Her Best Self: Freedom from Disordered Eating, Body Obsession & Perfectionism Podcast Por Lindsey Nichol - Certified Health Coach Eating Disorder Recovery Coach Food Freedom Coach Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy Certified arte de portada

Her Best Self: Freedom from Disordered Eating, Body Obsession & Perfectionism

Her Best Self: Freedom from Disordered Eating, Body Obsession & Perfectionism

De: Lindsey Nichol - Certified Health Coach Eating Disorder Recovery Coach Food Freedom Coach Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy Certified
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Her Best Self is THE eating disorder recovery podcast for women ready to find freedom from disordered eating, body obsession, perfectionism and food anxiety.

Hosted by Lindsey Nichol, former figure skater and perfectionist turned eating disorder recovery coach, this show gives you practical tools for healing your relationship with food and body, overcoming perfectionism, and breaking free from diet culture.

Twice per week, you'll get real talk about ED recovery, intuitive eating, body neutrality, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the faith-based journey to becoming your best self—imperfectly.

If you're struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, orthorexia, or disordered eating patterns, this podcast will help you:
- Stop obsessing over food and your body
- Break free from restriction and binge cycles
- Overcome perfectionism and people-pleasing
- Build body trust and food freedom
- Find community and support in recovery

New episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Apply to work with Lindsey 1:1 or learn more about her services and free resources at www.herbestself.co. Join The Recovery Collective ~ the recovery support group that gets the struggle and wants to see you win at recovery at www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective.
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*Tune in for all things eating disorder recovery, disordered eating, food freedom, body image, intuitive eating, ED recovery, anorexia recovery, bulimia recovery, binge eating recovery, orthorexia, body neutrality, diet culture, perfectionism, food anxiety, body obsession, food restriction.


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**DISCLAIMER** Trigger warning: The episodes on Her Best Self podcast may, at times, cover sensitive topics including but not limited to eating disorders & mental health. You are advised to refrain from listening if you are likely to be triggered or adversely impacted by any of these topics. Neither Lindsey Nichol LLC, associates nor guests, shall at any time be liable for the content covered causing offense, distress or any other reaction. The information contained comes from personal insight & education but should not be viewed as clinical support or professional diagnosis. Anything said should NOT be taken as a replacement for medical intervention & is nothing is intended to establish a therapist-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained therapist, doctor or other health professional, nor treatment. @ Copyright 2025 Lindsey Nichol LLC

Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Biografías y Memorias Ciencias Sociales Higiene y Vida Saludable Psicología Psicología y Salud Mental
Episodios
  • EP 253: Lights Off, Shirt On? Let's Talk About Sex! 5 Reasons Eating Disorders Block Intimacy + What Exactly to Do About It

