Compared to Who? Body Image for Christian Women

Heather continues her conversation with author and board-certified physician, Dr. Mikala Albertson. In part two of this two-part interview, Heather and Mikala discuss why women feel so much shame around weight and BMI and how what's most healthy for some women is going to be to not focus on weight loss, especially if they have a lot of stress, grief, or change they are experiencing. You'll appreciate Dr. Albertson's honesty and genuine encouragement as she talks about the nuance of weight, health, and the pressures Christian women feel in this arena. Ready to join us for the 40-Day Journey? Learn more here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge Learn more about Dr. Mikala Albertson and check out her new book here: https://amzn.to/3W6PqtS Read Dr. Albertson's open letter to anyone who's been body shamed or similarly hurt by the medical community: https://www.mikalaalbertsonmd.com/blog/im-sorry (Amazon affiliate link - a tiny portion of your purchase goes to support ministry of Compared to Who?) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today Heather is joined by author and board-certified physician, Dr. Mikala Albertson. In part one of this two part episode, Heather and Mikala discuss why women feel so much pressure to do and be everything and "look good doing it." They talk about control, striving, believing that we can control all of our health outcomes, and the pressure to be thin because of the belief that thin equals healthy. Heather asks Dr. Albertson what to do when your doctor makes you feel like your top focus should be weight loss and why doctors focus so much on weight and body size. Ready to join us for the 40-Day Journey? Learn more here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge Learn more about Dr. Mikala Albertson and check out her new book here: https://amzn.to/3W6PqtS Read Dr. Albertson's open letter to anyone who's been body shamed or similarly hurt by the medical community: https://www.mikalaalbertsonmd.com/blog/im-sorry (Amazon affiliate link - a tiny portion of your purchase goes to support ministry of Compared to Who?) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Are you looking to improve your health this year? Can you work on health goals without falling into a body image slump? Today, Heather suggests 5 ways you can get physically healthier this year that won't compete with or detract from your goals to improve your body image. In other words -- these are health tips you won't find anywhere else because they aren't all about how to get skinny fast. Instead, these are goals that can help you improve your physical health while keeping your mental, emotional, and spiritual health in tact. Likewise, these are also strategies that will help you grow emotionally as you grow physically healthier. If you want to find ways to be a healthier version of you in 2025, this list of five tips will put you on the right path. This episode is called "Five More Tips" because the first five tips were shared at a live webinar on January 2nd. If you'd like to access those tips, go to https://www.improvebodyimage.com Learn more about Compared to Who?, body image coaching, and the 40-Day Journey here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge Grab the 40-Day Body Image Workbook so you're ready for the 40-Day Journey: https://amzn.to/4glqbvS (Amazon affiliate link - a tiny portion of your purchase will support this ministry.) Learn more about Heather's latest release, The Comparison-Free Life: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/books-for-christian-women-body-image Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

It's that time of year when everyone's looking to do something new to improve their health. Heather's here to help. Here are her five tips for not falling into the trap of another diet culture gimmick or starting a plan in January that you'll have to stop three weeks later. If you truly want to improve your health in 2025, these are some thought-provoking and wise considerations to mull over before signing with a new health coach or singing up for a new health or diet plan. Heather encourages you to not pursue any plan that is going to have to consume your life (Hint: it's not sustainable). She also encourages you to be on the lookout for programs that make promises they can't keep or don't help you develop a healthier relationship with food, your body, or God. You'll want to listen to learn more about why programs that make you eat their food, give you a timeline for weight loss, or use out-of-context Christian scriptures to support your weight loss goals may not be a good fit for your health journey. Learn more about the 40 Day Journey, a six week group program to help you start your body image freedom journey, here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge Learn more about Compared to Who? and Heather Creekmore here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com Learn more about Heather's books and resources here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/books-for-christian-women-body-image Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you believe that if you heal your body image issues you'll be "letting yourself go?" Have you been afraid to seek body image freedom because it sounds like you'd be apathetic towards your body or out of control? Today Heather discusses the challenges and fears surrounding the journey to healing from body image issues. Today Heather looks at two main scriptures: John 10:10 and Matthew 6:25-28. Are you living the worry-free, abundant life God intended for you? Or do your body image issues keep you trapped in self-focus, obsession, fear, shame and dread? Today Heather addresses how you can heal and find body image freedom, even if it feels like your body image issues are keeping you safe and protecting you from rejection. She prompts listeners to practice "mindfulness" over worry or apathy and to get on a healing journey so they don't waste any more precious time of the one life we're given. Also, Heather goes through her list of things she wished she had done for all those decades instead of spending time and money worrying about her body image and trying to improve her appearance. Learn more about how you can get started on your body image healing journey by joining the 40-Day Journey. Learn more ahttps://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge Compared to Who? has great merch. Plus, Heather's books are a great way to start your journey to a healthier view of you. Learn more here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/shop Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you know your attachment style? In this episode, author and body image coach, Heather Creekmore delves into the intricate connections between attachment theory and body image issues. Relationship security, particularly with primary caregivers during the first year of birth influences our levels of anxiety about weight and dysfunctional behaviors such as restrictive eating even as adults. Heather explains how insecure attachment styles—avoidant, anxious, and disorganized—develop from insecure interactions with mom and contribute to body dissatisfaction or a "problematic" view of one's body.  Secure attachment, on the other hand, fostering emotional regulation and coping strategies in infants, can lead to a healthier view of one's self and one's body. But, it's important to note that even those raised without secure attachment can find a new secure attachment in God--the perfect parent.  If you've ever wondered what your childhood, past, or early years may have to do with your current body image struggles, this episode will enlighten, educate, and surprise you! Here's the podcast Heather references in today's episode: The Place We Find Ourselves Podcast: https://adamyoungcounseling.com/podcast/ Here's the study she references -- the PubMed Study on attachment style and body image issues: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10206641/ Ready to dig into why you're stuck in body image issues? Join us for the 40-Day Journey that begins on January 7th. Sign up or learn more at: https://www.improvebodyimage.com       Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Shopping and body image issues have connections on many different levels. On today's Black Friday, holiday flashback, host Heather Creekmore talks through three tips she's found helpful for quenching her shopping addiction. Many women with body image issues tend to have issues around over-buying or over-spending too, especially at the holidays. If you love to shop or have ever bought the same thing twice without knowing it (Heather's guilty!) this episode will encourage you and give you practical strategies for not over-spending this holiday season and all year round. Ready to join the 40-Day Journey and learn more about how your body image issues connect to your shopping habits? Learn more here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge Consider gifting one of Heather's books this holiday season. Check out Heather's devotional on aging (great gift for mom or a friend), or her fresh release The Comparison-Free Life, or even the 40-Day Body Image Workbook. Find a full list of Heather's books here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/books-for-christian-women-body-image Check out new podcast merch! Compared to Who? hats and t-shirts make great gifts for the women in your life who tend to spend a lot of time comparing. Learn more here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/shop and save 10% this holiday season with the code SAVE10 (valid only through December 20, 2024) Try StitchFix and get a $25 credit: https://www.stitchfix.com/invite/cvnxqt85hk?sod=w&som=c Try Wantable and get a $25 credit: https://www.wantable.com?invite_token=6uBZohI3o9o   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today's episode is a holiday episode flashback to help encourage you this Thanksgiving week if you struggle with having an attitude of gratitude around food and your body. Host Heather Creekmore knows what it's like to see food as the enemy, to view food as something to be afraid of instead of grateful for. She's also struggled with being grateful for her body. It's hard to be thankful for something you really don't like. In today's episode, Heather shares from her own experiences with learning to view food the way God intended it and how she's trying to make peace with both food and her body. Listen and be encouraged so that you can enjoy the holiday season without guilt, shame, and regrets. Learn more about Compared to Who?, body image coaching, and the 40-Day Journey here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com  Learn more about Heather's latest release, The Comparison-Free Life, which has a chapter on gratitude here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/books-for-christian-women-body-image Get cute podcast merch for Christmas: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/shop     Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Host Heather Creekmore delves deeper into the complex topic of how our relationships with our mothers can impact our body image and behaviors around food. Building on the discussion from part 1, Heather addresses the often-unspoken dynamics that influence our identity, self-confidence, and healing journey. Heather emphasizes that the point of examining mom's role in body image issues is never to blame mom, but rather to help listeners better understand their own stories and why they've believed, thought, or felt the way they did around body issues. Heather also addresses how healing from body image issues might affect your relationship with your mother and the potential grief that comes from such changes because you no longer have your body image issues and food rules in common.  Heather also offers practical guidance for dealing with emotional triggers, especially when returning to childhood homes or spending time in family environments that can evoke past patterns. Heather also highlights the importance of recognizing our "little girl brain" – our young, survival-driven responses to familial interactions – and offers ways to stay present with ourselves and handle these emotional cyclones. For further exploration of related topics, check out the episode on grieving the loss of an ideal body Grieving the Ideal Body and listen as Heather prepares to delve into attachment theory in the next episode (coming December 3). This episode challenges listeners not to fear the acknowledgment of their mom's role but to instead lamentat these past struggles and embrace them as paths to healing and transformation. Ready to find body image healing? Join us on the 40 Day Journey that begins January 7, 2025. Learn more or reserve your spot here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge Grab Heather's latest book, The Comparison-Free Life learn more here:  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do your body image issues get worse when you're around family? Today, host Heather Creekmore digs into what may be the reason behind why you feel worse about your body at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Heather explores the question: Did your mom have an impact on your body image? While many women know she did, others can't recognize it quite as clearly. But, on today's show, Heather dives deep into the intricate dynamics between mothers and daughters, exploring how maternal influence shapes our body image and how much of this shaping happened well before the teenage years.  Today Heather uncovers some of the potential influences and connections between body image issues and the mother-daughter relationship. She also speaks to the reality that many of those who have a disordered relationship with food and body image issues will experience a flare-up of these issues when around mom--especially at the holidays! Heather also addresses the intergenerational nature of body image issues, how they run in families and how your mom could simply be acting out of the way she was taught by her mom. Likewise Heather talks about how a healthy sense of self requires us to have agency over our bodies and our choices around food. And, though it becomes more difficult when we're around family, this "growing up" process is vital for our body image healing journeys. The episode takes inspiration from Catherine Fabrizio's book, "The Good Daughter Syndrome." Learn more about agency in this episode: https://omny.fm/shows/compared-to-who/finding-body-image-freedom-through-understanding-a Learn how to forgive mom in this episode: https://omny.fm/shows/compared-to-who/forgiving-mom-or-others-for-their-roles-in-body-im Need more help? Consider working with Heather or our team in coaching. Or, join us on the 40-Day Journey starting January 7th. Learn more at https://www.improvebodyimage.com   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.