In this episode, I want to dive deep into one of the most overlooked patterns that keeps us stuck in stress, cravings, and self-sabotage: the scarcity mindset.

I’ll help you understand how fear, stress, and the feeling of “not enough” shows up in every area of your life — your money, time, energy, body, health, and relationships — and why awareness is the first step toward breaking cycles of emotional eating and unwanted habits.

1. What Scarcity Really Means

Scarcity is more than money. It’s that “not enoughness” that creeps into our thoughts and decisions. I often see it in myself and my clients as:

• Not enough time, not enough money, not enough worthiness

• Doing things for everyone else but not for yourself

• The inner critic telling you you’re not thin enough, smart enough, or good enough

Scarcity is linked to being in protection mode, where your nervous system is constantly scanning for threats and lack.

2. Fear is the Root of Scarcity

I want you to know — fear isn’t bad. It’s your brain’s signal to guide you toward filling a perceived lack. But when we ignore or numb fear (with food, distraction, or avoidance), we get stuck in a loop of stress and self-sabotage.

Here’s what I notice:

• Fear, stress, worry, shame, and doubt all come from scarcity

• Emotions are here to give us messages, not punish us

• We have four primary emotions: fear, anger, sadness, and joy — everything else is a combination

3. Hormonal Consequences: Cortisol and Insulin

I want to explain why first-order thinking happens and why cravings hijack us:

• Cortisol: Released when we feel fear or stress. It drives impulsive decisions and hijacks our self-control

• Insulin: Our storage hormone. It stores energy and suppresses fat release — especially triggered by stress eating, refined carbs, and late-night snacks

Understanding how these two hormones interact with fear and scarcity helps explain why cravings, overeating, and stalled fat loss happen — even when we know better.

4. From Awareness to Action

Here’s what I want you to do:

• Notice scarcity thoughts and fear triggers

• Stop numbing or avoiding uncomfortable emotions

• See fear as your guide pointing to opportunities and choices

• Practice second-order thinking: consider the consequences before acting

Key Takeaways

• Scarcity isn’t just about money — it’s a lens through which we see the world

• Fear is not your enemy; it’s a signal to guide decisions

• Stress eating and cravings are tied to cortisol and insulin

• Awareness and emotional regulation are your first step toward freedom

Journal Prompts

1. Where do I notice scarcity thoughts in my life right now?

2. How do I typically respond to fear or stress?

3. What habits do I use to numb uncomfortable emotions?

4. How might I create a moment of second-order thinking next time I feel a craving or stress?

5. What small actions can help me shift from protection mode to safety mode today?

Closing Message from Me

Scarcity and fear are not weaknesses — they are signals. When we understand our nervous system, our hormones, and our emotional patterns, we can replace self-sabotage with conscious choices and reclaim our sense of safety, freedom, and abundance.

In today’s episode, I break down one of the most misunderstood hormones in health and weight regulation — the storage hormone — and why understanding it can completely change how you think about cravings, fat storage, emotional eating, and food freedom.

This conversation goes way beyond “what to eat.” I dive into how your mind, your nervous system, and your hormones work together to either keep you trapped in cycles of cravings… or set you free.

Why There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Diet

Here’s the truth: every single person responds to hormones differently. That means the same foods can trigger more storage in some bodies than others — and it’s never about willpower.

I explain why:

• The same food can create completely different blood sugar and insulin responses in different people.

• Comparing your eating to someone else’s will always disconnect you from your own body.

• True nourishment is personal — not prescriptive.
  This is exactly why dieting based on rules, calories, or “good vs bad” foods never leads to peace.

Meet the Storage Hormone (and Its Partner in Crime)

The storage hormone I talk about today is insulin — and its job is simple:

• When insulin is circulating, your body stores energy.
• When insulin is high, fat can’t be released.

But here’s the part most people miss: insulin doesn’t work alone. I explain how insulin teams up with cortisol, the stress hormone, and how stress-driven cravings can keep your body stuck in storage mode — even when you’re “eating healthy.”

Insulin Is Triggered by More Than Food

One of the most powerful insights I share: insulin is released not just by what you eat — but by anticipation.

That means thinking about food, restricting food, waiting for your “cheat meal,” or feeling scarcity around food… can all trigger insulin before you even take a bite.

This explains why dieting, tracking, and constantly focusing on food often make cravings worse instead of better.

Cravings, Blood Sugar & Emotional Eating

I break down the craving cycle:

1. Stress or emotion triggers cortisol

2. Cortisol drives the desire for quick sugar

3. Insulin stores that sugar

4. Blood sugar crashes

5. Cravings return

This loop keeps you eating, snacking, and thinking about food all day — not because you’re broken, but because your body is trying to survive.

