In this episode of Selves Unedited, Danielle Colborn and Dr. Maria-Christina Stewart continue their “spring cleaning the mind” series by exploring a form of mental clutter many people quietly carry: persistent thoughts about food, body weight, and shape.

These thoughts can feel overwhelming, convincing, and constant—but what if the goal isn’t to eliminate them, but to change your relationship with them?

Danielle and Maria zoom out to examine how our environments, habits, and internal patterns shape the mental noise we experience. They share practical, compassionate tools to help you step back from unhelpful thoughts, create more mental space, and reconnect with what truly matters.

1. Why you can’t control your thoughts—but you can influence your environment
2. How daily behaviors (like social media use or tracking habits) reinforce mental clutter
3. The hidden impact of avoidance and how it strengthens fear-based thinking
4. Common cognitive distortions (all-or-nothing thinking, mind reading, catastrophizing)
5. Why “fixing” thoughts isn’t always the most effective strategy

1. Set Yourself Up for Success:
2. Take an honest look at your environment—what you consume, who you’re around, and what messages you’re reinforcing daily.
3. Notice Patterns, Not Just Thoughts:
4. Identify recurring thinking styles like extremes or assumptions about others.
5. Externalize the Inner Critic:
6. Give your thoughts a name (e.g., “anxiety mind,” “perfectionist voice”) to create distance and perspective.
7. Practice Detachment Over Debate:
8. Instead of arguing with thoughts, allow them to exist while continuing to live your life.
9. Use Humor as a Tool:
10. Turning harsh thoughts into something playful (like a cartoon voice) can reduce their intensity.
11. Write It Out:
12. Journaling can help you see thoughts more clearly and even “dialogue” with them from a grounded, wise perspective.

1. Mental clutter often reflects what we repeatedly expose ourselves to and practice.
2. You don’t need to eliminate difficult thoughts to feel better.
3. Creating even a little distance from your thoughts can be powerful.
4. Real change happens through both external shifts and internal awareness.
5. With consistent practice, your relationship to your thoughts can change over time.

This podcast is not a substitute for therapy. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a qualified mental health professional.

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In this short episode of Selves Unedited, Dr. Maria-Christina Stewart and Dr. Danielle Colborn continue the March theme of Spring Cleaning the Mind by exploring a gentle approach to change with small experiments.

When we try to grow or shift long-standing habits, it’s common for uncomfortable thoughts and emotions to arise. That discomfort can make change feel overwhelming or even impossible. Instead of treating growth like a test we have to pass, Drs. Stewart and Colborn suggest approaching it with curiosity—taking small, manageable steps and observing what we learn along the way.

Together, they discuss how breaking change into small behavioral experiments can help us move forward.

1. How big changes can feel overwhelming—and why small steps help
2. Using experiments when approaching growth
3. How anticipatory anxiety can make situations feel scarier than they actually are
4. Examples of behavioral experiments related to clothing, body image, and self-comfort
5. Why holding onto “goal clothes” can keep us stuck in painful thinking patterns
6. How small actions can help shift both behavior and mindset

What is one small experiment you could try this week that aligns with what truly matters to you? Try breaking it down into three manageable steps to help you get started.

If this episode resonated with you, please consider subscribing, leaving a rating or review, or sharing the episode with someone who might benefit. Your support helps more people find these conversations.

This podcast is intended for educational purposes only and is not therapy or a substitute for professional care. If you or someone you know is struggling, we encourage seeking support from a qualified mental health professional.

As part of the Spring Cleaning the Mind theme, Dr. Danielle Colborn and Dr. Maria-Christina Stewart explore a common experience that arises when we try to make meaningful changes: fear. Even when we move toward something positive, fear and self-doubt can appear.

The hosts share their own experience of questioning whether their previous episode was “good enough,” highlighting how easily our minds can create negative narratives that aren’t grounded in reality.

1. Fear often appears at the edge of growth. It doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path.
2. Don’t automatically believe your thoughts. Thoughts are mental events, not necessarily facts.
3. Pause and gather data. Check whether your fears are actually supported by reality.
4. Avoid avoidance. Facing fears in small steps helps reduce them over time.
5. Don’t let perfectionism stop progress. Focus on “good enough” rather than perfect.

Instead of asking, “How do I get rid of this fear?” try asking:

“How can I move forward wisely, even while fear is here?”

March feels like a beginning.

In this season opener of Selves Unedited, Dr. Maria-Christina Stewart and Dr. Danielle Colborn explore what it means to grow intentionally — not by fixing ourselves, but by making room for what is important and meaningful to us.

We talk about:

1. Why growth isn’t a one-time decision but a return
2. How fear quietly shrinks our lives
3. The cognitive and emotional space taken up by body image, comparison, and self-criticism
4. The illusion that control will make us happy
5. Why meaningful living often requires tolerating discomfort

Instead of asking, “How do I fix myself?”

We’re asking, “What do I want to make room for?”

This episode invites you to consider what’s currently taking up too much space in your mind — and what might become possible if it softened.

In This Episode, We Explore:

1. 🌿 Growth as an intentional, ongoing process
2. 🌿 How perfectionism and comparison crowd out joy
3. 🌿 The protective function of food and body preoccupation
4. 🌿 Fear as both protector and life-shrinker
5. 🌿 The difference between control and care
6. 🌿 Healing as expansion rather than achievement

Reflection Questions

As you move through this season, consider:

1. What is taking up too much space in my mind right now?
2. What feels like it’s shrinking my life?
3. If that softened, what would I have more energy for?
4. What do I want to grow more of this spring?

