When it comes to exercise and movement, we believe it is this wonderfully balanced, healthy thing, right? But for a lot of us, it’s… complicated. Maybe you feel like you have to move or else your anxiety will skyrocket. Maybe you mentally calculate every bite of food and match it with a “required” workout. Or maybe you find yourself hitting the gym even when you're sick, exhausted, or, oh—I don’t know—literally injured. Sound familiar?

“It wasn’t about enjoying movement—it was about earning my food, controlling my body, and never feeling like I was doing enough.” - Rachelle Heinemann

“At some point, I had to ask myself—am I moving because I love it, or because I’m afraid of what happens if I don’t?” - Rachelle Heinemann

“The truth is, over-exercising isn’t healthy. It’s just another way to punish yourself under the disguise of ‘discipline.’” - Rachelle Heinemann

“Recovery meant redefining movement—not as a requirement, but as something I get to do, not something I have to do.” - Rachelle Heinemann

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You know that feeling when you’d rather do literally anything than sit with your own emotions? Like, suddenly, cleaning out your junk drawer or reorganizing your spice rack sounds way more appealing than dealing with that uncomfortable feeling creeping in? Yeah, we’ve all been there.

The truth is, our brains are wired to avoid pain and chase comfort—it’s a survival thing. The more we run from discomfort, the stronger it gets. It’s like that pushy friend who won’t take a hint and just keeps showing up.

In this episode, I’m joined by Jenna Hollenstein for a second time! Jenna Hollenstein, MS, RDN, CDN, is an anti-diet dietitian-nutritionist, certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, speaker, meditation teacher, and author of five books, including Eat to Love and Intuitive Eating for Life. She blends Intuitive Eating with mindfulness to help people transform food and body shame into joyful eating and movement.

"We are not machines that are going to operate exactly as we want to operate." - Rachelle Heinemann

"It takes a fair amount of mindfulness to say, I'm struggling right now. And I'm going to do my best to show up to what I had planned to do." - Jenna Hollenstein

"We have to build the muscle of being with discomfort, and part of how we do that is by allowing ourselves to experience discomfort." - Jenna Hollenstein

"Sitting with your emotions doesn’t mean you have to like them—it just means you stop running from them." - Jenna Hollenstein

"Your brain thinks it’s protecting you by avoiding discomfort, but all it’s really doing is delaying the inevitable." - Jenna Hollenstein

"Growth doesn’t come from feeling good all the time. It comes from learning to be okay when things aren’t easy." - Jenna Hollenstein

"If you never let yourself sit in discomfort, how will you ever build the resilience to handle hard things?" - Jenna Hollenstein

"Most of the time, the thing we’re avoiding isn’t actually as bad as we’ve built it up to be in our heads." - Jenna Hollenstein

Visit Jenna’s Website Here!

Connect with Jenna on Instagram!

Bergen Mental Health Group Inc. is hiring! If you think you’d be a great fit, check it out!

Learn about our 6 week body image group! If you're interested, send an email to me ([email protected]), or you can book a call with Sydney to see if this would be a good fit!

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

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You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at [email protected]

People like to say that OCD and eating disorders go together. They even sometimes like to use fancy words like “co-ocurring.” Then they talk about how OCD can explain the development of ED symptoms and sit back triumphantly as if they’ve solved the world's toughest rubik’s cube. Satisfying, right?

Meh, not really.. We’re setting the record straight and peeling back the layers on this so-called "connection" between eating disorders and OCD.

"If something is making us anxious, we really need to think about what about this particular thing is making you anxious." - Rachelle Heinemann

"When we talk about eating disorders and OCD, there's so much overlap because the entire premise of most restrictive eating disorders that have to do with body image is, by nature, obsessive and compulsive." - Rachelle Heinemann

"One of the most important pieces that you can give somebody who's struggling with this particular experience or a version of this experience is some space to ask some questions." - Rachelle Heinemann

“Living in your head to the extent where you ruminate and obsess and are anxious 24/7, is incredibly distressing." - Rachelle Heinemann

"Ultimately, this is one big mess and it is an incredibly distressing mess." - Rachelle Heinemann

Bergen Mental Health Group Inc. is hiring! If you think you’d be a great fit, check it out!

