I don't believe in hacks

I stood on a stage in Parker, Colorado last night and looked into a sea of blackness and told the jokes I’ve been workshopping for months and memorizing in every single spare moment I had over the past eight days. (Yes, I was talking to myself while walking the dog and no, I didn’t bother putting my earbuds in. I looked insane.)

It was terrifying, as usual. I expected that.

What I didn’t expect was the lukewarm reception. Sure, they liked it and laughed in most of the places where I expected them to. But did they LOOOOVE it?

Nope.

Even though I could only see the vague outlines of their faces, I knew what I felt, and it wasn’t the energy of an audience totally present and eager to soak up the hilarity of my standup comedy set.

Wait, why are we talking about comedy and not intuitive eating??

So why am I telling you this story if we’re supposed to be talking about intuitive eating? It’s not because Real Nourished has turned into a comedy newsletter.

And it’s not because I’m secretly hoping you’ll reply and tell me it probably went way better than I think it did.

It’s because after I got over myself and the tension between “I just want to make art.. but also, I want people to like it!” I zoomed out and realized my B-minus performance was a sort of gift.

Failure is an essential part of any process—including your understanding of your own body—and it’s not an indication of who you are, but a signal about what’s working and what’s not.

You can take the information about what didn’t work—whether it was a diet, a sports nutrition plan, a workout, or even a sports bra—and try something different next time.

But you’ll never get that information without trying different things… and looking at the less-than-desirable outcomes not as personal failures as data points.

Your body can be your best teacher (if you listen to it)

It reminded me of the beautiful conversation I had with weight-neutral occupational therapist Vanessa Gorelkin on the Real Fit podcast.

As Vanessa put it, “You can understand your body just by living in your body.”

It’s easy to look outside of ourselves for the “secrets” to health and wellness. Who hasn’t tried or at least been tempted by hacks like cold plunging, intermittent fasting, or bulletproof coffee? It would be so amazing if a simple hack were the one thing standing between us and the vitality we’re seeking…

It is my conviction that there are no secrets. There are no hacks. There is no one who knows you better than you do.

To be clear, I’m not saying you shouldn’t go to the doctor. I am saying no one route to health and wellness will work for everyone and that there’s certainly no linear path to finding what works for you.

There is only experimentation, doubling down on what works and changing directions when you figure out what doesn’t work.

If you try different things and pay attention to what makes you feel good in your body and soul—not what you think is going to make you lose weight or what worked for the self-styled wellness experts that keep showing up in your social feeds—you will discover what works for you.

xo,

PS If the idea of changing your mindset around food and your body among a supportive virtual community of like-minded women sounds good to you, get on my group coaching wait list and you’ll be the first to know when I offer a group program. (Details TBD. Stay tuned!)

About that podcast I mentioned

In my interview with Vanessa, we covered a whole bunch of topics, including her history of disordered eating and exercise and her journey to intuitive eating, setting boundaries around talking about calorie counting, weight loss, and diets, coping with depression, and so much more.

Speaking of comedy…

I created a newsletter where I’ll be sharing info about my upcoming standup comedy appearances. It’s called Real Funny and it’s going to be real brief and real infrequent (about once a month).

Click below to subscribe if you want to stay in the loop!

Are you ready to experience food freedom but need some support to figure out how?

This is exactly what I help my 1:1 intuitive eating coaching clients with.

Let’s see if we’d be a good fit over a free, no-pressure 30-minute discovery call over Zoom or the phone.

👂 Give your ears a treat 👂

Need a good listen during your commute, chores, or workout?

Wondering who I am?

I’m a certified intuitive eating counselor, occupational therapist, and health and fitness journalist with bylines in outlets like The Washington Post, Time, Runner’s World, SELF, and many others.

Also a 6x marathoner, 2x Ironman finisher, and certified personal trainer with a 20+ year history of teaching indoor cycling, I love riding bikes (gravel and road) and weightlifting. My superpower is my ability to connect with people.

Check out my coaching offerings here and follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram.