Nobody likes talking about their relationship with food... so let's talk about it. Welcome to Nourished & Free®: The Podcast, where mental health meets physical health, food guilt gets ghosted, and toxic wellness advice gets roasted. 🔥 Hosted by Michelle Yates, MS, RD, LMNT, a Registered Dietitian with a master’s in Health Psychology and Certified Health Mindset Coach. Here, science finds self-compassion. Michelle breaks down the why behind food struggles, from binge eating and emotional eating to body image, perfectionism, and “food noise” that won’t quit. Expect honest conversations, expert insights, and mindset shifts that go far beyond meal plans and macros. Because true food freedom isn’t found in another detox plan, it’s built from the inside out. ⚠️ Fair warning: logical, realistic, reasonable, and evidence-based methods ahead.
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34%
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Verified email on file
80/100
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Nourished & Free: The Podcast is a health podcast hosted by Michelle Yates, MS, RD, LMNT, with 104 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.
About the host
Michelle Yates, MS, RD, LMNT hosts Nourished & Free: The Podcast, a health show with 104 episodes published.
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Episode #100
Why being told what to eat backfires
Aug 18, 202618 min
Why is eating an ice cream just... eating an ice cream for some people? No spiral. No math. No mental war. And for you? It's a whole event. That’s why you feel like you NEED someone to tell you exactly what to eat, right? A meal plan. A calorie limit. A macro split. But what if that’s going to make things even worse? This week I'm breaking down the real reason food feels so loud in your head, and how these “plans” actually make things 1,000x worse. I'm digging into why every diet, every points system, every macro plan you've ever tried keeps pulling you back in, even when you know it's not working. Btw, your willpower and discipline have nothing to do with it. If you've ever hidden a wrapper, weighed your worth by what the scale said that morning, or felt totally fine eating "on plan" in front of people but fallen apart the second you were alone, this episode is for you. JUMP TO: [00:00] The question you've probably never said out loud [01:42] The Weight Watchers vacation problem (and why it never feels the same after) [03:17] How every diet quietly erodes your trust in yourself [05:00] The autonomy trap — why being told what to eat backfires [06:15] Good day, bad day: how the scale becomes a pass/fail test [07:45] Why you white-knuckle it in public and unravel alone [08:38] The two types of people who'll teach you how to eat [09:16] The 30-year litmus test for any plan you're considering [09:59] The uncomfortable truth about why diets are built to keep you coming back [11:48] What it actually looks like to coach yourself instead of needing a coach [14:16] If this hit home, here's your next step with Nourished & Free If you're ready to stop needing a plan to tell you what to eat and start trusting yourself again, Nourished & Free might be exactly what you're looking for. I'm building my fall waitlist right now. Click the link below to check it out and save your spot! Join the waitlist to work with me! Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode! LEARN MORE Work with me in Nourished & Free ® Stalk me on Instagram Watch my FREE training , "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?" SHOW SOME LOVE ⭐️ Loved this episode? Leave a rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify (thank you!) ️ Show me you're listening by tagging me on socials! @yatesnutrition
The Surprising Health Benefits of Social Connection (with Ben Rein, Ph.D.)
Jul 28, 202651 min
You keep going back to the food. Not because it's convenient, but because it works. It quiets and soothes. It works... until the guilt kicks in. But what if the thing you're actually craving isn't food at all? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ben Rein, award-winning neuroscientist, Stanford lecturer, and author of Why Brains Need Friends . We talk about: Why social connection is a hardwired need just like food and sleep, Why our brains have gotten so bad at predicting how good interaction will feel Why isolation is wrecking your body and mind. The neuroscience of dopamine Why texting will never satisfy you the way in-person connection does Why the thing you're chasing when you reach for food might actually be social connection in disguise. If you've ever wondered why comfort food feels like the only thing that works OR why socializing sounds exhausting even though you know it'll help, this episode will help you understand what your brain is actually asking for. JUMP TO: 00:00 Meet Dr. Ben Rein and why social connection is a basic human need 02:47 The case for why we crave human interaction 05:59 How COVID rewired our predictions about socializing 09:43 The study showing we're wrong about rejection 12:44 What isolation does to your cortisol, inflammation, and mortality risk 15:56 Building a "social diet" (yes, just like a food diet) 18:26 Why dopamine is a learning chemical, not a feel-good one 21:13 Oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine: the connection trifecta 26:03 The staircase of interaction: text vs. call vs. video vs. in person 29:22 Why it's easier to be cruel online (the virtual disengagement hypothesis) 34:33 How screen time may be shaping an entire generation 40:22 Why married couples survive cancer better than some chemo patients 44:03 Conflict, connection, and why avoiding hard conversations costs you 47:39 Ben on fatherhood and the perspective shift he didn't expect RESOURCES MENTIONED: Ben's website Why Brains Need Friends book Follow Ben Rein, Ph.D. on Instagram Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode! Support the show LEARN MORE My Signature 4-Month Program, Nourished & Free ® Follow me on Instagram (you'll get to know me pretty quickly!) Check out my blog for tons of helpful articles SHOW SOME LOVE ⭐️ Loved this episode? Leave a 5 star rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify (thank you!) ️ Show me you're listening by tagging me on socials! @yatesnutrition
Why Binge Eating Can Return After Weight Loss Surgery (Client Confessional with Kim)
Mar 3, 202634 minS0
<p>You did the thing that was supposed to fix it.</p><p>The surgery, the weight watchers, the fresh starts.</p><p>And for a while, it worked... Until it didn't.</p><p>The food noise came back. The urges crept in. The sense of being out of control around food returned… and with it, confusion and shame.</p><p>In this episode, I sit down with Kim, a client who underwent weight loss surgery and later found herself struggling with binge eating again. We talk honestly about why this can happen, what surgery changes (and what it doesn’t...
Afraid to Fail Again? Listen to This Before You Give Up.
Feb 17, 202622 minS0
<p>You’re successful in every area of life… except food.</p><p>You’ve tried the diets. The plans. The rules. The white-knuckling. And now you’re tired.</p><p>Part of you wants to stop binge eating. Part of you is terrified of failing again.</p><p>In this episode of Nourished & Free, I explains why what you’ve been calling “failure” is actually the most teachable moment in the entire process, and <b>how to make failure your secret weapon.</b></p><p>I'm breaking down:</p>Why mistakes are necessary for learningHow binge episodes provide powerful insightWhy per...
An Episode for When the Weight Comes Back... AGAIN.
Jan 20, 202623 minS0
<p>If you’ve lost weight before, but it came back... this episode is for you.</p><p>Let's break down why weight loss often becomes the common denominator behind dieting burnout, binge–restrict cycles, and feeling out of control around food. Not because weight loss is bad, but because making it the main focus quietly changes how your brain and body respond to food.</p><p>I'll talk through how obsessing over the outcome (the scale) clouds judgment, increases pressure, and actually makes consistency harder. You’ll learn why the scale is delayed, ambiguous feedback, and why using it as a d...
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