Food, Body and Beyond

This week, in another real-life, unscripted nutrition counselling session, I speak with a woman who is struggling to integrate a regular and consistent exercise routine into her life. Exercise for her has always been associated with diet plans and losing weight, or has been used as a stick to beat herself with after she ‘fell off the wagon’. She has a desire to change that but is fearful that she’ll fall into old habits and is unsure how to go about this change. Fancy some free nutrition counselling? If you're struggling with something you'd like to get my support with, put yourself forward for a future 'In Session' episode by emailing me on nutritionwithniamh@gmail.com How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

Food and body image issues affect men too, but the male perspective often isn't heard. Today's guest, James O'Hagan, a queer activist, Champions Manager for LGBT Ireland, and radio host at Dublin City FM, tells us his body story. We speak about: How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

Bariatric surgery, the surgical intervention for weight loss, can feel like a necessary, last-ditch attempt for many people. But what are the implications? In today’s episode, fellow nutrition professional Aoife McMahon and I discuss this and more. We speak about: The different types of bariatric surgery How bariatric surgery may affect one's relationship with food Going abroad for bariatric surgery and the concerns surrounding this The benefits of specialist, weight-inclusive nutrition and/or psychological support if considering bariatric surgery The interconnectedness between trauma and the desire for weight loss The potential risks associated with bariatric surgery How bariatric surgery may complicate an already disordered relationship with food The dietary changes that are required pre and post-surgery Aoife, AKA thatirishdietitian, is a specialist in the weight-inclusive field, with a unique background as an ex-weight loss dietitian. Aoife aims to help you move beyond a world of scales and food obsession, embrace life with confidence, and be at peace with your body. Aoife currently offers one-to-one counselling, blending nutritional expertise and therapeutically informed approaches to help you achieve your most radical food & body freedom dreams. Disclaimer: Please note that the content of today's discussion is for general information purposes only and does not constitute individual medical or dietetic advice. P.S. This episode is not a place where Aoife or I will be shaming anyone who is considering bariatric surgery or has undergone it in the past. Education and informed consent are very important when making a decision about your health. This episode aims to support you in that so that you can do what's best for you. How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

This week, in another real-life, unscripted nutrition counselling session, I speak with a woman who feels stuck in a cycle of self-deprecating, conflicting thoughts about food and her body. Her partner has recently lost a lot of weight and this has triggered some doubts about herself and her own body. As our session evolved, we discovered the emotional needs that food is fulfilling and how she might go about lessening her dependency on food by attuning to her inner expert. Book into the Setting Sustainable Wellness Goals Workshop here How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

When the New Year hits, it comes with a lot of diet culture BS. This can be incredibly difficult for those who struggle with food, weight or body image. In this episode, I share five New Year reminders that I know so many of you will need to hear. Book into the Setting Sustainable Wellness Goals Workshop here How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

The Christmas period can be challenging for those who struggle with food or body image. In this episode, I share five tips to keep in mind that will help you navigate the festive season. Thank you so much for listening to the Food, Body and Beyond podcast this year! See you in 2024, Niamh x Want to join my 'Yin-To the New Year' yin yoga and journalling workshop at the end of the month? Learn more here. How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

Today I speak with a woman who feels like her eating is chaotic and out of control. She has struggled with anorexia in the past and is now struggling with binge eating. Her attempts to get a handle on her issues with food have led her down many different paths, but she feels lost as to what her next step should be. This episode demonstrates that struggles with food may be about much more than the food itself. These new ‘In Session’ podcast episodes feature people who need support with their relationship with food, body image, or nutrition. Think of it like listening in on a real-life, once-off, nutrition counselling session. They feature real-life people with real-life problems and real-life questions. How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

