Diet Culture Rebel Podcast 211. How Diet Culture Teaches Us to Ignore Our Needs (and What to Do Instead)
In this powerful episode, Bonnie Roney sits down with Alison Faulkner to explore how deeply food and body image struggles can affect every part of our lives, often in ways no one sees. Alison shares her journey from high-achieving, outward success to a full nervous system shutdown that led her to a 21-day mental health treatment center. Together, they unpack how early messaging around food, pressure to “have it all together,” and the inability to ask for help can shape our self-worth and disconnection from our bodies. This conversation is a reminder that healing your relationship with food can be the key to finding peace, reclaiming your voice, and learning to take up space unapologetically.
What you'll hear in this episode:
- Why appearing “fine” can hide serious struggles
- The connection between food rules and nervous system burnout
- How early childhood messaging around eating can shape adulthood
- The power of self-trust vs. self-love in the healing journey
- Why asking for help is hard and how to unlearn that
- Allison’s experience at a mental health retreat and what it taught her
- What it means to be “already awesome,” even in the messy middle
- How to start seeing your body as something to support, not control
- A call to reject shame and advocate for your own care
Connect with Alison:
Alison's IG: @thealisonshow
Alison's book: https://amzn.to/44jc1b6
Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?
You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.
Connect with Bonnie on Instagram: @diet.culture.rebel