Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast — Less Food Noise. More Life. cover art

Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast — Less Food Noise. More Life.

Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast — Less Food Noise. More Life.

By: Lindsey Nichol - Certified Health Coach ED Recovery Coach ED Intuitive Therapy Certified
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Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol is the eating disorder recovery podcast for women who are completely exhausted from food noise and food restriction. If you are ready to finally break free from food obsession, body anxiety, and the mental prison of ED - this show is for you.

Hosted by Lindsey Nichol, former figure skater, recovering perfectionist, and eating disorder recovery coach who has lived this herself. Lindsey built Her Best Self Co. for the woman who has tried therapy, treatment programs, and going it alone — and is still trapped. She gets it because she's been there. If you've been struggling for 10, 20, or 30+ years — here is your personal invitation to do recovery for real this time!

This podcast is for you if: You can't stop thinking about food. You're tired of wasting your life on this disorder. You want someone who has actually been where you are and found real freedom on the other side.

Every week you'll find real, honest conversations about: Anorexia recovery, bulimia recovery, orthorexia, restrictive eating, compulsive exercise, food noise, food anxiety, body dysmorphia, perfectionism, people-pleasing, quasi-recovery, eating disorder relapse, food freedom and faith-based recovery — all designed for women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond who are done.

You'll learn how to: Stop the food noise. Break free from restriction. Overcome perfectionism and people-pleasing. Build real body trust and food freedom. And finally live the life this disorder has been stealing from you.

New episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

Ready to go deeper?

Apply to work with Lindsey 1:1 — www.herbestself.co

Join The Recovery Collective — the eating disorder recovery support group that gets the struggle and wants to see you win — at www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective

Facebook community — www.herbestselfsociety.com

Trigger warning: Episodes may cover sensitive topics including eating disorders and mental health. Content reflects personal insight and education and is not a replacement for clinical or medical support. Nothing shared establishes a therapeutic relationship or replaces the care of a clinical treatment professional. © 2026 Lindsey Nichol LLC

Copyright 2026 All rights reserved. Alternative & Complementary Medicine Christianity Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Spirituality
Episodes
  • EP 293.5: How Much of Your Day Is Spent Thinking About Food? The 4 Strategies That Change Everything **Must Listen Fav!**

    EP 293.5: How Much of Your Day Is Spent Thinking About Food? The 4 Strategies That Change Everything **Must Listen Fav!**
    Jul 3 2026
    A client said something recently that tore me into pieces: "I realized I've been so consumed with thinking about my next meal or obsessing over what I can and can't eat that I totally missed my son's baseball season. I was physically there but mentally checked out. I was somewhere else entirely." If that hits you in the gut, this episode is for you. Today we're talking about the energy thief no one names: food obsession. Because eating disorders aren't just about food — they're time thieves. They steal your presence from your own life. And your life, friend, is real and beautiful and messy, and it's happening right now, whether you're there for it or not. In this episode, I walk you through the honest question that changes everything — how much of your day is spent thinking about food? — and gives you four practical strategies to reclaim that mental energy and come back to the people you love. The picture that might feel familiar: She has it all together on paper. But here's her actual day: feet hit the floor and she's already calculating what she'll eat. Planning breakfast in the shower. Thinking about lunch through her morning meetings. By evening she's exhausted — not from her job, not from her family, but from the constant mental chatter. Her husband asks about weekend plans and she's already spiraled into anxiety about restaurant menus. If you know her — if she could be you — keep listening. The question at the heart of this episode If you had to estimate what percentage of your waking thoughts are consumed by food planning, food guilt, food anxiety, or food rules — what would it be? For me, in the hardest seasons, it was 80–90% of my day. A constant conversation inside my own ears. And that sacrifice was costing me everything. Which brings us to the quote that shifted everything: "If you don't sacrifice for what you ultimately want, then you become the ultimate sacrifice." What do you ultimately want? It's probably not to think about food all day. It's connection. Presence. Energy for what actually matters. Peace in your own mind. But when food perfection runs the show, you become the sacrifice — your time with your spouse, your conversations with your kids, your ability to be fully in your own life. The 4 strategies to reclaim your presence 1. The Three-Second Check-In Throughout your day, pause and ask: "Where is my mind right now?" If you catch yourself in food thoughts during a conversation, a meeting, a moment that matters — don't judge it. Just notice it. Then ask: "What would it look like to be fully here right now?" Life goes on whether or not you participate in it. This tiny check-in brings you back. 2. The Energy Audit For one day, keep track of how much mental energy goes to food thoughts. Every time you catch yourself planning, worrying, calculating, or obsessing — mark it in your notes app or on paper. At the end of the day, count it up. That's your energy audit: a real look at how much of your life force is being redirected away from what matters most. When you're on autopilot, you don't realize how time-consuming it is. This makes it visible. 3. The Presence Practice Next time you sit down to eat — phone away, multitasking off — be fully there for the experience. Notice the taste, the texture, the satisfaction. This isn't about the food. It's about practicing presence, including presence with yourself. So often we eat standing, rushing, avoiding the experience entirely. Being present at your own table is where it starts. 4. The Connection Redirect When you catch yourself spiraling into food thoughts, immediately reach toward someone you love. Text your kid. Call your spouse. Hug your dog. The goal: redirect that mental energy toward connection instead of obsession. Try making dinner a device-free zone — and a free zone for your mind, too. Ask your people about their day. Really listen. (In Lindsey's family: "What was the most challenging part of your day, and what was the best part?" — it drives real conversation every time.) What happens when you choose present over perfect: Your relationships deepen — because you're actually there for them, not just physicallyYour work improves — because you're not distracted by food anxietyYour energy increases — because you're not exhausting yourself with mental food battlesAnd most importantly: you start to remember who you are — the woman with opinions about things other than calories, with dreams bigger than numbers, with love to give that was never contingent on eating perfectly A few lines from the episode: "Eating disorders aren't just about food. They're time thieves. They steal your presence from your own life." "If you don't sacrifice for what you ultimately want, you become the ultimate sacrifice." "Your kids don't need a perfect mom. Your spouse doesn't need a perfect partner. They need you present, engaged, and fully there." "You're worth loving right now — food struggles and all. The people ...
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    19 mins
  • EP 293: When Your Body Doesn't Feel Like Yours ~ 8 Things That Help You Feel at Home Again in Your Skin

