perfection, create healthy boundaries, and build self-trust.

🙅‍♀️ Stop people pleasing: You don't need to be for everyone. It's okay to not have a seat at everyone's table.

"Perfectionism is rejection prevention. It's the way that our brain and our mind tries to avoid the pain and the emotional trauma of feeling the not enoughness."

"In trying to protect yourself from rejection, you begin rejecting parts of yourself—movement you enjoyed, activities that bring you joy, nourishment, rest, and eventually connection with people you cherished."

"The eating disorder promises to fix everything, promises that everyone will accept you, promises to fix any future rejection. But the only real thing it does is lead to the deepest rejection of all: rejecting your own worthiness."

"Whatever story you've been replaying on repeat, you can learn to take up space, feel free again, and reject the rejection that was never yours to carry."

"Rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of a better path. When we start looking at it like that, it becomes the most powerful motivator in your life."

"No one needs to like you but you. The cycle of fear of rejection leads to false control, which leads to isolation, which reinforces rejection fears and prevents you from being seen, heard, and loved."

"Rejection is God's protection. It is His redirection. If those doors had stayed open, what would you have missed?"

"You're not rejected, you're redeemed. You're not bad. Maybe you just shine a little too bright for someone who couldn't handle it."

"Recovered people reject rejection."

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If this episode resonated with you—if you saw yourself in Lindsey's rejection story—please subscribe to Her Best Self wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review. Your reviews help other women who are tired of perfectionism and people-pleasing find this show and realize they're not alone.

Share this episode with a friend who needs to hear that her rejection story can become her redemption story.

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She understands how core beliefs formed in childhood can create and maintain eating disorder patterns, and she's passionate about helping women identify and transform these beliefs to find lasting freedom.

If this episode helped you feel hopeful again and remember your worth isn't found in your body or on your plate, please share it with someone who needs to hear this message. Your support helps more women break the chains of limiting beliefs.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder

If you're in the thick of eating disorder recovery right now and wondering if it's ever going to get easier, this episode is for you.

Maybe you had a rough week with food. Maybe you're exhausted from fighting the same battles in your head every single day. Maybe you're wondering if recovery is even worth it because right now it just feels so incredibly hard.

In this episode, Lindsey gets real about hard times in recovery and shares a truth that will change how you see your struggle: there are only three possible outcomes when you're going through something hard, and what you choose determines everything about your recovery and your future.

This isn't a "just think positive" pep talk. This is truth-telling, no-nonsense guidance about why hard times don't last forever—but only if you refuse to stay stuck in them. If you're ready to stop waiting for recovery to magically get easier and start building the resilience you need to actually get better, this episode will show you how.

What You'll Learn:

The 3 Outcomes of Hard Times:

Outcome #1: You Quit Quitting looks like going back to restriction because it feels safer. It's skipping meals after a bad body image day. It's choosing what's familiar over what will set you free. When you quit moving forward, the hard time doesn't end—it just becomes your new normal.

Outcome #2: It Gets Better Sometimes circumstances change and the external situation improves. But if YOU don't change? You're just waiting for the next hard time to come along. You'll always be one comment away from spiraling, one trigger away from old patterns.

Outcome #3: You Get Better This is where your power lives. This is where transformation happens. When YOU get better, you learn to nourish your body even when you don't feel deserving. You challenge food rules. You sit with emotions instead of controlling them through food or exercise. You make decisions from your healed self.

Key Takeaways:

✨ Hard times don't last forever—but they also don't end just because you want them to. They end when you choose to move through them.

✨ There are only 3 outcomes: you quit, it gets better, or you get better. Only one leads to lasting freedom.

✨ When you quit, the hard time doesn't disappear—it just continues and becomes your normal.

✨ Relying on circumstances to improve keeps you at the mercy of triggers and external situations.

✨ You getting better means actively participating in your own healing, not just hoping things change.

✨ The hard time becomes your identity when you refuse to move forward—it becomes who you are instead of something you're moving through.

✨ Choosing to get better is hard, but staying stuck is harder. Wake up a year from now in the same place or choose to do the work now.

Powerful Quotes from This Episode:

"Hard times don't last forever. They don't. But only if you refuse to stay stuck in them."

"Hard times end when you decide they end. Not when circumstances are perfect. Not when you feel ready. Not when it's easy. They end when you decide to keep moving forward even when it's hard."

"When you quit, the hard time doesn't actually end. It just continues. It stretches out. It becomes your new normal."

