Her Best Self | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast, Disordered Eating, Anorexia, Bulimia, Orthorexia, Body Image, Food Freedom, Calorie Counting, Obsessive Exercise, Food Restriction cover art

Her Best Self | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast, Disordered Eating, Anorexia, Bulimia, Orthorexia, Body Image, Food Freedom, Calorie Counting, Obsessive Exercise, Food Restriction

Her Best Self | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast, Disordered Eating, Anorexia, Bulimia, Orthorexia, Body Image, Food Freedom, Calorie Counting, Obsessive Exercise, Food Restriction

By: Lindsey Nichol - Certified Health Coach Eating Disorder Recovery Coach Food Freedom Coach Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy Certified
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 Transform Your Relationship with Food and Your Body - Find Freedom from Eating Disorders Welcome to the Her Best Self podcast, where women discover lasting freedom from disordered eating, food obsession, and body shame. Hosted by Lindsey Nichol, eating disorder recovery coach and former anorexia survivor, this show provides hope, practical tools, and expert guidance for women ready to break free from the nightmare of disordered eating and reclaim their lives. Lindsey combines her personal recovery journey with professional coaching expertise to deliver actionable strategies for eating disorder recovery, intuitive eating, body image healing, and food freedom. Each episode addresses the real challenges women face when healing their relationship with food - from weight gain fears and exercise addiction to perfectionism and decision-making paralysis. This show is perfect for you if you: Struggle with chronic dieting, restriction or excessive exercise Are exhausted from food rules and calorie counting obsession Battle negative body image and weight preoccupation Feel controlled by exercise compulsion or movement anxiety Are high-achievers dealing with perfectionism in recovery Want to stop the start-stop recovery cycle and commit fully to healing Are ready to go ”all in” on recovery but need guidance and support Desire food freedom and body peace without endless therapy or diet programs Episode Topics Include: Eating disorder recovery strategies and mindset shifts Breaking food rules and challenging fear foods safely Body image healing and weight restoration support Exercise addiction recovery and joyful movement Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and control in recovery Decision-making, commitment, and overcoming recovery resistance Meal planning, intuitive eating, and mechanical eating guidance Family relationships, social eating, and recovery in real life Lindsey doesn’t just share recovery theory - she provides the raw truth about what recovery actually looks like, the uncomfortable parts no one talks about, and the specific tools that create lasting change. Her approach combines evidence-based recovery principles with spiritual foundation and practical implementation for busy women. Whether you’re just beginning to consider recovery, are in the early stages of healing, or are working to maintain long-term food freedom, this podcast meets you where you are with compassion, expertise, and actionable guidance. New episodes air twice per week (Tuesday’s and Friday’s) featuring solo deep-dives, client success stories, expert interviews, and listener Q&A sessions. Join thousands of women who are choosing recovery, embracing their worth beyond their weight, and discovering that food freedom is not only possible - it’s their birthright. Ready to take the next step? Visit www.herbestself.co for a coaching application, free resources, and community support. Your best self is waiting. Your freedom starts now. _____________________________________________________________________ **DISCLAIMER** Trigger warning: The episodes on Her Best Self podcast may, at times, cover sensitive topics including but not limited to eating disorders & mental health. You are advised to refrain from listening if you are likely to be triggered or adversely impacted by any of these topics. Neither Lindsey Nichol LLC, associates nor guests, shall at any time be liable for the content covered causing offense, distress or any other reaction. The information contained comes from personal insight & education but should not be viewed as clinical support or professional diagnosis. Anything said should NOT be taken as a replacement for medical intervention & is nothing is intended to establish a therapist-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained therapist, doctor or other health professional, nor treatment. @ Copyright 2025 Lindsey Nichol LLCCopyright 2025 All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • EP 247: "Will I Always Feel This Way?" Understanding Hard Times in ED Recovery + 3 Outcomes That Determine Your Freedom

    EP 247: "Will I Always Feel This Way?" Understanding Hard Times in ED Recovery + 3 Outcomes That Determine Your Freedom
