Insatiable with Ali Shapiro, MSOD, CHHC

Happy New Year, Insatiable listeners! Welcome to 2026.Today I’m resharing my conversation with parenting expert Dr. Deborah MacNamara, where we explore how food connects to our deep need for belonging, how feeling significant plays into belonging and food choices, as well as the many ways we can heal our relationships with food, fullness, and needing other people.If you want to make real changes with your or your loved ones eating, this episode just might help you make life-changing connections that have been elusive for years and be focused in the right direction for 2026.Tune in, then make sure to check out my new website trucewithfood.com. We discuss:The difference between attachment and belongingWhat Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is missingHow to focus on receptivity in relationships with our kidsWhy food is often the place our relationship dynamics play outThe surprising connection between food, fullness, and vulnerabilitySelf-soothing vs satiationWhy feelings are different than emotionsThe problematic invasiveness of “work mode”Experimenting with being “needy” so we can learn to depend on othersMore about our guest: Dr. Deborah MacNamara is the author of two books, Nourished: Connection, food and caring for our kids (and everyone else we love), and Rest, Play, Grow: Making sense of preschoolers (or anyone who acts like one). She is on Faculty at the Neufeld Institute and the Director of Kid’s Best Bet counselling.Connect with Dr. Deborah MacNamara:WebsiteBooksFacebookInstagramMentioned in this episode:Dr. Gordon Neufeld & Dr. Gabor MatéThe Religion of Wellness Culture with Anne Helen Petersen (Episode 252)Send me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

What if your inability to change isn't a failure of willpower, but your heart's way of protecting you from something you're not ready to face?Today I’m sharing a conversation I had with Meghan Telpner for the Courageous Pivot podcast about how my journey from overworking addiction to radical life redesign began with a simple question: "Why does this make sense?"I reveals how addressing my relationship with food became the gateway to confronting deeper questions about worth, identity, and what success actually means—and why healing often requires becoming a beginner all over again. From my journey through cancer, infertility, and postpartum menopause to finally redefining wealth as "freedom over my time," we get into how having the courage to slow down and listen to your body's wisdom can unlock transformations you never imagined possible.Essential listening for anyone measuring busyness instead of impact, struggling to make changes they know they need, or ready to understand why their body might be wiser than their ambition.We discuss:Why only 1 in 7 heart attack survivors actually change their diet and lifestyle—even when they know it could save their livesThe hidden cost of measuring busyness instead of impact and how it perpetuates chronic exhaustionThe developmental reason we spend the first half of life proving we can exert our will on the world—and what the second half requiresWhy food (and overwork) are “almost addictive”—soothing just enough to quiet the alarm but never enough to meet the actual needWhat “immunity to change” reveals about the knowing-doing gap and why willpower will never be the answerHow cultural conditioning around productivity and “earning your worth” gets embedded in our nervous systemsThe question that transforms self-judgment into constructive self-compassionConnect with Meghan:Visit Meghan’s websiteListen to the Courageous Pivot PodcastMentioned in this episode:Culinary Nutrition: How to Cook for Health and Taste with Meghan Telpner – Insatiable Season 12, Episode 2Enneagram: personality typesImmunity to Change by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey — published by Harvard Business Review PressRest, Play, Grow by Dr. Deborah MacNamaraNourished by Dr. Deborah MacNamara — available through her foundation websiteLaura McKowen — writer on sobriety whose rule "it's not your fault, but it is your responsibility"Dr. Stacy Sims — exercise physiologist, Ali references regarding protein recomSend me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