    EP 253: Lights Off, Shirt On? Let's Talk About Sex! 5 Reasons Eating Disorders Block Intimacy + What Exactly to Do About It
    Nov 21 2025
    Okay girlfriend, we're going there. We're talking about the thing nobody talks about when it comes to eating disorders: sex, intimacy, and what's happening (or NOT happening) in your bedroom. If you've noticed your sex drive has disappeared, you're avoiding intimacy with your partner, you can't be present during sex because you're too busy worrying about what your body looks like, or your relationship is suffering and you don't know why - this episode is for you. Host Lindsey Nichol gets incredibly vulnerable about her own experience with blocked intimacy during her eating disorder - how she was physically shut down, emotionally unavailable, and performing instead of experiencing. She shares the research-backed reasons why eating disorders completely sabotage intimacy (spoiler: your body is literally in survival mode), and gives you practical tools to address it. This isn't just about emotional connection - we're talking about SEX. Physical intimacy. The bedroom. Your relationship with your spouse or partner. Because your eating disorder isn't just stealing your relationship with food and your body. It's stealing your relationship with your partner too. In this episode, you'll learn: The 5 reasons why intimacy gets completely blocked when you have an eating disorderWhy your libido has disappeared (hint: hormones, energy, survival mode)How body shame follows you into the bedroomWhy you can't experience pleasure when you're disconnected from your bodyHow to check your "intimacy temperature" and get honest about where you areExactly what to say to your partner about what's going onPractical steps to start reconnecting This is real talk. This is vulnerable. This is the conversation we need to have. So grab your favorite Tarjay journal and let's get into it. Content Note: This episode discusses sexual intimacy and eating disorders openly. Best listened to in a private space. In This Episode, You'll Hear: Lindsey's Vulnerable Truth What intimacy looked like when she was in the thick of her eating disorderBeing in a relationship while physically and emotionally shut downNot being present during sex - performing instead of experiencingConstantly worried about what her body looked like during intimacyAnxious thoughts: "Is my stomach flat enough? Can he feel certain parts? Should the lights be off? Should I keep my shirt on?"The realization: She wasn't experiencing intimacy, she was performing it The Research Nobody Talks About Women with eating disorders experience significantly higher rates of sexual dysfunctionLower libido, avoidance of intimacy, relationship dissatisfaction are commonWe suffer in silence, fake it, avoid it, make excusesAnd our relationships suffer while we pretend everything is fine The Question We're Answering Why is intimacy blocked when you struggle with an eating disorder? And what can you actually DO about it? The 5 Reasons Why Intimacy Gets Blocked: Reason #1: Your Body is Literally Shutting Down When you restrict food, your body goes into survival modeSex, reproduction, intimacy are NOT essential for survivalYour hormones tank: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone plummetYour libido disappears completelyYou lose your period (amenorrhea)Your energy is non-existentResearch shows women with anorexia and bulimia have significantly disrupted hormone levelsAll of these hormones impact sexual desire and functionIf you have zero sex drive, if intimacy feels like a chore, if you're exhausted - your body is saying "I don't have resources for this"Your body is trying to keep you alive, not reproduce Reason #2: You're Disconnected From Your Body When you spend every day hating, criticizing, punishing your body - you disconnectYou dissociate from physical sensationsThe problem: You can't experience pleasure in a body you're not connected toIntimacy requires being IN your body, feeling sensations, being presentBut when you're trapped in your head analyzing what you look like - you're performing, not experiencingResearch: Women with eating disorders report significantly higher body image concerns during sexual activityThis directly correlates with lower sexual satisfaction and avoidance behaviorsYou can't enjoy intimacy when you're worried about appearance the entire time Reason #3: The Shame is Paralyzing Body shame doesn't stay in the mirror - it follows you into the bedroomWhen you feel disgusting in your own skin, how are you supposed to let someone see it? Touch it?The shame is so heavy that many women avoid intimacy altogetherMaking excuses, shutting down, pulling awayBeing vulnerable and exposed when you feel shame about your body is terrifyingIntimacy requires vulnerability - shame blocks that completely Reason #4: You're Emotionally Unavailable When you're consumed by an eating disorder, there's no room for anything elseYour entire mental and emotional bandwidth is taken up by food thoughts, body checking, planning, restricting, compensatingYou don't have capacity to show up emotionally for...
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    21 m
  • EP 252.5: You Are Not Your Eating Disorder ~ Finding Your Worth & True Identity in Recovery **Must Listen Fav!**

