Do you keep trying to fix your emotional eating but nothing works? You might be solving the wrong problem.

If you struggle with stress eating, comfort eating, or boredom eating and you're tired of the all-or-nothing thinking food cycle that never leads to real food freedom, this episode is for you.

I dig into why smart, capable women keep plugging the wrong hole when it comes to their relationship with food. Using a real client example involving those sugary iced coffees you keep buying on the way home, I reveal that the coffee (or the chocolate, or the wine) is never actually the problem and what to do instead to create sustainable eating habits for good.

In this episode I talk about - 

• Why you keep solving the wrong problem. High-performing, perfectionist women are wired to fix things fast but when it comes to emotional eating, fixing the symptom (the coffee, the chocolate, the crisps) doesn't work long term.

• The sugary coffee that wasn't about the coffee. I give a real client story: a senior professional in a male-dominated workplace who started buying sugary frappes on the commute home and what was really going on underneath.

• What emotional eating is actually giving you. It's not about willpower or restriction. The coffee was giving her a pause, a ritual, a signal that the hard part of her day was over. Once she understood the why, the craving disappeared.

• How to stop emotional eating without banning anything. I walk through the coaching process: identifying the real feelings (anxiety, dread, unfamiliarity, fatigue) and putting practical strategies in place to address those instead.

• Why this approach creates lasting change. Unlike a diet, this isn't about calorie counting or rules. When you break the pattern with awareness, you don't need to do it again because the pattern is gone. That's how you stop yo-yo dieting for good.

• How to swap out the coffee for anything else. Stress eating at night? Chocolates in the office? A glass of wine that turns into the bottle? The same approach applies to all of it.

Download the free Emotional Eating Handbook here. It'll land straight in your inbox. Read it, then DM me on social media with what you're feeling and I’ll help you work out what's really going on.

Because once you start solving the right problem, you'll have food freedom, you'll stop thinking about food all the time, and yes, you'll feel lighter, brighter, and have so much more energy.

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review if this resonated with you!

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.ukWebsite - www.coachingwithcara.co.ukFacebook - Coaching with CaraInstagram - @coachingwcara

Ready to explore how we can work together? 

Book a *FREE* no-obligation consultation call to discover what's possible.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Until next time, keep chatting!

You've seen them. The pig dancing in front of the pool. The person tucking into dessert seconds after complaining about their body. The guinea pig waddling to the kitchen after a cry. They're all over Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and every time they get reshared, they reach more and more people.

They feel harmless. A bit of self-deprecating humour. A relatable giggle. But they're not harmless and in this episode, I explains exactly why.

This one is more of an "I never thought about it like that" episode. No big transformation promised, just an important conversation that needs to be had and yes I am woke and proud of it!

In this episode I cover -

• What diet culture actually is. A system of beliefs that worships thinness and equates it with health and moral virtue. It oppresses people in larger bodies, disproportionately affecting women, people of colour, and people with disabilities and it shows up everywhere, including in those "funny" memes on your feed.
  

• Why these memes are stigmatising, not silly. For the person seeing them, especially someone in a larger body, these images send a clear message: your body is not worthy. Whether they're meant that way or not, the impact is real. It's fat phobia dressed up as a joke.
  

• What it means if you're the one posting them. I’m not here to shame you, I want to know are you okay? When "crying because I'm fat, ordering a Chinese" becomes a running joke, it normalises a cycle of body shame and emotional eating. That cycle can be broken but first it has to be seen for what it is.
  

• Fat isn't a feeling. When someone says they "feel fat," something else is going on underneath. What emotions are actually there? What role is food playing in managing those feelings? These are the questions worth asking and these are the ones that I ask in 1-1 coaching.
  

• What you can actually do about it. Call it out (if you feel safe and comfortable to do so). Educate rather than shame. Mute, block, or report if needed. And start asking: is this kind? One conversation, one meme at a time, that's how diet culture gets reduced.

So next time you see one of these memes or catch yourself about to share one - pause. 

Ask: who is this actually kind to? Then go forth and educate.

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

Ready to explore how we can work together? 

Book a *FREE* no-obligation consultation call to discover what's possible.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Until next time, keep chatting!

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara is one I've been dying to record for ages because if there's one thing I am, it's a low-key psychology geek. And this topic genuinely lights me up.

Today's episode is for the woman who has everything together. The career, the colour-coded calendar, the kids' clubs, the lot. But who is absolutely exhausted by the constant food noise in her head. If that's you, and I suspect it is, this one's for you.

You're probably type A. 

And type A comes out in your relationship with food in ways that are really, really specific. The control. The rules. The all-or-nothing. The secret Monday resets that nobody sees because from the outside, you look like you've got it all sorted.

I've coached so many women like this. This episode, I talk through two of them Lisa, a teacher who was paralysed at the holiday buffet and living in the exhausting cycle of full control or total chaos. And Sarah, a decades-long dieter who had just hit the peak of her career and finally realised she'd been trying to fix the wrong problem all along. Both of them had their minds blown. Not by more rules. By finally doing something different.

In this episode, we cover the ways type A shows up in your food relationship —

• Using food as a control mechanism. Calorie counting, clean eating, ultra-processed food obsessing, it's not about health, it's about having something to master. The rigidity creates a box to operate in and when you fall out of it, there's nothing in between. Just the binge-restrict cycle on repeat.
  

• Emotional eating at peak life, peak stress. Young kids, aging parents, a career you're pushing hard in, a mental load that's genuinely phenomenal. Food is available, it doesn't talk back, it doesn't want anything from you. It's not weakness. It's an exhausted nervous system reaching for the easiest crutch.
  

• The high-functioning secret struggle. On the outside you're nailing it. On the inside the food thoughts are relentless. And because you excel at everything else, this feels like the one shameful gap which makes it even harder to ask for help.
  

• Hormones making everything feel like personal failure. What worked in your twenties isn't working now and no amount of willpower is going to change that. That's physiology, not failure. But against the backdrop of diet culture telling you it's all about discipline? It sends you deeper into the spiral.
  

• Knowing it all and still not being able to stop. You've read the books. You can explain the binge-restrict cycle. You're listening to this podcast. And yet. The pull back to tracking, to the meal plan, to being more rigid this time, it's still there. Because knowledge isn't the problem.

The answer isn't more rules. It isn't more willpower. It's fixing the actual problem and that's the mindset shift. Living in the grey instead of the all-or-nothing. Introducing mindful eating. Getting the food noise quiet enough that you can just... get on with your life.

If you heard yourself in any of this, book a free 30-minute call here. I know what I'm looking at. I'll hear you, I'll see you, and we'll figure out what's actually going on. It's not scary. And you don't have to keep doing this on your own.

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.ukWebsite - www.coachingwithcara.co.ukFacebook - Coaching with CaraInstagram - @coachingwcara

Ready to explore how we can work together? 

Book a *FREE* no-obligation consultation call to discover what's possible.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Until next time, keep chatting!

Women’s health deserves better (and here’s how we start fixing it)

This week’s episode of Chatting with Cara is a special one because I’m joined by consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Laura Bangs and honestly, it’s one of those conversations every woman needs to hear.

We talk about postnatal care, menopause, medical myths, why women’s symptoms are so often dismissed… and what we can actually do about it. Because while the system might be stretched, we don’t have to accept poor care or silence around our health.

Dr Bangs shares her journey leaving the NHS to start her own women’s healthcare company and why empowering women with knowledge is at the heart of everything she does.

This episode isn’t just about ranting about the state of women’s health (though there is some very satisfying ranting). It’s about what you can do right now to advocate for yourself, your friends and the next generation.

•  Stop accepting symptoms as “just how you are.”

Heavy periods. Pelvic pain. Leaking after birth. These things might be common, but they’re not necessarily normal. If something is affecting your quality of life, you deserve answers, treatment, and support.

•  Get informed, knowledge really is power.

  Whether it’s postnatal recovery, perimenopause, or understanding a diagnosis, asking questions and learning about your body is key. You are not wasting your doctor’s time. If you’re worried about something, it matters.

• Be sceptical of social media health claims.

  You can’t “balance your hormones” with a magic supplement. Collagen isn’t the miracle fix influencers promise. Evidence matters. Follow qualified experts, ask questions and don’t let marketing hijack your critical thinking.

• Demand better postnatal and women’s healthcare.

  Postnatal care shouldn’t be a rushed phone call. Birth trauma deserves to be talked about. Women deserve proper checks, proper support, and care that treats them as whole humans, not just an afterthought once the baby arrives.

Women’s health is changing. More women are asking questions, sharing experiences and refusing to suffer in silence.

