Sleep deprivation doesn’t just make you tired. It quietly changes how food feels, how emotions show up, and how hard it is to feel at peace in your body.

When you’re exhausted, cravings feel stronger, food thoughts feel louder, and self-control feels out of reach. You may know sleep matters, but in this season it feels unproductive, unrealistic, or impossible. And that tension often spills straight into food guilt and emotional eating.

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Dr. Benjamin Long, a dual board-certified sleep medicine physician and seminary student who helps people see sleep as both a medical need and a gift from God. Together, we explore the connection between sleep deprivation and emotional eating, why exhaustion makes food freedom feel harder, and how faith reshapes the way we think about rest.

A few things you can expect to hear in this episode include…

🧠 How sleep deprivation intensifies cravings and food thoughts

🍪 Why exhaustion makes emotional eating feel harder to resist

📖 A biblical perspective on sleep as trust, not weakness

⏳ The connection between control, productivity, and rest

🌙 A gentler way to think about sleepless nights in this season

Resources mentioned:

> Get Dr. Benjamin’s NEW BOOK, Sleep Habits Journal: Practices, Prayers, and Devotions to Ease Your Sleepless Nights

> Connect with Dr. Benjamin Long on Instagram @thewholeheartedmd

Your Next Steps to Food Freedom & Better Body Image:

> Become a VIP Podcast Insider HERE to access BONUS resources and my weekly personal newsletter, The Full Plate Press.

> Join our FREE Facebook community, Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women, to ask your questions about cultivating a joy-filled relationship with food, your body, & Jesus.

Got a question about food freedom, body image, faith, or nutrition? Leave me a SpeakPipe voice note here for a chance to have your question answered on an episode of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast!

If you love the show and are finding it valuable, be sure to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Listen to your podcasts somewhere else? No worries! You can leave your podcast review here instead 😉.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanybraswellrd

*Reminder - Podcast content is not meant to be taken as professional nutrition or medical advice, or to replace counseling with a licensed therapist. Please consult with your own treatment team.

What if the reason food freedom keeps feeling out of reach isn’t because you lack motivation, but because you’re leaning on the wrong thing altogether?

If you’ve been telling yourself you just need more motivation to eat better, be more consistent, or stop spiraling with food, this episode is going to challenge that belief in the most relieving way. The constant pressure to “get it right” can quietly fuel body image anxiety, food guilt, and that exhausting sense of starting over again and again.

In today’s episode, we’re peeling back why motivation is such an unstable foundation for food freedom—and what actually helps you feel calmer, more grounded, and more at peace in your body. This conversation will help you rethink what progress really looks like and why consistency doesn’t have to feel heavy, restrictive, or overwhelming.

A few things you can expect to hear in this episode include…

🧠 Why relying on motivation can actually increase food noise and body anxiety

🌱 The subtle daily anchors that quietly reshape your relationship with food

🗓️ How consistency can feel safer and more freeing than “trying harder”

🔁 What might be keeping you stuck in the start-over cycle without realizing it

🙏 The surprising connection between faith, everyday practices, and body peace

Resources mentioned:

> Steal my top 10 body checking reduction strategies with The Body Image Cheat Sheet.

> Become a VIP Podcast Insider HERE to access BONUS resources and my weekly personal newsletter, The Full Plate Press.

> Join our FREE Facebook community, Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women, to ask your questions about cultivating a joy-filled relationship with food, your body, & Jesus.

Got a question about food freedom, body image, faith, or nutrition? Leave me a SpeakPipe voice note here for a chance to have your question answered on an episode of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast!

If you love the show and are finding it valuable, be sure to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Listen to your podcasts somewhere else? No worries! You can leave your podcast review here instead 😉.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanybraswellrd

*Reminder - Podcast content is not meant to be taken as professional nutrition or medical advice, or to replace counseling with a licensed therapist. Please consult with your own treatment team.

What if the question isn’t whether you’re “sick enough”… but whether your body has been paying the price in silence?

So many women stay stuck in food rules and under-fueling because everything looks fine on the surface. Labs come back “normal.” Life keeps moving. And the lie whispers that help is only for people who’ve hit rock bottom — not someone like you who’s still holding it together.