Sugar Burner vs Fat Burner

• You’ll learn how to recognize if your body is stuck in “sugar-burning” mode:
• Constant snacking
• Feeling cranky when hungry
• Energy crashes
• Trouble sleeping
• Feeling disconnected from your stored energy

You cannot become a fat burner through restriction or force — only through nourishment, safety, and nervous system regulation.

The Power of Nourishment (Not Just Nutrition)

I invite you to shift your language — and your energy — around food. Instead of asking:

• “What should I eat?”
• “Is this healthy?”
• “How many calories is this?”

Ask instead: “How can I nourish myself right now?”

Nourishment includes:

• Food

• Rest

• Sleep

• Recovery

• Emotional safety

• Nervous system regulation

When nourishment leads, cravings quiet naturally.

Why Hormone Healing Starts in the Mind

Here’s the big picture: hormones respond to perception. Stress starts in the mind. Anticipation starts in the mind. Healing starts in the mind.

You can’t isolate one hormone, one behavior, or one food and expect lasting change. True food freedom comes from addressing the whole person.

Key Takeaways

• There is no universal “right” way to eat

• Insulin is influenced by stress, anticipation, and thoughts

• Cravings are biological — not moral

• Restriction fuels insulin dysregulation

• Nourishment creates safety

• Compassion creates change

Final Reflection

When you stop trying to control food…When you stop fighting your body…When you learn to nourish instead of restrict…

Weight, cravings, and food obsession lose their power — as a natural side effect.

You don’t need another diet. You need safety, understanding, and peace with food.

In this episode, Sherry talks with Amy Stein, an herbalist, energy medicine educator, trauma-informed breathwork facilitator, and motivational speaker, to explore what it really means to heal — beyond symptoms, diagnoses, and willpower.

This episode is a powerful reminder that your body is not broken — it’s communicating.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

Amy shares her personal journey of growing up immersed in Western medicine, only to find herself chronically ill in her mid-20s — mirroring the very patients she once worked with. What followed was years of unanswered questions, standardized protocols, and the painful realization that being “too sensitive” was never the problem.

Together, Sherry and Amy unpack the deeper layers of healing — trauma, safety, energy, breath, and the body’s innate intelligence.

Key Topics We Explore:

1. When the Body Speaks — and No One Listens

Amy describes what it’s like to experience invisible illness and autoimmune symptoms in a system that only validates what it can measure. This conversation will resonate deeply with anyone who has felt dismissed, unseen, or told “everything looks normal” when it clearly isn’t.

2. Trauma Isn’t Just What Happened — It’s the Body’s Response

This episode gently dismantles the idea that trauma has to be “big” to be real.

• Trauma can be grief, chronic stress, dieting, emotional suppression, or even daily traffic.

• The body doesn’t distinguish between past and present — or perceived and real threats.

What matters is how the nervous system responds.

3. Safety, the Nervous System & Why Healing Can Feel Impossible

Sherry and Amy explore why true healing can’t happen in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn — and why so many people stay stuck in survival mode for decades.

You’ll hear how:

• Restriction (including dieting) can be traumatic to the body

• Feeling unsafe in your body drives self-sabotage

• The body prioritizes survival over thriving

And why learning to feel safe again is foundational for healing, weight regulation, and emotional freedom.

4. Why Awareness Alone Isn’t Enough

Many people in therapy develop deep awareness of their triggers — yet remain stuck.

Amy explains how repeatedly retelling trauma without engaging the body can actually re-traumatize the nervous system, and why healing must include the physical and energetic body — not just the mind.

5. Breathwork: The Most Accessible Healing Tool We Have

Breathwork becomes the heart of this episode.

Amy explains why breath is so powerful:

• It directly regulates the nervous systemIt brings awareness back into the body

• It requires no equipment, no story, and no perfection
  

Unlike meditation, breathwork allows movement, sound, emotion, and release — giving the body permission to process what it’s been holding for years.

6. Energy Medicine, Ancient Wisdom & Trusting What You Can’t See

This conversation bridges ancient healing systems — herbalism, meridians, energy medicine — with modern nervous system science.

Amy shares how combining:

• Plant medicine

• Energy medicine

• Breathwork

• Trauma-informed support

created the breakthroughs that traditional medicine never could.

Powerful Takeaways

• Your body is not failing — it’s communicating

• Trauma is stored energy that needs movement, not suppression

• Healing requires safety, not force

• The body leads; the mind follows

• Simple tools can create profound shifts

• You don’t need to be “fixed” — you need to be supported

Closing Reflection

Healing isn’t about arriving at a destination — it’s about learning how to meet yourself with awareness, compassion, and trust.

As Amy reminds us:

“As long as you’re in a physical body, healing is part of the journey.”

This episode is an invitation to stop outsourcing your power — and begin listening to the wisdom that’s been within you all along.