Episode 18. Today I sit down with Brianna Wilkerson to discuss her health journey and her relationship with food.

Brianna Wilkerson is a Holistic Health and Life Coach, wife and momma, chai tea lover and at-home crossfitter. She helps women find peace with food, feel confident in their bodies again, and develop a healthy lifestyle that’s more than just about their weight. You’ll leave sessions with her feeling supported and empowered to make simple, sustainable changes that work and fit into your life. 

She is also an Essential Oils Advocate for doTERRA Essential Oils and loves helping women to use essential oils in simple, fun and effective ways for their health, home and family. You’ll leave her essential oils classes and consultations feeling excited and empowered to use essential oils in your daily life.You can find Brianna hanging out in the More Than Your Weight Women’s Community, on her Facebook Page or Instagram!

Did you grab your freebie??

Grab my free fun 10 minute audio that helps you reclaim exercise from a "should" to a "want to?"

Brianna's Background - A Way to Feel in Control

She talked about losing weight without necessarily trying to in high school due to playing 3 sports and eating differently, and then getting comments about how good she looked.

She talked about how she noticed that when she looks a certain way, she belonged, and is valued and was seen

Starting 3 sports in high school and started losing weight. She described feeling "I belong, I'm valued, and I'm seen." She stated that she is from the Cayman islands and they experienced a hurricane and experienced a lot of change, and focused on what she can control: eating, exercise, and performance in school.

She stated that she lived in the Cayman Islands and they were hit by a major hurricane which caused a lot of change and transition. She described feeling out of control at that time, and focusing on her eating, exercise, and her school performance in school.

Food as Comfort

She stated that a few years later food became something she went to for comfort. And regained all of the weight she had lost as well as a lot of shame and guilt. She noticed starting the dieting cycle for many years in attempts to fix feelings of shame.

She stated that an important shift was to re-connect with her faith and find her worth and her value in things that were not food or body related.

Finding Peace with Food and her Body

She stated that she did eventually lost weight and maintained that weight loss for 7 years prior to having her daughter recently. However, she noted that she was not trying to lose weight, but was really taking a wholistic approach to how she approaches her body and self-care, versus focusing on the number on the scale.

Anchoring in an Immovable Truth

Brianna talks about the importance of anchoring herself in an immovable truth. For Brianna, she stated that this was related to her faith and realizing that "I created by this God" and "there was no mistake in me." She describes reflecting on this fact and this truth and the fact that others in her life believe this, and questioning why she did not. And eventually moving towards believing that truth that does not change based on what you achieve or don't achieve.

We related to this the idea of unconditional self-worth.

Broadening Health Beyond Just Physical Health

She talked about how important it was for her to take a broader view of health, beyond just physical health. She talked about paying attention to personal development, career development, her spiritual growth, and reminding her of her value beyond her physical body.

Books Brianna is Reading

She is currently reading Intuitive Eating and finding it really helpful to remind her of some core concepts and refocus on connecting with her true hunger skills.

She is also reading When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies which talks about how women often displace feelings and emotions ...