Are your best years really behind you—or just beginning?

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Jan Saunders, an adventurer, vegan advocate, and wellness inspiration. We discussed how to reinvent yourself, stay resilient, and find purpose—especially after 50.

Jan’s story is amazing. From growing up as a nature-loving tomboy to navigating menopause, career changes, injuries, and big life transitions, she shares how curiosity, courage, and a love of nature guided her journey. She shows that it’s never too late to create a life full of adventure, health, and meaning.

In this episode, we talk about her experiences with ultra-running, going vegan, advocating for animals, and building a new career and lifestyle that matches her values. You’ll come away inspired to start your own adventure—no matter your age.

Topics Covered:

• How childhood curiosity and a love for nature can give you resilience and joy for life.

• Why courage matters more than fear when trying new things—whether it’s fitness, life changes, or adventures.

• How to navigate menopause, body changes, and mindset shifts to stay confident and healthy in midlife.

• Jan’s journey to becoming vegan at 50, and how to approach plant-based eating in a sustainable, ethical way.

• How she reinvented her career, created a new income stream, and found purpose after major life transitions.

• Practical advice for postmenopausal women on bone health, strength, and consistent self-care.

• Why creating your own adventures at any age is the ultimate form of freedom.

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

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Because diets disconnect us from our body’s natural wisdom. They teach us to ignore our hunger, to fear food, and to rely on willpower instead of trust.

In this episode, I sit down with Gin Stephens, New York Times bestselling author and one of the most trusted voices in the intermittent fasting world. Gin opens up about her decades-long struggle with yo-yo dieting and how discovering intermittent fasting completely transformed her relationship with food.

What I love most about Gin’s story is that it isn’t about another plan, program, or rule—it’s about reconnecting with your body. We talk about what it means to truly hear your hunger cues, why fasting is a powerful way to rebalance hormones like insulin and leptin, and how learning to trust your body again leads to lasting health and natural weight balance.

If you’ve ever felt like your body is working against you—or like you’ve “tried everything” and nothing sticks—this episode will help you understand why. And more importantly, it will help you see how healing your metabolism and nervous system can help you stop the cycle of starting over again and again.

Topics Covered:

• Why diets cause hormone and hunger signal resistance

• How to hear, listen to, and trust your body’s fullness cues

• What “appetite correction” really means and how it happens naturally

• Why patience is essential during your fasting adaptation phase

• The truth about “clean fasting” and how insulin affects fat burning

• Why you must get healthy to lose weight (not the other way around)

• How to break free from the “fix it fast” mindset and find freedom for life

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

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What truly drives you to take care of yourself?

In this episode, I dive deep into the real reason behind lasting consistency — uncovering your Big WHY. So often, we start our health and fitness journey focused on appearance or quick results. But the truth is, sustainable transformation only happens when your “why” runs deeper — when it’s connected to something truly meaningful.

I share my personal story of finding my own Big WHY — the moment I realized I never wanted to depend on anyone for the simplest tasks again — and how that clarity has fueled my consistency through pregnancies, injuries, and every season of life.

You’ll also learn how to stay consistent without pushing through burnout, why honoring your body is key, and how tuning in to your energy each day can help you create long-term results that actually last.

Tune in to the full episode to discover how to uncover your Big WHY — and use it to build unshakable consistency in your health and self-care journey.

Topics Covered:

• How to uncover your Big WHY behind your goals

• Why consistency matters more than intensity

• How to stay motivated through challenges and setbacks

• Listening to your body’s signals for movement and rest

• How to build sustainable habits by tuning in to your body’s wisdom

• The connection between self-awareness and long-term health success

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn

Have you ever felt like your body was trying to tell you something—but you brushed it off until it got louder?

In this episode, I explore how our bodies communicate through subtle signals long before discomfort, cravings, or self-sabotage show up. I share how ignoring these messages pulls us out of balance—emotionally, physically, and spiritually—and how tuning in can guide us back to calm, connection, and confidence.