Weight loss injections. They’re everywhere. But are they the answer? In today’s episode, fellow nutrition professional Aoife McMahon and I discuss this and more. We speak about: Why Aoife moved from a weight-centric to a weight-inclusive approach What weight loss injections are Whether or not this medication results in long-term weight loss The potential risks and side effects of weight-loss injections The potential impact on one’s relationship with food Whether or not they improve health outcomes Some critiques and thoughts around what needs to change when it comes to weight ‘issues’ This episode is not a place where Aoife or I will be shaming anyone who is considering weight-loss injections, has taken them in the past or is currently taking them. Education and informed consent are very important when making a decision about your health. This episode aims to support you in that so that you can do what's best for you. Aoife, AKA thatirishdietitian, is a specialist in the weight-inclusive field, with a unique background as an ex-weight loss dietitian. Aoife aims to help you move beyond a world of scales and food obsession, embrace life with confidence, and be at peace with your body. Aoife currently offers one-to-one counselling, blending nutritional expertise and therapeutically informed approaches to help you achieve your most radical food & body freedom dreams. Disclaimer: Please note that the content of today's discussion is for general information purposes only and does not constitute individual medical or dietetic advice. How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

My guest on the show today is one of my long-term clients, Amy, who shares her story with us of coming from a place of feeling stressed and obsessed with food and her body, to now feeling completely free and at peace around food. Her personal journey has had such a huge impact on her life, not only on her relationship with food and her body but also on her relationship with alcohol. As she began to rebuild her relationship with food, she started to question the impact that alcohol had on her life and discovered that she wasn’t willing to pay the costs anymore. Her sober curiosity has led her to try and help others who also feel the same, by setting up Nolo, Ireland’s newest non-alcoholic bottle boutique. Nolo delivers an impressive collection of delicious no/low alcohol drinks. You can find out more here. We speak about: What her relationship with food was like prior to embarking on an intuitive eating journey What motivated her to ditch dieting and embrace intuitive eating The breakthroughs she experienced along the way and how she rebuilt her self-trust How her goals shifted over time and how she dealt with the slow pace of healing What helped her overcome her fear of weight gain What her life looks like now Why she decided to reduce alcohol in her life and how this change has affected her life How this led to setting up her own business How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

These new ‘In Session’ podcast episodes feature real-life people who need support with their relationship with food, body image, or nutrition. Think of it like listening in on a real-life, once-off nutrition counselling session. In this very first In Session episode, I speak with Grace Alice O'Se, a sex and intimacy specialist, who is struggling with choosing nutritious foods, while trying to avoid slipping back into unhealthy old habits where she classified food as good or bad. She has worked on her relationship with food and her body image over the past few years and feels like she is in a much better place than she has been with this in the past, but feels stuck as to how she can move forward with improving her health and nutrition. Do you feel the same as Grace and are unsure whether or not you are ready to embrace gentle nutrition? Take the 2-minute quiz here to find out. P.S. Grace has given permission for her identity to be shared. How I can support you: Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Take the 2-min quiz here. Did you know I have a book, that teaches you how to ditch diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food? Find out more about my book here Interested in working with me? Find out more about working with me here

My guest for this final episode of season four is Georgie Crawford, who I met a few years ago when she asked me to be one of the guest expert contributors to her first online wellness course. Georgie is a qualified health coach, and the founder of one of Ireland’s leading health and wellness brands, The Good Glow. Her award-winning podcast productions, The Good Glow and Soul Sisters are aimed at helping people to discover new and innovative ways to take care of themselves and have been downloaded over 9 million times. She recently published her first book, Glow: Five Steps to Create the Life You Dream About. In this very relaxed chat (that absolutely flew by for both of us), we speak about: How health is so individual and one size does not fit all What it was like for Georgie to write her first book How a rock bottom can illuminate whether or not you’re happy with the life you’re living The idea that it’s never too late to begin again and the impact of keeping yourself small The power that comes from connecting to your inner voice and asking yourself the big questions Connecting with what’s really important to you How to find your way when you feel lost in life The shame that Georgie felt around her cancer diagnosis The scaremongering around food in the media and how this can contribute to food shame and self-blame How long-term vitality starts with self-love and a connection to what you need today Casting a vote for yourself every day and how to do this Georgies advice on how to start living the life you dream about Have you got a copy of my new book yet? Order No Apologies here Book a free discovery call to have a chat about working with me one to one. Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Complete my free 2-minute quiz to figure it out. Take the quiz

Louise McSharry is a podcaster, broadcaster and writer. She is the host of the incredibly popular Catch Up With Louise McSharry podcast and the author of Fat Chance: My Life in Ups, Downs and Crisp Sandwiches. Louise has been an outspoken advocate for the body liberation movement for several years and is an inspiration to so many of us. When Louise speaks about this topic, she speaks about it through the lens of personal experience and her words have often brought me to tears. This interview is no different and is nothing short of inspiring. We speak about: Why Louise began to speak about food and body image publicly Her personal journey with food and body image The addictive high that came from losing weight The oppressive nature of diet culture The multi-faceted nature of what we need to do to free all bodies from body-based oppression The issue with the implicit messages of 'thinness at any cost' The importance of calling out and questioning diet culture and our societal biases Positive body image and how to approach it How Louise began to rebuild her relationship with food and her body How to start changing your mindset and perspective Counteracting negative messages and setting boundaries What dieting and body-based oppression takes from our lives Louises advice for how to start living your best life today Have you got a copy of my new book yet? Order No Apologies here Book a free discovery call to have a chat about working with me one to one. Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Complete my free 2-minute quiz to figure it out. Take the quiz

Dr. Anita Johnston, Ph.D., CEDS is a clinical psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor, working in the field of women’s issues and eating disorders for over 35 years. She is the author of the best-selling book, Eating in the Light of the Moon and co-creator of The Light of the Moon Cafe. In keeping with the theme of this season, we speak at length about the power that comes from connecting with your authentic self. This episode is a must-listen and one that I was absolutely captivated by. I left it feeling so empowered and inspired, which I hope you will too after listening. We speak about: How Anita got into this line of work What lies beneath disordered eating The role that feminine energy plays in a healthy relationship with food How food can distract us from the true issues at play The role of authenticity in healing disordered eating The difference between belonging and fitting in How to begin reconnecting with your authentic self The power of metaphor and storytelling in recovery from disordered eating The connection between interoception and authenticity The difference between physical and emotional hunger How you can use food to identify unmet emotional needs How to nurture your imagination as your superpower Using your dreams and intuition to support recovery The power that comes from connecting with your authentic self Download Anita's free guide here Have you got a copy of my new book yet? Order No Apologies here Would you like to be the first to know about the No Apologies Workshop Series when they go live? Join the waitlist here Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Complete my free 2-minute quiz to figure it out. Take the quiz

Clare McKenna is a radio presenter, event host, speaker and health coach. She currently presents Alive and Kicking, a Newstalk health and wellness show and has worked across national TV and radio for many years. She is an incredible interviewer with a passion for delivering wellness messages to the public without a side of diet culture, which is why I am thrilled to have her on the podcast today. We speak about: Clare’s personal journey of moving away from dieting and restriction towards a more compassionate way of looking after her health The impact of diet culture and restriction on her wellbeing How she let go of the desire to look a certain way The joy that was removed from her life when she focused on her external appearance How women bond over dieting, weight and external appearance and what we can do instead How to back yourself and develop self-trust to reach your goals The importance of putting yourself first and prioritizing the less sexy side of self-care What living unapologetically means to Clare How comparing ourselves to others takes away from our own happiness The impact of social media on body image Her advice for living more authentically and unapologetically Find Clare online here Have you got a copy of my new book yet? Order No Apologies here Would you like to be the first to know about the No Apologies Workshop Series when they go live? Join the waitlist here Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Complete my free 2-minute quiz to figure it out. Take the quiz

Welcome to the Living Unapologetically interview series, where I speak openly and candidly with people I connect with about their personal experiences of living their most authentic and unapologetic life. Diet culture robs us of living our lives unapologetically by teaching us that we need to look a certain way to be worthy and valuable. The more we conform, the more worthy we perceive ourselves to be. But the attempt to physically shrink or shapeshift ourselves can cause us to shrink as a whole. This series will invite you to consider the possibility of showing up as your authentic self, no matter your size, shape or external appearance, with no apologies. My first guest in the series is one of my best friends, Laura B. This is an open and candid chat between friends about what it takes and how it feels to live unapologetically. If you want to feel inspired while listening to a relaxed chat, this is for you! We speak about: What inspired Laura to set up her women’s circle What happens in a circle and the power that can come from a gathering of women What held her back from showing up unapologetically How accepting every version of herself has helped her to show up as her authentic self What she had to shed to become her unapologetic self How she found out what was lacking in her life Getting past being afraid of what people will think Getting comfortable with discomfort Where she first learnt the faulty belief that there are good and bad bodies How she acted apologetically in the past and what she would do differently knowing what she knows now Find Laura and details of her womens circle here Order No Apologies here