A Note From Us

A challenging relationship with food, your body, or yourself overall doesn’t just affect how you look and feel. It shapes how you move through the world. It consumes attention. It narrows your focus.

Healing isn’t about achieving the perfect mindset.

It’s about expansion.

More presence.

More energy.

More choice.

We invite you to tune-in and join this journey of growth with us.

Disclaimer

Please remember: this podcast is not therapy or a substitute for therapy. If you or someone you care about is struggling, we encourage you to seek support from a qualified professional.

Connect With Us on LinkedIn:

Dr. Danielle Colborn

DrMariaChristina

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In this follow-up episode of Selves Unedited, Dr. Maria-Christina Stewart and Dr. Danielle Colborn return to the topic of authenticity—this time focusing on practical ways to navigate the space between external pressure and internal truth.

They explore the subtle (and not-so-subtle) forces that shape our image decisions—everything from fashion trends and social comparison to fears about how we’re perceived. Whether you're a teenager figuring out your style or an adult navigating aging, image, or identity, this conversation offers tools to help you pause, reflect, and reconnect with what you actually want.

What You'll Learn:

🔹 How to tell if a decision is driven by fear or grounded in self-confidence

🔹 The role of language—“I have to” vs. “I want to”—in revealing our motivation

🔹 How social and cultural messages influence our sense of authenticity

🔹 Why image decisions can feel high-stakes

🔹 What true authenticity feels like—and how to move toward it

Notable Insights:

💬 If you notice that it’s fear-based, it might be a clue that it’s not aligned with authenticity.

💬 We’re all influenced—no one is completely untouched. The goal isn’t to escape influence, but to recognize it.

💬 Grace matters. For ourselves, our kids, our families—we’re all doing our best to figure this out.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who might benefit!

In this introspective episode of Selves Unedited, clinical psychologists Dr. Danielle Colborn and Dr. Maria-Christina Stewart embark on a profound exploration of personal authenticity and image. Drawing from their extensive experience in eating disorder therapy, the hosts challenge listeners to examine the deeper motivations behind their image-related decisions. They ask critical questions: When do personal choices become a form of self-erasure? How can we truly understand the "why" behind our desire to change?Perfect for anyone seeking deeper self-understanding, this episode offers compassionate, evidence-based insights into the intricate relationship between self-image and personal authenticity.

Key Discussion Highlights:

• The psychological landscape of body and image choices

• Unpacking the complex motivations behind self-enhancement

• Distinguishing between genuine self-expression and external pressures

• The delicate balance of self-acceptance and personal transformation

Summary:

What does self-love really mean? In this episode of Selves Unedited, Dr. Maria-Christina Stewart and Dr. Danielle Colborn explore the deep and often misunderstood concept of self-love—beyond affirmations, self-care routines, and the pressure to always feel good about yourself. They discuss how self-love is rooted in self-acceptance, grace, and authenticity, and why it’s a lifelong process, not a destination.

If you’ve ever felt like you need to "fix" yourself to be worthy of love, or if you've struggled with self-criticism and perfectionism, this conversation is for you.

Notable Moments from the Episode:

💡 “Self-love isn’t about reaching a perfect state—it’s about embracing yourself as you are.”

💡 “We would never tell a friend, ‘I’ll love you more if you change.’ Why do we do that to ourselves?”

💡 “Rest isn’t something you earn after being productive. It’s something you deserve because you’re human.”

Key Topics Covered:

✅ The difference between self-love and self-care – and why both matter

✅ Why self-love isn’t about feeling great all the time – but about self-acceptance

✅ The myth that "you must love yourself before others can love you"

✅ How societal pressures & perfectionism get in the way of self-love

✅ The role of authenticity and setting boundaries in loving yourself

✅ Self-love in relationships: treating ourselves with the same kindness we show others

✅ The connection between self-love, rest, and emotional well-being

Resources & Links:

📖 Resources by Dr. Kristin Neff on self-compassion

🎧 Previous episode on self-care: What Does Taking Care of Yourself in 2025 Really Mean?

Connect with Us:

🔗 Follow us or suggest a topic:

LinkedIn: Dr. Maria-Christina Stewart & Dr. Danielle Colborn

Substack: Dr. Maria-Christina

⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review—it helps others find the podcast!

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Dr. Danielle Colborn and Maria-Christina Stewart dive into what self-care truly looks like in 2025. With the rise of wellness trends, hustle culture, and digital overwhelm, taking care of yourself has never been more important—or more complicated. They explore the myths around self-care, the pressures of modern life, and the real strategies that actually make a difference in physical and mental well-being.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why the traditional definition of self-care needs to evolve
• How societal pressures make it harder to prioritize well-being
• The fine line between self-improvement and self-criticism
• The role of technology in both helping and harming mental health
• Why self-care isn’t about perfection but about sustainability
• Practical ways to care for yourself in 2025 without guilt

Chapters:

00:00 Redefining Self-Care in 2025

02:53 The Importance of Mindfulness and Meaning

05:18 Navigating Discomfort in Self-Care

08:16 Setting Boundaries for Wellbeing

10:47 Finding Balance and Moderation

13:27 Realistic Goal Setting for Self-Care

16:19 Holistic Approaches to Physical Health

23:30 Redefining Exercise and Self-Care

25:49 The Dangers of Goal-Oriented Fitness

29:41 Embracing Imperfection in Life

35:08 Authenticity vs. Perfectionism

39:17 Parenting and Self-Care in Challenging Times