Every time you book that appointment, ask that question or share this episode with a friend, you’re part of the shift.

Because your health matters. And so does every woman watching you advocate for yourself. 

If you listen and think “I need to chat with Dr Bang’s” then here is how you can find her -

Email -  info@dahliamedical.co.uk

Website - https://www.dahliamedical.co.uk/

Whatsapp - 07754 996975

Instagram - @dahliamedical

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

Ready to explore how we can work together? 

Book a *FREE* no-obligation consultation call to discover what's possible.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Until next time, keep chatting!

Diet culture can do one (and here's how you help make that happen)

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara is a special one, it's International Women's Day, and if you know me, you know I’m a massive feminist. If I’d been born in the Suffragettes era, I’d have been right there on the front lines. No question.

Last year on International Women's Day I talked about diet culture. This year? I think it's gotten worse. And she's got some thoughts on why (spoiler - Donald Trump gets the blame).

But rather than just ranting about it (though there is some very satisfying ranting), this episode is all about what you can do, at your level, right now to help shift things. Just like recycling and bags for life felt ridiculous at first and are now just... normal life, the same paradigm shift can happen with diet culture. But only if we all start making small changes.

In this episode, we cover four tips for telling diet culture to sod off - 

• Change your language around food. No more "good," "bad," "naughty," "treat," or "clean." Foods aren't moral. Some are more nutritionally dense than others, but no food deserves to be put on a pedestal or demonised. When we use that language, we're feeding into a system that keeps us preoccupied with making ourselves smaller. That's by design.
  

• Stop commenting on other people's bodies. And your own. Don't compliment weight loss. Don't narrate what you're eating on a night out. Don't watch the Kelly Osborne reels or the Wicked cast reels. Scroll past. Don't feed the algorithm, don't give it the views, just keep moving.
  

• Curate your social media and your real-life circle. Unfollow anyone pushing diet culture. Mute them, grow apart from them, whatever works. Follow people for their ideas, their businesses, their parenting content, not for what their body looks like. And if you've got people in your real life who are very appearance-focused or make you feel a bit rubbish? Have a little think about that. Once you know better, you can do better.
  

• Move your body in a way that feels good. Not to sculpt, re-sculpt, tone, or earn your dinner. Legs, bums and tums classes and Pilates sculpt sessions are diet culture in a leotard. Exercise because it feels good mentally and physically, because your body houses your soul, not because you want to change what it looks like.
  

Diet culture is a feminist issue. And every single time you implement one of these four things, you're part of the shift. Tell a friend. Share this episode. The ripple effect is real and the next generation is watching.

Happy International Women's Day. Now let's get to work.

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

#coachingwithcara

This week's episode is a little different, it's a special guest appearance I made on Charlotte Williams' Mindful Monday Marketing and it's such a good one that it deserved its own episode.

In this episode we cover - 

How Cara got to where she is today - From a sports science degree to PT, Pilates, nutrition and now relationship with food coaching. It's been a seven year journey to find the work that truly lights her up. Spoiler - it started with noticing that the clients who did the deep work always got the best results.

Why she moved fully online -  Becoming a mum shifted everything. Moving online meant more flexibility, more sustainability and the freedom to go all in on the coaching work she loves most, one-to-one relationship with food coaching.

What makes her approach different - No "eat this, not that." No pain point marketing. No making people feel rubbish about themselves. Cara's whole philosophy in her coaching and her marketing is about compassion, feeling seen and showing people the way forward rather than making them feel like something is broken.

The marketing conversation that might change how you show up - Charlotte asks Cara about how she markets her business, and what comes out of it is genuinely thought-provoking, why leading with fear and scarcity doesn't serve anyone, and what it looks like to build a "safe space" corner of the internet instead.

Her advice for business owners right now - Stop digging into pain points. Show people what's possible. If everyone did that, the world and the internet would be a better place.

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

You can find Charlotte on Instagram here

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

#coachingwithcara

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara is about something I see with nearly every client who walks through my door, stress eating. But it's not actually about the food.

I've been collecting client reviews this week (yes, I know I should do them as I go along), and reconnecting with ex-clients has reminded me why I love this work so much. So I wanted to share Sarah's story with you (not her real name, because confidentiality is everything).

If you've ever had a stressful day, dealt with a nightmare boss, wrestled with feral kids, watched your inbox explode and then found yourself in the kitchen eating an entire bag of something without even processing it... yeah. 

You're Sarah. 

And you're exactly who I work with.

In this episode, I talk about - 

• Why stress eating isn't a food problem - it's an emotional regulation problem - The food is a symptom, not the cause. Your nervous system is running at its highest level, you're stressed, maybe a bit isolated or lonely and food is the only thing that seems to soothe you. It works in the moment, then the guilt hits.

• What Sarah was actually dealing with - Burnt out from her job, stressful boss, typical kid chaos and using food to cope with everything. She'd eat without stopping, even though she knew she "should" stop, then beat herself up about willpower.

• The shift that changed everything - Instead of heading to the kitchen, imagine sitting down and actually asking yourself: what's going on with me? Naming the feelings - helpless, frustrated, powerless, overwhelmed and using different tools. Deep breaths. A walk. A cup of tea (without the biscuits). Not white-knuckling it or throwing biscuits in the bin - actual emotional regulation tools.

• The breakthrough moment - Sarah messaged me one Wednesday after a stressful meeting with "that tosser of a boss" and said: "I didn't go to the kitchen to eat. I didn't do it." That's not Instagram-worthy transformation pictures - that's real-life progress. That's an actual shift.

• Where Sarah is now - Still has stressful meetings. Boss is still a tosser. But now she names the feelings, has coping strategies at work, understands the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Her body feels like hers again because she's living in alignment, regulating her emotions, feeling successful around food. And she's still thriving months after we finished working together.

• What this could look like for you - Imagine having one of those overwhelmed days but instead of heading to the snack drawer or fridge, you pause. You name the feeling. You do something helpful for that feeling. No guilt. No shame. No "I'll start Monday." Just calm and in control.

This isn't about meal plans or calorie counting. We go deep in coaching - tackling the root cause. Why you reach for food when you're not hungry. What emotions you're avoiding. How to cope with emotions without food (and wine, because let's be honest, it's half term isn't it?).

If you're nodding along thinking "yeah, that's me, I'm Sarah" - you're exactly who I work with. 

You don't need more willpower. You need to understand what's going on deeper under the surface.

Let's just chat, I offer a free, no-obligation consultation call which you can book here.

No pressure, not a sales pitch, just a nice conversation about what's going on, where you want to be and if coaching is right for you right now.

That version of you seven months down the line? 

She's waiting for you and I can get you there.

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

Subscribe to my newsletter- ⁠here⁠

#coachingwithcara

Why I Can Coach You Through Menopause (Even Though I Haven't Been Through It Myself)

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara tackles a question my 11-year-old stepdaughter Ruby asked me: "How can you tell people what to do if you've never done it yourself?"

Fair question, Ruby. And if she's wondering, I bet you are too.

I'm hosting a No-Nonsense Menopause Workshop on February 28th at TP Fitness in Wem (2-4pm, £30), and this episode breaks down exactly why I'm qualified to guide you through perimenopause and menopause - even though I'm still in my late 30s and haven't experienced it myself.

If you're tired of the noise, the supplements that promise everything, the influencers selling you magic pill, and wondering what actually WORKS for menopause symptoms, this episode cuts through that noise.

In this episode, I talk about - 

• Why evidence-based coaching beats personal experience - I'm a scientist (sports science degree and all). Everything I teach comes from peer-reviewed research, not anecdotal "this worked for me so it'll work for you" advice. No magic gummies here - just facts, figures, and what's statistically proven to help women like you.
  

• The unsexy stuff no one else tells you - Because it doesn't sell supplements or courses. I tell you what actually works, even when it's boring. This is about real solutions, not clickbait.
  

• My track record coaching women through this - I've coached countless women through perimenopause and menopause. I've helped them sleep better, exercise consistently despite fatigue, communicate their emotional needs to partners, overcome brain fog and feel more energetic. I know how to apply the science to real life.
  

• Why I get your life - I'm 38 with a young child, a partner with a demanding job, and I do the majority of cooking, planning, shopping, life admin, washing, hoovering - all while running a business and maintaining a social life. I understand you don't want to cook three meals a night or wake at 4:30am to exercise. I know what your life looks like.
  

• What the workshop actually gives you - A hierarchy of the most important things you need to be doing, where you score yourself 0-10 in each area (sleep, training, nutrition, emotional regulation, supplements), and you leave with a personalised action plan for where to focus your efforts.
  

