Teen Body Image Crisis: Silent Battles Unseen

I’m 16, standing in my aunt’s kitchen on Thanksgiving, trying to convince myself that a marshmallow is a threat. Everyone else is laughing in the dining room, and I’m over here negotiating with a casserole like it controls my entire future. That’s when it hit me: this isn’t discipline anymore. This is fear dressed up as focus.

This episode follows Devin, a 16-year-old wrestler whose “discipline” slowly turns into an unhealthy obsession with food, weight, and performance. What begins as a simple request to cut six pounds becomes a months-long battle with body image, self-worth, and the pressure to succeed at all costs.

Through Thanksgiving moments, late-night spiral thinking, and one terrifyingly honest conversation with his coach, Devin learns that winning isn’t worth it if it costs your relationship with yourself. We explore identity, diet culture, high-school athletics, and the mental skills that help teens rebuild a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.

By the end, listeners walk away with compassion, clarity, and the reminder that your body is supposed to be your teammate—not your opponent.