Emotional Eats Podcast: What Women Over 40 Really Need to Know About Food, Hormones, and Their Bodies Without the Diet Culture Spin

Join the Cool Girl Collective
We created the Cool Girl Collective for women over 40 who are ready to feel supported, seen, and understood. Inside, you'll find real conversations about menopause, hormones, emotional eating, chronic illness, relationships, and everything midlife brings along with humor, heart, and community.
This is your safe space to ask questions, share your story, and find practical tools for your health and happiness.
👉 Click Here to Join:  https://www.skool.com/coolgirlcollective/
To Drink or Not to Drink in Midlife
In today's episode, we're talking about alcohol in midlife through a completely non-judgmental lens. If you're still drinking, not ready to let go, or you've tried before and gone back, you're not doing anything wrong. This conversation is here to help you understand what alcohol may be doing to your body, your hormones, your cravings, your mood, and your nervous system so you can make choices that feel right for you, in your own time.
I also share my personal story, including my alcohol-free date of January 24, 2022, and what I've learned over the years about why alcohol can feel so different after 40.
If you feel you may be dealing with addiction or dependence, please reach out to a support group, your medical provider, or a mental health professional.
Highlights
My personal journey with alcohol and why this time it finally stuck
Why alcohol often feels different after 40, especially through perimenopause and beyond
The overlap between alcohol, "hangxiety", low motivation, sleep disruption, and louder cravings
How alcohol affects metabolism, blood sugar, hunger cues, and hormonal balance
Why alcohol and emotional eating often go hand-in-hand as coping strategies
Gentle reflection questions and practical steps if you're curious about changing your patterns
The social side of not drinking and how to navigate pressure without shame

Key Takeaways
Alcohol can disrupt sleep, mood, motivation, and cravings in midlife in ways that feel confusing if you don't realize what's happening physiologically.
Many women use alcohol the way they use food, scrolling, or other habits: to soothe and regulate the nervous system.
When you begin paying attention without judgment, you gain clarity and choice, which makes change easier when you're ready.
Simple pattern interruptions and nervous system tools can help you respond differently, even before you decide what your long-term relationship with alcohol will be.
You are not behind. Your timeline is your timeline, and support matters.
Closing Thought
This episode isn't about perfection or pressure. It's about listening, understanding what your body is asking for in midlife, and creating space to choose what actually makes you feel well. If alcohol has been part of how you cope, you're human. And you deserve support as you figure out what feels right for you.


Resources Mentioned
This Naked Mind by Annie Grace
The Mocktail Mom episode (Year One Episode 3)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-breaking-up-with-alcohol-in-midlife-with-deb/id1686639038?i=1000613979697
Connect with Kim:
Emotional Eats Podcast: Emotional Eats Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-eats-podcast-end-emotional-eating-weight/id1686639038
Website:  https://wellspringcounselingandhealth.com/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimhynesmidlife/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@kimhynesmidlife
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Kimhynesmidlife
Want to improve your midlife focus or sleep?  Check out Brain.fm.  This app has help me be more productive, get the best afternoon powernaps and bring down my nervous system….fast.  Get 30 days for free here.
 https://www.brain.fm/kimhyneshealth
 
Get my favorite healthy Hot Chocolate (Organifi Chocolate Gold) here:
https://www.organifishop.com/
Use code:  KIMH for 20 % off
This dark chocolate tumeric tea helps promote relaxation and calm.  It's the perfect substitute for dessert and a great way to help promote sleep.
 
Other links Kim receives commission on some of these products which are used to continue providing free content and produce the Emotional Eats Podcast.
LMNT
http://elementallabs.refr.cc/kimhynes
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.
If you enjoyed the episode, share and follow.  I would be so grateful.

