Travel Triggers: Fear of Flying, Eating Around Others, and Transitioning Home

In this (for real for real) final episode of Life After Diets, host Stefanie Michele explains how recovery taught her how to understand the call for change. She shares why letting go of the familiar—even when it’s scary—is essential for growth, and how that insight is leading her to close this chapter and launch her new show, Full But Not Finished. The Life After Diets archive will remain here as a resource and you can now find Stefanie Michele on her new show: Full But Not Finished. Subscribe now to listen to the pilot episode! Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamstefaniemichele  

Travel isn’t just about the logistics of getting from one place to another — it’s the nervous system spikes, the old body image stories that flare when you’re around people from your past, and the challenge of feeding yourself in a group. In this episode, I talk about a recent trip with college friends and the layers that came with it: Flight anxiety and how I work with my body in real time when panic hits mid-air The anticipatory dread before seeing old friends (and why it often feels worse than the reality) Navigating group meals without abandoning your own needs The strange crash that happens when you come home and how to soften that landing What it takes to speak up when diet culture sneaks into social situations If you’ve ever come back from a trip feeling heavy, disconnected, or like you lost your footing with food, you’re not alone. This conversation unpacks why travel brings all of this to the surface and how to move through it without betraying yourself. Connect with Stefanie: Website: www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack: www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Life After Diets, host Stefanie Michele explores the strange tension of being “full but not finished.”Many people know the feeling: the body signals fullness, yet something inside still wants more. What does that reveal about the way we relate to food, our emotions, and ourselves? Rather than reducing the issue to hunger and fullness cues alone, this conversation looks at the cultural “shoulds” that hover over eating, the rebellion that comes from restriction, and the nervous system’s role in making food feel safe or unsafe. Stefanie unpacks why stopping at the first sign of fullness often backfires, and why the experience of eating can be as much about psychology and emotional regulation as it is about physiology. The episode also weaves in a listener story about body image distress in an unexpected setting, highlighting how struggles with food are rarely isolated—they echo into how we manage overwhelm, shame, and self-perception in everyday life. The episode asks bigger questions about what we’re really hungry for, how permission changes the eating experience, and what it takes to feel truly satisfied—not just physically, but emotionally too. binge eating recovery, intuitive eating, somatic practices, body image healing, nervous system regulation, food freedom, eating disorder recovery, fullness vs satisfaction, self-trust with food, emotional eating, diet culture recovery, Life After Diets Connect with Stefanie: Website: www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack: www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Stefanie revisits the early days of her “all-in” recovery from binge eating and restriction. She shares raw excerpts from personal emails she wrote at the time, capturing the fear, doubt, and body image struggles of letting go of food rules on her 40th birthday. Stefanie reflects on why this attempt at recovery succeeded when so many earlier ones hadn’t, and what it really means to be ready for change. She also answers a listener question about the most sensible advice clients resist, explaining why nervous system safety and readiness matter more than logic when it comes to eating regularly or buying clothes that fit. If you’ve ever wondered what “all-in” looks like from the inside—or why advice can sound simple but feel impossible—this episode will meet you there. BINGE EATING TO INTUITIVE EATING COURSE : Starts September 29 2025 Connect with Stefanie: Website: www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack: www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Email: [email protected]

In this solo episode of Life After Diets, Stefanie Michele takes a deeply personal look at identity — how it forms, how it gets tangled up with food and body image, and how it shifts in the process of recovery. With her co-host Sarah leaving the podcast, Stefanie reflects on what it means to carry the podcast forward on her own and how that mirrors the ways we all renegotiate who we are when familiar roles change. She shares vulnerable stories from her teenage years, including moments when dieting and comparison became tied to her sense of belonging, and how those early identities carried forward into adulthood. Stefanie unpacks the pull of societal validation — being seen as the “fit one,” the “healthy one,” or even the “struggling one” — and how these labels can feel both protective and limiting. The episode also explores the everyday challenges of navigating diet culture, from handling casual food and body talk to setting boundaries that protect your well-being. Stefanie discusses practical ways to self-soothe, create space for uncomfortable emotions, and question the narratives that no longer serve you. More than a story of food or recovery, this conversation is about identity itself: the parts of us we protect, the roles we cling to, and the freedom that comes with exploring new ways of being. Connect with Stefanie: Website: www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack: www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Email: [email protected]    

A very special announcement to say that Life After Diets is closing a chapter to open some new ones. As Sarah makes room in her life for new endeavors (if you're in the UK area, be sure to subscribe to her mailing list for future in-person events), Stef will still be a voice in your ear under the Life After Diets name...for now.  To stay in touch with Stef and Sarah, you can use the following links: Connect with Stefanie Michele, Binge Eating & Body Image Coach; Somatic Therapist Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack - www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Connect with Sarah Dosanjh, Author & Psychotherapist Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/the_binge_eating_therapist YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon We sincerely appreciate everyone who has been a part of the Life After Diets community, whether that meant listening in your car on the way to work, playing an episode while out on a walk, or having us on in the background as you moved through the everyday routines of your life. However you found us, however often you tuned in, we don’t take it lightly. It has meant so much to know that our voices have traveled alongside you, that the conversations we’ve had together have been part of your own reflections and your own stories. We created this podcast hoping it would feel like company. A place to come back to when you needed it. Knowing that so many of you did just that has been a gift beyond what we imagined. Thank you for inviting us into your time and your world. xx