• The supplements thing - I'll tell you the maximum FIVE supplements you should be taking and help you throw the rest away. This actually saves you money and makes you immune to the golden pill advertising you see on social media.
  

This isn't about selling you something you don't need. It's about giving you evidence-based strategies that actually work for your real life.

If this has resonated with you please come to the No-Nonsense Menopause Workshop on Saturday, February 28th, 2-4pm at TP Fitness, Wem - £30. Perfect whether you're deep in menopause, experiencing perimenopause symptoms, or want to set yourself up for success before it arrives.

Book here - https://www.coachingwithcara.co.uk/themenopauseworkshop 

And if you want one-to-one support implementing what you learn, that's exactly what I do in my coaching - I take your scores and help you apply the science to your actual life.

Book a *FREE* consultation call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Message me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara

Please share this episode with anyone who's perimenopausal, menopausal, or thinking about menopause - and subscribe so new episodes go straight to your library every Friday!

Until next time, thanks team!

#coachingwithcara

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara addresses something a PT said to me over coffee - "Don't you find clients drop off after a bit?"

“No, not my clients”.

If you're tired of the four-week motivation crash, the endless cycle of starting strong and fading out or wondering why nothing seems to stick, this episode is going to completely shift your perspective.

I'm breaking down why relationship with food coaching is fundamentally different from traditional fitness coaching and why my clients actually get MORE invested over time, not less.

In this episode, I talk about -

• The four-week drop-off myth - why traditional PT clients often lose momentum after the initial buzz, but relationship with food coaching works completely differently. It's not about willpower or motivation - it's about deep learning.

• Why my clients love the work - they're learning about themselves, why they do what they do, why they think the way they think. Self-awareness is a form of self-care and once I open their eyes, they can't unsee it. It becomes almost addictive.

• The tools that change everything - food noise, emotional eating, diet culture conditioning, how friends and family talk about food. My clients don't just learn these concepts - they understand them, apply them to their lives and even start coaching others with the same strategies.

• When it becomes natural - it stops being something you're "on track" or "off track" with. It just becomes something you do. And when it becomes natural, it becomes part of your identity. That's where the real transformation happens.

• Real client results - from applying emotional regulation to parenting, to completely transforming how they approach ANY goal (not just weight loss), to leaving food on their plate without guilt, to being free of food noise entirely.

This is the deep self-awareness work that creates lasting change. Once you understand yourself and why you've been running these patterns, you simply don't do it anymore. You build new patterns, new behaviours, and that becomes the new you.

If this has resonated with you -

I currently have space for someone exactly like you. Book a free consultation call where I'll talk you through how I'll help you leave food on your plate without feeling guilty, and achieve your health and fitness goals without restricting or counting calories.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara 

Message me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara if this episode has hit home.

And please subscribe so new episodes go straight to your library every Friday - don't make yourself search for me!

Until next time, thanks team!

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara tackles something I hear constantly - "I'm a boredom eater." 

But here's the truth bomb - you're not actually bored.

If you're standing in the kitchen grazing after dinner, picking at snacks throughout the day or eating while cooking, calling yourself a boredom eater, this episode is going to completely shift your perspective.

I'm breaking down why boredom isn't the real issue and what's actually driving your emotional eating.

In this episode, I talk about -

• The boredom eating illusion - why I haven't met a genuinely bored woman in 20 years. You've got a to do list longer than you are, the mental load of a small country, and constant productivity pressure. Boredom simply isn't the problem.
  

• What's really going on - emotional eating is a coping strategy for numbing, distracting or avoiding. Food is freely available, non-judgmental, doesn't talk back, and you don't need an appointment. But what are you actually avoiding?
  

• The real culprits - are you overwhelmed? Procrastinating? Living misaligned with your values? Avoiding difficult conversations? It's along these lines, not boredom.
  

• Getting to the root cause - once you identify what you're actually numbing, distracting or avoiding, you can tackle that specific thing. The tonic to boredom is doing something, but you already have plenty to do, so we need to find the real tonic for your real issue.
  

• How the pattern breaks - when you address the root cause instead of the surface behaviour, the emotional eating just disappears. You stop thinking about it. You focus on what's actually going on for you and the old coping strategy fades away naturally.

This is the deep self-awareness work that creates lasting change. Once you know yourself and understand why you've been running these patterns for years, you simply don't do it anymore. You build new patterns, new behaviors and that becomes the new you.

If this has resonated with you - 

Join my Mindful Eating Workshop this Saturday, 31st January at TP Fitness in Wem. There's a game-changing emotional eating section that goes into this in much more detail. You can secure your seat here - https://www.coachingwithcara.co.uk/themindfuleatingworkshop 

Or watch the virtual Mindful Eating Workshop back (two hours of transformative workshop). Buy it here and the links will be sent over to you.

Or book a free no obligation consultation for 1-1 coaching where we explore these patterns together through powerful coaching questions that help you find your own answers.

Book your call here.

Message me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara if this episode has hit home.

And please subscribe so new episodes go straight to your library every Friday - don't make yourself search for me!

Until next time, thanks team!

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara is all about a pattern I'm seeing everywhere right now, people putting massive effort into things that simply won't get them the results they want.

If you're drinking more water, buying vibration plates or doing sporadic YouTube workouts with light weights hoping it'll transform your body, this episode is for you.

I'm breaking down exactly why surface level solutions keep you stuck and how to direct your precious energy toward the root causes that actually creates lasting change.

In this episode, I talk about -

• The vibration plate problem - why there's zero scientific evidence they help with weight loss, muscle building, or fitness and why following what everyone else is doing keeps you stuck.

• Surface level vs root cause - how drinking more water or random light workouts tackle symptoms, not the deep stuff like what's draining your energy, people pleasing pattern, and misaligned values.

• Why you don't need more motivation - you just need to focus your effort in the right place, then it becomes sustainable, consistent and enjoyable without needing discipline or determination.

This is the deep work I do in coaching. Itt's about changing the root so your behaviors, actions and thoughts naturally shift in the right direction.

If this has resonated with you and you're tired of misdirecting your precious energy, I'm booking consultations now for people who want to start in February. 

Book your free no obligation consultation here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Message me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara or email me at cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk if this episode has resonated with you.

And if you love the show (I mean, who wouldn't?), please subscribe so new episodes go straight to your library every Friday and share it on your socials to help other people find it too.

Until next time, thanks team!

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara is all about a pattern that's keeping so many of my clients stuck - the all-or-nothing mindset.

If you find yourself either "on track" with perfect eating and daily workouts or completely "off the wagon" with takeaways and zero movement, this episode is for you.

I'm breaking down exactly why you keep cycling between extremes and how to finally find consistency in the middle - the grey area where real, lasting change actually happens.

In this episode, I talk about - 

• The all-or-nothing cycle - why you're either counting every calorie or binging at Christmas with no middle ground.

• How this shows up everywhere - from house cleaning to starting podcasts, not just food and exercise.

• Why the "nothing" bit keeps you stuck - doing nothing actually feels safer than being in your comfort zone.

• Living in the grey - what the 50 shades of grey between black and white actually looks like for you.

• Building consistency through evidence - how doing something regularly (even imperfectly) rewires your brain.

• The perfectionism connection - how perfectionist traits and people-pleasing tendencies fuel this mindset.

• Reframing your identity - why you're not "someone with an all-or-nothing mindset" but someone who's learning to live in the grey.

This is the mindset work I do in coaching. It's not about willpower, determination or motivation - it's about shifting the root cause so your actions and behaviors naturally change.

If this has resonated with you and you'd like help breaking free from the all-or-nothing trap, send me a message on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara or email me at cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk.

And if you love the show (I mean, who wouldn't?), please subscribe so new episodes go straight to your library every Friday, and share it on your socials to help other people find it too.

Until next time, thanks team!

If you've ever felt completely drained and wondered why you just can't seem to keep up, this episode is for you.

You already know the feeling. You wake up tired. You get through the day running on empty. You collapse on the sofa at night with nothing left to give, and then wonder why your motivation, your willpower, and your good intentions seem to evaporate by mid-afternoon.

And every time it happens, the voice in your head says the same thing - I just need to try harder. I just need to be more disciplined.

In this episode, I'm sharing the four things I do with every single client to give them more energy. Not hacks. Not quick fixes. Not anything that requires you to overhaul your life overnight.

Just four things that actually work.

In this episode I cover -

• Three questions that I want you to ask yourself -

• When is my energy at its best?