    Oct 17 2025
    If you're in the thick of eating disorder recovery right now and wondering if it's ever going to get easier, this episode is for you. Maybe you had a rough week with food. Maybe you're exhausted from fighting the same battles in your head every single day. Maybe you're wondering if recovery is even worth it because right now it just feels so incredibly hard. In this episode, Lindsey gets real about hard times in recovery and shares a truth that will change how you see your struggle: there are only three possible outcomes when you're going through something hard, and what you choose determines everything about your recovery and your future. This isn't a "just think positive" pep talk. This is truth-telling, no-nonsense guidance about why hard times don't last forever—but only if you refuse to stay stuck in them. If you're ready to stop waiting for recovery to magically get easier and start building the resilience you need to actually get better, this episode will show you how. What You'll Learn: The only 3 possible outcomes when you're in a hard season of recovery (and why understanding this changes everything)Why quitting doesn't actually end the hard time—it just makes it last longerThe difference between "it getting better" and "you getting better" (and why only one leads to lasting freedom)How to stop waiting for circumstances to change and start actively participating in your own healingWhy hard times only end when you decide they end—not when you feel readyHow to make decisions from your healed self instead of your wounded selfWhat it really means to move through hard times instead of staying stuck in them The 3 Outcomes of Hard Times: Outcome #1: You Quit Quitting looks like going back to restriction because it feels safer. It's skipping meals after a bad body image day. It's choosing what's familiar over what will set you free. When you quit moving forward, the hard time doesn't end—it just becomes your new normal. Outcome #2: It Gets Better Sometimes circumstances change and the external situation improves. But if YOU don't change? You're just waiting for the next hard time to come along. You'll always be one comment away from spiraling, one trigger away from old patterns. Outcome #3: You Get Better This is where your power lives. This is where transformation happens. When YOU get better, you learn to nourish your body even when you don't feel deserving. You challenge food rules. You sit with emotions instead of controlling them through food or exercise. You make decisions from your healed self. Key Takeaways: ✨ Hard times don't last forever—but they also don't end just because you want them to. They end when you choose to move through them. ✨ There are only 3 outcomes: you quit, it gets better, or you get better. Only one leads to lasting freedom. ✨ When you quit, the hard time doesn't disappear—it just continues and becomes your normal. ✨ Relying on circumstances to improve keeps you at the mercy of triggers and external situations. ✨ You getting better means actively participating in your own healing, not just hoping things change. ✨ The hard time becomes your identity when you refuse to move forward—it becomes who you are instead of something you're moving through. ✨ Choosing to get better is hard, but staying stuck is harder. Wake up a year from now in the same place or choose to do the work now. Powerful Quotes from This Episode: "Hard times don't last forever. They don't. But only if you refuse to stay stuck in them." "Hard times end when you decide they end. Not when circumstances are perfect. Not when you feel ready. Not when it's easy. They end when you decide to keep moving forward even when it's hard." "When you quit, the hard time doesn't actually end. It just continues. It stretches out. It becomes your new normal." "When YOU get better, it doesn't matter as much what the circumstances are. When YOU get better, you have tools to work through triggers." "You don't have to stay here. You don't have to live in this hard time forever. But you do have to choose to move through it." "The hard time you're in right now? It's not forever. It's not your ending. It's not your identity. It's just a chapter. And you get to write what comes next." Real Talk: This episode delivers no-nonsense truth: the eating disorder wants you to believe you'll always feel this way, but that's a lie. You don't have to stay stuck. But you do have to choose outcome #3—to get better. That means showing up when you don't feel like it, doing the opposite of what the disorder tells you, and trusting the process even when you can't see results yet. What's harder than doing the work? Waking up years from now still fighting the same battles because you never chose to get better. Questions to Ask Yourself: Am I quitting on myself in this moment?Am I waiting for circumstances to change, or am I choosing to change?Am I making decisions from my healed self or my wounded self?What would it look...