Join the Cool Girl Collective
We created the Cool Girl Collective for women over 40 who are ready to feel supported, seen, and understood. Inside, you'll find real conversations about menopause, hormones, emotional eating, chronic illness, relationships, and everything midlife brings along with humor, heart, and community.
This is your safe space to ask questions, share your story, and find practical tools for your health and happiness.
👉 Click Here to Join:  https://www.skool.com/coolgirlcollective/
If you are a woman in perimenopause or post-menopause and you've noticed more anxiety, restlessness, looping thoughts, or feeling constantly on edge, this episode is for you.
In this episode, Kim shares why anxiety in midlife often feels different than it did earlier in life and why it may be connected to hormonal and physiological changes, not just stress or mindset. She shares what she is seeing in her own journey, in her clients, and in the conversations women are finally starting to have out loud.
This episode connects the dots between changing estrogen levels, brain chemistry, real-life stressors, and the subtle ways anxiety shows up in midlife, including overstimulation, social discomfort, and the need to control or over-prepare.
Kim also discusses why anxiety can persist even for women on hormone therapy, why hormone absorption and gut health matter, and why hormone therapy is a personal choice that should be made with a qualified healthcare provider.
You'll hear practical insights around calming the nervous system, sleep, food, movement, and small daily habits that can help women feel safer and more grounded in their bodies during this season of life.
This episode is for education and awareness only. If anxiety feels overwhelming or unmanageable, listeners are encouraged to speak with a medical provider or mental health professional. Hormone therapy is a personal decision and should always be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.

Episode Highlights
Why midlife anxiety often feels louder, stickier, and harder to manage
The connection between estrogen, the brain, and the stress response
How real-life transitions in midlife can amplify anxiety
Subtle anxiety symptoms women rarely talk about
Why control and over-preparation can be coping mechanisms
Gentle, supportive ways to calm the nervous system and feel safer in the moment
Connect with Kim:
Emotional Eats Podcast: Emotional Eats Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-eats-podcast-end-emotional-eating-weight/id1686639038
Website:  https://wellspringcounselingandhealth.com/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimhynesmidlife/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@kimhynesmidlife
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Kimhynesmidlife
Want to improve your midlife focus or sleep?  Check out Brain.fm.  This app has help me be more productive, get the best afternoon powernaps and bring down my nervous system….fast.  Get 30 days for free here.
 https://www.brain.fm/kimhyneshealth
 
Get my favorite healthy Hot Chocolate (Organifi Chocolate Gold) here:
https://www.organifishop.com/
Use code:  KIMH for 20 % off
This dark chocolate tumeric tea helps promote relaxation and calm.  It's the perfect substitute for dessert and a great way to help promote sleep.
 
Other links Kim receives commission on some of these products which are used to continue providing free content and produce the Emotional Eats Podcast.
LMNT
http://elementallabs.refr.cc/kimhynes
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.
If you enjoyed the episode, share and follow.  I would be so grateful.

Join the Cool Girl Collective
We created the Cool Girl Collective for women over 40 who are ready to feel supported, seen, and understood. Inside, you'll find real conversations about menopause, hormones, emotional eating, chronic illness, relationships, and everything midlife brings along with with humor, heart, and community.
This is your safe space to ask questions, share your story, and find practical tools for your health and happiness.
👉 Click Here to Join:  https://www.skool.com/coolgirlcollective/
This special Best of 2025 episode brings together the most listened to, most shared, and most talked about moments from the Emotional Eats Podcast this year. Out of dozens of powerful conversations, these seven clips stood out for the way they resonated with listeners and sparked meaningful reflection around midlife health.
The episodes highlighted in this compilation cover a wide range of topics that matter deeply to women navigating midlife, including emotional eating, gut health, hormones, stress, nervous system regulation, and symptoms that often go unexplained or overlooked. Some of the most downloaded conversations weren't necessarily the ones you might expect, which speaks to how curious and open this community has become to exploring root causes and new perspectives.
This episode also reflects the depth and variety of the podcast in 2025, blending expert interviews with real, honest conversations that challenged assumptions and helped listeners better understand what may be influencing their health and behaviors.
Whether you listened to every episode this year or missed a few along the way, this Best of 2025 is a chance to revisit the conversations that had the greatest impact and discover why these moments stood out among listeners.
Episodes Featured in the Best of 2025 Celebration:
Holly Bertone-FBI Tactics to Stop Emotional Eating:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/116-rewire-your-brain-to-stop-emotional-eating-using/id1686639038?i=1000718298992
Tricia Nelson- Stop Emotional Eating and Sugar Addiction:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/118-break-free-from-emotional-eating-and-sugar/id1686639038?i=1000720584048
Dr. Betsy Greenleaf: Vaginal Health 101
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/127-vaginal-health-101-with-dr-betsy-greenleaf/id1686639038?i=1000730400243
Kim Rogers:  The Worm Queen Protects You From Parasites
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/103-the-shocking-truth-about-your-midlife-weight-gain/id1686639038?i=1000704293475
Amber Romaniuk:  Stop Emotional Eating by Understanding Your Hormones
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/115-trauma-dopamine-and-the-drive-to-numb-how-to/id1686639038?i=1000717168025
Dr. Nathalie Beauchamp:  Aging Well and Biohacking for Women's Health
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/123-why-aging-doesnt-have-to-be-hard-biohacks-that/id1686639038?i=1000725511972
Jennifer Navara:  Helping Your Body Feel Safe to Heal
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/130-why-midlife-women-need-a-safe-space-to-reset/id1686639038?i=1000736093284
Connect with Kim:
Emotional Eats Podcast: Emotional Eats Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-eats-podcast-end-emotional-eating-weight/id1686639038
Website:  https://wellspringcounselingandhealth.com/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimhynesmidlife/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@kimhynesmidlife
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Kimhynesmidlife
Want to improve your midlife focus or sleep?  Check out Brain.fm.  This app has help me be more productive, get the best afternoon powernaps and bring down my nervous system….fast.  Get 30 days for free here.
 https://www.brain.fm/kimhyneshealth
 