• What drains my energy?

• What gives me energy?

  
  

• Why your values might be quietly draining you. If you're living a life that doesn't quite feel like yours, doing things that go against what you actually want, making decisions that feel slightly off, that misalignment costs you energy. Physically, mentally, emotionally. Once you get clear on your values and start making decisions that align with them, energy comes back. Not because anything magic happened, but because you stopped swimming against the current.
  

• Why exercise gives you energy even when you have none. The catch-22 is real - you're too tired to exercise, but not exercising is making you more tired. The key is finding movement you actually enjoy, a walk, Pilates, a club run, strength training, something you'll do consistently. Because energy produces energy. That's not a motivational poster. It's just true.
  

• Sleep and rest and (they're not the same thing). Most of us know we're not sleeping enough, but fewer of us realise we're also not resting in the right ways. There are seven types of rest, physical, mental, sensory, emotional, social, creative, and spiritual and you might be getting plenty of one while running on empty in another. The client who had a chest infection and couldn't make music? She had physical rest sorted. But her creative and spiritual tank was bone dry. That's why she had no energy.
  

• Where supplements fit in and where they don't. Vitamin D, omega-3, creatine, a good multivitamin. These things can help plug gaps and harness the energy you've already got. But they're the tip of the triangle, not the foundation. Nothing in a bottle is going to do the work that values, movement, sleep, and real rest can do.
  

• What depleted energy actually does to your decisions. When you're running on empty, your decision-making goes with it. The late-night fridge raids, the snack cupboard at half nine, the self-sabotage that makes no sense in the morning, that's not a food problem. That's an energy problem. Fix the energy, and a lot of the other stuff starts to sort itself out.
  

So next time act with curiosity, not judgment!

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

Ready to explore how we can work together? 

Book a *FREE* no-obligation consultation call to discover what's possible.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Until next time, keep chatting!

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara is all about something I saw on social media that stopped me in my tracks - a Welsh food blogger who said she wants to "see her vag again" in 2026.

Here's her profile link

If you love your body, love food and don't want to be miserable but still want to feel stronger, lighter and more like yourself, this episode is for you.

I'm breaking down exactly what I would do as a coach to help you transform your relationship with food and your body without sad salads, punishment workouts or giving up joy.

• The black-and-white thinking trap -  why you think your only options are "love food and stay as you are" or "sad salads and punishment workouts".

• How to identify your true values and why connection might matter more than the cake.

• The power of changing your language around food and why words like "naughty" and "treat" are sabotaging you.

• Finding movement you actually enjoy (no sweating with strangers required!).

• Understanding emotional eating and learning to regulate emotions without food or drink.

• Why the food might not be the thing at all - it's about what food facilitates.

This is the work I do in coaching. I don't count calories. I don't create meal plans. I don't do before-and-after photos. I give you the tools and strategies to make informed decisions in the moment so you feel confident, safe and empowered and that feeling is what creates real, lasting change.

If you'd like to be on "nodding terms" with your body and feel stronger, lighter and more like yourself without giving up joy, send me a message on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara and I'll give you your bespoke plan.

Until next time, thanks team.

#coachingwithcara

This week's episode of Chatting with Cara is all about fresh starts and the power of simplicity. As we step into 2026, I'm sharing three powerful coaching questions that will help you create real, sustainable change in your life.

These aren't complicated strategies or overwhelming resolutions,  they're back-to-basics questions that cut straight to the heart of what matters.

In this episode, I talk about –

• The three foundational questions: What will you start, stop, and continue doing?

• How to use the "Five Whys" technique to uncover your real motivation

• Why getting specific and honest with yourself is super important.

• The importance of celebrating what you're already doing well.

• Why you shouldn't let timescales put you off making changes.

This episode is your kickstart to 2026. Grab your journal and really dig into these questions with honesty, curiosity and without shame, that's when the magic happens.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe so new episodes drop straight into your library and share the episode on your socials, it really helps the show grow.

You can connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara.

Thank you for listening and until next time, thanks team.

This is Your Story Too

This week on Chatting with Cara, I'm telling you a story. A story about someone called Cara.

This story isn't about anyone in particular. It's about everyone.

If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, if you lived through the diet culture of the noughties, if you've ever felt like you've failed every diet you've tried, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I cover - 

• How growing up around constant dieting shapes your relationship with food and your body.

• The impact of 90s and 2000s diet culture, from size 0 to circles of shame, What Not to Wear to Super Size vs Super Skinny.

• The endless cycle of clean eating, Slimming World, gym obsession and calorie counting that never actually works long term.

• Why pregnancy and motherhood can intensify body image struggles and disordered eating patterns.

• How hiring a coach with a restrictive plan can make things worse, not better.

• Why you haven't failed. Your upbringing and environment failed you.

• What I actually do as a coach to break this cycle once and for all by tackling the root cause, not just the symptoms.

The work I would do with you - 

• Educate you on how your childhood and environment have shaped your relationship with food and body image today.

• Change your language around food so you stop using words like treats, earn and burn.

• Unlink exercise from food so movement becomes enjoyable.

• Unpick every food rule you've picked up from decades of dieting.

• Turn rigid rules into flexible, healthy guidelines.

• Most importantly, tackle your emotional eating by getting to the root of the problem, not just the behaviour.

This cycle is so easy to stay in. It's tempting to join another gym, hire another coach with before and after photos or try the latest trend. 

But none of that gets to the deep root cause. 

Coaching with me does. And when you learn it, you can't unlearn it. It's sustainable. It's ethical. 

It's forever.

If you're ready to stop writing another chapter of this story and break the cycle for good in 2026, send me a message on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara and I'll get you booked in for a free consultation call. We'll chat about what's going on for you, where you want to go and I'll give you the roadmap to get there.

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it. You're not the only one. Trust me.

Until next time, thanks team.

#coachingwithcara

How I'm doing a lot, holding it all and enjoying it.

This week's episode is all about how I'm genuinely enjoying December despite doing a lot and holding it all together.

I know, I know.

It's December.

Surely I should be run ragged, but I'm not.

I'm enjoying it.

And I'm here to tell you how you can too, because it's all about emotional regulation.

In this episode, I talk about -

● What emotional regulation actually means.

● My two main strategies - building resilience long term and parenting myself in the moment.

● Why doing something for you isn't selfish, it's essential for being a better person, parent, partner and business owner.

● The importance of knowing your values and living in alignment with them.

● My in the moment tool for when chaos hits - stepping back, looking at yourself in the third person and asking what you actually need.

Long term strategy - Building resilience

This is about having things in your life that you enjoy, getting out of your mind and into your body, and building up communication tools. For me, I journal every single day, I move my body and I communicate with people I love.

When you do things for you and live in alignment with your values, your resilience is better. You've just got a higher tolerance for things.

In the moment strategy - Parent yourself

When the washing machine is beeping, everyone wants feeding, someone spills something, your WhatsApp is going off and there's so much going on, this is what you do.

Parent yourself.

Step away from yourself and look in at you. Ask yourself, what does this person in front of me need?

Then you do it.

You treat yourself like you're another person. When you objectively see yourself from somewhere else, it's really easy to see what you need.

A note from me

These are my two top tips for actually enjoying this Christmas period. I parent myself in the moment and I build resilience every single day.

I remember that life is meant to be enjoyable. Christmas is a magical time of year. Don't let society and all the events take that away from you.

If this episode has resonated with you, please send me a message over on Instagram or Facebook @coachingwcara .

If you would like to find out your values or regulate your emotions even further with accountability and support, that's what I do in coaching.

Enquire for a January start here.

Thanks for listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it on your socials.

Until next time. Thanks team.

This week's episode is all about surviving December without self-sabotaging your efforts.

If you've ever found yourself pressing the f**k it button in December, watching yourself spiral into overwhelm, skipping exercise, overeating and promising yourself you'll sort it all out in January, this episode is for you.

December is busy. 

The magic making, the events, the admin, the Christmas cards, the presents, the work deadlines, the food everywhere, the people pleasing, the perfectionism. 

It's a lot. 

And when overwhelm hits, it's tempting to just give up and tell yourself you'll deal with it all in January.

But we're not doing that this December.

In this episode, I share my 3 top tips to not pressing that button -

• Manage your expectations

Not lower them, manage them.

•  Know your triggers

What tips you over the edge? The dark evenings? Having no time for yourself? A packed schedule with no breathing room? Debbie from the school run?

• Do not leave it to January

Don't push your mental health, nutrition or exercise until January.

If this resonated with you then my Mindful Eating Workshop will too.