Learn about our 6 week body image group! If you're interested, send an email to me ([email protected]), or you can book a call with Sydney to see if this would be a good fit!

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

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Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit! 

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Alright, let’s be real—working in the eating disorder field while navigating your own relationship with food? That’s messy. Like, “double-booked therapy sessions and forgot your coffee on the roof of your car” kind of messy. And yet, it’s something so many clinicians face but rarely talk about.

So, let’s talk about it.

"There’s something particularly scary about being supported by someone who is really struggling." - Rachelle Heinemann

"The moral of the story is to be the best clinician you can and try to keep your client's needs forefront, but also not make too many assumptions about them." - Sarah Rzemieniak 

"People with eating disorders have a radar that is so on point, they can tell." - Rachelle Heinemann

"We all have our blind spots, and we can only be as good as our ability to assess ourselves." - Sarah Rzemieniak 

"We can’t do any good in this world if we don’t get the proper support." - Rachelle Heinemann

"It’s not about whether a clinician can have lived experience; it’s about whether they can show up and hold space for their clients." - Rachelle Heinemann

Connect with Sarah Here!

Bergen Mental Health Group Inc. is hiring! If you think you’d be a great fit, check it out!

Learn about our 6 week body image group! If you're interested, send an email to me ([email protected]), or you can book a call with Sydney to see if this would be a good fit!

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat!

Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit! 

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode.

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You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at [email protected]

If you’ve ever talked about eating disorders for more than five seconds, someone always drops the classic line: "It’s not about the food; it’s about control.” Boom. Case closed, right?

Well, not exactly. Because what does that even mean? Control over what? Your body? Your feelings? Your life? And why does control even matter so much? That’s where things get interesting.

So today, we’re getting into it. Not in some vague, theoretical, “let’s throw around big words” way, but in a way that actually helps us understand what’s happening—whether in our own relationships with food or in the work we do with others.

"Eating disorders are not about the food. It's about something deeper." - Rachelle Heinemann

"Eating disorders are ways to moderate our emotions." - Rachelle Heinemann

"One of the biggest, most important questions to ask is, ‘I know which emotion I'm feeling now, am I allowed to [feel it]?’”- Rachelle Heinemann

"Building up your tolerance for experiencing parts of your emotional experience will actually help you bring up your tolerance overall of emotions." - Rachelle Heinemann

"There is a big difference between acting out anger and saying it in words. - Rachelle Heinemann

Bergen Mental Health Group Inc. is hiring! If you think you’d be a great fit, check it out!

Learn about our 6 week body image group! If you're interested, send an email to me ([email protected]), or you can book a call with Sydney to see if this would be a good fit!

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat!

Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit! 

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode.

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You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at [email protected]

Alright, let’s talk about self-esteem.

Have you ever felt like you're just one awkward social interaction away from a full-blown identity crisis? Like, one unanswered text, one awkward pause in a conversation, or one unliked Instagram post, and suddenly you're spiraling into, "Does anyone even like me?”

Well, welcome to the club—it's a big one.

In this episode, I’m talking about self-esteem: what it really is, why so many of us struggle with it, and how it connects to our relationship with food and body image. Because let’s be honest, it's not about staring at yourself in the mirror and repeating affirmations until you magically feel worthy.

"We all, every single person, need to be seen, heard, accepted, and supported." - Rachelle Heinemann

"In order to heal from an eating disorder and in order to develop some version of a healthy self-esteem, it's all the same idea—the acceptance that I am who I am." - Rachelle Heinemann

"I take up space. I do have lots of flaws. Not everyone's going to like me, but I have to take up space." - Rachelle Heinemann

"Self-esteem is about knowing the people who matter to you already, accept you and you know you're good enough the way you are without changing." - Rachelle Heinemann

We're hiring! If you think you could be a great fit, email your resume & cover letter to w.rachelleheinemann.com

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

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Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit! 