Get my favorite healthy Hot Chocolate (Organifi Chocolate Gold) here:
https://www.organifishop.com/
Use code:  KIMH for 20 % off
This dark chocolate tumeric tea helps promote relaxation and calm.  It's the perfect substitute for dessert and a great way to help promote sleep.
 
Other links Kim receives commission on some of these products which are used to continue providing free content and produce the Emotional Eats Podcast.
LMNT
http://elementallabs.refr.cc/kimhynes
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.
If you enjoyed the episode, share and follow.  I would be so grateful.

Join the Cool Girl Collective
We created the Cool Girl Collective for women over 40 who are ready to feel supported, seen, and understood. Inside, you'll find real conversations about menopause, hormones, emotional eating, chronic illness, relationships, and everything midlife brings along with with humor, heart, and community.
This is your safe space to ask questions, share your story, and find practical tools for your health and happiness.
👉 Click Here to Join:  https://www.skool.com/coolgirlcollective/

This episode is a reminder that you are not "too sensitive" for needing boundaries and that healing does not require approval from the people who hurt you. Peace, safety, and a healthier relationship with food are possible.
The holidays have a way of pulling us right back into old roles, old triggers, and deeply ingrained family patterns. In this powerful and honest conversation, Kim sits down with Dr. Dawnmarie Risley to unpack dysfunctional family dynamics, the mother wound, and why so many midlife women still feel emotionally activated around their parents, even decades later.
Together, they explore how chronic boundary violations, guilt, and unresolved trauma can quietly drive emotional eating, nervous system dysregulation, and a lifelong sense of self-doubt. This episode offers clarity, validation, and hope for women who are ready to break generational patterns and reclaim their peace.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
Why family dynamics can instantly trigger old roles and emotional patterns
How dysfunctional parent relationships affect boundaries, identity, and self-trust
The connection between chronic stress, shame, and emotional eating
Why mother-daughter relationships can feel especially complicated
Letting go of guilt around boundaries, aging parents, and caregiving
What forgiveness really means when it comes to healing yourself
Simple nervous system tools to calm your body when you feel activated
Practical takeaways:
Boundaries are information. Repeated boundary violations are data, not misunderstandings.
Protecting your peace does not make you selfish, even if others react strongly.
Emotional eating is often a coping strategy, not a lack of willpower.
Regulating your nervous system is a critical step toward healing your relationship with food and yourself..
About Dr. Dawnmarie Risley
Dr. Dawnmarie Risley is a board-certified psychiatrist, keynote speaker, and author of The Offering: A Physician's Journey Through Abuse, Psychedelics, and the Freedom of Forgiveness. With over two decades of experience in psychiatry and forensic work, she brings both clinical expertise and lived wisdom to her work.
Her message centers on breaking cycles of abuse, understanding malignant family dynamics, and reclaiming personal freedom without minimizing harm or bypassing truth. Through her writing and speaking, Dawnmarie helps women release shame, find their voice, and step into healing that is grounded, compassionate, and empowering.
Outside of her professional work, she is a devoted mother who finds grounding in nature, home renovation, and creative pursuits. A licensed pilot and experienced skydiver, she believes that courage, curiosity, and adventure can be powerful pathways to healing and self-trust.
Where to find Dr. Dawnmarie Risley
Website: https://www.drrisleychilds.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/drrisleychilds/
Connect with Kim:
Emotional Eats Podcast: Emotional Eats Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-eats-podcast-end-emotional-eating-weight/id1686639038
Website:  https://wellspringcounselingandhealth.com/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimhynesmidlife/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@kimhynesmidlife
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Kimhynesmidlife
Want to improve your midlife focus or sleep?  Check out Brain.fm.  This app has help me be more productive, get the best afternoon powernaps and bring down my nervous system….fast.  Get 30 days for free here.
 https://www.brain.fm/kimhyneshealth
 
Get my favorite healthy Hot Chocolate (Organifi Chocolate Gold) here:
https://www.organifishop.com/
Use code:  KIMH for 20 % off
This dark chocolate tumeric tea helps promote relaxation and calm.  It's the perfect substitute for dessert and a great way to help promote sleep.
 
Other links Kim receives commission on some of these products which are used to continue providing free content and produce the Emotional Eats Podcast.
LMNT
http://elementallabs.refr.cc/kimhynes
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.
If you enjoyed the episode, share and follow.  I would be so grateful.

Join the Cool Girl Collective
We created the Cool Girl Collective for women over 40 who are ready to feel supported, seen, and understood. Inside, you'll find real conversations about menopause, hormones, emotional eating, chronic illness, relationships, and everything midlife brings along with with humor, heart, and community.
This is your safe space to ask questions, share your story, and find practical tools for your health and happiness.
👉 Click Here to Join:  https://www.skool.com/coolgirlcollective/

If you've ever felt frustrated, stuck, or conflicted about that last bit of weight, this episode offers reassurance, perspective, and permission to choose health, peace, and sustainability over constant striving.
In this episode, Kim tackles a question she hears constantly from midlife women and clients: What about the last five to eight pounds?
Should we keep pushing, or is there a point where the body is actually asking for safety, stability, and compassion instead of more effort?
Kim shares why this topic is complicated, emotional, and deeply tied to decades of diet culture, especially for women over 40 navigating perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. She reframes weight loss for midlife women to look consider body trust, metabolism, hormones, nervous system safety, and long-term health rather than scale obsession.
You'll hear why holding onto weight, especially in the midsection, is often a protective response rather than a failure, and why doing "all the right things" does not always mean the body is ready to let go of more. Kim explains the difference between fat, inflammation, water retention, and body composition, and why the scale alone is not the best tool.
Topics covered include:
·       Why the last five pounds are often the hardest in midlife
·       How diet culture keeps us blaming ourselves instead of listening to our bodies
·       The role of safety, stress, and the nervous system in fat loss
·       Why under-eating can stall progress even when habits feel "clean"
·       How protein, fiber, and food volume support metabolism
·       The impact of skipping meals, especially breakfast
·       Strength training, progressive overload, and why muscle matters more than scale weight
·       Non-exercise activity and why daily movement counts more than you think
·       Inflammation, alcohol, sugar, gluten, and individual food sensitivities
·       Why midlife bodies respond better to gentleness than pressure
·       Tiny shifts versus overhauls and why patience matters
·       Choosing between feeling leaner versus weighing less
·       Letting go of perfection and redefining success at this stage of life
Connect with Kim:
Emotional Eats Podcast: Emotional Eats Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-eats-podcast-end-emotional-eating-weight/id1686639038
Website:  https://wellspringcounselingandhealth.com/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimhynesmidlife/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@kimhynesmidlife
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Kimhynesmidlife
Want to improve your midlife focus or sleep?  Check out Brain.fm.  This app has help me be more productive, get the best afternoon powernaps and bring down my nervous system….fast.  Get 30 days for free here.
 https://www.brain.fm/kimhyneshealth
 
Get my favorite healthy Hot Chocolate (Organifi Chocolate Gold) here:
https://www.organifishop.com/
Use code:  KIMH for 20 % off
This dark chocolate tumeric tea helps promote relaxation and calm.  It's the perfect substitute for dessert and a great way to help promote sleep.
 
Other links Kim receives commission on some of these products which are used to continue providing free content and produce the Emotional Eats Podcast.
LMNT
http://elementallabs.refr.cc/kimhynes
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.
If you enjoyed the episode, share and follow.  I would be so grateful.