Today, Sas Petherick returns for the fifth installment of our Body Stories series — and she’s nearly a year into her holistic weight-loss journey!In this conversation, Sas shares what’s become unmistakably clear along the way: true change happens at the pace of your body, and all-or-nothing thinking around food and movement is far more pervasive (and sneaky) than we realize.Together, we discuss:Why dieting isn’t an either/or thing — and you’re never just “on track” or “off track”How Sas embraced her birthday dinner without stressing over macrosMoving at the pace of your body instead of rushing to the “end” of a dietThe realities of The Biggest Loser and the ways they faked things for TVHow to choose a trainer you can actually trustSelf-compassion as an antidote to perfectionismSas’ sobriety journey and finding the third wayMake sure to check out Ali’s new website trucewithfood.com, and take the new Find Your Food Stage assessment!Connect with Sas Petherick:Visit Sas’s websiteFollow Sas on InstagramSubscribe to Sas’s newsletter Courage & SpiceMentioned in this episode:How to Lose Weight AND Love Yourself (because you can do both!) with Sas Petherick [Body Stories Series #1]“We’re the Brave Ones” — Discipline vs Devotion, Macros & Being “Sporty” with Sas Petherick [Body Stories Series #2]Emotions & Embodiment for Sustainable Weight Loss with Sas Petherick [Body Stories Series #3]How to Hold Your Weight Loss Goals Loosely (for better results) with Sas Petherick [Body Stories #4]Fit For TV: The Reality of The Biggest LoserSelf-compassion books from Kristin NeffTrain with JoanSend me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

You’ve probably heard the advice: “Feel your emotions.” But what does that actually mean in everyday life? Especially when so many of us believe we’re feeling our feelings when we’re actually thinking our feelings. And thus, not feeling better or resolving our stubborn bad habits.In this episode, Mary Tilson joins me to explore how we’ve each learned to stay with and move through our emotions.Mary also opens up about her journey with addiction and anorexia, offering an honest look at how activation, dysregulation, and stress show up in our bodies and minds.We discuss:Being with our feelings instead of “rising above” themPracticing mindful awareness with the R.A.I.N. acronymSimple (but effective!) ways to resource yourselfAddiction as an adaptationThe realities of recovery and finding joy every dayThe science of awe and the healing powers of nature More about our guest: Mary Tilson is a Certified Professional Recovery Coach and Somatic Practitioner with a Master’s Degree in the Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health. She draws on a holistic background, which includes Somatic Experiencing, a body-based approach to healing trauma and stress-related disorders and over a decade of experience as a Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher. Having experienced drug and alcohol addiction firsthand, Mary's approach to coaching is rooted in compassion and understanding. She has been sober for over 12 years and is passionate about helping others build fulfilling lives substance-free. She supports clients through 1:1 Coaching and Retreats.Connect with Mary:Visit her website at sunandmoonsoberliving.comFollow her on IG: @marytilson @sunandmoon.soberlivingListen to her Podcast: The Sun & Moon Sober Living PodcastJoin her 2026 Women's Recovery Retreat: sunandmoonsoberliving.com/banffSend me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

This week, Beatriz Victoria Albina returns to Insatiable for part two of our conversation on ending emotional outsourcing — the habit of looking outside ourselves for validation, safety, and worth.In this episode, we explore the practices that help you come back home to yourself: tuning into your needs, regulating your nervous system, returning to your body, and reclaiming your center.It all begins with one simple but powerful question: What feels good right now?Join us as we explore what it means to live from that place of connection and self-trust.We discuss:How to reconnect with your biological impulsesFunctional freeze and how to feel your feelings (not think them)Why wellness is not about coffee enemas or random supplementsThe dangers of emotionally outsourcing to wellness professionalsHow we’re trained to prioritize productivitySomatic practice and praxisMore about our guest: Beatriz (Béa) Victoria Albina, NP, MPH, SEP (she/her) is a UCSF-trained Family Nurse Practitioner, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Master Certified Somatic Life Coach, author of End Emotional Outsourcing: a Guide to Overcoming Codependent, Perfectionist and People Pleasing Habits and Breathwork Meditation Guide with a passion for helping humans socialized as women to reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems and rewire their minds, so they can break free from codependency, perfectionism and people pleasing and reclaim their joy.She is the host of the Feminist Wellness Podcast, holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health and a BA in Latin American Studies from Oberlin College. Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Béa grew up in the great state of Rhode Island. She has been working in health & wellness for over 20 years and lives with her wife, Billey Albina and their handsome all-black cat Wade.Connect with Béa:WebsiteBook WebsiteInstagram: @beatrizvictoriaalbinanpPodcast: Feminist WellnessFacebookLinkedInFree MeditationsSend me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

