Episode Details

What happens when three podcasters get together to talk about the intersection of professional success and disordered eating? Pure gold.

In this candid conversation with fellow podcasters Kelly Lewis and Jenna Kaitbenski we dive deep into why smart, successful women get trapped by stupid food rules and how corporate culture creates the perfect storm for disordered eating.

This raw, unfiltered discussion covers:

• Why 73% of women in corporate environments engage in disordered eating behaviors
• How the same traits that make you successful at work make you vulnerable to eating disorders
• The shocking truth: only 6% of people with eating disorders are actually underweight
• Why exercise addiction is the "acceptable" eating disorder
• How your body becomes a project to optimize rather than a life to live
• The mortality reality: eating disorders have the highest death rate of any mental illness
• Breaking the "not sick enough" myth that keeps women trapped

For the smart woman who knows her food rules are stupid but can't stop following them.

The stereotype: Young, white ballerinas or models

The reality: Lawyers, doctors, corporate women, founders—high-performing women crushing it in their careers

Why high achievers are vulnerable:

• Perfectionism, discipline, control, high standards
• Ability to push through discomfort
• "Results over rest" mentality
• Everything becomes a metric to optimize

73% of women in corporate environments engage in at least one disordered eating behavior—restriction, excessive exercise, binge eating, or other control mechanisms.

"When everything becomes a metric you have to optimize, your body becomes a project. And projects can be controlled, manipulated, and perfected."

The progression:

• Tracking steps, calories, macros
• Quantifying your entire existence
• Body becomes another business problem to solve
• Rest becomes something