Has how you feel about your body ever held you back from doing things you really want to do? How we see ourselves and our bodies can influence our day-to-day thoughts and behaviour and have a significant impact on the way we relate to ourselves and others. In other words, it can have an impact on whether or not we feel safe enough to show up in our lives authentically and unapologetically. This second half of the book launch season will invite you to consider the possibility of showing up as your authentic self, no matter your size, shape or external appearance, with no apologies. In this week's episode, I share five ways that you can begin showing up authentically and unapologetically in your life today. Have you read No Apologies yet? Order the book here Would you like to be the first to know about the No Apologies Workshop Series when they go live? Join the waitlist here Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Complete my free 2-minute quiz to figure it out. Take the quiz

BOOK EXTRACT Let's delve deeper into the final section of No Apologies! This episode walks you through the third and final part of the book, 'Re-establish', which is the third phase of my signature 'Rebuild' system that will help you to learn how to have a healthier relationship with food and body image. I give you five actionable take-home steps you can implement today to begin reestablishing health-promoting behaviours. These are each taken from one of the five chapters that make up this third and final part of the book. Order the book here Are you reading No Apologies at the moment or would you like to? Do you struggle to sometimes finish books, even the ones you’d like to? Would you like some accountability and to read it alongside a community? I have just the thing for you. May is book club month for No Apologies! This book club has a twist though - it’s with the author: ME! Get all the deets and sign up for free here. Would you like to be the first to know about the No Apologies Workshop Series when they go live? Join the waitlist here Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Complete my free 2-minute quiz to figure it out. Take the quiz

BOOK EXTRACT Let's delve deeper into my debut book, No Apologies! This episode walks you through the second part of the book, 'Remove', which is the second phase of my signature 'Rebuild' system that will help you to learn how to have a healthier relationship with food and body image. I give you five actionable take-home steps you can implement today to begin reconnecting with your body. These are each taken from one of the five chapters that make up this second part of the book. Order the book here Are you reading No Apologies at the moment or would you like to? Do you struggle to sometimes finish books, even the ones you’d like to? Would you like some accountability and to read it alongside a community? I have just the thing for you. May is book club month for No Apologies! This book club has a twist though - it’s with the author: ME! Get all the deets and sign up for free here. Would you like to be the first to know about the No Apologies Workshop Series when they go live? Join the waitlist here Want to know if you have a healthy relationship with food? Complete my free 2-minute quiz to figure it out. Take the quiz

BOOK EXTRACT Let's delve deeper into my debut book, No Apologies! This episode walks you through the first part of the book, 'Remove', which is the first phase of my signature 'Rebuild' system that will help you to learn how to have a healthier relationship with food and body image. I give you four actionable take-home steps you can implement today to begin ditching diet culture. These are each taken from one of the four chapters that make up this first part of the book. Are you reading No Apologies at the moment or would you like to? Do you struggle to sometimes finish books, even the ones you’d like to? Would you like some accountability and to read it alongside a community? I have just the thing for you. May is book club month for No Apologies! This book club has a twist though - it’s with the author: ME! Get all the deets and sign up for free here. Would you like to be the first to know about the No Apologies Workshop Series when they go live? Join the waitlist here

Today, April 27th, 2023, is the day my debut book No Apologies hits the shelves! I've culminated my years of study and experience into this book, which will teach you how to have a healthier relationship with food, movement and body image. In this episode, I share with you: No Apologies Sales in the first week of publication make a massive difference to the success of a book, meaning that it will have more of a chance to make it into the hands of people who truly need it. Purchasing in the first week is the best way to support me and this podcast AND learn about a tried and tested system to rebuild your relationship with food for less than 20quid. You will also be helping spread the word that it IS possible to opt out of toxic diet culture and live a healthy, happy and fulfilling life. Thank you for your support always. Niamh x Order your copy here or support your local bookstore