[CLIENT STORY] She overcame all-or-nothing thinking in less than 12 weeks *bonus episode*
In this episode, I sit down with my client Katie — a busy mom of 2, working full-time, 9 months PP — right after we wrapped up 12 weeks of 1:1 coaching.
Katie didn't just change what she ate — she changed the thoughts underneath the eating, and the habits followed.
The belief that had to go first: all-or-nothing thinking
Katie came in as a self-described "all or nothing" thinker — if she couldn't do a plan perfectly, it wasn't worth doing at all.
She'd tried a macro-coaching approach after her first pregnancy that left her restricted, under-fed, and reaching for protein shakes and bars instead of real food.
The shift didn't come from a new meal plan — it came from a question I ask every week in check-ins: "What did you do for yourself this week?"
That single prompt cracked open permission Katie hadn't given herself in years. She admitted she avoided answering it honestly at first ("I'm not telling Julia I ate cake"), until she saw me model that same permission... and gave herself the same grace the next week.
Thoughts about Fun Foods
One of the clearest before/after markers in the episode: Katie's relationship with "treats." Before coaching, sweets were either fully off-limits or a full derailment — an all-or-nothing binary with nothing in between. Now, she builds them into her day as a normal adult portion, without the spiral of guilt or the "start over Monday" reset. She names this directly as a mindset change, not a food rule change.
Thoughts about Worthiness
Maybe the most striking mindset shift Katie names: she doesn't yet feel like she's at her "ideal state" physically — but she now feels worthy of taking care of herself along the way, rather than needing to earn that worthiness by finishing the goal first. The identity shift comes before the outcome, not after it. But it's not just that, in the process, she also was able to lose ~0.5 lbs a week, eating over 2000 calories a day, and breastfeeding (& pumping) without impacting her milk supply negatively!
Thoughts about Satisfaction
Katie also reframes satisfaction itself — noticing that a sauce, a crunchy topping, or "some ooey gooeyness" can transform a meal's staying power far more than adding more food or more protein. We talk through how satisfaction isn't a cheat against progress — it's often the thing that prevents the overeating episode a restrictive meal would have caused.
Thoughts about the Payoff of the Work
Katie didn't set out to build family connection — but shifting to more intentional, planned meals (a Saturday meal-planning habit) meant more meals eaten together as a family, which she names as an unexpected win. It's a great example of how belief-before-behavior work often pays dividends, in addition to the physical transformation.
Advice to her postpartum self
I ask Katie what she'd tell herself in early postpartum, and her answer doubles as a thesis statement for the episode: investing even 30 minutes, once or twice a week, in yourself pays off for the whole family... and waiting to "have time" for it keeps the old pattern running.
Takeaway for listeners
For anyone who feels stuck in all-or-nothing thinking or overwhelmed by a busy-mom season of life: Katie's story is proof that the identity shift - believing you're worthy and capable before you see the full result - is what makes the behavior change stick. Baby steps, taken consistently, beat the perfect plan abandoned by week two.
🍋 Apply for my 1:1 private coaching program: HERE
🌴 Sign up for the SHIFT TO SHED masterclass HERE (PS. I renamed this class FYI... it was formerly Update Your Belief SysteM & Lose the Weight for Good in case you're confused about what I said in the podcast!!)
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