Today, I’m joined by Beatriz Victoria Albina for a conversation about the emotions that often hide beneath common gut issues—and why codependency isn’t the real problem (and boundaries aren’t the full solution).We also dive into her new book, End Emotional Outsourcing: A Guide to Overcoming Codependent, Perfectionist, and People-Pleasing Habits, where Beatriz offers powerful reframes on parenting, community, and self-trust.This episode feels like a deep exhale—a reminder that healing isn’t about fixing yourself, but coming home to yourself.Join us for part one today, and come back next week for part two.We discuss:Our backgrounds with functional medicineWhat it means to end emotional outsourcingWhy codependency isn’t the problem and boundaries aren’t the answerHow patriarchy undermines caring for each other and ourselvesWhy perfectionism isn’t an identity - it’s a habitAttachment styles and “good enough” parentingHow to stop striving and actually relaxPolyvagal theory for healthy skepticsFunctional freeze and why we dissociate from joyWhy people-pleasing isn’t a problem — it’s a protection strategy More about our guest: Beatriz (Béa) Victoria Albina, NP, MPH, SEP (she/her) is a UCSF-trained Family Nurse Practitioner, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Master Certified Somatic Life Coach, author of End Emotional Outsourcing: a Guide to Overcoming Codependent, Perfectionist and People Pleasing Habits and Breathwork Meditation Guide with a passion for helping humans socialized as women to reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems and rewire their minds, so they can break free from codependency, perfectionism and people pleasing and reclaim their joy.She is the host of the Feminist Wellness Podcast, holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health and a BA in Latin American Studies from Oberlin College. Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Béa grew up in the great state of Rhode Island. She has been working in health & wellness for over 20 years and lives with her wife, Billey Albina and their handsome all-black cat Wade. Connect with Béa:WebsiteBook WebsiteInstagram: @beatrizvictoriaalbinanpPodcast: Feminist WellnessFacebookLinkedInFree MeditationsSend me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

Today I’m joined by everyone’s favorite poet, Kate Baer, for a tender conversation about midlife transitions, medical anxiety, and the power of female friendship.We talk about how to orient around ideas instead of problems, and we share a few poems from Kate’s forthcoming collection, How About Now, out November 4th.If you’ve been feeling a little lonely, uncertain, or in-between — or all three — this one is for you.We discuss:How the body makes itself known in midlifeBody neutrality, medical anxiety, and illnessThe public scrutiny around Kate’s weight lossParenting in a fatphobic world“Menopause is when all the girls you were come out to play”How to cultivate female friendships — even through conflictThe difference between community and friendsBeing erased from the male gaze as you ageMore about our guest: Kate Baer is the 3x New York Times bestselling author of What Kind Of Woman, I Hope This Finds You Well, and And Yet. Her work has also been published in The New Yorker, Literary Hub, Huffington Post and The New York Times. Her next book, How About Now, is out November 4, 2025.Connect with Kate:Kate’s website: www.katebaer.comKate’s Instagram: @katejbaerBuy How About Now. Pre and early orders help authors so much: bookshop.org/p/books/how-about-now-poems-kate-baerMentioned in this episode:Katie SturinoSend me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

This week Liz Wolfe returns to the show for a candid conversation about all the fitness myths we’re seeing around the wild world of wellness in 2025.Together, we get into why people are slapping the word “perimenopause” on everything, how to focus on agility as much as strength training, and everyone’s favorite fall purchase: weighted vests.We also discuss:Taylor’s new album and why we love her with TravisWhy strength is different than muscle massLiz’s tips for injury prevention at any ageThe nervous system benefits of proper formHow to reclaim your range of motion to prevent injuryPerfectionism as a protection strategyHow much muscle you can actually build (and maintain)The very real risks of under-eating in midlifeFinding yourself on the spectrum of detrained to trainedMuscle and strength don’t vanish from a few off weeks but at 4-6 weeks of no trainingWhat Liz really thinks about weighted vests More about our guest: Liz Wolfe is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Certified Personal Trainer, best-selling author and award-winning podcaster. She’s also a mom, a military spouse, and an Enneagram 6 (with a STRONG 5 wing).When it comes to wellness, Liz has always been curious about where the truth actually lies. She’s wrote the Wall Street Journal best-seller Eat the Yolks, which tackles many of the lies we’ve been told about nutrition over the last 50 years. She’s also the founder of supplement company IdealAge and the host of the Ideal Age podcast.Connect with Liz:Visit Liz’s websiteFollow Liz on Instagram @realfoodliz Mentioned in this episode:Simplifying Food: Liz Wolfe on the Magic of Macros (especially as we age)Over 40 Metabolism Myths with Liz Wolfe, NTP and Certified Personal TrainerSend me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

