Message In The Middle

Body Image, Self-Trust, and Food Freedom: What Midlife Can Teach Us

Marianne DeMello-Smith Season 1 Episode 177

If you’ve spent years counting calories, restricting foods, or shaming yourself for not having the “perfect” body, you’re not alone. For so many women, especially in midlife, the relationship with food and body image can feel like an exhausting tug-of-war. But what if the way out isn’t about more willpower or stricter rules? What if it’s about relearning how to trust yourself?

In this episode of Message in the Middle, I sit down with Joanne Edinberg, Certified Eating Psychology Coach and founder of Body Wisdom Nutrition. Joanne helps women transform their relationship with food and body, moving from stress, guilt, and shame to curiosity, compassion, and joy. With a background in psychology, social work, yoga, and trauma-informed coaching, Joanne offers a refreshing, deeply compassionate perspective: our struggles with food and body image aren’t problems to fix, they’re powerful teachers.

We talk about:

  • How to rebuild trust in your body, even if you’ve felt disconnected for years
  • Why midlife can be the best time to find food freedom
  • Small, doable shifts to move from body shame to body confidence
  • How curiosity can become your most powerful healing tool
  • Rethinking what “health” really means, on your own terms

Whether you’re navigating emotional eating, midlife weight changes, or years of body dissatisfaction, this conversation will help you take the first steps toward peace with food and yourself.

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