Is your relationship with food or your body complicated? Do you struggle with body confidence and self-love? You might be surprised about how many aspects of life are impacted by your body image. Wondering if you can truly love your body? Spoiler alert: you can! 

In this Salad with a Side of Fries episode, Marla Mervis-Hartmann, a dynamic speaker, bestselling author, and coach specializing in body confidence, self-love, and intuitive eating joins the show. Together, Marla and Jenn dive deep into healing a challenged relationship with your body, breaking free from diet culture and disordered eating, and embracing true self-acceptance. Marla shares powerful insights on shifting away from food restriction and guilt, learning to trust your body, and fostering a sustainable, positive mindset around food and body image. 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

• [3:40] Marla reveals how she began her focus on healing her body image
• [10:07] How negative body image can show up in our lives
• [19:20] Listening to your body and befriending yourself
• [25:52] Choosing the road of self-compassion and acceptance
• [30:48] Reframing your perception of your body image 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• People believe reaching a certain weight or body shape will bring them happiness and confidence, but true healing comes from addressing deeper emotional and psychological factors, not just physical appearance. How we feel about our bodies can impact our relationships, work, self-worth, and ability to be present. It can lead to comparison, avoidance of opportunities, and even withholding joy from ourselves.
• Recognizing and challenging diet culture, societal pressures, and past traumas is crucial for improving body image. Developing self-compassion, addressing underlying emotional wounds, and reframing our relationship with food and our bodies are key steps to healing.
• Finding a balanced, self-compassionate approach to body acceptance and eating is essential. Instead of rigid dieting allow for self-acceptance, mindful choices, and kindness toward oneself—much like a best friend offering support.

QUOTES:         

[6:10] “I needed deep help with this. So that's what took me on this journey of recovery, of healing my relationship with my body and my food.” Marla Mervis-Hartmann

[9:44] “We can be so mean to ourselves, the things that we say in our head compared to what we would never say out loud to someone else, but we say them to ourselves.” Jenn Trepeck

[25:09] “If you're hearing this right now, that moment when something shows up and maybe it's not even around your food and your body, perhaps it's about something completely different, that you just have this seed of wisdom that says, ‘Let's be kind to me here’.” Marla Mervis-Hartmann

[29:21] “I would try to walk beside someone in a window to see our reflection, because I was like ‘She's thin, am I as thin as her?’, and then I would compare myself.” Marla Mervis-Hartmann

[32:48] “And now, what can I do for myself? Even if we ask it instead of what we would say to a friend, and now ‘what can I do for you?’ say, ‘what can I do for me?’ I love that question.” Jenn Trepeck

[36:26] “We're having this conversation and we say ‘their body is okay for them, but their body would not be OK for me’. That disconnect, then, ask the following question: ‘Why is it okay for them and not for you? What's the other thing they have that makes it alright that I don't have that makes it not OK?’” Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

GUEST RESOURCES: 

Love Your Body Love Yourself - Book

Breaking the Cycle - Free Gift

Love Your Body Love Yourself - Website

TEDx Talk: The Secret Ingredient to Feeling Good in Your Body

Be-Friend Yourself - Book

Marla Mervis-Hartmann- Instagram

Love Your Body Love Yourself - Facebook

Marla Mervis-Hartmann - YouTube

GUEST BIOGRAPHY: 

Marla Mervis-Hartmann is a dynamic speaker, bestselling author, and coach specializing in body confidence, food freedom, and self-love. As the creator of Love Your Body, Love Yourself and the bestselling book Be-Friend Yourself, Marla empowers individuals to transform their relationships with food and their bodies through self-compassion and spiritual practices. Featured on TEDx Salinas and in major media outlets like ABC, NBC, and FOX, she integrates expertise in Reiki, integrative somatic trauma therapy, and women’s wellness to help people move from despair to hope and thrive. Marla resides in Maui with her family, continuing her mission to inspire others to embrace self-acceptance and vibrant living.