In today’s episode, I sit down with Tanna Vayon, a Physician Assistant specialized in eating disorder treatment, who has lived this story from the inside herself and now treats it from the clinical side. We explore what restriction actually does beneath the surface and why waiting until things look “bad enough” can quietly delay healing your body desperately needs.

A few things you can expect to hear in this episode include…

🧠 Why feeling “mostly fine” can be one of the most deceptive signals

🩺 What medical red flags often get missed, even with “normal” labs

🌿 How your body adapts to under-fueling in ways you might not realize

🩸 The hidden cost of losing your period (and why it’s never a win)

⏸️ The powerful first step most women skip, and why it matters SO much

Resources mentioned:

– Sick Enough by Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani

– Search the FINDINGbalance Christian Treatment Finder for a Christian eating disorder provider

– Get on the waitlist for The Stronger Collective

Your Next Steps to Food Freedom & Better Body Image:

> Become a VIP Podcast Insider HERE to access BONUS resources and my weekly personal newsletter, The Full Plate Press.

> Join our FREE Facebook community, Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women, to ask your questions about cultivating a joy-filled relationship with food, your body, & Jesus.

Got a question about food freedom, body image, faith, or nutrition? Leave me a SpeakPipe voice note here for a chance to have your question answered on an episode of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast!

If you love the show and are finding it valuable, be sure to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Listen to your podcasts somewhere else? No worries! You can leave your podcast review here instead 😉.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanybraswellrd

*Reminder - Podcast content is not meant to be taken as professional nutrition or medical advice, or to replace counseling with a licensed therapist. Please consult with your own treatment team.

What if improving your body image this year had nothing to do with changing your body?

If the start of the new year already feels loaded with pressure (to lose weight, feel confident, or finally “get your body together”), you’re not imagining it. Those expectations sneak in fast, and before you know it, your body becomes a project instead of a place you live. That constant tension alone can keep body anxiety loud, even when nothing is technically “wrong.”

In today’s episode, we’re talking about a surprisingly simple, unconventional shift that can immediately reduce body image stress… without dieting, restriction, or another New Year overhaul. This conversation isn’t about forcing confidence. It’s about creating real mental space, lowering daily body focus, and starting the year with more peace than pressure.

A few things you can expect to hear in this episode include…

👙 Why something you wear every single day may be quietly fueling body image anxiety

🧠 How constant discomfort keeps your mind stuck on your body (even when you don’t realize it)

🚗 What your friend’s car has to do with your body image

🧺 The UNCONVENTIONAL experiment that can instantly reduce daily body shame and mental noise

🌱 Why choosing comfort is not giving up, but a faith-filled act of stewardship

Your Next Steps to Food Freedom & Better Body Image:

> Become a VIP Podcast Insider HERE to access BONUS resources and my weekly personal newsletter, The Full Plate Press.

> Join our FREE Facebook community, Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women, to ask your questions about cultivating a joy-filled relationship with food, your body, & Jesus.

Got a question about food freedom, body image, faith, or nutrition? Leave me a SpeakPipe voice note here for a chance to have your question answered on an episode of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast!

If you love the show and are finding it valuable, be sure to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Listen to your podcasts somewhere else? No worries! You can leave your podcast review here instead 😉.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanybraswellrd

*Reminder - Podcast content is not meant to be taken as professional nutrition or medical advice, or to replace counseling with a licensed therapist. Please consult with your own treatment team.

What if the way you’re approaching your 2026 goals is quietly working against the very freedom you’re praying for?

As the year wraps up, there’s often an unspoken pressure to get ahead — to think harder, plan better, and finally figure yourself out. That urgency can feel responsible and faithful, but it can also carry a weight that shows up as food stress, body anxiety, and constant mental chatter.

In today’s episode, we’re slowing the pace to look at what Jesus consistently did before major decisions — and why rushing straight into plans might be costing you clarity. This conversation isn’t about fixing yourself or adding another spiritual to-do. It’s an invitation to approach the year ahead differently than you ever have before.