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    15 mins
  • EP 246: What to Do When You're Triggered ~ A Real-Time, 6-Step Recovery Game Plan (Perfect for the Holidays)🎃

    EP 246: What to Do When You're Triggered ~ A Real-Time, 6-Step Recovery Game Plan (Perfect for the Holidays)🎃
    Oct 14 2025
    You're at a family dinner. Someone makes a comment about your body or what's on your plate. Suddenly your chest is tight, your mind is racing, and you're already planning tomorrow's restriction or extra workout. Sound familiar? In this episode, Lindsey Nichol gives you a real-time, actionable game plan for working through triggers as they happen—not tomorrow, not after the holidays, but RIGHT NOW. Whether it's an upcoming holiday gathering, a comment from a loved one, or scrolling social media, you'll learn exactly what to do in those moments when you feel completely out of control. Lindsey walks you through six powerful steps to move through triggering situations without falling back into restriction, over-exercising, or shame spirals. This isn't theory—this is practical, do-it-now guidance that will help you act from your healed self instead of your wounded self. What You'll Learn: Why your body's physical response to triggers is actually giving you valuable informationThe 6-step method to work through any triggering situation in real-timeHow to identify what your body and emotions are actually asking for (hint: it's not restriction)The "Act As If Now" principle that changes everything about how you respond to triggersA real client story of working through a triggering family gatheringWhy you have to stop operating from your unhealed self and start making decisions from freedom Key Takeaways: ✨ Your body isn't broken—it's trying to protect you based on old experiences that aren't happening right now ✨ You can't heal what you won't feel—naming your emotions is essential to moving through triggers ✨ The emotions you feel during triggers exist because they once kept you safe, but you get to choose differently now ✨ What would your best self do? Your future self who's already free? Act as if you're already her—because you are ✨ One triggering moment doesn't define your recovery—how you respond does The 6-Step Trigger Game Plan: Notice Your Body - Is your chest tight? Shoulders tense? Jaw clenched? Your body is giving you informationBreathe - Hand on belly, breathe in for 4 counts, out for 6. Create space between the trigger and your reactionName the Sensation - Where is the tension? The tightness? The heaviness? What is your body saying?Name the Emotion - I feel scared. Sad. Ashamed. Out of control. Unworthy. Name it out loudCompassion - That emotion exists because it once kept you safe. Your body is being reminded of an old experience. Give yourself graceMeet Your Now Needs - What do you need right now? A break? A phone call? Food? To do the opposite action? Then ACT AS IF you're already recovered Powerful Quotes from This Episode: "What you do in the next few minutes after you feel triggered will either keep you stuck in the same cycle or move you one step closer to the freedom you're desperately craving." "You can't heal what you won't feel." "That old experience isn't happening right now. You're not that little girl anymore who learned she had to earn love or approval." "Stop operating from your unhealed self. Stop letting the wounds make the decisions. Stop letting the fear drive the bus." "You ARE that future version of yourself. She's not some distant dream. She's you—making the next right choice in this moment." Ready for More Support? If you need help working through triggers and breaking free from the restrict-binge cycle, join The Recovery Collective—Lindsey's group support program where you get live weekly coaching, a supportive community, and the exact tools you need to find lasting food freedom. Learn more at: www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective Connect with Lindsey Website: www.herbestself.co Private Facebook Community: Her Best Self Society www.herbestselfsociety.com 1:1 Client Applications: HBS Co. Recovery Coaching - Client Application - Google Forms Love this episode? Here's how you can support: 💝 Rate and review to help more perfectionists find freedom 💝 Share with a friend who's stuck in the perfection trap 💝 Join the Facebook community for recovery hugs and support 💝 Apply for 1:1 coaching if you're ready for personalized guidance Special Announcements: Subscribe to the email list at www.herbestself.co to get first access 🎉 Free FB Community at www.herbestselfsociety.com If You're Reading This and Struggling: You don't have to be perfect at recovery. You don't have to check all the boxes. You don't have to be further along than you are. Success is showing up today, even when yesterday was hard. Success is choosing growth over perfection. Success is becoming who you're meant to be, not achieving some impossible standard. You are worthy. You are strong. You are perfectly capable right now, today, to lean into the biggest struggle of your life. Consider this your virtual hug from Lindsey. You've got this, beautiful. Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol is a podcast for women in eating disorder recovery who are ready to break free from ...