"When YOU get better, it doesn't matter as much what the circumstances are. When YOU get better, you have tools to work through triggers."

"You don't have to stay here. You don't have to live in this hard time forever. But you do have to choose to move through it."

"The hard time you're in right now? It's not forever. It's not your ending. It's not your identity. It's just a chapter. And you get to write what comes next."

Real Talk:

This episode delivers no-nonsense truth: the eating disorder wants you to believe you'll always feel this way, but that's a lie. You don't have to stay stuck. But you do have to choose outcome #3—to get better. That means showing up when you don't feel like it, doing the opposite of what the disorder tells you, and trusting the process even when you can't see results yet.

What's harder than doing the work? Waking up years from now still fighting the same battles because you never chose to get better.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Ready to Choose Outcome #3?

If you're ready to stop staying stuck and start getting better, you don't have to do it alone.

Inside The Recovery Collective, Lindsey's support group program, you get:

Learn more and join at: www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective 

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She understands how core beliefs formed in childhood can create and maintain eating disorder patterns, and she's passionate about helping women identify and transform these beliefs to find lasting freedom.

If this episode helped you feel hopeful again and remember your worth isn't found in your body or on your plate, please share it with someone who needs to hear this message. Your support helps more women break the chains of limiting beliefs.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.

You're at a family dinner. Someone makes a comment about your body or what's on your plate. Suddenly your chest is tight, your mind is racing, and you're already planning tomorrow's restriction or extra workout. Sound familiar?

In this episode, Lindsey Nichol gives you a real-time, actionable game plan for working through triggers as they happen—not tomorrow, not after the holidays, but RIGHT NOW. Whether it's an upcoming holiday gathering, a comment from a loved one, or scrolling social media, you'll learn exactly what to do in those moments when you feel completely out of control.

Lindsey walks you through six powerful steps to move through triggering situations without falling back into restriction, over-exercising, or shame spirals. This isn't theory—this is practical, do-it-now guidance that will help you act from your healed self instead of your wounded self.

What You'll Learn:

Key Takeaways:

✨ Your body isn't broken—it's trying to protect you based on old experiences that aren't happening right now

✨ You can't heal what you won't feel—naming your emotions is essential to moving through triggers

✨ The emotions you feel during triggers exist because they once kept you safe, but you get to choose differently now

✨ What would your best self do? Your future self who's already free? Act as if you're already her—because you are

✨ One triggering moment doesn't define your recovery—how you respond does

The 6-Step Trigger Game Plan:

Powerful Quotes from This Episode:

"What you do in the next few minutes after you feel triggered will either keep you stuck in the same cycle or move you one step closer to the freedom you're desperately craving."

"You can't heal what you won't feel."

"That old experience isn't happening right now. You're not that little girl anymore who learned she had to earn love or approval."

"Stop operating from your unhealed self. Stop letting the wounds make the decisions. Stop letting the fear drive the bus."

"You ARE that future version of yourself. She's not some distant dream. She's you—making the next right choice in this moment."

Ready for More Support?

If you need help working through triggers and breaking free from the restrict-binge cycle, join The Recovery Collective—Lindsey's group support program where you get live weekly coaching, a supportive community, and the exact tools you need to find lasting food freedom.

Learn more at: www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective

💝 Rate and review to help more perfectionists find freedom 💝 Share with a friend who's stuck in the perfection trap 💝 Join the Facebook community for recovery hugs and support 💝 Apply for 1:1 coaching if you're ready for personalized guidance

Subscribe to the email list at www.herbestself.co to get first access 🎉 Free FB Community at www.herbestselfsociety.com 

You don't have to be perfect at recovery. You don't have to check all the boxes. You don't have to be further along than you are.

Success is showing up today, even when yesterday was hard. Success is choosing growth over perfection. Success is becoming who you're meant to be, not achieving some impossible standard.

You are worthy. You are strong. You are perfectly capable right now, today, to lean into the biggest struggle of your life.

Consider this your virtual hug from Lindsey. You've got this, beautiful.

Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol is a podcast for women in eating disorder recovery who are ready to break free from perfectionism, people-pleasing, and diet culture to live authentically and wholeheartedly.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.

In this insightful conversation originally recorded with dietitian Brittany Braswell on Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast, I open up about the restrict-binge cycle that keeps so many women trapped—saving calories all day only to overeat at night. This episode dismantles the myth that it's about willpower and reveals the biological and spiritual truths behind this destructive pattern.