A few things you can expect to hear in this episode include…

🕊️ Why planning can feel faithful while still being rooted in pressure

🔇 The subtle difference between stepping away and checking out

🧠 How internal noise can shape decisions without you realizing it

📖 What Scripture reveals about timing, direction, and discernment

🛠️ A more grounded way to approach 2026 without forcing clarity

Resources mentioned:

> Become a VIP Podcast Insider HERE to access BONUS resources only available to our VIP list.

> Join our FREE community in the Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women Facebook group to ask your questions about cultivating a joy-filled relationship with food, your body, & Jesus.

Got a question about food freedom, body image, faith, or nutrition? Leave me a SpeakPipe voice note here for a chance to have your question answered on an episode of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast!

If you love the show and are finding it valuable, be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Listen to your podcasts somewhere else? No worries! You can leave your podcast review here instead 😉.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanybraswellrd

*Reminder - Podcast content is not meant to be taken as professional nutrition or medical advice or to replace counseling with a licensed therapist. Please consult with your own treatment team.

Welcome to Day 5 of our 5 Days to a Peace-Filled Christmas series!

Are you waking up today already feeling the pressure to “make up for” how you ate yesterday?

If you’re noticing that post-holiday guilt creeping in (the puffiness, the panic, the urge to restrict), please hear this: nothing is wrong with you. Your mind may be spiraling, your body may feel “off,” and the enemy may be whispering shame, but you are not broken. What you’re feeling is a predictable response to fear, not a failure of discipline.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear a gentle, Christ-centered mindset shift that helps you step out of the restrict–binge cycle, interrupt the lies that restriction equals righteousness, and anchor yourself back into compassion — the very thing Jesus uses to bring real peace. You’ll also learn a grounding phrase you can return to anytime those old urges try to pull you back in.

PLUS, from Christmas Day through Dec. 28th, I’m giving YOU a gift of $200! When you enroll in The Joy-Filled Eater Course by 11:59pm CST on 12/28, you save $200 off lifetime access to this on-demand course.

A few things you can expect to hear in this episode include…

✨ The counterintuitive truth about restriction your mind never tells you

🌿 A simple phrase that helps calm the fear driving restrictive thoughts

🕊️ Why compassion, not control, leads to lasting peace with food

💛 What Jesus actually offers when you feel like you’ve “messed up”

🔥 How choosing nourishment becomes a spiritual act of trust

Resources mentioned:

Get $200 OFF The Joy-Filled Eater Course, Dec. 25th-Dec. 28th!

Join our podcast VIP email list at www.brittanybraswellrd.com/VIP to get access to all the free resources I’m sending this week to help you implement what you’re learning in each episode.

Your Next Steps to Food Freedom & Better Body Image:

> Subscribe to The Joy-Filled Eater PRIVATE PODCAST for step-by-step strategies to walk you through my proven Joy-Filled Eater framework for finding lasting freedom from negative body image and disordered eating

> Join our FREE community in the Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women Facebook group to ask your questions about cultivating a joy-filled relationship with food, your body, & Jesus.

Got a question about food freedom, body image, faith, or nutrition? Leave me a SpeakPipe voice note here for a chance to have your question answered on an episode of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast!

If you love the show and are finding it valuable, be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Listen to your podcasts somewhere else? No worries! You can leave your podcast review here instead 😉.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanybraswellrd

*Reminder - Podcast content is not meant to be taken as professional nutrition or medical advice or to replace counseling with a licensed therapist. Please consult with your own treatment team.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, and welcome to Day 4 of our 5 Days to a Peace-Filled Christmas series!

Today, not only are we wishing one another Merry Christmas, but we’re also celebrating the 200th episode of Faith-Filled Food Freedom! 🎉 And because this show would be nothing without YOU, today’s episode features several stories from our listeners about how the show is helping them develop a healthier relationship with food and body image.

Christmas can stir up so much pressure. Pressure to eat “perfectly.” Pressure to stay in control. Pressure to earn your way back into feeling worthy. But none of that determines one ounce of your value. Whether you’re navigating cravings, guilt, comparison, or the fear of “overdoing it,” Jesus is not tallying your choices. He is drawing near to you with grace.