This week, I’m joined by my former cohost Juliet Root for a fun, truth-seeking conversation about how our perspectives on food, body, and movement have shifted in 2025.Together, we share the biggest things we’ve changed our minds about—what no longer feels true, what surprised us, and what new possibilities opened up when we let old beliefs go.We discuss:Releasing restriction and shameProtein, fiber, and variety in our dietsDental care and holistic vs Western dentistsIs getting to the “root cause” endless? and reconsidering functional medicineUpdating our views on mammogramsThe nuanced truth about weighted vestsReal talk about “vanity weight loss”Where we stand with food tracking and GLP1sChanging our minds about zone two cardio & HIITThe value of community and how connection improves our health More about Juliet: Juliet Root is the co-founder of Ultralife, an online coaching platform, where she has spent nearly two decades helping people achieve lasting health, fitness, and longevity. As a certified personal trainer, board-certified nutritionist, and health coach, Juliet has worked with thousands of clients ranging from busy parents to high-performing executives and celebrities. Her mission is to cut through the noise of fitness fads and give people clear, sustainable strategies to feel and perform their best. Juliet has been featured in Shape Magazine, NBC, ABC, and Fox News, and is known for making complex training and nutrition science practical and actionable. At her company Ultralife she and here team help adults 35+ build strength, energy, and resilience so they can thrive in every season of lifeMentioned in this episode:Juliet Root and UltralifeErin Holt297. Why I Joined Orange Theory (even though it’s “Bad” if you’re over 40)Send me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage

If you’ve ever thought “Why can’t I just stick with it?”, this episode is for you.Today I’m resharing a conversation I had with Noelle Tarr of Coconuts & Kettlebells for her podcast, Well-Fed Women.We discuss why willpower isn’t the problem, how shame hijacks true behavior change, and what it really takes to heal your relationship with food and your body. We also dive into emotional eating, weight loss without diet culture, and the mindset shifts that actually work—no guilt trips included.Questions we explore:How can people start to rethink the idea of willpower so it’s not the enemy?Why is it that I feel like a lot of us know what to do but we can’t follow through consistently?In your work, what is the biggest mindset shift for women struggling with food and fitness?How do we distinguish between emotional hunger and physical hunger, especially if it’s been disconnected for years?I’ve noticed a week before my period I have intense carb and sugar cravings. Is there a reason?Why do I still lie to myself even when I know the thing will hurt me?How do we approach weight loss without feeling shame or guilt?How can we change mindset and behavior and see results in our bodies and help our children with it without shame?How do you start a regular exercise routine when you don’t have the time?I was a weight watchers girl and have tracked points and calories on and off.  I haven’t tracked my food the past few years, but I’m at the point where I think tracking macros would be helpful. Any tips on how to ease back into tracking?I was diagnosed with cancer and have been down for the count with treatment and recovery has been slow. How do I come back from this? How do I position my mindset going in to the end of treatment?With all the advertisements for GLP-1s, it definitely feels like the new savior. I am classified as obese by the medical system and have high blood pressure. How do we make sure we’re making decisions on medical treatment that are grounded in health and not vanity? Mentioned in this episode:Coconuts & KettlebellsWell-Fed WomenGluten-Free Dinner RollsSend me (Ali) a text message.🧭 If you're tired of knowing what works but not being able to make it stick, try my free food stage finder. There are four distinct stages in how we relate to food, and a few questions will reveal yours along with next steps. Visit: trucewithfood.com/find-your-food-stage