You’ll learn how to recognize the difference between your body’s loving wisdom and the harsh voice of your inner critic (what I call the imp), and why so much of our struggle with food, energy, and motivation comes from living in protection mode instead of safety mode.

Listen to the full episode to reconnect with your body’s cues and discover how safety, not discipline, leads to true freedom.

Topics Covered

• The body’s innate wisdom and how it communicates through cues

• How ignoring your body leads from emotional imbalance to physical pain

• The “voice of the imp” and how to recognize self-sabotaging thoughts

• How thoughts create emotions—and emotions shape behavior

• The role of the nervous system in cravings, fatigue, and unwanted habits

• The difference between protection mode and safety mode

• How to shift your inner language to restore calm and self-trust

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn

Have you ever stopped to wonder what’s actually in the food you eat every day? In this episode, I uncover the truth about real food and processed food—and how understanding the difference can completely change how you feel in your body.

I share why so much of what we see on grocery store shelves isn’t really food at all, but “food-like substances” our bodies struggle to recognize. You’ll learn how eating more whole, natural foods—the kind our grandparents ate—can boost your energy, improve your sleep and digestion, and even regulate your mood.

And this isn’t about perfection or restriction. It’s about reconnecting with how food makes you feel instead of what the scale or calorie tracker says. I even share how I enjoy my birthday cake guilt-free—and why that balance matters.

Listen to the full episode to discover how choosing real food can help you reclaim your energy, vitality, and intuitive connection with your body.

Topics Covered:

• The difference between real food and processed food

• Why most modern foods are “food-like substances”

• How your body recognizes nutrients, not calories

• The power of eating like your grandparents did

• The benefits of eating colorful, whole foods (“eating the rainbow”)

• How processed foods affect energy, mood, and digestion

• Balancing nourishment with pleasure (yes, even cake!)

• Reconnecting with your body through intuitive eating

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn

After 25 years in the fitness and health industry, I can confidently say — diets don’t work. They create confusion, guilt, and a scarcity mindset that disconnects us from our body’s natural wisdom. In this episode, I share why I’m anti-diet — not because I’m against health or structure — but because I’m against anything that keeps us trapped in shame, fear, and food obsession.

You’ll learn how diet culture conditions us to distrust our own bodies, how it fuels emotional eating and binge cycles, and how true transformation starts when we stop trying to fix ourselves and start reconnecting to what our body actually needs.

Listen to the full episode now and start releasing the diet mindset for good.

Topics Covered:

• Why diets fail in the long run — even when they “work” at first

• How the scarcity mindset created by dieting leads to binge eating

• The real reason you’ve lost touch with your hunger and fullness signals

• How to rebuild body trust and independence from food rules

• Why does your body count nutrients, not calories

• How to become the person who naturally embodies health and freedom

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn

What if the right diet isn’t about cutting carbs, counting macros, or giving up your favorite foods—but about understanding what truly works for you?

In this episode, I unpack why restrictive diets fail and how the “can’t mindset” wires your brain to crave the very foods you’re trying to avoid. You’ll learn how to shift from restriction to intuition, discover the difference between can’t and don’t, and finally build a way of eating that feels effortless, enjoyable, and aligned with your body.

Because health isn’t a rulebook—it’s a feeling. Listen to the full episode now

Topics Covered:

• Why does restriction create the “can’t mindset”

• How diets trigger cravings and binge behavior

• The difference between can’t vs. don’t when it comes to food

• Why there’s no one-size-fits-all diet

• How to use body awareness to guide your eating

• Redefining health as a feeling, not a number

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn

Have you ever thought that the gut issues you’re facing right now might actually trace back to unresolved past trauma or dysregulated emotions?

Gut health is fascinating—there’s so much new research surfacing. And in this episode, I learned more than ever about how a dysregulated nervous system, often rooted in early trauma or chronic stress, can set the stage for major gut disruption. We often call it dysbiosis and try to “fix” it with diet or supplements—but when we only approach it from a biological angle, and ignore the psychological and emotional roots, the healing remains incomplete.

