The Self Led Woman Podcast: emotional eating and nervous system healing for self-leadership
The Self-Led Woman is a podcast about emotional eating, the experiences that shape our relationship with food, and the path back to self-leadership.These conversations explore emotional eating beneath behaviour, through trauma, the nervous system, nourishment, and lived experience, with deep respect for the intelligence of the body and what it learned to do to keep you going.This is a space for understanding, relief, and reconnecting with your inner world.Hosted by Megan Darnell, Internal Family Systems therapy practitioner and psychedelic-assisted therapy facilitator.
The Self Led Woman Podcast: emotional eating and nervous system healing for self-leadership
Episode 9: Dr Anthea Todd: What's My Body Telling Me?
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What if your body was never the problem. but the wisdom you’ve been missing?
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Anthea Todd, chiropractor, women’s health educator, and author of the bestselling book What’s My Body Telling Me? for a powerful conversation about symptoms, safety, and the intelligence of the body.
Anthea shares why she believes symptoms are not something to fight or fix, but meaningful signals from a body that’s trying to protect you. We explore how the body communicates through weight, digestion, skin, hormones, energy, and eating patterns and why so many women feel stuck trying to “do all the right things” while their body resists.
This conversation gently unravels the idea that emotional eating, weight gain, or chronic symptoms are failures of willpower. Instead, we look at how the nervous system adapts to stress, unmet needs, boundary violations, and disconnection and how true healing begins when we slow down enough to listen.
Inside this episode we explore:
• Why symptoms are often solutions, not problems
• How the body protects itself through eating patterns, tension, and weight
• The difference between acting from the mind versus listening from the body
• Why safety, autonomy, and connection matter more than control
• How to rebuild trust with your body after years of fixing, fighting, or ignoring it
This is a grounded, compassionate conversation for anyone who’s tired of battling their body and ready to come back into relationship with it.
You can find Dr Anthea Todd on instagram @dr.antheatodd
or check out her website https://www.femalefundamentals.com.au/
We discuss processing emotion somatically in a safe way, and you can check out my youtube clip for some guidance on this How to Feel Your Feelings (through an IFS + Somatic Lens)
The Self Led Woman podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, medical advice, or professional healthcare.
If this episode brings up anything difficult for you, please consider reaching out to a trained healthcare professional, therapist, or support service.
In Australia you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Butterfly Foundation National Helpline on 1800 33 4673, which provides support for people experiencing eating disorders and body image concerns.
Come find me on Instagram → @megandarnelltherapy
Breaking the Emotional Eating Cycle is coming. If you're ready to understand what's actually driving the cycle — not the food, the parts underneath it, join the waitlist to be the first to know when doors open and receive founding member pricing. → [Join the waitlist here]