    EP 293: When Your Body Doesn't Feel Like Yours ~ 8 Things That Help You Feel at Home Again in Your Skin
    Jun 30 2026
    A listener wrote in recently and said the quiet part out loud — "I know I'm supposed to have this extra weight on - and I feel heathier, but it's so hard to keep eating when all I want to do is lose it. I've been cutting corners and I feel tempted to slip. How do I learn to be okay in this body and keep going?" Sister, if that's you — this episode is for you. Today Lindsey walks through the eight things she returns to again and again with the women she coaches — the shifts that help when your body feels foreign, when you're scared, when you don't know how to keep choosing recovery. Not quick fixes. Real ground to stand on while you find your way home to yourself. The short version: do the next recovered you thing Before the eight, the heart of it: just do the next recovered you thing. You don't have to figure out the whole road. You only have to take the next step the recovered version of you would take. Stop identifying with the older, smaller version of you — she wasn't your best self; she was you running on fumes. The body you're in now isn't your enemy. It's where the rest of your life gets to live. 8 things that help when your body doesn't feel like yours 1. Understand the recovery process. What you're going through is normal. Your body is healing, and healing isn't a sign you're doing it wrong — it's a sign you're doing it. Begin shifting your focus from how your body looks to how your body is healing. You're allowed to feel terrified and still take the next step. Both can be true. 2. Challenge the negative chatter. Acceptance starts with awareness. The harsh thoughts about your body? Those are symptoms of the disorder, not the truth. The mirror lies through that filter. Instead of trying to leap straight to loving how you look, aim first for respecting your body. That's the bridge. 3. Focus on body functions over body image. Your body is a vessel — it carries your soul through this life. As Glennon Doyle said: your body is not your masterpiece; your life is. Notice what your body lets you do. Appreciate it for showing up, even through the struggle. And as you move, shift from a metrics mindset to a mindful-movement one. No more exercising for numbers — movement for joy, for strength, for being alive in your skin. 4. Practice self-compassion. Speak to yourself like someone you love. Maybe write a letter to the younger version of you who started all this — apologize, tell her it's okay, let her know the wiser, stronger version of you is here now. You are a human. Struggling is part of being one. Feelings aren't facts — you're allowed to feel something hard without making it a verdict on who you are. 5. Keep making pro-recovery choices. Prioritize your meals. Prioritize your snacks. Prioritize sleep — seven to nine hours, because your body is doing real work and it needs rest to heal. Step off the metrics treadmill. Choose movement out of preference, not punishment. We're not playing small anymore. 6. Seek support. You can't do this alone, and you were never supposed to. Whether that's a coach, a therapist, a dietitian, or a community of women who get it — let people in. Vulnerability heals what isolation can't. Come hang out with us in the private community at HerBestSelfSociety.com, or reach out about working together one-on-one. 7. Practice patience and plan for the messy middle. Celebrate the small daily things — journaling, time off social media, sitting in nature, music, stillness. And plan for the hard moments before they hit. What are your triggers? Who are they? Where will you need boundaries? Planning is your friend. The messy middle is the hardest part — preparing for it makes it survivable. 8. Adopt the sunset mindset. Picture a sunset. We never look up and criticize one for being different than yesterday's — for the colors being "wrong," the shape being off. We just take in its beauty. Sunsets aren't criticized for their differences because their beauty doesn't need to be altered. Yours doesn't either. What would it be like to see your body the way you see a sunset — appreciation instead of judgment, beauty just because it exists? This planet isn't promised. Every day you have here is its own sunset. You don't have to love your body every day. But you can respect it, you can appreciate it, and you can let it be yours. A few lines from the episode "Just do the next recovered you thing." "You're allowed to feel terrified and still take the next step." "Your body is not your masterpiece. Your life is." "Your body is a vessel — it carries your soul through this life." "You don't have to love your body every day, and you're not going to. But you can respect it. You can appreciate it. You can let it be yours." Your reflection this week Pick one of the eight that speaks loudest to where you are right now and live in it for a few days. Don't try all eight at once. The shift back to feeling at home in your own skin isn't a checklist — it's a slow homecoming, ...
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    19 mins
  • EP 292: The Messy Middle of Recovery ~ The 4 Questions to Ask Yourself When You Don't Know What's Next