I’m joined by Martha Carlin, founder of The BioCollective, who sh ares the deeply moving story of her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis at just 44 years old—and how their search for answers uncovered the profound connection between trauma, the nervous system, and the microbiome.

Together, we unpack how emotional stress, toxic exposures, and processed foods silently shift the body’s internal balance, sometimes decades before symptoms show up. Martha also introduces two groundbreaking probiotic innovations she helped develop—“microbial teams” designed not just to add bacteria, but to restore the body’s internal pharmacy and repair gut-brain communication.

This is a conversation that’s both scientific and profoundly human—reminding us that true healing happens when we address not only the gut, but also the mind and heart.

Listen now on Make Peace With Food to discover how healing your gut could be the missing key to regulating your nervous system—and reclaiming your vitality.

Topics Covered: 

• How gut imbalance affects nervous system regulation

• The link between unresolved trauma and microbiome dysfunction

• How toxic load and processed food disrupt gut health

• The surprising connection between Parkinson’s, stress, and sugar cravings

• The role of bio-individuality in choosing the right diet for gut health

• The creation of microbial team-based probiotics

• How belief, mindset, and emotional healing change physical outcomes

Want to experience the probiotic blends transforming the way we understand gut and brain health? Visit BiotiQuest®, Check out BiotiQuest® here.

• Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

• Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

• Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

• Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

• Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn
  

Have you ever wondered why you keep repeating the same food patterns—restricting, binging, and then promising yourself it’ll never happen again?

In this episode of Make Peace With Food, I dive deep into the restrict–binge–punish–promise cycle that keeps so many of us stuck. I share how skipping meals and punishing ourselves for what we eat sends danger signals to the nervous system—keeping us in Protection Mode instead of peace.

We’ll explore how deprivation fuels cravings, how dopamine hijacks our reward system, and how simple nervous system regulation can help you finally trust your body again. This conversation is all about breaking free from punishment and returning to safety, self-compassion, and intuitive eating.

If you’ve ever felt trapped in a cycle of guilt and control around food, this episode is for you.

Listen to the full episode now on Spotify, iTunes, or YouTube and start calming your cravings from the inside out.

Topics Covered:

• How skipping meals triggers food scarcity and nervous system stress

• The “restrict–binge–punish–promise” cycle and why it keeps repeating

• The last supper mindset and its emotional roots

• How deprivation strengthens cravings and dopamine addiction

• Using meal planning as a tool for safety, not control

• Why fasting can heal or harm depending on your mindset

• How to shift from punishment to self-compassion

• Building safety and trust around food

• Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

• Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

• Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

• Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

• Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn

Have you ever noticed how your breath changes when you’re stressed, anxious, or triggered?

In this episode, I guide you through a powerful yet simple breathing technique to help you shift from protection mode to safety mode—right here, right now. I’ll show you how something as natural as your breath can calm your nervous system, release physical tension, and create the space to respond instead of react.

We’ll do this practice together, and I’ll show you how it can transform moments of emotional eating, stress, or conflict into deep presence and self-connection.

Take this as your reminder: You don’t need to fight your way to peace. You can breathe your way there.

Listen to the full episode to practice this simple technique with me and begin shifting your body into safety mode today.

Topics Covered:

• How breath changes depending on your nervous system state

• The link between protection mode and shallow breathing

• How to use your breath to send safety signals to your brain

• A guided breathwork exercise to release tension from the body

• Why simplicity is the key to regulating your nervous system

• Using breath to stop emotional eating and cravings

• How breath creates the space to respond instead of react

Sweet Bonus for You!

Cravings don’t have to control you. That’s why I put together a free recipe eBook: 10 Sugar Fixes (Without the Sugar). Inside you’ll find simple, delicious recipes that satisfy your sweet tooth—without the crash, guilt, or endless cycle of cravings.

Grab your copy here: www.sherryshaban.com/sugarfixes

• Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

• Join my Facebook Community here: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

• Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

• Want to go deeper? Visit www.makepeacewithfood.com to learn more!

• Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn