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Almost every woman who sits down in Lareena Brown's room believes she has failed. She has done every diet there is, and somewhere along the way she decided the problem was her.
Lareena Brown is a clinical psychologist and ANZAED-credentialed eating disorder clinician who works with women on their relationship with food, weight, movement and their bodies. In this conversation she and Dr Shauna Watts unpick what a broken relationship with food actually looks like day to day, why willpower was never the mechanism that failed, and what a weight-neutral approach means in practice.
They also go where most conversations stop: GLP-1 medications, food noise, and the judgement women face for taking them.
If you have spent decades believing you lack discipline, this episode offers a different explanation and one small, specific place to start.
00:00 "People don't fail diets. Diets fail people."
01:47 What a broken relationship with food looks like day to day
03:10 Guilt, shame and a long history of yo-yo dieting
05:28 Willpower is mental energy, not character
06:41 The tyranny of "should", and perfectionism as a moving goalpost
11:07 The midlife collision: hormones, kids, ageing parents, career
13:17 When health advice becomes another full-time job
14:04 A note from Dr Shauna
14:41 What a non-diet, weight-neutral approach actually looks like
17:01 "I don't like exercise" and why that is like saying you don't like colours
20:01 Moving in a larger body: physical discomfort, self-consciousness, stigma
24:18 Strangers, family, and the judgements people feel entitled to make
26:43 Losing your hunger and fullness cues, and how to rebuild them
29:56 The four hungers: stomach, heart, mouth and head
32:26 Uncoupling health from weight: the markers that actually matter
34:43 Skipping meals, drinking your calories, and the night-time overeat
37:58 GLP-1 medications and a weight-neutral approach: can they coexist?
40:54 Why a prescription is not a treatment plan
43:35 Food noise, and the calm that descends when it stops
46:54 "We're not giving people a shot of willpower"
50:25 What the medication does not fix: emotions, eating patterns, trauma
54:11 Is it ever too late? Neuroplasticity and an 80-year-old client
55:33 Start with the easiest thing, not the hardest
56:13 How to work with Lareena, and how to find the right clinician
59:39 Dr Shauna's three takeaways
Follow Dr Shauna and the podcast on social:
Podcast Website: https://www.allaboutyoupod.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutyou_withdrshaunawatts
https://www.instagram.com/dr.shaunawatts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-watts-a903a5247
Resources mentioned:
Why Weight Psychology: https://www.whyweightpsychology.com.au
Finding a clinician who works at this intersection connect·ed, the ANZAED directory of credentialed eating disorder clinicians: https://connected.anzaed.org.au
InsideOut Institute Treatment Services Database (search by postcode for psychologists, dietitians, GPs, programs and support groups): https://insideoutinstitute.org.au/treatment-services
Butterfly Foundation: https://butterfly.org.au
Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.