In today’s celebratory 200th episode, you’ll hear the single food-freedom truth every Christian woman needs to hear on Christmas, along with powerful listener stories, voice messages, and encouragement that remind you you're not alone. You’ll also discover a grounding way to carry God’s truth about your identity into the rest of the holiday season.

PLUS, from Christmas Day through Dec. 28th, I’m giving YOU a gift of $200! When you enroll in The Joy-Filled Eater Course by 11:59pm CST on 12/28, you save $200 off lifetime access to this on-demand course.

A few things you can expect to hear in this episode include…

🎄 A Christmas truth about your worth that uproots food guilt

💬 Heartfelt voice clips from listeners sharing their freedom stories

📖 A simple practice to anchor your identity in Scripture today

🌟 Why diet culture’s definition of value contradicts the gospel

💓 How Christ meets you in your tenderness, not your perfection

Resources mentioned:

Get $200 OFF The Joy-Filled Eater Course, Dec. 25th-Dec. 28th!

Join our podcast VIP email list at www.brittanybraswellrd.com/VIP to get access to all the free resources I’m sending this week to help you implement what you’re learning in each episode.

Your Next Steps to Food Freedom & Better Body Image:

> Subscribe to The Joy-Filled Eater PRIVATE PODCAST for step-by-step strategies to walk you through my proven Joy-Filled Eater framework for finding lasting freedom from negative body image and disordered eating

> Join our FREE community in the Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women Facebook group to ask your questions about cultivating a joy-filled relationship with food, your body, & Jesus.

Got a question about food freedom, body image, faith, or nutrition? Leave me a SpeakPipe voice note here for a chance to have your question answered on an episode of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast!

If you love the show and are finding it valuable, be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Listen to your podcasts somewhere else? No worries! You can leave your podcast review here instead 😉.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanybraswellrd

*Reminder - Podcast content is not meant to be taken as professional nutrition or medical advice or to replace counseling with a licensed therapist. Please consult with your own treatment team.

Welcome to Day 3 of our 5 Days to a Peace-Filled Christmas series!

Do you feel like your mind is constantly buzzing with food thoughts this week, no matter how hard you try to quiet them?

When holiday overwhelm rises, mental food chatter often ramps up right along with it. You may be wondering if your cravings mean you “lost control,” or why your brain won’t stop thinking about food. But that noise isn’t a sign of failure. It’s your body asking for support, not stricter rules.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear three simple, compassionate strategies to help quiet food noise so you can move through Christmas with more peace. You’ll also learn what your cravings are really trying to communicate and how to respond without spiraling into guilt, restriction, or all-or-nothing thinking.

A few things you can expect to hear in this episode include…

🍪 Why food noise gets louder when key needs go unmet

🔍 A mindset shift that helps you interpret cravings with wisdom

🥖 How satisfaction becomes a tool for calming obsessive thoughts

🧘‍♀️ A grounding practice to reset your nervous system before acting on a craving

💡 Why adding foods (not restricting them) reduces mental overwhelm

Resources mentioned:

Join our podcast VIP email list at www.brittanybraswellrd.com/VIP to get access to all the free resources I’m sending this week to help you implement what you’re learning in each episode.

Your Next Steps to Food Freedom & Better Body Image:

> Subscribe to The Joy-Filled Eater PRIVATE PODCAST for step-by-step strategies to walk you through my proven Joy-Filled Eater framework for finding lasting freedom from negative body image and disordered eating

> Join our FREE community in the Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women Facebook group to ask your questions about cultivating a joy-filled relationship with food, your body, & Jesus.

Got a question about food freedom, body image, faith, or nutrition? Leave me a SpeakPipe voice note here for a chance to have your question answered on an episode of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast!

If you love the show and are finding it valuable, be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Listen to your podcasts somewhere else? No worries! You can leave your podcast review here instead 😉.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram @brittanybraswellrd

*Reminder - Podcast content is not meant to be taken as professional nutrition or medical advice or to replace counseling with a licensed therapist. Please consult with your own treatment team.