How we care for ourselves is inextricably connected to how we lead.

In a culture where we moralize health and sell wellness as a symbol of worth, where we’re obsessed with productivity and optimization, our relationships with food and our bodies go beyond personal struggles.

They shape how we lead, how we show up for others, and how we define success. When leaders model extreme routines, restrictive regimens, or performance-based wellness, they may unintentionally perpetuate shame and comparison–even if they intend to inspire or be helpful.

This isn’t a dismissal of health. Caring for our bodies, feeding ourselves well, and seeking movement that feels good and helps our bodies be strong are powerful acts of self-respect. 

But when an obsession with performance and purity–whether through hustle culture or “clean” living–erodes our self-trust and amplifies our inner critics, it becomes a leadership issue.

Today’s guest is an eating disorder specialist who understands how shame, perfectionism, and chronic striving get tangled up in how we feed and care for ourselves, and how we show up in the world. Unburdening our relationship with food and body isn’t just about health; it’s a powerful leadership move.

As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Jeanne Catanzaro has specialized in treating eating issues and trauma for close to 30 years. She trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) before discovering the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. Dr. Catanzaro served as the director of a day treatment program for eating disorders for two years and is currently the Vice President of the Internal Family Systems Institute. She is the author of the book, Unburdened Eating: Healing Your Relationships with Food and Your Body Using an Internal Family Systems Approach.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why unburdening our relationship with food and body is a continual process, not a three-step plan
• How to approach your motivations for how you eat and exercise with curiosity and compassion
• How diet culture isn’t just about weight, but reflects wider cultural and systemic beliefs about bodies, health, beauty, and worth
• How value judgments about how we and others eat protect us from vulnerability and reinforce hierarchies
• Why it’s impossible to fixate on your own body without your self-judgment rubbing off onto others
• Common wellness traps that can feed our inner managers and protectors at the expense of our core self-knowledge

Learn more about Dr. Jeanne Catanzaro:

• Website
• Unburdened Eating: Healing Your Relationships with Food and Your Body Using an Internal Family Systems Approach

Learn more about Rebecca:

• rebeccaching.com
• Work With Rebecca
• The Unburdened Leader on Substack
• Sign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader Email

Resources:

• Health Food Junkies Orthorexia Nervosa: Overcoming the Obsession with Healthful Eating, Steven Bratman, David Knight
• Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, Lindo Bacon
• Health at Every Size® (HAES®) Principles – ASDAH
• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, Dr. Kristin Neff
• Jessica Wilson
• Sonya Renee Taylor
• Sabrina Strings
• Da’Shaun Harrison
• Jessica Knurick
• Evelyn Tribole
• Why Can’t Americans Sleep? – Jennifer Senior, The Atlantic
• Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, Jake Tapper, Alex Thompson
• Celeste, Pete Kuzma
• Lincoln’s Dilemma
• The Great British Baking Show
• The Breakfast Club
• The Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star