Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

I know I say this a lot, but I love today’s conversation, and I have no doubt you’re going to find it fascinating. I speak with Registered Dietician Nutritionist Shana Minei Spence, who describes herself as an “all foods fit” dietician. Shana works in public health and is the author of the new book, Live Nourished: Make Peace with Food, Banish Body Shame, and Reclaim Joy.

Shana and I explore how we can find more peace and freedom around food through examining our conditioned beliefs around health, nutrition, diet, weight, processed foods, and more. There are so many juicy nuggets of insight in this conversation, and I think you’ll walk away feeling more liberated from a food system/culture that is insidiously controlling and often feels confusing. After all, we are all hardwired to intuitively nourish ourselves, even though it often doesn’t feel that way (as Shana says, without diet culture, intuitive eating would just be called eating!).

Episode Links:

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Shana’s book, Live Nourished: https://amzn.to/3N33gIX

* Shana’s Newsletter, The Nutrition Tea Substack: https://thenutritiontea.substack.com/

* Find Shana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenutritiontea/

* Podcast referenced with Virginia Sole-Smith: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/podcast8

* Podcast referenced with Abigail Rose Clarke: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/abigail-rose-clarke

I had so much fun chatting with today’s guest all about cookbook writing, plant-forward eating, and fall cooking. I speak with Lukas Volger who’s a cookbook author and recipe developer. He’s written six cookbooks, and he publishes the newsletter, Family Friend by Lukas Volger, which features vegetable-forward recipes. 

Lukas and I pull back the curtain on the cookbook writing process, diving into the nuts and bolts of how we both write books, but also how we get inspired and structure our projects. Lukas shares the topic for his new book, and for the first time I also share the rough concept behind my new book (which, although it’s almost done, comes out in January 2026!). Writing a book is about creating an “ecosystem,” as Lukas describes, but it’s also about project management, and we discuss how our new books differ from the books we’ve published in the past. 

In addition, Lukas and I dive into plant-forward cooking. If you’ve been wanting to incorporate more vegetables into your diet, Lukas offers fantastic tips and applicable advice for bringing more vegetables into your mealtime routine, starting with the simplest of prep tricks. We also talk about fall cooking, sharing the dishes that we’re most excited to make and the different ways we like to use fall produce. 

As Lukas explains, cooking is a practice, and it takes practice. The more we do it, the easier it becomes, not just from a technical standpoint, but also from an emotional perspective. With practice, cooking can become a habit—the default mode for how we feed ourselves (instead of always falling back on take-out or convenience foods). I believe that the payoff extends beyond just filling a hungry belly—cooking can also be a delicious way to connect to ourselves, to nurture our bodies and emotions, and to support our health (spoiler alert: this is the concept behind my new cookbook!). Whether you’re new to cooking or love it, I’m so grateful that you’re here on this journey with me. 💚

Episode Links:

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Lukas’s newsletter: https://lukasvolger.substack.com/

* Find Lukas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukasvolger/

* Lukas’s cookbooks: https://www.lukasvolger.com/books

* Nicki’s cookbooks: https://fromscratchfast.com/books/

In today's episode we’re diving into the concept of dynamic nourishment with Vaness Henry, who’s a Shamanic Practitioner, Producer and Author who has devoted much of her work to the study and teaching of Human Design. 

In 2023, my most downloaded episode was Human Design and Digestion with Jasmine Nnenna (link below), and I knew I wanted to have Vaness on the show this season to go even deeper. In today’s show, we discuss the six colors of determination or digestion within human design, and Vaness describes how food is just one aspect of our nourishment. We are fed by so much more than simply food, from the content we ingest, to the rituals we practice, to the things we wear and put on our skin, to the energies we take in, to our environment. This is dynamic nourishment—it’s how we nourish ourselves on every level in our lives. 

As Vaness describes, once we start to understand what uniquely nourishes us, it’s almost like we gain a superpower. As we play and adjust, we start to develop a deeper trust in our own knowing, finding more balance and satisfaction in our lives as a whole. 

EPISODE LINKS:

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Vaness’s website: https://www.vanesshenry.com/

* Find Vaness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanesshenry/

* Human Design and Digestion with Jasmine Nnenna: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/human-design-food-and-digestion

* Find your Human Design Chart on MyBodyGraph: https://mybodygraph.com/

* International Human Design School: https://www.ihdschool.com/

* Jovian Archive: https://www.jovianarchive.com/

Welcome to season 3 of the podcast! I’m so excited to be back with a powerful new episode all about using the power of our inner voice and intuition to find freedom around food. I speak with Bella Lively, whose work is dedicated to helping people access their intuition and their inner voice in order to find more freedom in their lives. She’s a coach, acclaimed teacher, and the host of The Lively Show podcast.

Today Bella and I go deep into her history in order to better understand how she found liberation around food. She describes her nine-year struggle with disordered eating when she was a teen and young adult, vacillating from borderline anorexia to binge eating (as a trigger warning, she shares this in detail from 06:27-10:40, in case any of you are suffering). She then explains how she was able to move from her mental obsession over food to trusting her intuition, eventually finding deep trust and harmony within her body.