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You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at [email protected]

Have you ever felt that tiny bit of excitement about breaking a “food rule?” Like finally getting your hands on the “forbidden” chocolate cake, only to inhale half of it and immediately promise yourself you’ll “be good” tomorrow? Yeah, we’ve all been there. But what if that intense food drama could just… disappear? No guilt, no shame, no last-supper mentality—just food, doing what food is supposed to do: nourish and satisfy.

So, if you’ve ever felt trapped in food rules, if “cheat days” have ever dictated your weekend plans, or if you’re just curious what the next step in healing your relationship with food looks like—this episode is for you. 

Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDS-C, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND, is a nutrition therapist in private practice with forty-three years of experience, specializing in eating disorders, Intuitive Eating, and Health at Every Size. She is the co-author of Intuitive Eating, now in its 4th edition, the Intuitive Eating Workbook and The Intuitive Eating Card Deck—50 Bite-Sized Ways to Make Peace with Food.

"Maybe for the beginning, you might eat more of something that you have previously restricted, but it takes its place because it's no longer forbidden." - Elyse Resch

"It's not like we're ruining the enjoyment of food, it's just that we don't have that charge anymore of, ‘I'm going to get my hands on this and I'm going to be so good tomorrow, I'll just eat it all right now.’" - Elyse Resch

"It's all about healing. I never talk about recovery. I talk about the healing process." - Elyse Resch

"So every one of us who makes a change in that kind of thinking [ weight stigmatization] is actually bettering the world." - Elyse Resch

"Children are listening. Be careful." - Elyse Resch

Visit Elyse’s Website Here!

Learn More About Intuitive Eating

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

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Many often question whether they’re “sick enough” or feel like their struggles don’t fit into a neat little box. So let’s talk about it.

This week, we’re diving into why eating disorders are way more complex than the labels we slap on them—and why real recovery requires thinking outside the diagnosis.

"It is impossible to focus on just symptom reduction and not the bigger picture of all the other things that contribute to someone's eating disorder." - Rachelle Heinemann

"The second someone's relationship with food or really anything out there bothers them, it's already an issue." - Rachelle Heinemann

"When we typically see one version of an infection in a hospital, we can sort of treat it the same way—but with mental health, it's not uniform at all." - Rachelle Heinemann

"You couldn't possibly treat someone based on a diagnosis because then you've missed most of the story." - Rachelle Heinemann

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

 Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat!

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In this episode, we’re diving headfirst into practical tools to deal with dissociation —the kind of techniques that are handy to have when you feel like your brain and body feel like they’re speaking two different languages.

"Dissociation is just sort of like what it sounds like: dissociated from whatever's going on." - Rachelle Heinemann

"Our bodies hold everything in that is important." - Rachelle Heinemann

"There has to be some wiggle room to be able to open yourselves up and try something new." - Rachelle Heinemann

"If you eye roll too much, or if you use sarcasm through all of this, then you completely cut off yourself from your internal somatic experience." - Rachelle Heinemann

"Your body will often have the answers way before your brain does." - Rachelle Heinemann

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

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You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at [email protected]

The media often portrays eating disorders as affecting ultra-thin, hospital-bed-bound college girls. While this happens, it’s not the majority of what we mean when we say someone struggles with an “eating disorder.”

In this episode, I’m talking about how the media’s (and beyond) portrayal is not only wildly inaccurate but also dangerously misleading. That “sick enough” myth? It’s real. And let’s be honest, it’s all kinds of messed up. I’m unraveling the reason why those 19-year-old, emaciated models aren’t the majority, and how most people don’t fit neatly into a category.

"Eating disorders are when food and emotions are kind of messed up."- Rachelle Heinemann

"The emotions are the crux of it. They're the absolute foundation of it. And if we neglect to look at the emotions part of it, then we are neglecting basically the entirety of the eating disorder." - Rachelle Heinemann

"Just because somebody doesn't have any medical complications at all doesn't mean they don't have an eating disorder." - Rachelle Heinemann

"The largest percentage of people that we see with eating disorders... is the category for the people who don't fit in the categories." - Rachelle Heinemann

"It's important to talk about what eating disorders actually are: a complicated relationship with food, and we have this continuum of where the symptoms lie." - Rachelle Heinemann

Grab my Journal Prompts Here!

Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat!

Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit! 

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode.

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You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at [email protected]