    EP 252.5: You Are Not Your Eating Disorder ~ Finding Your Worth & True Identity in Recovery **Must Listen Fav!**
    Nov 18 2025
    Girlfriend, if you're struggling with self-worth, feeling like you'll never measure up, or can't separate yourself from your eating disorder - this episode is for you. Host Lindsey Nichol shares an incredibly vulnerable and inspiring episode about finding worth from within and discovering your true identity beyond the eating disorder. After a powerful moment during yoga listening to Lauren Daigle's "You Say," Lindsey was reminded of a truth that changed everything: You are not your eating disorder. Your true, authentic self lives underneath all of that. In this encouraging episode, Lindsey walks you through: Why eating disorders consume our identity over timeHow to separate yourself from the disorderThe trap of measuring your worth by external things (weight, appearance, achievements, others' opinions)A beautiful self-compassion exercise you can do right now when you feel unworthyHow to cultivate self-acceptance and kindness toward yourselfThe difference between your false identity (the ED) and your true identity (who you really are) This isn't just inspiration - this is an invitation to remember who you are beyond the eating disorder. To find worth from within. To practice self-compassion on the hard days. And to stop settling for a false version of yourself. If you're having a down day or need encouragement, grab your favorite Tarjay journal and let's sit together. You are worthy just because you are. In This Episode, You'll Hear: The Yoga Moment: Lauren Daigle's "You Say" How Lindsey was practicing yoga with Christian musicWhen Lauren Daigle's song "You Say" came on and brought all the feelsThe powerful lyrics about fighting voices that say "I'm not enough"How the song speaks about finding worth and identityThe theme of surrender: laying failures and victories at God's feetWhy Lindsey encourages everyone (Christian or not) to listen to this song The Worth Trap: Measuring Yourself by External Things How people struggling with eating disorders tie worth to external factorsThe trap: worth measured by weight, appearance, achievements, what others thinkWhy this gives temporary relief but not lasting joyHow it leaves you feeling you'll never measure up or be enoughThe cycle of seeking external validation that never satisfies Identity Consumed: You Are Not Your Eating Disorder The truth: Eating disorders consume our identity over timeIn order to truly heal, we must separate ourselves from the disorderYour true, authentic, best self is NOT the voice on repeat in your mindThat voice saying you're not enough, you'll never measure up, you're weak - that's the ED, not youYour real self, your warrior self, your champion self lives underneathThe false identity vs. the true identity Finding Worth From Within (And Above) Your identity must be rooted in who you are at your coreYour journey to internal worth is filtered by false identity right nowYour true, authentic identity lives underneath all of thatYou're worthy just because you ARE - you cannot earn itFor those with faith: trusting that God has you right where you areFor everyone: your worth is inherent, not earned Creating Awareness: The Identity Shift How to become aware that you are not your eating disorderObserving the difference between your thoughts and the ED's thoughtsGetting in community with people who support and build you upListening to music that reminds you of truthInvesting in yourself and seeking support (coaching, therapy, community)The importance of separating yourself from the disorder voice The Self-Compassion Research Kristin Neff: world-leading expert on self-compassionResearch on self-compassion's impact on positive mental healthWhat self-compassion means: treating yourself with love and understandingEven when life is full of pain and failure, choosing kind words over criticismChoosing to stop judging yourself and start honoring yourselfLeaning into believing there is more for you Mindful Awareness Practice Eating disorders are framed around exaggerated, negative beliefsThe ability to observe negative thoughts with clarity and opennessLearning that feelings and thoughts aren't truths - they're just feelings and thoughtsIt's okay to not feel enough in this moment - that doesn't mean you aren't enoughThis moment doesn't define your foreverThe land of "not knowing what to do next" is temporary The Self-Compassion Exercise: Hand Over Heart A guided practice you can do right now (or come back to)Think of your biggest challenge - the thing you're most terrified ofPlace your hand over your heartFeel the warmth, the touch, the beatAcknowledge: You're human. You're here. You have purpose. You're worthy just becauseLet the heaviness of the challenge be there - don't fight itBreathe in, breathe out the heavinessTalk to yourself with compassion: "This is just a season"Validate the hard: "This moment is so hard. This day is so much. I'm scared"Let the feeling sit, then breathe it out - it's temporaryOffer kindness as you would to your best friend or ...
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    19 m
  • EP 252: "I Hate My Stomach, Now What?" Real Talk + 7 Tools for Your Food Freedom Journey🩷

