Women are conditioned to turn compliments into self-criticism, even in casual settings. The societal pressure to look a certain way often overshadows self-appreciation, and that causes so many women to focus on perceived flaws.

Nicole Christina is a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience, specializing in anxiety, depression, grief, food and body issues, and positive aging. Today Dr. Bonnie and Nicole discuss the beauty industry and miracle products that simply don’t work, and how body-shaming is deeply intertwined throughout generations of women.

Practical advice: Instead of aiming for “body love,” women can start with the goal of body neutrality. This shift can be more accessible and realistic, allowing the movement away from shame and toward a more constructive relationship with our bodies.

Diet culture traps us in cycles of guilt and self-criticism. Nicole suggests focusing on experiences that bring joy and meaning rather than food-related anxieties. She recommends resources and tips on how to foster a gentler and more understanding approach to ourselves.

Show notes:
🤷‍♀️ Through her practice, Nicole discovered how many talented and accomplished women have problematic relationships with food. 3:21
🤔 Food-related problems usually appear around midlife and menopause. 6:16
🫥 The different reasons why women start to feel invisible. 8:54
⚠️ Looking at our body and our exercise can help us feel safe and in control: living in a world hyper-focused on looks, our weight has dire consequences. 12:59
❓ What is the purpose you're fulfilling by focusing on food and exercise? 16:42
🤯 Today, it's a radical not to hate your body. 18:02
👀 A wake-up call: who benefits from you hating your body? 19:26
🔥 Scientific research on different moisturizers. 23:01
🩱 How thin you are doesn't equal how healthy you are. 25:31
👉 If you're hanging out with chronic dieters, you're just going to stay in that indoctrination. 28:39
🥺 When we're attacking ourselves, we're both the attacker and the victim. 31:16
🌸 Try your best to stay away from junk food, and if you're physically able, get out, walk, and enjoy the beauty of life! 34:05

Links:

Website: www.nicolechristina.com

Podcast: www.zestfulaging.com

Recommended Resources:

Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield

Dr. Kristen Neff’s self-compassion materials, including her workbook and YouTube videos

Connect with Dr. Bonnie Wims:www.linkedin.com/in/drbonniewims

Book a free call with Dr. Bonnie Wims:calendly.com/bonnie-96

I went into therapy the first time with the attitude that it wouldn’t work. The second time, I gave it another shot, and it changed everything for me.

Jen Schwytzer is a licensed social worker, foster parent, coach, and CEO of KINDfulness Coaching. She specializes in empowering individuals to unlock their full potential. She helps women navigate stress, overwhelm, or burnout, enhancing their leadership skills, advancing in their current roles, or overcoming the chaos of family life.

Jen shares her personal journey with anxiety and the transformative role therapy has played in her life. She self-diagnosed anxiety, believing she had it under control due to her background in social work. After an official diagnosis, she attended therapy with a social worker but went into the session with skepticism and a closed-off mindset. As a result, she didn’t find value in the experience and decided therapy wasn’t for her.

Several years later, facing a series of personal crises, her anxiety worsened, and she looked for help again. This time, she found a therapist she felt a genuine connection with, which marked a turning point in her mental health journey

Everyone needs a safe space to talk about what comes up for them. Therapy gives you that outside perspective to help you get yourself in check.

Notes:
🌺 Jen works with women around anxiety, burnout, stress, and overwhelm. 01:15
🦸‍♀️ Social workers are unsung heroes: Jen’s journey into social work. 03:05
👩‍💼 Jen was overwhelmed and didn’t know it: starting her coaching business. 07:22
⚠️ Warning signs in Jen’s life: symptoms of burnout and making the decision to change. 11:00
🎯 Start with small changes: taking control, inner work, and releasing external factors of control. 14:00
😇 Jen’s work on her anxiety in therapy: reasons she needed to seek therapy. 16:53
🕵️‍♀️ Choosing the right therapist: the relationship is the most important thing in therapy work. 20:49
🤓 Jen is ‘the manager’ type: allowing things to happen without her constant control. 23:08
🦺 Having a safe space to talk about issues: the power of outside perspective and tough love in life. 27:24
🏋️‍♀️ The weight on her shoulders: it’s not all about you. 30:47
💫 Trying again with therapy: being an active participant and having the right mindset. 33:07

Links:

Connect: www.linkedin.com/in/jlschwytzer

Website www.kindfulnesscoaching.com
Follow Dr. Bonnie Wims:www.linkedin.com/in/drbonniewims

Book a free call with Dr. Bonnie Wims:calendly.com/bonnie-96

You can't give in to the fear, because healing won't happen.

Susan Snow is a speaker, coach, and author of the book “The Other Side of the Gun”.

Susan describes the overwhelming shock she felt when her father - a Los Angeles detective - got ambushed and shot in front of her brother’s school on Halloween. Her world was painted black and her young teenage life was thrust into a world of pain and loss. The trauma of losing a parent in such a violent manner created deep psychological scars, affecting her relationships and her sense of security.

This tragic event set the stage for her lifelong struggle with PTSD, a condition that would go undiagnosed for years. She openly speaks about the nightmares, anxiety, and flashbacks that haunted her daily life, and how these symptoms were often misunderstood by those around her. The lack of understanding and support only compounded her sense of isolation, making it even harder for her to find a path to healing.

One more school shooting was the pivotal moment when she began her healing journey. Through therapy, she started to unpack the layers of grief and trauma. Susan talks about the coping mechanisms she developed, such as mindfulness and self-care practices, which helped her regain control of her life.

Her journey was not easy, but Susan found strength in her vulnerability. She began to advocate for mental health awareness, using her story to help others struggling with similar issues.

Notes:
👨‍👧 Susan’s father was killed in a drive-by shooting at her brother’s school in 1985: when Susan was only 17. 02:05
☹️ Living with unaddressed trauma: struggling with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts without knowing how to deal with them. 08:15
👮‍♂️ Thomas C Williams was a great dad, very present in his relationship with his daughter: Susan’s abandonment issues; her shattered her sense of safety. 11:23
👨‍⚕️ Mom’s self-sabotaging approach to coping with trauma and grief: starting generic therapy paid for by the LAPD. 14:22
🕶️ Susan’s rose-colored glasses shattered: moving to Colorado and being triggered by a school shooting. 19:29
🤯 Her first real therapist realized instantly she had PTSD. 22:54.
✍️ Insomnia, and being terrified of sleeping: therapy, journaling and breathing work. 27:47
🤗 Embracing vulnerability in her life and her book: not giving in to the fears. 32:26
⚡ Everyone has trauma, and many fear vulnerability: healing is a way to reclaim your power. 36:10
💜 Give yourself grace when you don’t have it: healing your younger self and validating yourself. 40:30

Links:

Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRYXZKY2

Website: www.SusanSnowSpeaks.com

Follow Dr. Bonnie Wims:www.linkedin.com/in/drbonniewims

Book a free call with Dr. Bonnie Wims:calendly.com/bonnie-96