What if the real transformation isn’t about losing weight… but rebuilding who you are from the inside out?

In this episode of Eat the Fcking Food, Kristin Collins sits down with author and health & wellness copywriter Carrie Williams to unpack the decades of conditioning that shaped how women think about food, movement, and their bodies… and what it actually takes to break free.

Carrie shares her deeply personal story, from her first “I’m fat” moment in third grade to navigating years of dieting, self-doubt, and starting over, again and again. What changed everything wasn’t another plan or protocol… it was a mindset shift rooted in doing hard things on purpose.

This conversation moves beyond surface-level nutrition advice. It explores how strength training, emotional healing, and self-worth are all connected, and why building muscle is about so much more than how you look.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in the cycle of starting over… this episode will feel like a reset.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why your relationship with food started earlier than you think
• The hidden conditioning from childhood that still impacts your body today
• Why dieting teaches you how to lose… but never how to maintain
• The truth about building muscle and why most women aren’t lifting heavy enough
• How strength training improves not just your body, but your confidence and identity
• The connection between emotional health, self-worth, and nutrition
• Why doing hard things on purpose rewires how you handle life
• How small, consistent steps create massive long-term transformation
• The four pillars of true health, movement, metabolism, mindset, and meaning
• Why self-love is the foundation of sustainable health

We talk about:

• 00:00 Introduction to Carrie Williams and her journey
• 01:30 Meeting during a maintenance phase and unlearning diet culture
• 03:00 Carrie’s first “I’m fat” moment in childhood
• 05:30 How early conditioning shapes lifelong body image
• 07:00 Why dieting teaches you to lose, not maintain
• 08:30 The missing piece, learning how to sustain results
• 10:00 Why building muscle changes everything
• 12:00 Strength training, confidence, and taking up space
• 14:00 The emotional and spiritual side of health
• 16:00 Why everything, food, movement, mindset, is connected
• 18:00 The struggle of prioritizing yourself in midlife
• 20:00 Overcoming fear of lifting heavy and building strength
• 22:00 Carrie’s back pain transformation through glute strength
• 24:30 Why doing hard things builds resilience and identity
• 27:00 The Phoenix Effect and rewriting your story

Connect with Carrie

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrie.m.williams/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carrie.m.williams.940
• https://thecarriewilliamsedit.com/

Connect with me

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinrcollins/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kristin.collins
• Website: https://kristincollinshealthcoaching.com/

#StopStartingOver #MidlifeTransformation #FoodFreedomForWomen

What if the reason you’re stuck with food, your body, or your confidence… has nothing to do with discipline?

In this episode of Eat the Fcking Food, Kristin Collins sits down with midlife transformation coach and 15x Ironman athlete Jen Rulon to unpack the decades of conditioning that taught women to shrink, restrict, and “earn” their food, and what it actually takes to break free.

Jen shares how growing up in the Weight Watchers era shaped her relationship with food, why even elite-level athleticism didn’t fix the mindset, and how learning the science of metabolism, movement, and nervous system regulation completely changed everything.

This conversation goes far beyond weight loss. It’s about reclaiming your voice, rebuilding trust with your body, and finally stepping into your full power in midlife.

If you’ve ever felt like you need to do more, eat less, or be smaller to be worthy… this episode will shift something in you.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why so many women believe they have to “earn” their food
• The hidden mindset that keeps you stuck in restriction and guilt
• How understanding metabolism changes the way you eat forever
• The role of nervous system regulation in weight loss and energy
• Why midlife is the most powerful time to redefine your identity
• How strength training and movement build confidence beyond your body
• How to stop shrinking and fully express who you are
• The four pillars Jen uses to transform her clients’ lives
• Why rest is just as important as movement (and why it feels so hard)
• How to create sustainable habits that evolve with your life

We talk about:

• 00:00 Meet Jen Rulon and her midlife transformation journey
• 01:30 Growing up in the Weight Watchers and diet culture era
• 03:00 Learning to feel guilty around food at a young age
• 05:00 The belief that you have to “earn” your food
• 06:30 Discovering Ironman and entering the world of endurance training
• 08:00 Using exercise to justify eating instead of fueling performance
• 09:30 When fitness doesn’t fix your relationship with food
• 10:30 Learning the science of metabolism
• 14:30 Food shaming and why it keeps women stuck
• 16:30 Why midlife women struggle to trust themselves
• 18:30 The impact of childhood conditioning on self-expression
• 21:00 The four pillars, movement, metabolism, mindset, and meaning
• 24:30 Why longevity and quality of life become the real goal

Connect with Jen

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjenrulon/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachJenRulonMS
• https://jenrulon.com/

Connect with me

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinrcollins/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kristin.collins
• Website: https://kristincollinshealthcoaching.com/

#MidlifeWeightLoss #FoodFreedom #StopShrinking

What does it actually take to lose over 100 pounds… and keep it off?

In this episode of Eat the Fcking Food*, Kristin Collins sits down with Allison O’Brien, content creator and founder of Living Simply Well, to unpack the real story behind her 140-pound weight loss journey.

This is not another conversation about perfection, restriction, or chasing the next “fix.” Instead, Allison shares how she broke free from years of over-optimizing, under-eating, and constantly starting over, and built a sustainable approach rooted in nervous system support, nourishment, and self-trust.

From closing a six-figure business to reclaim her health, to redefining productivity and using tools like GLP-1 intentionally, this episode is a powerful reminder that lasting change happens when your habits actually fit your life.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why doing everything “perfectly” can still leave you feeling exhausted and disconnected
• The real reason weight loss plateaus happen (even when nothing changes on paper)
• How nervous system regulation impacts metabolism, energy, and consistency
• Why discipline alone isn’t the answer, and what actually creates peace
• How to build sustainable weight loss habits that work in real life
• The truth about GLP-1 medications and how to use them as a tool, not a crutch
• Why your habits must evolve with your season of life
• How to stop tying your worth to productivity and outcomes
• What a “bare minimum day” looks like and why it prevents burnout
• How to move out of all-or-nothing thinking into long-term consistency
• Why you don’t need to choose between success, health, or peace
• The mindset shift that allows you to finally trust your body again

We talk about:

• 00:00 Meet Allison O’Brien and her 100+ pound weight loss journey
• 01:30 The cycle of perfectionism, under-eating, and burnout
• 03:00 Why “doing everything right” wasn’t working anymore
• 05:00 The plateau that forced a deeper mindset shift
• 06:30 Burnout, anxiety, and closing a six-figure business
• 08:00 Redefining productivity and success as a woman
• 10:00 Building a life-first, not business-first, approach
• 12:00 Creating space, routines, and intentional mornings
• 15:00 The power of walking, movement, and mental clarity
• 17:00 “Bare minimum days” and staying consistent in hard seasons
• 19:00 Why health looks different in every season of life
• 21:00 Losing 140 pounds and learning to take up space
• 23:00 The mindset shift that made everything sustainable
• 25:00 The truth about GLP-1 and metabolic health
• 28:00 Why wellness has to become your identity, not a phase
• 30:00 Consistency, flexibility, and letting go of perfection

Connect with Allison

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamafinally
• X: https://www.x.com/mamafinally
• https://www.livingsimpleandwell.com/

Connect with me

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinrcollins/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kristin.collins
• Website: https://kristincollinshealthcoaching.com/

#SustainableWeightLoss #StopStartingOver #HealthyHabits