✨ The restrict-binge cycle is biological, not about willpower - When you don't eat enough during the day, your body forces a response

✨ Scarcity thinking is rooted in worthiness issues - Diet culture has taught us food must be earned, rationed, and controlled rather than something we deserve consistently

✨ Comfort isn't the goal, freedom is - Breaking the cycle requires doing uncomfortable opposite actions

✨ Ask yourself: Is this decision from fear or love? - If you're making food choices out of fear, that's a signal to do the opposite

✨ You are fearfully and wonderfully made - Your identity is larger than the vessel you came here with

"You were created by God, made in His image, and you are so worthy of love and nourishment—period. There's no arguing, no bargaining about that."

"Comfort isn't the goal. Freedom is the goal."

"Your body deserves consistent fuel. What would I tell my daughter, my best friend, you over coffee? I would never tell you that you can't have that coffee because there's cream in it."

"Is this decision coming from a place of fear or a place of love? If it's fear, pluck that thought."

"God's grace is built from abundance. Your identity is something larger than the vessel that you came here with."

This conversation was originally recorded as a guest appearance on Brittany Braswell's podcast, Faith-Filled Food Freedom. Adapted and shared with the Her Best Self Podcast community because the message was too powerful not to share with you.

Ready to break free from the restrict-binge cycle for good? The Recovery Collective is Lindsey Nichol's signature group support program where you'll get the support, strategies, and community you need to finally find freedom.

Inside The Recovery Collective, you'll receive:

Learn more and join The Recovery Collective at www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective  

Check out Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast for more faith-based nutrition and food freedom content at www.brittanybraswellrd.com 

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If this episode helped you feel hopeful again and remember your worth isn't found in your body or on your plate, please share it with someone who needs to hear this message. Your support helps more women break the chains of limiting beliefs.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.

In this powerful episode, host Lindsey Nichol explores the dual nature of distraction in eating disorder recovery—how it can either support your healing journey or keep you trapped in unhealthy patterns. Drawing wisdom from Proverbs, Lindsey breaks down when distraction becomes a helpful tool versus when it's a form of avoidance that prevents true recovery.

✨ Distraction can be leveraged temporarily to prevent unhealthy actions—like reaching out to support, journaling, changing your environment, or having a dance party

✨ Unhealthy distraction looks like telling yourself "now isn't the right time" or using life circumstances to avoid recovery work

✨ Common urges to distract from include: compulsive exercise, repetitive safe foods, body checking in mirrors, scale obsession, and other OCD-like behaviors

✨ The "messy middle" of recovery is normal—that awkward phase where you're better than before but haven't fully arrived

✨ Important questions to ask yourself: How can I honor myself right now? What does my soul need? What does my body need? What does my mind need?

"Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life. Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you." - Proverbs

"Nothing good, including progress, occurs when you're confused or when you're completely sidetracked."

"If today is not a good day for this, then when is going to be a good day to put yourself first, to put your health first?"

"A distraction is simply a thing that prevents you from giving your complete attention to something else."

💝 Rate and review to help more perfectionists find freedom 💝 Share with a friend who's stuck in the perfection trap 💝 Join the Facebook community for recovery hugs and support 💝 Apply for 1:1 coaching if you're ready for personalized guidance

🎉 Subscribe to the email list at www.herbestself.co to get your free recovery journal download 🎉 Free FB Community at www.herbestselfsociety.com 

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She understands how core beliefs formed in childhood can create and maintain eating disorder patterns, and she's passionate about helping women identify and transform these beliefs to find lasting freedom.

If this episode helped you feel hopeful again and remember your worth isn't found in your body or on your plate, please share it with someone who needs to hear this message. Your support helps more women break the chains of limiting beliefs.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.

Tired of waking up in reaction mode—immediately checking your body, obsessing over yesterday’s food choices, or spiraling into anxiety about what you’ll eat today? You’re not alone, and there’s a better way.

💝 Rate and review to help more perfectionists find freedom 💝 Share with a friend who's stuck in the perfection trap 💝 Join the Facebook community for recovery hugs and support 💝 Apply for 1:1 coaching if you're ready for personalized guidance

🎉 Subscribe to the email list at www.herbestself.co to get your free recovery journal download 🎉 Free FB Community at www.herbestselfsociety.com 

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She understands how core beliefs formed in childhood can create and maintain eating disorder patterns, and she's passionate about helping women identify and transform these beliefs to find lasting freedom.