Recovery from disordered eating doesn’t end the moment bingeing stops — that’s often where an entirely new phase begins. In this episode, Stef and Sarah unpack the often-overlooked “middle ground” of recovery — the stage where the chaos of bingeing has quieted, but true peace with food still feels out of reach. Stef describes this phase as a kind of emotional limbo: the urgency is gone, but now there’s loneliness, uncertainty, and a disorienting sense of now what?. Sarah shares how she moved from bingeing to occasional overeating, and how easy it was to slip into black-and-white thinking without recognizing the real progress she’d already made. Together, they explore: what this “no man’s land” actually looks and feels like why it’s normal to struggle more with self-image once the bingeing stops the importance of community, language, and support during this time how to build trust in yourself before everything feels fully healed why this middle stage isn’t failure — it’s where real integration happens If you’re past the acute phase but still don’t feel “recovered,” this conversation will help you name where you are, trust the process, and move forward with more clarity (and less self-judgment). Connect with Stefanie Michele, Binge Eating Coach & Somatic Therapist IT Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack - www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Connect with Sarah Dosanjh, Author & Psychotherapist Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/the_binge_eating_therapist YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Marcus returns as the only guest we’ve ever invited back to the podcast, and in this conversation, he opens up about his evolving understanding of neurodivergence — particularly through the lens of autism — and how that realization has reshaped his recovery from an eating disorder, his relationships, and his sense of self. With honesty, nuance, and hard-won clarity, Marcus shares what it’s been like to recognize autistic traits later in life, to untangle years of masking, and to reframe behaviors that once felt like personal failings as natural responses to a world not built for his brain. We talk about the overlap between autism and disordered eating, the tension between sensory overwhelm and nourishment, and the emotional weight of trying to function in social environments that feel confusing or unsafe. This episode moves slowly and intentionally through themes of identity, regulation, emotional flooding, and the pressure to “get it right” in recovery. It’s a conversation for anyone who’s ever suspected that their struggles with food, emotion, or connection might be rooted in something deeper than what’s visible, and for anyone curious about the intersection of neurodivergence and healing.   Join our support community. This community is for you if you want a safe space to work through your daily struggles with food and body image. Community membership includes livestream episode recordings (online), monthly Zoom support meetings, a private Facebook group and member-only Q&A episodes. For more information go to: https://www.patreon.com/lifeafterdiets Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast Email – [email protected] Connect with Stefanie Michele, Binge Eating Coach & Somatic Therapist IT Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack - www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Connect with Sarah Dosanjh, Author & Psychotherapist Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/the_binge_eating_therapist YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

You’d think feeling bad about your body would make you eat less. But often, it does the opposite — and no, you’re not broken for that. In this episode, we talk about the counterintuitive link between body image spirals and the urge to binge eat. We share our own experiences of how fear, shame, and catastrophizing can kick off the cycle — sometimes even before any actual restriction happens. From the mental scarcity that shows up just at the idea of cutting back, to the sensory panic of tight jeans, we explore what’s really going on beneath the surface. We also talk about: Why planning to restrict often triggers the binge The role of black-and-white thinking and emotional escape How body discomfort creates urgency to numb out Practical strategies for de-escalating the moment (including algorithm cleanup and body neutrality) Plus, we share some food updates, lighter moments, and how this overlaps with topics from our other podcast, Feelings and Other Inconveniences. If you’ve ever felt confused or ashamed about bingeing after a “bad body day,” this episode will help you understand why — and what to do about it.   Love the episode? Leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform — it helps more than you’d think (and yes, we actually read them). Join our support community. This community is for you if you want a safe space to work through your daily struggles with food and body image. Community membership includes livestream episode recordings (online), monthly Zoom support meetings, a private Facebook group and member-only Q&A episodes. For more information go to: https://www.patreon.com/lifeafterdiets Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast Email – [email protected] Connect with Stefanie Michele, Binge Eating Coach & Somatic Therapist IT Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Connect with Sarah Dosanjh, Author & Psychotherapist Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/the_binge_eating_therapist YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

What takes up space in your mind when food no longer does?   In this live episode with the Life After Diets community, we explore what happens when food obsession fades.  Do we land in a new identity with different thoughts and interests? Or do we find new mental fixations waiting in the wings?   From identity shifts and social anxiety to ego, neurodivergence, and the need for stimulation, we dig into what it really means to reclaim your mental real estate. A candid, insightful conversation about what comes next in life after diets.   01:08 Personal Experiences with Obsession 02:43 Finding New Focus and Purpose 04:15 Balancing Life and Recovery 05:28 Exploring Identity Beyond Food 20:48 Dealing with Social Anxiety and Self-Perception 21:29 Common Replacements for Food Obsessions 24:00 Embracing Downtime and Self-Care 25:22 Intentional Living  26:19 Exploring Neurodiversity and Monotropism 27:57 Challenges with Transitions and Coping Mechanisms 30:23 Secondary Stimulation  39:02 Ego Self and Higher Consciousness   Join our support community. This community is for you if you want a safe space to work through your daily struggles with food and body image. Community membership includes livestream episode recordings (online), monthly Zoom support meetings, a private Facebook group and member-only Q&A episodes. For more information go to: https://www.patreon.com/lifeafterdiets Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast Email – [email protected] Connect with Stefanie Michele, Binge Eating Coach & Somatic Therapist IT Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Connect with Sarah Dosanjh, Author & Psychotherapist Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com Instagram – www.instagram.com/the_binge_eating_therapist YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon