Episode 89: Making Food Fun Again With Nicole Coulter & Katelyn Parsons
Episode 89: Making Food Fun Again With Nicole Coulter & Katelyn Parsons
In this episode we sit down with....my cofounder of Food Alignment, Nicole Coulter.
Food Alignment is a cozy educational community with a mission of bringing women together who want to learn how to love food again.
Created by classically trained Chef + Youtuber, Nicole Coulter and certified Intuitive Eating + Body Image Coach, Katelyn Parsons- the two have blended their expertise to facilitate a space for connection, personal growth & empowerment.
In Food Alignment, you’ll be met wherever you are in your journey of untangling diet-culture. Our sincere hope is to help you rediscover the joy in eating, through building a fun, nourishing, uncomplicated relationship with food.
In this conversation we talk about:
Our big announcement!! Launching our new Food Alignment community on Instagram
Nicole's background as a classically trained chef + YouTuber and how this has influenced her own relationship with food
Nicole + Katelyn's personal journey's around the "expectation vs. reality" of Intuitive Eating
What you can expect from the Food Alignment community- delicious recipes, Intuitive Eating advice, authentic connection, humor + more good stuff
Connect with our guest...
IG: @foodalignment
Nicole's IG: @moresaltpleassse
Ready to heal your relationship with food + body?
Book your FREE Body Trust Breakthrough Consult
Grab your FREE Intuitive Eating Workshop
Get weekly email support from me to help you heal your relationship with food + body image
TRANSCRIPTION
Episode 89: Making Food Fun Again With Nicole Coulter & Katelyn Parsons
Katelyn:
Okay, Nicole Coulter. Hi. Okay, we are geeking out, because we have some exciting news.
Nicole:
Very exciting news.
Katelyn:
So, for everyone who is in this podcast community, you probably know Nicole- she's been a guest on the show before. She's a really great friend, a colleague at this point, and she is a former client of mine. And we have some really exciting things to share with you today. You probably know her from More Salt Please, which is like your celebrity brand, if you will.
Nicole:
Celebrity brand please!!
Katelyn:
Can you tell the people who you are and just like a little bit about yourself before we share our news?
Nicole:
Sure, I am a YouTuber chef. I share videos on YouTube and Instagram. And I used to be vegan, I was vegan for about five years. So I went through a period of only sharing plant based recipes. I talk about how to balance hormones, I have PCOS myself. So going through that while also healing my relationship with food. It's a little bit tricky, but figuring it out. And I'm sharing my journey on YouTube. So I am just a food lover- a foodie at heart. I love creating recipes. I love teaching people how to cook. And I love just sharing the joy of food and cooking in general. So that's me and what I do in a nutshell.
Katelyn:
Yeah, and one of the reasons why I love you so much, and why I think everyone in your community loves you so much, is because you are just unapologetically you and have this commitment to integrity with everything that you put out in your communities and the content that you create. And I mean I know you so well at this point on a personal level and a professional level, and, you know, you just really walk your talk. And so I am so excited to be in this new creative collaboration with you. So let's tell everyone what we have done.
Nicole:
All right, so Katelyn and I are so excited. Today it's launching when this podcast comes out November 9th- we’re launching Food Alignment, which is a community that’s a safe space where we want to bring women together where they feel comfortable talking about their struggles with food and diet culture. And it's also a place where you can learn how to intuitively eat, learn what that actually means, how to mindfully eat, how to make easy satisfying meals, and just return to your inner foodie. I, as someone who likes creating content around food, and I've done it for so long now and then going through like hormonal issues. And then weight gain, weight fluctuations in general, hormonal imbalances. My relationship with food basically crumbled. And I didn't know where to turn, I didn't know how to trust myself. And I know that so many of my followers feel the same. And obviously Katelyn’s as well. Like we just know that this is such a need for people to have somewhere to talk about it and just feel seen and feel heard and show up authentically themselves. And so we created this account. Right now it's an Instagram account, but we have really exciting future plans for it. And yeah, it's basically a community and a safe space for people who can relate to having an unhealthy relationship with food.
Katelyn:
And also we created this to lean into the desire that so many people have as well too. I know I went through this personally, I know most of my clients go through this at some point in their journey and so many people in this community when you are exiting diet culture, or you're starting to become more aware of diet culture and beginning to do the work around healing your relationship with food, it can feel really complicated returning to just the pure joy around food. And the permission to express your culinary creativity, whether you are actually cooking in the kitchen or ordering something off of the menu or deciding what you want to have at a friend's house. But really just giving yourself the space to learn how to reunite with your inner foodie. Like you just said, Nicole. I have had such a love/hate relationship with food for so long. And one of the things that I love so much about you, Nicole, in the space that we're creating is just the unapologetic way that you adorn food, and you create food. And especially where I'm at in my journey, right now I do like, just fully love and embrace and have just this bliss around cuisine and the culinary arts and my own kitchen intuition. And I also like, suck at recipes. And so where I'm coming into this creative endeavor that you and I are doing is blending my expertise as a coach and partnering with you, in your expertise as a classically trained chef. I'm so excited about creating the space for people to have both- like to literally have their cake and eat it, too.
Nicole:
Yeah, yeah. I know, it's very exciting. I've been so excited to just join forces with you, because we both are so good at what we do. And I think that's the beauty of the food alignment journey is that we're bringing our expertise, both of us, and we're creating this new thing. And I am just so excited. I cannot wait.
Katelyn:
I'm also really glad that you just said we're both really good at what we do. Can everybody just start saying more of that? Like can we stop beating around the bush as women and just claim that we're good at? We are talented, and we do have skills. And we do have expertise. I mean, I just kind of bristled when you said that. And then I immediately thought hell yes let's give ourselves that deep, rich permission to claim that we're good at what we do- all of us in this community.
Nicole:
Oh, yeah, for sure. And I think that's something that I'm kind of going through now is like, not being so humble. Which sounds weird and backwards. But I feel like in the past my whole life I've been almost like, too humble where it's almost to the point of like self deprecation or, you know, at the beginning, when you said celebrity, not that I am a celebrity. I'm just saying like, I kind of recoiled at that word like, oh, there's no way I'm a celebrity, you know. But just I don't know, like claiming it. I feel like we need to own the fact that yeah, we are good at things. And it's okay to say that, like, we don't have to be so humble and small all the time and be afraid to claim that we are amazing at certain things. Because we do it out of the comfort of other people. And I don't know, it's just like, why don't we do that? It's a woman thing for sure. Like men don't do that.
Katelyn:
Absolutely. And it is, to your point, just trying to control how we want other people to feel about us or the fear of how people are going to react to those claims and declarations and everything. But also I really think that it's the internal self trust that we have. I'm so glad that we're talking about this right now. Because this is exactly what we're creating in this space- where people in this community can essentially rebuild that trust and find find entry points into that rebirth of themselves because that's really where confidence rises when we do start to really repair that that trust that has been damaged by diet culture, the patriarchy just all of these different bullshit systems in society that are keeping women small. So I am just even more excited about that. I want to talk about one thing before we wrap because this will be a shorter conversation today. But one of the reasons why Nicole and I are launching this for everybody is because for many people, there is an expectation of what your journey of intuitive eating or breaking free from diet culture, food freedom, healing, however you want to label it, like there's an expectation of what that's going to look like. I went through this personally, this is something I see a lot with clients. And Nicole, you are one of my clients. So we can talk about this. But I want to talk about what that expectation was for both of us, and also what the reality is, in most cases, and what it is for what it was for each of us. Because we want to meet everybody in that reality. You know, like, we're not here to paint a picture of the perfect healing journey for repairing your relationship with food. It's not always sunshine and rainbows. And it's messy. And it's also really beautiful too. So what did it look like for you when you made that decision to really start doing the deeper work in healing your relationship with food? What was your expectation at first?
Nicole:
Well, when we started working together, we did like a six month container. And so my expectation was that, oh, like, at the end of six months, I will be completely healed and I will be a totally new woman and I will have no issues with food. And it'll just be done. And yeah, that was not the case. And I think when you're first starting out with just talking about this, verbalizing it, admitting, like, Hey, I have a messed up relationship with food. And like, I would like to change that. I think a lot of people don't realize how long it takes to heal. And obviously healing is not linear, it never is ending, you know, it is a journey. And, you know, we'll never really reach a destination. But obviously, we start at one point, and we get to different levels of healing. And yeah, I just expected my healing to just take a lot shorter amount of time, and it definitely didn’t. And it's one of those things where I don't want to lead with that, like, hey, it's gonna take you a long time to heal. Because you know, that might not be the case, everyone is different. But I just think expectations when it comes to all these things, because everything is so layered with this, like, when it comes to food, like food represents so many different things to people, it's nostalgic, it represents maybe like certain times in our lives. I think it's kind of similar to money where like, our views on money are kind of similar to food, maybe you have a sense of lack or like scarcity about it. Maybe you were taught things in childhood about food that now that you're grown, you're like, Oh, that's not actually real or true. So it's a very layered thing that takes a lot of conscious effort. And the thing that I've noticed about my progress with it is that, you know, when I'm paying so much attention to it, and I'm maybe frustrated, like, this is not moving as quickly as I thought it would. That's when it really moves slowly. But then when you apply the tools that you learn everything I’ve learned from Katelyn, and you kind of just like, implement them into your life and you go on and, you know, months go by and all of a sudden you're like, oh, like you start to notice certain things that you do differently. And you take note of them.
Katelyn:
What were the things? What have been some of those ripple effect lightbulb moments that you've noticed as you spent time implementing this on your own?
Nicole:
One of the biggest things is when I get an urge to binge, I know that it's like an emotional reaction and that my natural knee jerk reaction is to like, oh my gosh, I want to eat a certain food. And so I now, whereas before I would just like go do it. I would go binge on whatever, overeat, or go through the drive thru when I had a really intense craving. And now I'm able to take a step back and kind of examine it. And one of my favorite things that you've taught me is curiosity. And just being curious about our cravings, and figuring out like, Okay, where's this stemming from? Like, do I have a need that I'm not meeting and other categories in my life, like, maybe I am missing human connection, like, I haven't actually hung out with someone other than my husband, or my significant other, in like, a few weeks, maybe I should hang out with a friend, a best friend, maybe I should spend more time in nature, like I really love being out in nature, and I've been inside so much the past month. So I think now when a craving comes up, and I just get like, you know, your nervous system is a little out of whack. Like I just, I am able to step back and really examine that and have the space and self awareness to figure out okay, like, Am I really craving this thing? Or is it something else? And that's been the most rewarding, cool thing about working with you in my journey is just being able to have that. So that kind of creeps in, like, I started doing that. And I was like, Oh, I didn't used to do this. I did not used to be curious about, like, my cravings as much, I just kind of went for them. And just, you know, would send me on a binge cycle or whatever. And it would create a bunch of shame and self loathing. I've learned how to meet my needs, and other ways and pay attention to that.
Katelyn:
I have a very similar thing in my own journey. I'm so grateful for you sharing that. And I'm so excited for how far you've come and just like witnessing you as a client and also outside of our professional container, seeing you continue to evolve on your own, which is my hope for everyone that I support- to just continue building on that foundation and learning and growing and adding in more tools and personal development and all these things. But, you know, to your point, what you mentioned at the beginning of the expectation, it's so normal, right? Like we are taught in our culture, the quick fix. When you start something, there's a clear finish line. There's a clear, right and wrong way of doing everything. And it couldn't be farther from the truth. With this process of healing your relationship with food there's so much untangling. There are so many layers. There are, you know, three very foundational pillars for this work- physical, mental and emotional, that have a host of sub pillars. So, you know, it's nearly impossible to think, well, I'll just have a perfect relationship with food at the end of the six months, or however long you're working with somebody, I certainly went through that as well, too. I remember thinking when I really decided to commit to doing this deeper healing work around my relationship with food that it would probably take about eight months or a year tops, and everything would just be good. And there are still things that come up to this day, where I have to check in and, and look at little bumps that I hit and get curious and examine things. And yeah, also see where my needs aren't being met. But also, you know, giving myself the space and the grace and self compassion has been a big part of my own journey as well too. This is so deeply rooted. I think for so long in my healing journey. I've kind of just surrendered to the fact that this is a journey because it's a relationship with myself. It's not just my relationship with food. And that's the most important relationship in my life. But I was judging it for so long, you know. I would think like oh my god, like I can't believe I'm still just eating past fullness all the time. You know, like I know when to stop eating and I'm still choosing to eat past fullness. I'm still choosing to, like, have chocolate every night when I don't even want it. Or I'm still struggling with these bad body image days sometimes. Like all things that in the past year, I really examined and it's crazy now like honestly one of the coolest things because I've really been on this journey for probably, I don't know, like five years at this point, like a really solid Intuitive Eating journey. And like, I am just now at a place in the past year where I have a really solid relationship with my hunger and fullness cues to a point where I can really stop and be really present when I am experiencing that comfortable fullness and just let that be enough. And you guys, I coach on this all the time. I've invested in my own healing with my own coaches and therapists for so long around this. And this is just clicking for me.Like everyone has their own process with that. And there is no right or wrong way, it really is just jumping off points to explore all of these facets of our relationship with ourselves more deeply. And that's why I'm so excited about this community, because it really is letting go of some of the doom and gloom that is kind of in the anti-diet culture spaces and just giving more joy to our relationships with food, like bring it back, and it's a party. And also, you know, creating the safe space for these conversations that are so needed around this stuff.
Nicole:
Mm hmm. Yeah, for sure.
Katelyn:
So, let's jam on some of the details for this new little collaboration. It’s launching today. So do you want to give the people all the ways to hang out with us?
Nicole:
Yeah, so we have an Instagram account @foodalignment spelled the normal way. Surprisingly, the handle was available. We were shocked. So we grabbed it up honey.
Katelyn:
By the way, if anybody has a business, I know there are so many business owners in this community. You guys know how much it sucks naming something. It's like naming a child. So can you believe that this was available?
Nicole:
Oh, my God, I could not believe it. It was amazing.
Katelyn:
It feels so right to. It just feels like exactly what we're trying to capture with what we're building. So yes @foodalignment for Instagram for the time being. And you want to talk about the other thing, the gift?
Nicole:
Yes, we have a gift for you. It's in our bio link. And it is a Beginner's Guide To Mindful Eating. So we put together 10 Really straightforward, sustainable tools to help you create your own unique mindful eating practice. And the cool thing about this guide is, that it’s really an entry point for you to begin creating this, in whatever way feels good for you. It's not a step by step- I just don't think that is realistic for most people. So this is a one page download that you can take with you, come back to it if you feel like it'll resonate at a different time, or jump into it right now and just start applying these tools to create a mindful eating practice for yourself. Because that is honestly so foundational for healing our relationship with food. And it’s one of those things that we avoid to the nth degree because it feels boring. It feels safer to avoid. Or it feels scary to kind of dip our feet into a more confrontation with meals rather than just distracting but it is so healing. So it's just a way that you can begin adopting that for yourself. And we'll definitely be talking a lot about that in our community and how you can really use this guide in your own experience as well too.
Nicole:
Yeah, and we have some fun, exciting things coming up. So please follow us on Instagram. And we also want our Instagram to be an actual community where people contribute and feel comfortable, you know, sharing vulnerable things and showing up as their authentic selves. And yeah, just contributing. So the posts that we are going to be posting and talking about, they will be conversation starters. And I hope you guys join in. We're going to have fun, it's going to be amazing, we're going to heal together, we're gonna just thrive.
Katelyn:
And also, there's so much possibility. Nicole and I are starting this account with a really powerful vision of where we see this heading. And we just invite you to lean into this community and let us know what you are excited about, what you're really wanting, what lands with you, and just help us build this together. The content that you can expect is really a blend of amazing, delicious, flavorful, easy recipes from Nicole and a lot of really straightforward, but loving, intuitive eating, advice, skills, tips, tools, all of the things from me. And I will just say, because this feels really important to acknowledge, this is not a substitution for coaching or therapy. This is really an inspirational platform that we can create a community around together. So if you are at a place where you know that you need more intentional one-on-one support from somebody, that is not what this community is for. It's definitely not a supplement for that. However, it is a wonderful complement to that. Or a jumping off point, if you're just starting to really dip your toes into healing your relationship with food and not really sure if direct support, whether it's one-on-one or a group coaching container is right for you.
Nicole:
Definitely, if you need one-on-one support, definitely reach out to Katelyn because she is the best.
Katelyn:
Thanks. Yeah, you absolutely can reach out to me. Depending on if I have space for clients. We'll just hop on the phone and get really clear on where you're at and how to move you forward in the best way possible for you, whether that's working together or pointing you into the direction of another resource that would serve you best. But that is my hope for anybody that I connect with on those cosults. Okay. Let's do this. Head to the account. Hit follow. We'll see you there. Invite your friends and also head to Nicole's YouTube channel as well, More Salt Please. She's got a fun little video where you can see our faces.
Nicole:
Yes, definitely go there. Okay, thanks, love. See you soon. Bye, everyone.