It’s perfect for emotional eaters and yo yo dieters.

The Virtual Introduction to Mindful Eating Workshop is on Tuesday 9th and Thursday 11th December at 8pm to 9pm. Come for both nights (or catch the recordings). 

I will make you think and feel differently around food this Christmas. You'll reduce your emotional eating and you won't feel like you need to restrict yourself in January.

Book here.

Thanks for listening.

It’s Not What You Do, It’s How You Do It

This week’s episode of Chatting with Cara is a short but important behind-the-scenes update about how I’m bringing my business into full alignment.

If you’re considering working with me, this episode will give you clarity on what coaching with me looks like going forward.

• Why I’ll only be sharing anonymous feedback from now on
• Why traditional social proof has never felt aligned
• Why I’m now sharing my pricing openly.
• Why alignment matters in how I run my business

This episode doesn't have any deep questions to ask yourself it’s about bringing everything behind the scenes into alignment so your coaching experience feels safe, supportive and clear.

If you would like to book in your *FREE* consultation call just follow the link and book on here.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe so new episodes drop straight into your library, and share the episode on your socials, it really helps the show grow.

You can connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara.

You might have heard my little advert for the new Virtual Introduction to Mindful Eating Workshop.

There’s not long till it so if you would like more information and to book on please follow here.

Tuesday 9th and Thursday 11th December (it’s split over two nights)

8-9pm

Google Meet

£45

Book here.

Thank you for listening and until next time, thanks team.

This week on Chatting with Cara, I'm talking about… a coat.

Yes.

Really.

My brand new, below the knee, duvet like coat and what this coat means for my body image.

If you’ve ever avoided oversized clothes because you didn’t want people to think your body looked bigger… or if you’ve ever dressed purely to “flatter,” hide or shrink yourself… this episode is going to land deeply.

It’s not about the coat.

It’s about how we think and feel about our bodies and how freeing it is when we finally stop fighting them.

In this episode I dig into -

• What body image actually is and why it’s about how we feel, not what we look like.
• How we absorbed “hide this / flatter that” messaging from What Not to Wear, magazines and the early 2000s.
• The game-changing realisation that people can see your body anyway coat, cardigan, flattering dress or not.
• The silly poses we all did (hello skinny arm!) to look smaller in photos.
• How body appreciation works (focusing on what your body does for you, not how she looks).
• Why ageing often improves body image.
• The three purposes clothes are meant to serve (“flattering” isn’t one of them).
• How dressing for comfort, warmth and personality helps you become more you.
• Why building positive body image helps you show up brighter, bolder and unapologetically yourself.
• Appreciate your body for what she does, not how she looks.

This week’s homework -

• Wear clothes that fit, have a purpose and show your personality.
  

• Wardrobe audit- 

• Do they fit?

• Do they serve a purpose (warmth, waterproof, practical)?

• Do they express your personality? If not then get them in the charity shop bag, recycle or get them on Vinted.

When you do this consistently, your body image improves, your mindset softens and your life genuinely feels lighter and brighter.

Until next time 

Thanks for listening.

This week on Chatting with Cara I’m diving into one of the most overwhelming and confusing topics out there right now: nutrition advice and the constant noise around what you “should” or “shouldn’t” eat.

If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through social media wondering “Should I cut out dairy?” or feeling guilty for grabbing a takeaway after a long day, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I cover - 

• Why the world of nutrition feels like the Wild West and how endless conflicting advice leaves you second-guessing every meal.

• How black-and-white thinking around food sets you up for failure and why flexibility, not perfection is key.

• The power of guidelines over food rules and how to find the wiggle room that real life requires.

• How to spot manipulative language in nutrition,  “you should,” “you need to,” “you must” and how to filter out the noise.

• Why it’s time to audit your media feed and unfollow people who don’t know what they are talking about.

• How to build a calmer, more compassionate relationship with food by quieting the chaos and focusing on what actually nourishes you.

  
  

I want you to do three things -

• Follow guidelines and not food rules.

• Listen to people's language around food.

• Do a media audit so anyone who makes you feel like their way is the only way - it’s time to unfollow. (that also goes for Steven Bartlett)
  

If you’re ready to unpick diet culture and the food rules that keep you stuck, join me for my Introduction to Mindful Eating Workshop

• Saturday 15th November

• Flaxmill Maltings, Shrewsbury

• 2–5pm

• £45

• Book here

  
  

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it and connect with me on Instagram or Facebook @coachingwithcara

#coachingwithcara

This week on Chatting with Cara, I’m diving into one of the most eye-opening conversations you can have as a parent, your relationship with your child’s food.

If you’ve ever worried about whether your kids are eating “enough,” felt guilty about giving them “treats” or found yourself saying things like “you can’t have pudding until you eat your veg” then this episode is for you.

In this episode, I cover  -

• Why are you stuck in the “wild west” of children's nutrition advice?
  

• How your own beliefs and habits around food influence your children more than you realise.
  

• The common phrases and conditions parents use around food and how they shape a child’s relationship with eating.
  

• Why kids are naturally intuitive eaters and what happens as they get older.
  

• How to talk about food without guilt, morality or “good” vs “bad” labels.
  

• Why changing your own relationship with food can help your children keep their healthy, intuitive instincts for life.
  

• The role of emotional eating, and how our reactions can teach children how to manage feelings without turning to food.

  
  

I have three questions for you -

• What feelings do you have around food for your child?

• What phases do you repeat to them?

• What conditions do you put on them, if any?

  
  

If you want to explore how to improve your own relationship with food so your children can build a healthier one too, come along to my Introduction to Mindful Eating Workshop.

Saturday 15th November

Flaxmill Maltings - Shrewsbury2–5pm

£45

Book here: https://buy.stripe.com/14A7sK30j9YJh2f93xfAc0j

If this episode resonates, share it with another parent who needs to hear it and connect with me on Instagram or Facebook @coachingwithcara.

#coachingwithcara

This week on Chatting with Cara I’m diving into one of the most powerful mindset shifts you can make when it comes to food and exercise -  unconditional permission to eat.

If you’ve ever checked your smartwatch to “earn” your dinner, skipped pudding because you didn’t do enough steps or felt like you had to “make up” for what you ate, this episode is for you.

• How a hen do in Liverpool revealed how deeply we link food, movement and guilt.
  

• Why fitness trackers and calorie counts can mess with your mindset and why those numbers aren’t even accurate.
  

• The sneaky “earn and burn” cycle that keeps you stuck in all-or-nothing thinking.
  

• What unconditional permission to eat really means and how to start practicing it.
  

• The difference between eating with guilt vs. eating with intention and nourishment.
  

• How to separate food from exercise.
  

If you want to explore how unconditional permission to eat can change your mindset around food and exercise then get yourself booked on my upcoming Introduction to Mindful Eating Workshop

Saturday 15th November

Flaxmill Maltings - Shrewsbury

2-5pm

£45

Book here - https://buy.stripe.com/

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it and connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara.

#coachingwithcara

If you've ever found yourself doing the same thing around food over and over again and hating yourself for it, this episode is for you.

You already know the pattern. You eat your kids' leftovers. You raid the vending machine at the office. You press the f*** it button and wonder why you can't just stop. 

And every time it happens, the voice in your head says the same thing: I shouldn't be doing this. What is wrong with me?

Here's what's actually wrong: you're looking through the wrong lens.

In this episode, I'm sharing the one tool I use with every single client and it's not a meal plan, it's not a food diary, and it's definitely not another rule to follow. 

It's curiosity. 

And it changes everything.

In this episode I cover - 

• Why shame keeps you stuck. There's a lot of shame wrapped up in how we eat, secret eating, guilt about portions, beating yourself up for what you did or didn't have. Shame is not information. And it keeps you cycling through the same patterns on repeat. We're swapping the shame lens for something that actually helps.

• What curiosity actually means in practice. Acting with curiosity isn't a vague concept. Instead of I shouldn't be this hungry, it's what's actually going on for me right now? It's treating your cravings, your habits, and your patterns as information rather than character flaws. Because that's exactly what they are.

• The client who struggled every time she went into the office. She'd arrive starving, eat her lunch at half ten, hit the vending machine on the way home, and feel terrible about it. We looked at it through curious eyes, the long commute, the resistance to being there, the fear of being judged and suddenly it all made sense. The solution wasn't willpower. It was understanding. She goes into the office now and it's not a big deal.

• The client who ate her kids' leftovers every single night. She knew she did it. She hated that she did it. She couldn't stop. When we looked with curiosity, her childhood beliefs about food waste, the fact that she fed the kids before herself and was genuinely hungry and it stopped being a character flaw and became a puzzle with an obvious answer. Once you can see it, you can do something about it.