If this episode helped you feel hopeful again and remember your worth isn't found in your body or on your plate, please share it with someone who needs to hear this message. Your support helps more women break the chains of limiting beliefs.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.

What does success really mean in recovery? In this powerful solo episode, Lindsey gets real about perfectionism, the fear of success vs. fear of failure, and why trying to be an "A-student" at recovery keeps you stuck. If you've ever felt like you're not trying hard enough, not far enough along, or wondered what life would look like if you actually succeeded at recovery - this episode is for you.

Discover why traditional definitions of success are keeping you trapped and learn a new perspective that will transform how you approach your recovery journey.

⚡ The perfectionist's dilemma: Why wanting recovery to be flawless keeps you stuck ⚡ Two types of fear: Fear of failure vs. fear of success in recovery ⚡ Redefining success: From what you accomplish to who you become ⚡ The pressure of "A-student recovery": Why this mindset leads to relapse ⚡ Surrender and empowerment: Research on how letting go creates better outcomes ⚡ Daily choices over gold medals: Success when no one is watching

Success = Who you become in the process, not what you accomplish

Success equals:

🤔 Where do I spend my time and energy?

🤔 Am I putting one foot in front of the other?

🤔 What would success look like if I lived in accordance with:

🤔 Am I being honest to myself and others?

🤔 Am I contributing to the world or being consumed by it?

💡 "Success doesn't equal full recovery - success equals your best self"

💡 "You don't get a PhD for healing - there's no 'better' way to heal than anyone else"

💡 "The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake - you can't learn anything from being perfect"

💡 "You weren't called to be perfect - you're just called to be better"

💡 "The more you surrender and let be, the higher you rise"

💡 "If you thought you're not gonna fail because you're just gonna keep going until you arrive, it takes the pressure off"

📊 Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology: Individuals who surrendered to God or a higher power in recovery had increased feelings of personal empowerment and happiness

📊 Addiction Sciences and Clinical Practice: Surrender was associated with the highest positive recovery outcomes

✨ You don't get applause for daily recovery choices ✨ There's no gold medal for healing ✨ Success is in the daily choices when no one is watching ✨ You're allowed to be perfectly flawed ✨ Constant growth leads to happiness and contentment ✨ The eating disorder doesn't know what to do when you surrender control

A client came to Lindsey after a "bad day" expecting judgment. Instead, Lindsey asked:

"Do you want me to sit in that pity party with you, or do you want me to ask: Where do we go from here? What's next?"

The client's response: "You're right. I need to put this down. Tomorrow's a new day. I need to surrender this."

This is true for you too.

Stop driving for perfection - it simply doesn't exist Embrace mistakes - they're where momentum comes from Measure small wins - daily progress over perfection Surrender control - to gain ultimate control, courage, acceptance, and trust Focus inward - character growth over external validation

If you're tired of trying to be perfect at recovery, if you're caught between fear of failure and fear of success, if you want support from women who understand the pressure of high-performing perfectionism - The Recovery Collective is for you.

What You'll Find:

Special Founding Member Pricing:

Recovery doesn't require perfection - it requires showing up. Let's show up together.

Ready to join? Visit www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective for more information

💝 Rate and review to help more perfectionists find freedom 💝 Share with a friend who's stuck in the perfection trap 💝 Join the Facebook community for recovery hugs and support 💝 Apply for 1:1 coaching if you're ready for personalized guidance

🎉 Upcoming this fall: Masterclass, giveaways, and exciting new offerings 🎉 Subscribe to the email list at www.herbestself.co to get first access 🎉 Free FB Community at www.herbestselfsociety.com 

You don't have to be perfect at recovery. You don't have to check all the boxes. You don't have to be further along than you are.

Success is showing up today, even when yesterday was hard. Success is choosing growth over perfection. Success is becoming who you're meant to be, not achieving some impossible standard.

You are worthy. You are strong. You are perfectly capable right now, today, to lean into the biggest struggle of your life.

Consider this your virtual hug from Lindsey. You've got this, beautiful.

Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol is a podcast for women in eating disorder recovery who are ready to break free from perfectionism, people-pleasing, and diet culture to live authentically and wholeheartedly.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.

In this powerful interview, Lindsey sits down with Brittany Braswell, a registered dietitian, food freedom coach, and host of Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast. Brittany shares her unique approach to eating disorder recovery that integrates evidence-based nutrition with Christian faith, creating lasting transformation for women struggling with food guilt and body shame.