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    21 mins
  • EP 245: Stop the Restrict-Binge Cycle ~ Debunking Diet Culture's Biggest Lie (You Don't Need to Earn Your Food)

    EP 245: Stop the Restrict-Binge Cycle ~ Debunking Diet Culture's Biggest Lie (You Don't Need to Earn Your Food)
    Oct 10 2025
    In this insightful conversation originally recorded with dietitian Brittany Braswell on Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast, I open up about the restrict-binge cycle that keeps so many women trapped—saving calories all day only to overeat at night. This episode dismantles the myth that it's about willpower and reveals the biological and spiritual truths behind this destructive pattern. What You'll Learn Why saving calories backfires: Understanding the biological response to restriction and how scarcity thinking drives the restrict-binge cycleThe worthiness wound: How diet culture has taught women they need to earn, ration, and delay food instead of deserving consistent nourishmentLindsey's personal story: Her years-long struggle with anorexia and calculating every meal, and how she found freedomPractical action steps: Four concrete strategies to start eating earlier in the day and breaking the restrict-binge patternIdentity in Christ: How knowing you're fearfully and wonderfully made changes how you treat your body as a temple Key Takeaways ✨ The restrict-binge cycle is biological, not about willpower - When you don't eat enough during the day, your body forces a response ✨ Scarcity thinking is rooted in worthiness issues - Diet culture has taught us food must be earned, rationed, and controlled rather than something we deserve consistently ✨ Comfort isn't the goal, freedom is - Breaking the cycle requires doing uncomfortable opposite actions ✨ Ask yourself: Is this decision from fear or love? - If you're making food choices out of fear, that's a signal to do the opposite ✨ You are fearfully and wonderfully made - Your identity is larger than the vessel you came here with Practical Strategies Discussed 1. Combat the Lie of Unworthiness Recognize you are deserving of good things NOW, not laterYour worth is tied to being made in God's image—periodFeelings aren't facts when you feel undeserving 2. Set New Non-Negotiables Create mechanical eating boundaries (2-3 meals + snacks) regardless of hunger cuesCommit to eating 1-2 hours earlier than your current patternMake a specific plan: What time? What food? Write it down. 3. Do the Opposite Action When the voice says "wait until later," immediately do the oppositeRewire your brain by not taking orders from "Regina George" anymoreBreak the rules that keep you trapped—the world won't fall apart 4. Start with Half Portions Earlier If eating a full meal earlier feels overwhelming, start with halfBuild consistency with small steps, not overnight overhaulsChange happens with consistent small actions 5. Get Logical About Time Challenge arbitrary eating times—it's already mealtime somewhere else in the worldDo the hard thing first to get it out of the wayMake concrete plans, not optional intentions Powerful Quotes "You were created by God, made in His image, and you are so worthy of love and nourishment—period. There's no arguing, no bargaining about that." "Comfort isn't the goal. Freedom is the goal." "Your body deserves consistent fuel. What would I tell my daughter, my best friend, you over coffee? I would never tell you that you can't have that coffee because there's cream in it." "Is this decision coming from a place of fear or a place of love? If it's fear, pluck that thought." "God's grace is built from abundance. Your identity is something larger than the vessel that you came here with." Key Questions for Reflection What am I believing that is false?What do I know is true when I'm feeling I don't deserve nourishment?What rules am I following that I need to break?Am I making this decision out of fear or out of love?What does my body deserve right now? About This Episode This conversation was originally recorded as a guest appearance on Brittany Braswell's podcast, Faith-Filled Food Freedom. Adapted and shared with the Her Best Self Podcast community because the message was too powerful not to share with you. Resources & Links Join The Recovery Collective Ready to break free from the restrict-binge cycle for good? The Recovery Collective is Lindsey Nichol's signature group support program where you'll get the support, strategies, and community you need to finally find freedom. Inside The Recovery Collective, you'll receive: Every other week group coaching calls with Lindsey A proven framework to break disordered eating patternsA supportive community of women on the same journeyPractical tools and resources for lasting recoveryBiblical foundation for healing your relationship with food and body Learn more and join The Recovery Collective at www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective Connect with Lindsey Nichol Website: www.herbestself.co One-on-One Coaching: Limited spots available - apply at herbestself.coFacebook: www.herbestselfsociety.com Connect with Brittany Braswell Check out Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast for more faith-based nutrition and food freedom content at www.brittanybraswellrd.com ___________________________ If this ...
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    38 mins
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