Answers to common questions
BECOMING A CLIENT
That’s okay! All my appointments are done virtually, via Zoom, in the comfort of your own home (or where ever you happen to be). I work with clients in the United States and internationally. Please note, I only speak English.
To get the most out of this program, you should expect to spend between two to four hours each week, in addition to our weekly(ish), one-on-one private sessions. Like anything in life, the more you put in, the more you get out of it. I will recommend books for you to read (or listen to), articles, podcasts, journaling assignments, etc.
Sessions occur on a weekly or biweekly basis depending on the level of support we feel is needed. If you have financial considerations, we can reassess the frequency of the sessions after our first four weeks together.
Sessions take place virtually, via Zoom, in the privacy of your own home or where ever else you happen to be.
During the first session, we will discuss your eating history, how you feel about food & your body and other relevant information that may impact who you are as an eater or why you turn to food – as long as you feel comfortable discussing. Depending on what your concerns are. Together, we decide what sort of between-session exploration you want to engage in. This may include reading or listening to books, articles, or podcasts, journaling and/or changing some of your eating behaviors, example: slowing down with food. In follow-up sessions, you are free to discuss any successes or challenges since the previous meeting or any topic that feels pressing to you that day.
Many clients report a significant decrease in unwanted eating habits, less negative self-talk, and better self-esteem & self-worth. Clients often report that obsessing about food, feelings of guilt, and feelings of shame or regret around food diminish. Clients often say they have a new-found love of life, more time & energy to devote to living, and they feel better equipped to handle stressors. Some clients see improvements in their digestion, elimination, energy levels, sleep, and experience less bloating.
Many of the benefits are in areas that are not as easily measured. Clients feel more comfortable in their own skin, are kinder to themselves, feel a sense of calmness around food & eating, feel an ease when picking out what clothes to wear, and make peace with their reflections. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to trust themselves & their bodies!
This varies per client, though many of my clients fall around the 6-month mark – some clients work with me a little less and some far beyond that.
Yes, no … maybe. I help my clients transform their relationship with food & their bodies. For some clients, weight loss is a side effect that happens once they make peace with food or work through an unwanted eating habit(s). If you become a client, I can promise you that if you put thought, time, energy, & effort into this work, your relationship with food will improve. Your constant thoughts about food & dislike for your body will subside, and the voice in your head that always tells you you’re not good enough will be silenced. However, there is no way to predict how your individual body will respond to your transformed relationship with food.
Research scientists and the weight loss industry have spent hundreds of billions of dollars researching “the answer” to LONG term weight loss (defined as 5+ years), and they are still coming up empty handed
Unfortunately (and fortunately) health is complex. Contrary to what we’ve been taught, the number on the scale is actually a very poor indicator of overall health. Instead, I take a behavioral approach to health, which means I focus on implementing health-promoting behaviors in a way that works for your stage of life & unique circumstances. This may or may not change your weight. By taking the goal of weight loss off the table, you are able to focus on practices that can truly have a positive effect on both your physical and mental health.
Certified Eating Psychology Coach – The Institute for the Psychology of Eating, 2017
Functional Medicine Certified Wellness Coach – Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, 2016
200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher – Yoga Alliance, 2015
Certified Post-Cancer Exercise Specialist – Cancer Exercise Training Institute, 2014
Certification in Aquatic Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis – Aqua MS, 2013
Certified Indoor Cycling Instructor – Mad Dogg Spinning, 2012
Certified Personal Trainer – American Council on Exercise, 2011
Bachelors of Science degree(s) in Psychology & Communications, Illinois State University 2005
PAYMENT
Payments are processed through Square which accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, JCB and Union Pay.
***Many clients are using their HSA / FSA accounts to purchase.
If you have an HSA / FSA debit card, you can use that at checkout. If not, contact the company your HSA or FSA is through & inquire about how their reimbursement process works.
*** I recommend that everyone contact their HSA / FSA provider to find out the specifications of your individual plan.
Yes. You have the choice to pay for your package in full or you can choose a monthly payment plan option.
No, unfortunately the software I use to process payments only allows me to sell coaching packages, not individual sessions.
Currently, no I do not. However, some insurance companies might reimburse you for Nutrition Counseling (or Nutrition Type Counseling) sessions. Please check with your insurance company, as I cannot guarantee reimbursement.
A Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flex Spending Account (FSA) is an option that can be used to pay for Eating Psychology Coaching.
I do not. The only instance where I would offer a refund is if I, for whatever reason, don’t deliver on the service you’ve purchased. However, that has never, and will never happen!
Clients are not paying for my time, they are paying for their results. The monetary cost of the program represents the value of the results engaged participants will receive. This is a significant investment of your time and money, but the payoff is priceless. Many clients report wishing they had signed up earlier after throwing money down the drain on diets, binges, “magic” pills, drink products, etc., which could have paid for this program many times over.
*Don’t forget I offer a payment plan option.
FOOD AND EATING
Nutritionists are highly educated in their field and full of information & knowledge about food; vitamins, minerals, & nutrients, and how the body utilizes those substances. In some cases, if a person is experiencing a health issue or has a medical condition their doctor may recommend that they see a nutritionist. Nutritionists educate their patients/clients on a way of eating that will (hopefully) help them to see a reduction in their symptoms. However, nutritionists often lack the counseling skills that lead to thought and behavior changes for their clients.