In this episode you will discover practical strategies for menu planning without restriction, overcoming fear foods, and why having a strong faith foundation accelerates recovery progress.

This episode is perfect for: Christian women in eating disorder recovery, anyone struggling with meal planning anxiety, and those seeking faith-based approaches to food freedom.

🎓 Registered Dietitian with 12+ years experience 🎤 Public Speaker and Podcast Host of Faith-Filled Food Freedom 💝 Specializes in: Food freedom and body image coaching for Christian women 🏡 Life: Wife and mom of three in small-town Alabama ✨ Mission: Helping women break free from food guilt and body shame through Christ-centered coaching

Brittany's Go-To Mexican Bowl:

💡 "Our bodies were created by the Lord, so He knows them better than we do"

💡 "Clients who integrated faith made progress faster and sustained it longer"

💡 "You don't have to do recovery like an A-student - there's no perfect way"

💡 "Having a plan doesn't mean you can't be intuitive - it means ingredients are available when cravings hit"

💡 "Everything will feel scary first when incorporating new foods"

"Having total peace about saying no and setting boundaries"

✅ Provides solid foundation beyond personal willpower ✅ Offers truth to combat eating disorder lies ✅ Reduces pressure of carrying recovery weight alone ✅ Creates sustainable progress vs. white-knuckling ✅ Addresses identity and worth at the core level ✅ Prevents relapse behaviors from perfectionist pressure

🙏 Your faith matters in your food freedom journey 🙏 God designed your body and knows what it needs 🙏 Recovery doesn't have to be perfect - grace covers the messy middle 🙏 Community and accountability accelerate healing 🙏 Your identity is in Christ not in food control or body size 🙏 Boundaries are biblical and necessary for wholeness

🎧 Podcast: Faith-Filled Food Freedom (wherever you listen to podcasts) 🌐 Website: www.brittanybraswellrd.com 📚 Free Resources: www.brittanybraswellrd.com/herbestself  

Visit www.brittanybraswellrd.com/herbestself for:

✨ Menu planning can support intuitive eating when done flexibly ✨ Faith provides the foundation recovery needs to be sustainable ✨ Fear foods become manageable with education and gradual exposure ✨ Quick meal strategies prevent eating disorder thoughts from winning ✨ Accountability accelerates progress in recovery ✨ Boundaries protect your recovery and honor your values ✨ You don't have to be perfect at recovery to be successful

Understanding that:

💕 Rate and review to help more women find faith-based recovery content 💕 Share with a friend who's struggling with food and faith integration 💕 Follow Brittany's podcast Faith-Filled Food Freedom 💕 Connect in comments about your biggest takeaway

Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol is a podcast for women in eating disorder recovery who are ready to break free from perfectionism, people-pleasing, and diet culture to live authentically and wholeheartedly.

If you've been fighting eating disorder recovery for 10, 20, or even 40+ years, this episode is specifically for you. You've probably been to therapy, worked with dietitians, read all the books, and know more about nutrition than most professionals - but you're still struggling. Why?

In this deeply personal episode, I'm sharing real stories from women who've been in this battle for decades and revealing the missing piece that most traditional treatment approaches overlook. Plus, I'm introducing something I've been dreaming about for months that goes beyond individual therapy to address what your recovery journey might actually need.

If you've ever thought "I should be over this by now" or "I can't keep doing this alone," this episode will remind you that you're not broken - you just might need a different approach.

"You probably know more about nutrition than most dietitians. The missing piece isn't more information - it's support and community."

"Isolation is eating disorder fuel, and support and community is recovery fuel."

"Research shows us that peer support - connecting with others who truly understand your experience - is one of the most powerful predictors of lasting recovery."

"You were never meant to do recovery alone."

The Recovery Collective - A bi-weekly virtual support group for women in eating disorder recovery

What it includes:

Founding Member Special:

Note: The Recovery Collective is designed to complement, not replace, professional treatment.

Ready to find your recovery family? Apply to become a founding member of The Recovery Collective at www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective 

The process just takes a few minutes and could be the step that changes everything for your recovery journey.

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She understands how core beliefs formed in childhood can create and maintain eating disorder patterns, and she's passionate about helping women identify and transform these beliefs to find lasting freedom.

If this episode helped you feel hopeful again and remember your worth isn't found in your body or on your plate, please share it with someone who needs to hear this message. Your support helps more women break the chains of limiting beliefs.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.