Bella also describes the power in embracing non-duality in order to gain sovereignty. Instead of trying to  put ourselves into boxes and limit ourselves with labels, she explains how releasing the mentality of good vs. bad/black vs. white/one vs. another, opens us up to a vast amount of freedom and ultimately our own authority. This extends far beyond just food and eating but can be applied to any aspect of our lives.

For those of you who’ve ever experienced any stress around food and eating, who want liberation from diet culture, and/or who want to heal your relationship to food and your body, this episode is for you. However, even if you’ve never had issues around food or your body, this conversation is an invitation to explore something deeper—to begin to let go of the dualities that have come to define our culture in order to find a path of inner autonomy and peace. 

EPISODE LINKS:

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Bella’s Website: https://bellalively.com/

* Find Bella on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellalivelyworld/

* Bella’s Embodied Alignment Class: https://bellalively.com/embodiedalignment/

In this solo podcast episode, Nicki reflects on the importance of trusting in ourselves and our bodies, especially during the holiday season and the onslaught of diet culture messages. She emphasizes the need to develop deep connection with our bodies and the foods we eat in order to untangle ourselves from the web of conditioning around food. She describes how we must embrace the unknown and find stillness so that we can access our intuitive knowledge, and she shares her personal journey of strengthening trust in her path and navigating self-doubt. Finally, she discusses the balance between structure and flexibility in our lives. Nicki encourages listeners to welcome the void and cultivate trust in their own choices.

Takeaways

·      Trust in ourselves and our bodies is crucial, especially in the face of diet culture messages.

·      Developing deep connection with ourselves and the foods we eat can help cultivate trust.

·      Embracing the unknown and finding stillness within ourselves allows us to access intuitive knowledge.

·      Balancing structure and flexibility in our lives can support trust and intuitive decision-making.

·      Listening to the messages of our bodies and giving ourselves grace is essential for trust and well-being.

Timestamps

00:00 The Importance of Trust

03:26 Developing Deep Connection

04:20 Strengthening Trust in the Path

06:24 Trusting Our Bodies

07:22 Embracing the Unknown

08:25 Cultivating Stillness

09:45 Finding Balance in Structure

11:41 Listening to the Messages of the Body

12:24 Loosening Up Structures

13:27 Welcoming the Void

15:26 Trusting Ourselves and Our Choices

16:19 Gratitude and Support

17:46 Closing and Future Plans

Links & Resources Mentioned in the Show:

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

*Intentional Eating/Cooking: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/intentional-eating

*Living & Eating in a Sacred Way with Natalie Deeb: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/living-and-eating-in-a-sacred-way

Today I speak with Hetty McKinnon all about how food connects us to ourselves and others, as well as how to bring excitement and flavor to winter vegetables. Hetty is a Chinese Australian cook and food writer. A James Beard Foundation finalist, she is the author of five bestselling cookbooks, including her latest Tenderheart, and is a regular recipe contributor to New York Times Cooking, The Washington Post, Bon Appetit, Epicurious, and more. 

I love Hetty’s work so much because it’s imbued with story and authenticity. Hetty describes how for her, cooking is a channel for connection. It connects her to her family, to her Cantonese and Australian heritage, to the people she cooks and writes for, and also to those she’s lost. She desribes how food is a channel for remembering her father, who passed away when she was fifteen, and how she brings aspects of him onto the plate. 

We also talk about winter vegetables, which can seem tough or unruly to cook, or drab and boring. Hetty proves otherwise. She shares recipe ideas and cooking tips for making winter vegetables utterly delicious. We’re talking turnips, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, and more. If you think you know these vegetables, think again. I think you’re going to walk away hungry and inspired to get in the kitchen. 

Links and Resources:

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Hetty’s newsletter: https://tovegetableswithlove.substack.com/

* Find Hetty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hettymckinnon/

* Hetty’s new book, Tenderheart: https://amzn.to/3GoHkVf

In today's powerful episode I speak with Elise Loehnen, author of the bestselling book, On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be Good. Elise is also the host of the Pulling the Thread Podcast, and prior to her podcast she was chief content officer of Goop. 

Today we’re talking about the Gluttony chapter of Elise's book, and how it relates to the patriarchal system we live in. Elise starts by describing the origins of that system, which has come to define our worldview, whether we realize it or not. While it’s started as a hierarchical dominance-based external system, it’s become an internal system that we all perpetuate, often unconsciously. 

We explore how the system specifically plays into our relationship with food and our bodies. Elise describes how the “sin” of gluttony isn’t about extreme over-indulgence but rather about our moralizing of food. It’s a policing of what we eat and how our bodies look in order to conform and express our goodness. While we’re deeply influenced by powers outside of us (think diet culture) we also perpetuate the system internally. We police OURSELVES in an effort to be “good,” and to feel like we have control. However, this need for control disconnects us from real pleasure and from our true selves. We talk about how to get out of this giant web of patriarchal conditioning to gain sovereignty for ourselves.

I think you’re going to learn SO MUCH from this episode and begin to see how you can reclaim your own power and your own pleasure this holiday season.

Resources, books and links mentioned in this episode:

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Elise’s newsletter: https://eliseloehnen.substack.com/

* Find Elise on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliseloehnen/

* On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be Good, by Elise Loehnen, by Elise Loehnen: https://amzn.to/46iL5WL

* The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, by Angela Saini: https://amzn.to/3sEDhRC

* The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, by David Graeber and David Wengrow: https://amzn.to/3QIwezb

* Marion Woodman: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14630.Marion_Woodman

* The Wisdom of Your Body, by Hillarly L. McBride, PhD: https://amzn.to/40KDPBT

* Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction, by Maia Szalavitz: https://amzn.to/3G0p18T

Today I’m talking all about holiday cooking with one of my favorite food writers and educators, Molly Stevens. Molly is a James Beard award-winning author, cooking instructor, and recipe developer. Her cookbooks include All About Dinner: Simple Meals, Expert Advice (Norton, 2019), All About Roasting (Norton, 2011), and All About Braising (Norton, 2004). She has been named Cooking Teacher of the Year by both the International Association of Culinary Professionals and Bon Appétit.

Molly and I explore how we can bring more ease into planning and prepping for holiday gatherings. She offers such great advice, not just for cooking, but also for preparing for the holidays mentally and emotionally. Oftentimes this is just as important as the physical planning. It allows us to check our expectations and tune into what we really want, as opposed to being swept up in obligations and to-do lists. 

We also get into the practical side of hosting and planning, from menu planning tips, to prep tricks, cooking techniques, easy appetizers, timing dinner, and more. (Take warning: you’re going to leave hungry!). 

While the holidays are one of my favorite times of the year, they can also be incredibly stressful. I think this conversation is going to help you clarify what you want this holiday season to feel like, why you cook for others, and how you can better align those two things to bring more ease and flow into the season. 

Links and resources (and recipes!) mentioned in this episode:

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Molly’s website: https://www.mollystevenscooks.com/

* Find Molly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mstevenscooks/

* Make-Ahead Pie Crust: https://fromscratchfast.com/easy-gluten-free-pie-crust/

* Gingerbread Trifle: https://fromscratchfast.com/gingerbread-trifle-recipe-gluten-free/

Today’s episode is filled with so many deep nuggets of wisdom—I think everyone listening is going to have at least one aha moment. I speak with Abigail Rose Clarke, who is a writer, somatic educator and artist. She’s been teaching somatics internationally since 2011. Her book, Returning Home to the Body: Reimagining the Relationship Between our Bodies and the World will be released in January 2024. 

Abigail and I discuss what it means to be in relationship, not just with other people, but with our bodies, with the foods we eat, and with the world around us. As Abigail explains, relationships are a reciprocal give and take, where we’re being changed by the other, but also by the relationship itself. She describes how when we “return to the body,” developing a deeper relationship with ourselves, we open the door to curiosity. Instead of feeling like we need to control our bodies or the foods we eat (through things like yoga, meditation, workouts, diets, cleanses, etc), we instead ask ourselves what we authentically need right now, in this moment, without judgement. We also discuss pleasure, change, grief, the role of food in comforting us, and so much more. 

Links and resources mentioned in the show:

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Abigail’s website: www.abigailroseclarke.com

* Find Abigail on Instagram: www.instagram.com/abigail.rose.clarke

* Pre-Order Abigail’s book, Returning Home to Our Bodies: https://amzn.to/46W0yNj

* Pleasure Activism, by Adrienne Maree Brown: https://amzn.to/3rXqv02

* Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power, by Audre Lorde: https://amzn.to/46YrPP2

Today I speak with Zoe Adjonyoh, who is a pioneer in bringing West African flavors to a wider audience. She’s the author of the acclaimed cookbook, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen and is the founder of the spice company by the same name. Zoe describes her background as half Irish and half Ghanaian, and how she used food to connect her to her Ghanaian roots as well as to her father. Zoe describes some of the iconic dishes and flavors of Ghanaian cuisine and explains how Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, which started as a pop-up restaurant, went hand-in-hand with her spiritual awakening, when she uncovered and embraced her authenticity and autonomy. We also talk about the downfalls of the hospitality industry, and we get into sustainability, consciousness, and more. 

A note about today’s audio. Zoe and I had a very “mercury in retrograde” experience when recording this episode in August, and you’ll notice that her sound occasionally dims out. I therefore recommend wearing headphones or ear buds when listening if you can, which will help (although I relistened in my car and could still understand her audio).

Links and resources mentioned in the episode:

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen: https://www.zoesghanakitchen.com/

* Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen cookbook: https://amzn.to/45kgqYA

* Podcast episode with Liz Carlisle (Regenerative Farming, Climate Change, Racism, Food & Pleasure): https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/regenerative-farming-climate-change#details

* Karen Washington: https://www.karenthefarmer.com/about

* Soul Fire Farm: https://www.soulfirefarm.org/