Here’s the thing, most people already know what foods they should eat more of or less of. Everyone knows fruits & vegetables are healthy. Most people know they’re supposed to eat protein and healthy forms of fat. They also know they shouldn’t overdo the “junk food” & that overeating often can be harmful. Most people already have a decent amount of nutritional knowledge, so lack of nutrition information is NOT the real problem. For most people, the real challenge is being able to put the nutrition information into practice. I cannot stress enough - A LACK OF WILLPOWER IS NOT THE PROBLEM! As your Eating Psychology Coach, I will help you get to the bottom of what is causing your individual challenges with food. I will give you easy, effective, evidence-based tools & strategies to overcome your unwanted eating habits and to make peace with food. You and I can discuss nutrition; however, we will do so in a simple, gentle (non-rigid, non-restrictive, without rules) way.
The short answer is, no. I value your time and money too much. If you really want to make a PERMANENT change to your relationship with food, following a meal plan is not the answer. Meal plans foster an all-or-nothing approach that is very rigid like a diet. Changing your relationship with food and body is about tuning in to what you want to eat at the moment, not eating tuna and crackers for lunch because I told you to. Trust me, you’ll thank me in the long run!
*However, I won’t leave you high and dry! We will talk about gentle nutrition, meal prepping, meal timing, recipes, snacks, grocery shopping, shopping lists, kitchen organization, etc. (ie: the things that get you long-term results).
Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach that helps you establish a healthy relationship with food and your body and helps you learn how to eat outside of a dieting mentality. It is a gentle framework of ten principles that work to connect your mind with your body. You will explore food rules and body beliefs that prevent you from accessing internal signals such as hunger, fullness, and satisfaction. Instead of making food choices based on what’s “good” or “healthy," you use the direct experience of eating a specific food and observing how it affects your body. As you begin to understand your preferences and challenge long-held food beliefs, you will learn to eat in a way that provides pleasure and honors your mental and physical health to the extent that you choose.
If you struggle to feel good in your body or feel stress around food & eating, intuitive eating offers a path to peace. Intuitive eating helps you reclaim your life from food restriction and focus on your body and weight. It helps you get in touch with your intuition - your inner knowing about what is right and wrong for your body and mind without all the noise from the outside world. If you are looking for more freedom from food and body obsession, intuitive eating provides a gentle, flexible framework for you to cultivate more peace.
Anti-diet means rejecting the diet mentality and ditching diet culture and all the lies. ANTI-DIET DOES NOT MEAN ANTI-HEALTH. Together you and I will work on creating a peaceful relationship with food in order to support your physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being without the restrictive rules, tracking, counting, guilt, and shame that are indicative of traditional diets.
No. It is my intention to free my clients from the grips of measuring, monitoring, and tracking every little bite they put in their mouths.
It makes some sense that you’d be skeptical of a thinner “ditch diet culture” and “accept your body” advocate. I probably would be too if I hadn’t had my own lived experience and recovered from disordered eating and body hate. I haven’t always been this size. My weight has fluctuated, and I’ve cycled on & off of every diet out there. The body I have now is a mix of genetics and prioritizing my mental and emotional health over the pursuit of an unsustainable number on the scale. People can often be very quick to judge someone’s inside by their outside, but you can’t tell who people are, where they come from, their experiences, their health, their worth, their intelligence, and how they live their lives by simply looking at them. This is the approach I take with my clients and all people in general. I have done extensive training (and continue to) on body image healing and what it means to occupy and care for your body in ALL sizes. I do however acknowledge I have thin privilege, and I understand completely if you would rather work with someone who lives in a larger body. There are many other fabulous women living in larger bodies doing this work that can also help you.
Yes, Eating Psychology Coaching is an excellent form of support during or after treatment in order to encourage and maintain recovery. However, it should not be the only form of support you receive nor considered a replacement for proper medical and psychological care. I ask that you are medically stable, without an active diagnosis of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, and be over 18.
I have my own lived experience of disordered eating, an eating disorder, and full recovery. I understand the complex physical, mental and emotional challenges, fears, and obstacles that come with committing to recovering from an eating disorder. I help my clients reach their highest goals not by strategies that punish, but through strategies that nourish. With listening and empathy, not with policing or judgment. I am an advocate for Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating, and Body Diversity. I aim to create a safe environment where women of all shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities can create healing and freedom in their relationship with food, body image, and life.
There is no such thing as a miracle cure for eating disorders. However, the good news is, that prevention and full recovery are possible at any age. A key part of eradicating the backlash of chronic dieting, negative body image, and eating disorders is preventative education, strategy, and tailored support.
Fabulous! You’re in good hands. If you have any questions or would like more info, feel free to schedule a free Zoom consultation “click here”. In your consultation, we can discuss your challenges with food and your feelings toward your body, and I will be able to let you know if this program will be a good fit for you. During this consultation, I will answer any questions you may have about the program, and I can let you know what it looks & feels like to become a client.
If you already know this program is exactly what you want and need, “click here” to choose the package that is right for you. After you check out, “click here” to schedule our first one-on-one virtual coaching appointment. I’m so excited to get started, and I can’t wait to meet you!