    EP 252: "I Hate My Stomach, Now What?" Real Talk + 7 Tools for Your Food Freedom Journey🩷
    Nov 14 2025
    "Lindsey, I hate my stomach. I can't stop thinking about it. It's ruining my day, my mood, my recovery. What do I do?" If your stomach is your biggest trigger in recovery - if you can't stop looking at it, obsessing over whether it looks bigger, spiraling every time you see your reflection - this episode is for you, girlfriend. Host Lindsey Nichol gets real about stomach hate in recovery and shares something her client needed to hear today: "I may not love my stomach every day, but if I'm being honest? I didn't love my stomach every day when I was in the trenches of my eating disorder either." So here's the question: Which hard do you want? Hard #1: Hating your stomach while you're restricting, obsessing, body checking, over-exercising, and missing your life. Hard #2: Sometimes not loving your stomach, but being FREE. Living your life. Eating with family. Being present. Having energy. Both are hard. But only one leads to freedom. In this episode, Lindsey shares her own stomach struggles - how she used to search for evidence it was "blowing up," how it would send her into spirals of restriction and over-exercise, and what she does NOW on the days when she doesn't love her stomach. Plus, she gives you 7 practical tools you can use on your hardest days. This is real talk with practical help. No toxic positivity. No "just love yourself." Just honest truth and actionable tools for when your stomach triggers you. In This Episode, You'll Hear: Lindsey's Stomach Story: The Disorder Days How she was super conscious of her stomach feeling or looking biggerSearching for evidence it was "blowing up" - every mirror, reflection, windowThe spirals: restriction, over-exercise, mood switchesFeeling out of control and reacting - being short or avoidant with loved onesHow stomach hate controlled her entire day, every day The Truth Bomb: Choose Your Hard Hard #1: Hating your stomach while trapped in the eating disorderHard #2: Sometimes not loving your stomach but being FREEThe reality: Even at her lowest weight, Lindsey STILL didn't love her stomachThe question: What other options do you have?Why you have to choose which hard you want to live with Why the Stomach Specifically? Why the stomach is such an easy target for self-criticismHow society and social media have trained us to hate our stomachsWhy the stomach becomes the "safe" target instead of dealing with real feelingsThe truth: Restriction makes stomach issues WORSE (digestion, bloating)Reality check: Stomachs are SUPPOSED to change throughout the dayAren't stomachs supposed to be FULL? That's their job What Lindsey Does NOW on Hard Days Wears baggy clothes, not restrictive clothingAvoids opportunities to stare in the mirror and body checkReminds herself of the truth: stomachs are allowed to changeThinks about her little girl self who never cared about her stomachRemembers being pregnant and LOVING watching her stomach growAccepts that not loving her stomach doesn't mean she's failed The Shift That Changed Everything The realization: She was NEVER going to like her stomach at any size or weightHer stomach wasn't the problem - it was a tool for self-sabotageUsed stomach hate when feeling out of control or "not enough"The only way through was acceptance and perspective shiftUnderstanding that stomach hate is usually about something else entirely 7 Tools for Your Hardest Days Stop the Body Checking - Walk away from mirrors, put on baggy clothesAsk the Real Question - What am I really feeling? What am I avoiding?Function Over Form - Your stomach digests food, that's its jobRemember Your Little Girl Self - You didn't care about your stomach as a kidChoose Your Hard - Trapped and hating it OR free and sometimes not loving itWear Comfortable Clothes - Stop punishing yourself with restrictive clothingTalk Back to the Voice - "My stomach is allowed to change and that's okay" Key Takeaways: ✨ You didn't love your stomach in the disorder either - so what are you really choosing? ✨ There are two hards: choose yours - trapped with stomach hate OR free with occasional stomach discomfort ✨ Your stomach is not the problem - it's a symptom, a distraction from real feelings ✨ Restriction makes stomach issues WORSE - bloating, digestion problems increase with restriction ✨ Stomachs are supposed to change - throughout the day, after meals, when sitting vs standing ✨ The stomach is an easy target - easier to hate your stomach than deal with underlying fears ✨ You'll never be satisfied at any size - if stomach hate is really about control and self-sabotage ✨ Body checking makes it worse - the more you look, the more you spiral ✨ Function over form - your stomach's job is to digest food, not be flat 24/7 ✨ Little girl you didn't care - the goal isn't loving your stomach, it's living without it controlling you ✨ You don't have to love it to live - freedom doesn't require stomach love, just stomach acceptance Powerful Quotes from This Episode: "I may not love my ...
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    17 m
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