• Black and white thinking and how curiosity blows it open. About 90% of my clients are either on track or off track, good or bad, right or wrong. When you remove that frame and treat everything as neutral information, the whole world opens up. You're no longer failing. You're just gathering information.

• The difference between a conscious decision and the f* it button. Having a second dessert because you actually wanted it and thought it through? That's different to having a second dessert and then writing off the entire next week. Curiosity is what sits between those two things. It's the pause. It's the what's going on here? before the behaviour takes over.

So next time - act with curiosity…..

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

Ready to explore how we can work together? 

Book a *FREE* no-obligation consultation call to discover what's possible.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Until next time, keep chatting!

This week on Chatting with Cara, I’m diving into one of the sneakiest things that shapes your relationship with food  - food rules.

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking “I shouldn’t eat that,” felt guilty about bread or pasta, or skipped foods you actually enjoy because they feel “bad,” this episode is for you.

In this episode, I cover - 

• What food rules really are and how they quietly influence your daily choices.
  

• Where they come from, childhood, diets and social media trends.
  

• The subtle ways restriction hides in your habits (like avoiding soup because it comes with bread).
  

• Why these rules make eating feel complicated and how to simplify it again.
  

• How to start eating intuitively by listening to your body instead of food rules..
  

• The role of emotional regulation and why soothing feelings, not controlling food is the key to real freedom.

  
  

• How my Introduction to Mindful Eating Workshop helps you uncover, unpick and replace your food rules with freedom and awareness.

  
  

If that sounds good then get yourself booked on to the workshop.

Saturday 15th November

Flaxmill Maltings - Shrewsbury

2-5pm

£45

Book here

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it and connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara.

#coachingwithcara

This week on Chatting with Cara, I’m diving into one of the most common frustrations I hear from women in my coaching sessions,  why you can read all the self-help books, listen to every podcast, follow all the motivational accounts and still feel stuck.

If you’ve ever had that moment of reading a golden sentence and thinking- 

“That’s me! That’s what I need to do!” only to forget it completely in the chaos of real life then this episode is for you.

In this episode, I cover- 

• Why awareness alone isn’t enough to create change.
  

• The missing link between knowing and doing.
  

• How “all or nothing” thinking stops you from making progress.
  

• What it really means to apply personal growth to your life.
  

• The role of accountability and why going it alone rarely works.
  

• How coaching bridges the gap between theory and real life.

  
  

You’ll learn why personal development feels so frustrating when it stays theoretical and how coaching helps you turn that knowledge into meaningful, lasting change that fits your unique circumstances, lifestyle and responsibilities.

This isn’t just about knowing what to do, it’s about knowing how to actually live it.

If today’s episode resonates, come and explore how coaching can help you apply what you already know and move forward with confidence. 

Fill out this coaching enquiry form and we can get you booked into your free consultation where I will map out how I’m going to help you apply the theory to your life and keep you accountable along the way.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSev_YEr7gNPt44lgOICaUPBB9OUdXKPvsOTYobt_4SgmPz3Ag/viewform?usp=sf_link

And if you loved this episode, please share it on your socials and tag me,  I love seeing where you’re listening from!

Connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at @coachingwithcara

#coachingwithcara

When I talk about mindful eating on Chatting with Cara it's always really popular.

So I’m relaunching my Mindful Eating Workshop, because quite frankly the jaw dropping moments that the women had in the first two are just too good to keep to myself.

They were ever so popular and I’ve made this one even better, more comprehensive and I’m adding on a bonus 1-1 call afterwards with myself, so you can chat through what was the breakthrough moment for you and how you can implement the tools and strategies which I will teach you to your own life.

This podcast goes into detail about the workshop, what you can and can’t expect from it.

Drop it a listen and then book on via the link below.

• Saturday 15th November

• 3-5pm

• The Stables @ The Flaxmill Maltings Shrewsbury SY1 2SZ

I look forward to transforming your relationship with food.

This week’s episode of Chatting with Cara is short but important. I’m diving into the idea that food is often sold to us as medicine, but that’s not the truth.

Yes, food can bring us joy, energy and health when it’s varied and balanced. 

But it can’t heal us in the way advertising tries to make us believe. 

Medicine is medicine. 

Food is food.

In this episode, I explain - 

• Why food is often wrongly framed as a “cure”.

• The difference between supporting your health vs healing illness.

• How the advertising industry exploits our desire to feel better.

• Why language around food matters so much.

• What to do instead of reaching for food as a “fix” when you’re unwell.

Food can support your wellbeing, but it’s not a substitute for medicine, rest, or lifestyle changes that actually help you recover.

If you find yourself saying “food will heal me” or using it as a crutch when you’re run down, this episode will give you clarity on how to shift your mindset and relationship with food.

If this resonates and you’d like support in building a healthier, more balanced relationship with food, send me a message on Instagram or Facebook at Coaching with Cara. I’d love to chat with you.

#coachingwithcara

This week on Chatting with Cara, I’m diving into one of the biggest challenges I see with my clients (and one I’ve struggled with myself) - people pleasing.

If you’ve ever found yourself saying “yes” when every part of you wanted to say “no,” sacrificing your time, energy and happiness just to keep the peace, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, I’ll walk you through where people pleasing really comes from, how it affects both you and others, and most importantly what you can do to break free from it so you can live with more honesty, integrity and joy.

In this episode, I cover –

• Why people pleasing is especially common for women (and how society conditions us to comply).
  

• The hidden roots of people pleasing: approval seeking, fear of rejection and conditional love.
  

• Why saying “yes” when you mean “no” actually harms both you and the other person.
  

• A memorable (slightly crude!) analogy that explains why false “pleasing” never helps in the long run.
  

• How to reframe “no” as honesty, authenticity and integrity.
  

• Practical strategies to start saying “no” with confidence including the power of silence and resisting the urge to over-explain.
  

• How to build awareness of who you people please most and in what situations.
  

• Why celebrating your small wins rewires your brain to see that saying “no” is not only safe, it’s liberating.
  

If you’ve been overcommitting, over-giving or quietly resenting how much you do for others, this episode will help you step back into alignment with yourself and free up more time for the things that truly matter to you.

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it and connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at @Coachingwithcara.

If you would like further indepth 1-1 support then book a life coaching consultation where I will talk you through how I can stop you being a people pleaser, once and for all.

Book here

Thanks for lsitening

This week on Chatting with Cara, I’m diving into one of the most common struggles I see in my coaching - emotional eating. 

If you’ve ever found yourself reaching for chocolate after a long day, eating dinner before you’ve even sat dow  or pouring a glass of wine when what you really need is rest, this episode is for you.

To go with it, I’ve created a *FREE* Emotional Eating Handbook to help you understand and overcome these habits. 

You can download it *here*

In this episode, I cover -

• Why emotional eating happens and how to recognise it.

• The hidden power of language and how words like good and bad around food shape your behaviour.

• Why you must separate food from exercise (no more “I earned this” bargains!).

• The 5-part body check-in to help you tune into true hunger.

• How replacing rigid “food rules” with flexible guidelines creates freedom.

• The role of emotional regulation  and how to soothe feelings without food
  

This is a whistle-stop tour of the handbook, but I promise if you put these tools into practice, you’ll start to feel more in control, more at peace, and actually enjoy food again - guilt-free.

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it and connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at @Coachingwithcara.

#coachingwithcara

This week’s episode is all about those unexpected snack cravings and what’s really behind them.

If you’ve found yourself wandering to the fridge more often than usual, grabbing handfuls of food without even tasting it or feeling snacky for no obvious reason, this one’s for you.

It’s not about the snacks. 

It’s about your emotions.

In this episode, I talk about –

• Why seasonal changes, new routines or life shifts (like the kids starting school) can trigger snack cravings.

• How mindless eating is actually a form of emotional eating (even if it doesn’t look like the “classic” version).The real reason food isn’t solving the problem and what actually does.

• The importance of checking in with your own feelings (instead of always focusing on others).

• Simple practices like journaling and mindful moments to create space for emotional awareness.

• How coaching gives you tools and strategies to regulate emotions without reaching for food.

Important reminders –

• Snacking is often a signal, not the solution.

• Emotional eating doesn’t always look dramatic, it can be subtle and sneaky.

• You deserve time and space to process your emotions, not just push them down with food.

A note from me –

I’m always more interested in what’s going on underneath, the real reasons behind your habits. If this episode resonated with you, it might be a sign it’s time to look at your relationship with food and emotions in a new way. Coaching can give you practical strategies to support yourself without relying on snacks.

