In this heart-opening bonus episode of PCOS Unfiltered, I am joined by sugar addiction expert Kerri from Empower Wellness Coaching for the second part of our discussion on emotional eating. Together, we unpack the real reasons behind food cravings—from loneliness to burnout—and why willpower isn't the answer. You'll learn how mindful eating, self-care, and tuning into your body's unmet needs can break the cycle of guilt and sugar addiction. We'll share more personal stories, practical tools, and mindset shifts that help women reclaim their power, stop the binge-restrict cycle, and finally find food freedom. Plus, don’t miss details on the upcoming Hunger Boss: Mindful Eating Challenge starting June 23rd!
What We Cover in This Episode:
Plus, Kerri shares how one client learned she didn’t even like pizza once she actually paid attention—proof that awareness can change everything.
💥 Ready for a breakthrough of your own?
Join my Hunger Boss: Mindful Eating Challenge—kicking off June 23rd! 👉 register HERE 🔗
In just 3 days (and under 20 minutes per day), you’ll learn how to:
✅ Tune into your hunger cues
✅ Calm emotional cravings
✅ Make peace with food—without counting a single calorie
📚 Connect with Kerri:
🔗Kerri’s digital and print COOKBOOK full of gluten-free, low-glycemic recipes with real ingredients
🔗JOIN her community on SKOOL: The Mind & Body Reset Hub 👉
🔗Connect with Kerri: empower-wellnesscoaching.com or on Instagram @sugar_ko_coach
You said:
(0:01 - 10:00) Hey there and welcome back to PCOS Unfiltered, where we ditch the fads and get real about healing with PCOS. I'm your host, Lindsay, and today's episode is extra special because I'm joined by Kari, a certified health coach specializing in sugar addiction. We're diving into emotional eating and how to start healing your relationship with food. You're going to walk away with real world insights, a few laughs and lots of empowerment. So let's jump in. Yeah, or I do the like, I'll just eat it so fast, like it never happened. But I have to laugh at myself because I've done you know, everything that people are embarrassed to talk about. Like I've done that. So yeah, I mean, I probably have to at some point. Maybe not in the same way. But yeah, for sure. We both have our journeys that have gotten us here, you know, so that we can teach others, you know, everything that we did wrong. How does mindful eating play a role in disrupting this cycle? You just touched on that a little bit. But if we want to get a little bit more in depth with that one. Yeah, for sure. So I think making intentional choices. So like we said, you're not going to never eat chocolate cake again, right? But if you're like, let go feeling around chocolate cake, if I'm at a party, and my friend makes the best chocolate cake ever, and I want to have the chocolate cake, I'm going to intentionally have that. And I'm going to give myself permission to enjoy it with all of my senses, right? How does it smell? How does it feel in my mouth? How does it taste? I'm not biting and swallowing like I just talked about not shoving it down and eating it super quick. I'm actually enjoying the food. So I'm not punishing myself. I'm not just inhaling it. And then, you know, maybe you don't need the whole piece of chocolate cake if you're enjoying with permission. Or maybe you find out something that you don't like. It's funny. We had a client. She was so funny. Once once she started giving herself permission to start eating some things like pizza, guess what? She doesn't actually like pizza. She's like, I don't enjoy it. Like and it's all the healthy version. Like she's like, I've tried all that. It's just not my thing. Which I was like, how do you not like pizza? What are you talking about? But she gave herself permission to really enjoy it. And that's when she was like, I don't enjoy it. But before she was literally just shoveling pizza in and not noticing if she really enjoyed it or not. So. Yeah. Yeah. I know. Like one thing you even told me a long time ago now, but but putting your fork down in between bites. Yeah. You know, that just makes you way more aware of of how much you're consuming, what you're consuming, if you're actually enjoying what you're consuming. For sure. Yeah. That one's been been a huge one. I know. Like I always tell myself, like it used to be kind of like, well, this isn't worth the calories, but, you know. Yeah. Right. Because I don't I don't focus on counting calories at all. But yeah, if I take a bite of something and if it's something that I am treating myself to, it better be worth it, you know. And if it's not, then I'm like, yeah, I'm not going to. But that's where you can get into that mindlessness of like, well, I told myself I was going to have this chocolate cake. And if it's even if it's not that good, I'm just going to finish this piece, you know. Yeah. Like, no, actually, if you're going to treat yourself, then enjoy it instead of mindlessly just continuing because you think you should. Yeah. And then and yeah, right. I deserve it. So I'm eating this whole piece of cake. But wouldn't it be nice to know if it was a shitty piece of chocolate cake two bites in? You know what I mean? Like they're a chocolate cake that you're like, oh, this is heaven on a plate. And but versus like that wasn't Brad still says that it's not worth calories. I'm like, oh, he's doing like fitness mindset, like bodybuilding mindset from years ago. But yeah, it's really funny because, yeah, I want to know if it's worth it and if it's not. And I just walk away and there's no guilt because I'm not enjoying it. It's not because I can't have it. It's because I don't enjoy it. And that's it. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. What's one myth about sugar addiction or emotional eating that you'd love to bust? This is another favorite question of mine. And I think you and I like are totally we're on the same page about so many things. But this this is the one where I'm like, I want to bang my head against a wall. You don't need more willpower. I wish the word willpower did not exist. I mean, I think I lived most of my life with like willpower and you just drive through and you just push through. You don't need to try harder. You don't need to be disciplined. You don't need more self-control. Right. Like that really it really has nothing to do with how strong you are, because we just talked about like this is like totally about brain chemistry and how your brain is wired in this moment right now, not how it's going to be in a week, two weeks or five years. Like you can absolutely change it. Right. Because this is about yeah, it's about it's about like like I said, brain chemistry. It's about blood sugar instability. Like we talked about. It's about habit loops. It's about emotional coping patterns. You're not weak. I can't even say it enough like you are not weak. You just don't have the tools that you need or the support that you need now. But you can get it and you can absolutely change your life and not that much time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's that one for sure. Yeah. So we hope clients shift from guilt and shame into not motivators. They're traps. So we need to learn how to start beating ourselves up. Okay. Like that's a hard one. That really is the hard one. But I think if you just pause and again, listen, I got to I got to quote Ted like just be curious. Right. And then and we don't judge. And so the pausing has been really, really huge, especially if you start having that topic. Oh, my God, I shouldn't have done that. Pause. Stop right then and there and just take a few breaths and start asking yourself better questions. What do I need right now? Because as women, we take care of so many other people and we do for other people. We're taking care of everybody else's needs. Like, what do I need right now? What is it? And maybe maybe it really is. I just need to eat something or I just need some protein or maybe it's I just need to get a hug or call a friend or set a boundary. That's a big one. But once we do that and start like really stopping even for a few minutes and then taking care of ourselves like that to me is so empowering. That's where the magic happens. Yeah. Yeah. You definitely just you have to learn from it. I mean, it's going to happen, especially if you're just starting in your journey. But you just have to learn from it and then come up with your plan for the next time that situation arises. And also, I mean, just celebrating all those small wins. So maybe you go a day and you are still eating everything that you know is not going to make you feel the greatest. But maybe you do have a good day where you just pass up like something in the office that somebody brought in. Like, that's still a huge win. We just I feel like us as people, we focus on the negative so much. And so we just need to shift right to like, yeah, focusing on all those positive, just smallest little little wins. And that's just going to compile and yeah, keep going from there to help you ultimately, you know, get to where you want to be. We don't need to be perfect. Like you said, like we don't need to be perfect. Like if you're making a change or one change or it was better than yesterday or you're doing something versus, you know, nothing, just like I forget it. I'm just eating a bag of chips and just go down the old rabbit hole. Like, yeah, you're winning if you're taking small steps for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Where was it? Was there a breakthrough moment for you or maybe even a client where emotional eating turned into healing? This is a good one. Yeah. So I this makes me think of one of my one of my clients. She's she's funny, right? Because she's like, I can't have we all do this, right? There's certain things I just can't have in the house. I can't have like chocolate bars. I can't have whatever. So she was always talking about these like little mini chocolate bars. Right. And so that she just could not have them. And so one day on a call, we're just talking and I'm like, what if you like stop trying to control food? Right. Like stop trying to control like I can't have this around and I can't be around this and just listening again to what the craving is actually telling you. And she works from home a lot. And she was like, hell, I like I don't think I've had any social interaction today. I think I'm missing social interaction. And I work with a lot of high powered women who are lonely because they travel a lot or they work from home and they're single or like or they're busy doing for everybody all day long. And so that was like really the shift for her. She's like, oh, I'm a social being forced to work from home. And that doesn't work for me. And again, because she's single, she could be like in her house and be like, she's like, there could be days I don't talk to anybody, but I can eat a bunch of chocolate. I can go to the store and like eat that. Right. So now she can be like, what do I really need? What do I really need and what's really going on? Yeah. You said that I can't word to. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Even just changing that thinking not I can't. But, you know, I'm I'm just not doing that. I'm not doing that because I have X, Y and Z goals, you know, like that just changes that mindset sort of, again, just trying to willpower through something. But when you kind of spin it around and say, I'm not having that, even if you say I'm not going to have that today instead of I can't, because then that's all your brain wants to think about. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm not having it today. Like, let's just take it day by day. Does it really matter? You know, it's yeah, it's funny because sometimes when people sit down and they're like starting a 90 day program, like I need to know every step. And I'm like, no, because, you know, but people are like planners and especially busy women. They're like, I need to plan. Like, I live by my planner. I'm like, OK, well, you know, we'll we'll take it. Yes. I know. I mean, you probably get this, too. But one one thing like I tell my clients throughout is just embrace the process. Yeah. You know, same thing. Yeah. Day by day, meal by meal, whatever it is, like embrace the process. And in the end, they always say, I really appreciated this process. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But the unknown is scary. (10:01 - 10:11) Like you get it right. Yeah. Have you ever had to reframe a craving as a deeper unmet need? And how did that go? Or maybe if you think of a client example as well. (10:12 - 10:31) Yeah. Yeah. I know I brought up the one about about the Diet Coke, but a lot of times it's like connection. I feel like most of my ladies are missing connection with other like human beings, really. And I feel like that, you know, that can happen to me, too, a lot, because sometimes I will work and I don't want to see this. I do like I'm home working a lot. (10:31 - 17:33) And then if my son is with his dad and then it's like quiet at night that I'm too. I'm like, I barely had any like social interaction. And if there's food around, like I can I really I can like eat that when I'm like, I just need I need connection. And now, of course, there are days where I just want quiet, too. So I think it's really like, what do you need? You know, because I mean, I had like one of those like a couple of weeks ago where I'd been home. It was the second day at home, like from working at home and not really talking to anybody. And I was at home that night and I'm like, I was like, I'm going to get in my car and go drive for like is even takeout. And I was like, no, stop. What do you need? You have food at home. And then I just texted a friend and we were just like making like silly jokes. And I was like, this is kind of like this is really what I needed. And so sometimes it's connection on a deeper level, though, like sometimes, like I said, we have, you know, we're busy. And then, you know, it's months that you haven't seen a friend or connected with someone besides like your little family unit. Like you got to connect with other people. Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely different for different people. You know, you kind of bring up a good point there. No, I don't think I could be a hermit. But there are some days where, yeah, like I just love my quiet. I love my alone time. You know, my husband travels for work. And so sometimes I get that. But then like for me, instead of going to food, a lot of times it's exercise. It's even just, you know, just like fresh air. Yeah. I've definitely learned how to to cope with that more. But yeah, I think you're right. The connection piece is what I feel like. Yeah. Part of emotional eating and, you know, sometimes the sugar addiction that goes along with it. And I love that you brought up exercise. That's one of those healthy coping mechanisms versus chocolate cake all the time. Yes. Yes. Much healthier. Yeah. I mean, and just breaking that cycle then by doing that, because you do that a few times and then your mind's going to be like, wow, well, I actually felt good by doing that. So, yeah. What's something that you wish more women understood about cravings and emotional hunger? OK, besides willpower, that's willpower that you can change the pattern. You can break the pattern like this is not this is not what is set up for you for life. Right. You're not doomed to be like, I can't control my cravings. I can't walk by the candy aisle. You know, I'm only I'm going to be this weight for X amount of for the rest of my life. Right. I'm sure you hear this, too. But I can't lose weight because now all of it is like it's not maybe some of it's easier, but it doesn't have to be a crazy hard process if we learn to tune in and figure out what works for us. I think that's another thing. Right. Is that please stop judging yourself against, you know, any man that you're around because they're just, you know, totally different with their eating and the way their body like just burns fat like that. Yeah. And that you can you can absolutely change. You can totally take control, even if it's the tiniest step. You can totally do it. Yeah. At any point, any time, like any age. I mean, yeah. I mean, you're you're a great example of that. You didn't just accept that all of this medical stuff was happening, you know, to you. Yeah. You let it happen for you. And you then took control and you started discovering, you know, what else was out there. And unfortunately, like especially in the medical system, I feel like but, you know, when they hand you a diagnosis, it's also a lifelong condition is what they tell you or, you know, whatever else. Yeah. You know, that that means you're going to have to have this for the rest of your life. Like and so, yeah, if you just accept that, then yeah, then that's that's what you're setting yourself up for. And you're going to feel stuck the rest of your life with that. But there is so much more that you can do to improve your symptoms, maybe even heal completely instead of just accepting, you know, whatever it is. Yeah. And and I think you said this on one of your podcasts, like they specialists only know a piece, like even my OBGYN, who I absolutely adored, like who got me through all the surgery and all that. If she had known a little bit more, I also wasn't very straightforward about the amount of sugar I was eating because I was in denial. But maybe if she had known a little bit more about that, maybe we could have talked diet stuff as prevention. Like I was already needed surgery, but like on the prevention side of it. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So if you could tell your past self one thing about sugar and emotional eating, what would it be? That emotional eating is just a signal slash like it's kind of like it's not really a problem. It's a symptom. Right. Like I if I had looked back and actually tuned in, I would have saw that I wasn't being weak because trying to not eat sugar wasn't working for me. Right. Just trying. But I was overwhelmed and I was undernourished. As you had said before, I was using sugar to cope with stress, also burnout and exhaustion. Like I needed caffeine and sugar. And I used to say that my coffee was just like a transport mechanism for my sugar because I had so much sugar in there. Yeah. Just to get through the day. And I wasn't really taught to listen to my body. But if I had just done that. Right. So I'd just be like, you know, you just need to understand yourself. You just need to listen to your body and understand what works for you. And then you can break the cycle. Yeah. Your body is talking to you. You just listen for sure. Yeah. What's one simple daily habit or mindset shift that you would recommend to start healing? Oh, good one. I would say treat yourself care. I know that word is used so much, but as like it's a non-negotiable, it's not a reward for like next week or the weekend. Again, women, we take care of everybody else. Right. And so we need to take care of ourselves a little bit more, even if it's five minutes a day. Like you said, go for a walk or you sit with your morning coffee like that's what I love to do is sit with my morning coffee when it's quiet. That's why I'll get out before anybody else. So, you know, it's it really is taking care of yourself and sending that signal to right to the brain. I am so I am safe. I am taking care of myself because I matter and I'm taking care of my needs. And then it really does. And if this one takes a little bit more time with self-care, but then you you feel like less out of control, less overwhelmed when you take care of yourself. And so then you ultimately start relying less on sugar and food to manage your emotions. Yeah. Yeah. I heard something a while back. Self-care is selfless. Yeah, because it's that age old, you know, put your your own oxygen mask on before you put on anybody else's or, you know, you got to fill up your own cup before you can fill up anybody else's. It's so true. And like I mean, yeah, I don't have kids, but as a nurse, I feel like I was always in that caregiver mode and I kind of just naturally have that, you know, so I just want to take care of everybody and everything and, you know, hyperachiever. And so, yeah, like it did. It took me I mean, it took me my, you know, wake up call a few years ago to be like, I do need to take a minute, you know, five minutes and minutes, whatever it is. Sometimes it's longer other days, sometimes it's shorter, but just to do something, you know, for myself. (17:33 - 19:04) Yeah. And anyone who's listening is like, I don't have time for that. OK, so why don't you do why don't you do a little self-care for seven days in a row and then don't do it and tell me which days feel better. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Just commit to a few days for sure. Yeah. So last question, where can listeners learn more about your work and connect with you? Awesome. So you can just go to my website, which is empower-wellnesscoaching.com. I'm also on Instagram sugar underscore coach. Don't know why I picked that. Maybe somebody had something like similar, but I also have created a school community for those that don't know school, S-K-O-O-L, which is just a great community. We wanted to just be, you know, where we can all speak openly and create a community of women that really want to lift each other up. So if you go to school, look for us. It's the Mind and Body Reset Hub. So I would love to connect. Is there anything else that you would like to share, like something that I see in the background, maybe? Oh, and my cookbook. I am terrible about this stuff. Thank you, Lindsay. On my website, you can get the digital version of it or this lovely version is on Amazon. So yeah, yummy recipes that are all gluten-free, low glycemic index, basically won't mess with your blood sugar. And there's, yes, still some sweets in there that you can enjoy. Yes. And simple. I love the just simple, you know, easy. It doesn't have to get complicated. So yeah, love those recipes. Definitely. Yeah. Those out. (19:04 - 19:28) Thanks for bringing that up. Yeah, that was when I was creating these recipes or picking the ones that I love. I'm like, there are so many cookbooks I love from like famous, you know, holistic doctors and I'm like 25 ingredients later. I'm like, oh my God, like it's I want it to be simple and that you would probably have most of the things at your house. Exactly. Yeah. Which I love about that. Awesome. Well, thank you for joining and sharing all that good stuff. (19:28 - 20:14) Yeah. Thank you for having me. This episode really spoke to you and you're ready to stop letting food control your life. I've got something just for you. My hunger boss, mindful eating challenge. It is kicking off again on June 23rd. This is a three-day challenge requiring no more than 20 minutes per day that you can do at a time convenient for you. And in just a few days, you'll learn how to tune into your body, calm the chaos around food, and finally feel confident in your choices without counting a single calorie spots are limited. So head to the link in the show notes and grab your seat. Now I'll see you in there. Wow. Another amazing conversation. Big thanks to Carrie for sharing her time, her wisdom and her heart with us today. I hope you're feeling as inspired and empowered as I am. If you'd like to connect with Carrie, you can find all the info in the show notes. (20:15 - 20:31) And if you love today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, share it with a friend who needs to hear it and leave a quick review. It helps us reach even more amazing women, just like you. Until next time, keep nourishing your body, healing your heart and thriving unfiltered and unstoppable.