    EP 292: The Messy Middle of Recovery ~ The 4 Questions to Ask Yourself When You Don't Know What's Next
    Jun 26 2026
    You're not at the beginning anymore. You know something has to change — and honestly, you've already started. But you're nowhere near the finish line either. You're just in it. The messy middle. Tired, unsure, not certain what your next step even is. If that's where you are, this episode is a gentle hand on your shoulder. Lindsey shares the truth that reshaped how she sees recovery and coaching — the quality of your life is a reflection of the quality of the questions you ask yourself — and in today's episode she walks through four questions she recently sat with alongside the women in her support group program: the Recovery Collective. Not questions that fix you. Questions that get to the root. Why you feel stuck in the middle... In the messy middle, we start asking ourselves the same draining questions on a loop: Why can't I get this right? What's wrong with me? Why am I still struggling? Here's the thing — your mind answers whatever you ask it. Ask what's wrong with you, and it will go find evidence and hand you a list. That's not the truth; that's just your brain doing its job with a bad question. So sometimes being stuck isn't a sign you're failing. It's a sign you're asking questions that can only ever pull up weeds. The way through isn't a better answer. It's a better question. The four questions (and why each one matters).... What would you do if you couldn't fail? The messy middle is ruled by fear of failure — you hold back because what if it doesn't work? Take failure off the table, even just in your imagination, and your real desire floats to the surface. Your honest answer is a clue. It points straight at the step you've been afraid to take. How are you, really? That one word — really — changes everything. You're so practiced at "I'm fine" you can say it in your sleep. In the middle, we numb out and stop checking in because we're afraid of what we'll find. This question is an invitation to tell yourself the truth, even if you're the only one listening. Why are you worth knowing? Not what you do. Not what you accomplish, provide, or hold together — why you, underneath all of it, are worth knowing. This is the one that undoes people, because so many women have been valued for their output for so long they've forgotten they're worth knowing just as they are. Learning to finish the sentence "I'm worth knowing because…" is some of the most important work there is. What does freedom mean to you? Not freedom in the abstract — yours. You can't walk toward something you can't picture. For one woman it's a quiet mind. For another, being fully present at her kid's party. For another, peace at the table. Naming yours, specifically, turns freedom from a someday fantasy into a real destination you can start moving toward. What these four have in common.... Notice that not one of them is about fixing you. Not one is a rule or a behavior. They go underneath all of that — to desire, honesty, worth, and vision. That's the difference between pulling a weed and getting to the root. And it's the heart of why being coached, and being held by other women, can move you further in one honest night than months of white-knuckling alone. A good question, asked by someone who cares, changes things. A few lines from the episode "The quality of your life is a reflection of the quality of the questions you ask yourself." "Your brain will answer whatever you ask it. Ask what's wrong with you, and it hands you a list." "The way out of the messy middle isn't a better answer. It's a better question." "You are worth knowing — just as you are." "The messy middle isn't where you're stuck. It's where you're becoming." Your reflection this week: Take the four into the middle with you. Don't rush them — let them work on you over a few days: What would you do if you couldn't fail?How are you, really?Why are you worth knowing?What does freedom mean to you? If it helps, journal one each day and notice what surfaces. The point isn't a tidy answer. It's the honesty the question pulls up. Come be held in the Recovery Collective!! Every other Wednesday night, a circle of women gathers in the space Lindsey holds — and they go to the root together. They ask the brave questions, sit in the real answers, carry them between sessions, and carry each other through the messy middle. If you're tired of doing this alone and something in you just leaned forward, there's a seat here for you. Find everything at www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective Connect with Lindsey: 🌟 Website: www.herbestself.co 🌟 Instagram: @thelindseynichol 🌟 Free FB Community: www.herbestselfsociety.com 🌟Client Application: HBS Co. Recovery Coaching - Client Application - Google Forms Love this episode? Here's how you can support the show: 💕 Share it with a woman who might need to hear this message 💕 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps other women find the show 💕 Screenshot and tag @thelindseynichol if any of these ...
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    16 mins
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this is very helpful, thank you for all your work Lindsey, I'm so glad I've found your podcast.

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