If that sounds like something you need, send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook at Coaching with Cara. 

#coachingwithcara

Designing your best life with intention.

This week’s episode is all about designing your best life -intentionally, purposefully and in a way that actually feels good.

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve “done all the right things” but something still feels off, this episode is for you. I’m sharing why taking a higher-level view of your life and intentionally designing it can transform your day-to-day, your habits and your sense of fulfilment.

In this episode, I talk about –

• Why your best life doesn’t just happen - it needs to be designed.
  

• How to take a higher-level view of your life and spot what’s not sitting right.
  

• Two powerful questions to help you figure out what your life should look like and feel like.
  

• How to reverse engineer your life from those answers to create sustainable, practical change.
  

• A real-life example of how focusing on intention can improve habits, like your relationship with food.
  

A Note from Me

I’m so passionate about helping people live intentionally because I know the power of designing your life for yourself, not by what’s expected or “on paper,” but by what truly feels right. If you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just like “something’s missing,” this episode is your invitation to pause, reflect and start designing a life that actually works for you.

Connect with me on Instagram or Facebook at Coaching with Cara, and let’s create the life you’ve been craving.

Thanks for listening!

This week’s episode is all about something brand new I’m bringing into my coaching world -  life coaching.

If you’ve ever wondered what it is, how it works, or whether it’s right for you, then this episode is for you.

I’m sharing why I’m moving away from fitness coaching and into something that lights me up even more - helping women shift their mindset, let go of people pleasing and perfectionism, and finally create the balance, confidence and fulfilment you’ve been craving.

In this episode, I talk about –

• What life coaching really is (and what it’s not).
  

• How it’s different from fitness coaching and counselling.
  

• The kinds of goals life coaching can help you reach (career, confidence, relationships, balance, food freedom).
  

• The step-by-step process I use with my clients to get them unstuck and moving forward.
  

• A real client story that shows how powerful these mindset shifts can be.

  
  

Time Stamps -

00:00 Introduction to life coaching

01:25 Understanding life coaching

03:16 Life coaching vs fitness coaching

04:50 Life coaching vs counselling

06:26 How life coaching works

09:47 Specialisation in food and body image

11:12 Transformational mindset shifts

Important details –

• Sessions are run face-to-face on Google Meet (bye-bye Zoom).
  

• You can choose weekly or bi-weekly sessions depending on what works best for you.
  

• Between sessions, I’ll keep you accountable with WhatsApp check-ins, prompts, and support.
  

• My speciality remains relationship with food and body image, but life coaching extends far beyond that.
  

A note from me –

I’m genuinely so excited to be offering life coaching because I know first-hand the kind of transformation that happens when you finally give yourself permission to do the deeper inner work.

If you’ve been spinning plates, people-pleasing, or just feeling like “there must be more than this” this might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Book a consultation call here and let’s chat about where you are, where you want to go, and how I can help you get there.

Thanks for listening.

This week’s episode is short, sweet, and straight from the heart. 

I’m sharing a big change in my business, drum roll please from August 31st, I’ll no longer be taking on fitness clients. 

After 6 years in the fitness industry, I’ve realised my deepest passion lies in helping women transform from the inside out through mindset shifts, values work, emotional awareness, and better communication.

If you’ve ever wanted to work with me on fitness, this is your final opportunity before the focus of my coaching evolves. 

From September 1st, I’m launching a brand-new approach that’s not about changing your body it’s about changing your life.

In this episode, I talk about - 

• Why I’m stepping away from fitness coaching after 6 years.
  

• How the fitness industry has shifted and why it no longer aligns with me.
  

• The kind of inner work that creates real and lasting transformation.
  

• A hint at what’s launching September 1st (and why September feels like the real “New Year”).
  

• How becoming a mum has shaped my growth as a coach and as a person.
  

• Why this shift excites me even more than my original fitness journey.
  

Important Dates - 

• August 31st – Last day to sign up for fitness coaching with me.
  

• September 1st – Launch of my new coaching focus (mindset, habits, and living your best life).
  

• September 5th – Podcast returns with the full reveal and all the details you need to know.
  

A Note from Me - I’m so grateful for every single person who listens to Chatting with Cara. When I check the analytics and see the plays, it fills my heart with joy knowing you’re here, listening, and hopefully finding value. Thank you for being part of this journey.

If you’ve been on the fence about working with me in a fitness capacity, now is the time send me a DM before August 31st to secure your place. Then, get ready for something completely new, exciting, and life-changing coming September 1st.

#coachingwithcara

We went. We ate. I sweated through my polo neck because The Castle was absolutely roasting.

Part two of this week's Chatting with Cara is here, and I'm telling you exactly how the all you can eat Italian went. 

What I ate, how the evening played out, and what an unremarkable, genuinely normal relationship with food actually looks like on a Wednesday night in Wem.

And spoiler - it was pretty boring. Which is entirely the point.

Here's how the evening went —

The food was great. Pizza, lasagne, gnocchi in a garlicky herb sauce, a tomato mascarpone risotto that was genuinely fabulous, meatballs, arancini, garlic bread. I had a little bit of most things. Twice. Because I wanted to. Because it was nice.

Luca came with us and managed a decent amount of carbonara, which felt like a win.

Stefan got his money's worth. Fully. Three plates and extremely full by the end.

Sue, who has done my mindful eating workshop, stopped when she'd had enough because she doesn't like the feeling of being too full. That's the work right there.

And then there was the tiramisu. Free with the meal, offered to everyone, and honestly not very nice. Defrosted, bland, a bit crunchy in the wrong places. And I nearly ate the whole thing without really noticing, because I was mid-conversation and not paying attention.

Once Sue said it wasn't great, I came back to it and thought yeah, actually, I wouldn't have chosen this if I'd been present. I ate it on autopilot. That's the honest bit.

And that's what I want to talk about in this episode because that moment with the tiramisu wasn't a failure. 

It was just information. 

Something to get curious about, not critical about.

The people pleasing thing I mentioned in part one? That showed up too. Not in saying yes to things I didn't want. In not saying out loud that I didn't like something, because I didn't want to put a dampener on it for anyone else. 

Small thing. Worth noticing.

Then we walked home. Had a cup of tea. The next morning I had protein porridge, eggs on toast, taught a Pilates class, had my decaf cappuccino. 

Didn't spiral. Didn't compensate. Didn't have a single intrusive thought about the night before.

Just a nice night out, filed away as a nice night out.

That is what an unremarkable relationship with food looks like. 

Not perfect. Not white-knuckling it. Just easy.

If you're reading this thinking you could never trust yourself at a buffet, that you'd go back for plate after plate, spiral for the rest of the week, feel awful about yourself - I want you to know it doesn't have to be like that.

It genuinely doesn't.

If you want to get here too, one-to-one coaching is six months at £199 a month. Three months of weekly calls, two months of fortnightly calls, and a final month of WhatsApp support so you feel held the whole way through. The tools, the science, and everything tailored to you.

Send me a DM, find me on Instagram, or book a call below.

P.S. The American all you can eat is next month and none of us really fancy it. I still don't know what a corn dog is and I'm not sure I need to find out.

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

Ready to explore how we can work together? 

Book a *FREE* no-obligation consultation call to discover what's possible.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

I get hammered on the adverts for the weight loss jabs - because I talk about them like this.

But I've seen a subtle shift in their marketing and I'm here to tell you about it.

The move away from straight forward weight loss to a community "supported" approach.

I'm here to tell you that it doesn't matter if you are on the jabs or not - that's what you need.

You still need to be doing the basics -

The lifting weights.

The eating regularly and having enough protein and fibre.

The working on your relationship with food.

Thats what I do.

Have a listen and then drop me a message and I can tell you how I would support you.

#coachingwithcara

Go back and listen to episode 24 "All you need to know about weight loss jabs" for a comprehensive view on all things jabs.

As a child of the 80s meant that health and safety wasn’t a thing.

If you went for a run you were called a jogger and probably shouted at  “Run Forrest Run”.

Skincare meant some E45 and a Boots cucumber wet wipe.

But nowadays “wellness is everywhere”.

From complex morning routines, to 12 step skincare, to training for an Ironman in your spare time.

Wellness is on the rise but where does it stop?

Or even start if you are a 30 something trying to build a career, manage the house, have a social life and sort the kids?

I delve into that in this episode.

Please have a listen and let me know what you think over on socials.

#coachingwithcara

Before and after pictures.

I don't like them.

However, they sell coaching.

But I will never use them.

And in this episode I explain why.

It's a little bit ranty but I'm changing things up slightly so you can expect more opinions, feelings and thoughts about all sorts of things.

Please let me know your thoughts on social media.

Thanks for listening.

If you are of my generation or a little bit older, you will be familiar with the phases -

- Eat everything on your plate.

- There's children starving in Africa.

- You do not waste food.

So the notion of putting food in the bin feels really icky.

But then so does eating the cold and crusty chicken nugget.

If you eat your kids leftovers I want you to listen to the podcast and ask yourself these two powerful questions.

- How hungry am I?

- Is this nourishing me?

Then make an informed decision based.

Listen in if you want to explore more.

#coachingwithcara

With your routine about to go out the window, your house about to be turned upside down and you being put at the bottom of the priority pile - it can only mean one thing.

Summer holidays are here.

So to keep you moving I share my top tips to keep you moving.

Because that's what I really care about.

Have a listen (it's a quick one) and let me know your thought's over on social media.

#coachingwithcara

The whole full fat v low fat debate is an interesting one.

So I’m going to debunk a few myths for you and set the record straight in this episode.

If you have ever wondered if going full fat is “bad” for you or if you are doing the “right” thing by having low fat foods.

Then this podcast is for you.

Let me know your opinions over on social media.

#coachingwithcara

Quiet fitness is my bag.

Real fitness.

What fitness would look like if you did it.

Not what is pushed on social media.

If you feel like you -

"aren't fit enough to workout"

"wouldn't want to make a fool of yourself"

Then listen into this episode as I talk about reframing those limiting beliefs, taking down barriers in your mind and taking action.

Let me know over on social media what you think and if you want any limiting beliefs reframing for you.

#coachingwithcara

I do like a good milestone and 50 episodes felt like a good one to reflect and celebrate on.

So in this episode I dig into three lessons that I’ve learned along the way and how they can help you with your fitness and health journey.

I talk about the power of showing up for yourself, the force of consistency and the benefit of setting smaller process goals with the long term goal in mind.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I have enjoyed recording all 50 of them!

Here’s to the next 50….

Thanks for listening.

Supplementation has a lot of money thrown at it.

There's a lot of emotive marketing.

It's a "quick and easy" fix for a problem.

So when a woman comes onboard for coaching with me, one of the first things I do is go through the supplements that she takes.

There's always a lightbulb moment when I simplify it for them and tell them that they can buy them from Tesco or Boots.

I honestly save them so much money.

In this episode I dig into the four supplements that everywoman should be taking.

That's it just the four.

And why you don't need to be taking collagen.

Despite what all the ads that are coming your way.

If you would like a detailed and bespoke vitamin plan please drop me a message on social media saying "vitamins" and I will discuss it with you.

Enjoy listening!

#coachingwithcara

Very common question that I get asked, that I myself have asked way back when I started going to Pilates.

Here is the comprehensive answer.

It doesn't involve one exercise I'm afraid.

It's a three pronged approach that encompasses exercise, nutrition and body image work

If you are menopausal or menopausal then you could think that things are harder for you but this is where my approach comes into its own.

Here is my setting yourself up for success guide, have a look and let me know what you think.

If you would like to know more or be coached through my method please send me a DM on social media and we can get you signed up.

Thanks for listening.

If you've ever dreaded a buffet more than you were looking forward to it, this episode is for you.

You know the feeling. You have a buffet booked and suddenly your brain is already negotiating. I'll skip lunch. I'll only have one plate. I'll go for a run tomorrow. I'll just have a Diet Coke.

Before you've even sat down, the bargaining has started. 

And that's exactly what I want to talk about.

In this episode, recorded before I've even been, I walk you through how I'm approaching Wednesday night, the tools I'll be using at the table, and why having a genuinely enjoyable buffet starts way before you pick up a fork.

In this episode I cover - 

• The language we use around buffets. Naughty. Bad. Blowout. Cheat meal. I deserve this. Getting back on track. In this episode I'm not using any of those words and I want you to notice when you do. Because the language you use around food shapes your behaviour before you've even arrived. An unremarkable buffet starts with unremarkable language.
  

• All-or-nothing thinking. The classic pattern: set a rule before you go, break the rule the second the garlic bread arrives, and then completely write off the rest of the evening. That's not a lack of willpower. That's what restriction does to your brain. We're going for the grey area, all 50 shades of it.
  

• Unconditional permission to eat. Those little bargains, I won't have lunch, I'll save room, I'll be good tomorrow - that's conditional permission. And it's conditional permission that causes the overeating, not the buffet itself. When food is truly, genuinely available to you, the urgency fades. That's what we're working towards.
  

• The hunger and fullness scale. The tool I'll be using at the table on Wednesday. Not to restrict but to inform. Giving yourself a number between 1 and 10 means you've got 10 options, not just two. And when you actually listen to those signals, you know when to stop, not because a rule tells you to, but because your body does.
  

• People pleasing at the table. Stefan has already announced he's getting his £15 worth. And that's fine - for Stefan. But if you're someone who clears your plate because food has been paid for, or because someone says "are you not having that?", or because wasting food feels wrong at a deep, ingrained level, that's worth noticing. Your fullness doesn't care what anyone else is doing.
  

• What this is actually for. It's Sue's birthday. She wanted her family around her and she loves Italian food. When you zoom out and remember what a meal out is actually for - connection and celebration, the food takes its rightful place. It's part of the evening, not the whole point of it.
  

Come back for Part 2, where I'll tell you what was on the menu, what I ate, how the tools actually played out, and what you can take from it for your own relationship with food.

Because it really is possible to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and just... have a nice time.

If this resonated, book a FREE 30-minute consultation call here. 

No obligations, no sales pitch. Just a proper chat about where you are, where you want to be, and a bespoke plan to get you there.

Connect with Cara - 

Thanks for joining me today on Chatting with Cara. I hope today's conversation gave you some food for thought!

If you're looking to transform this area of your life I'd love to support you, please get in touch with me using the below links.

Email -  cara@coachingwithcara.co.uk

Website - www.coachingwithcara.co.uk

Facebook - Coaching with Cara

Instagram - @coachingwcara

Ready to explore how we can work together? 

Book a *FREE* no-obligation consultation call to discover what's possible.

Book your call here - https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

Until next time, keep chatting!

Okay so buckle in for story time on this one as I take you through my decision to have lip fillers in 2019.

I dig into that curiosity around them and I'm guessing you might be feeling some curiosity around weight loss injections.

Because quite frankly they are everywhere, and have you ever wondered of they will work for you?

What the appetite suppression really feels like?

Could they change your game?

I'm here to dig into that curiosity but also guide you with the healthy habits that everyBODY needs to have in place. So if you are taking them, thinking of taking them or just want to feel healthier and fitter then get listening.

As always shoot me a message on social media as I'm always happy to chat about healthy habits.

#coachingwithcara

You probably won't expect these.

If you don't like exercise, feel like it's not for you or just wouldn't know where to start.

Then listening to this podcast is the start for you.

I'm going to give you the 4 tips that I use with coaching clients who come to me and haven't done any exercise for years.

1 - Start small and work up - home workouts all the way!

2 - Get consistent - Something is better than nothing mindset shift needs to come into play here.

3 - Manage your expectations - Disassociate exercise from losing weight as it will make the whole thing more enjoyable.

4 - Progress - You don't need longer workouts, you need to optimise your time, coaches come in hardy for this one FYI.

Enjoy listening to it and if you are ready to start your exercise journey, drop me a message on social media or enquire here.

Thanks for listening.

Body image is something that I've dive into a lot with my 1-1 clients.

Because it's important to feel good about your body or at least comfortable with it.

In this episode I explain what it is, what work needs to be done around it and my own experience as to why I don't wear a bikini at the beach and also why my body is not my business card.

Please give it a listen and drop me a message on social media with your thoughts.

Thanks for listening

#coachingwithcara

I can finally say I'm ahead of a trend.

Finally.

And what a trend to be ahead of.

I love coaching women to improve their relationship with food.

I hate marketing to try to get women to improve their relationship with food because its tricky.

No one wakes up one morning and says " I need to improve my relationship with food".

Instead they are trying to manage their cortisol.

Googling how to sleep better.

Looking at tips to avoid burnout.

Or just mindlessly scrolling on their phone because they are overstimulated, worn out and drained.

But improving your relationship with food can help all those things.

In this episode I dig into this further and just why it's going to be a really powerful trend to jump on for you.

Thanks for listening and drop me a message on social media if you would like to take steps to improve your relationship.