What if your body isn’t betraying you when you restrict food — but protecting you?

In this powerful conversation, Jess sits down with Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, world-renowned internal medicine physician and author of Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders, to explore the misunderstood physiology of undernutrition.

Dr. Gaudiani (“Dr. G”) breaks down what really happens in the brain and body when we don’t eat enough — from slowed metabolism to changes in heart rate, hormones, digestion, and mood. Together, Jess and Dr. G unpack the survival adaptations that often get mislabeled as “failures,” and why compassion and nourishment (not more control) are the key to healing.

Whether you’re a clinician, athlete, or someone on your own recovery journey, this episode will deepen your understanding of the body’s wisdom — and remind you that your body is not the problem; it’s the protector. 💛

• What “undernutrition” really means (and how it shows up beyond weight)

• The body’s built-in survival mechanisms — and why they’re signs of protection, not weakness

• How restriction impacts the brain, hormones, and mood

• Why “Sick Enough” still matters — and what’s new in the second edition

• What compassionate, evidence-based care looks like for those healing from eating disorders

• Book: Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders, Second Edition

• Dr. Gaudiani’s Clinic: Gaudiani Clinic

Over the last few episodes, we’ve talked about why so many smart, motivated women feel stuck with food — even when they’re “doing everything right.”

We’ve unpacked:

• Why macros alone don’t create peace

• How your gut microbiome influences cravings, energy, and metabolism

• Why willpower fails when the nervous system doesn’t feel safe

• And how emotional and physiological triggers often get mislabeled as “lack of discipline”

In this episode, we zoom out and bring it all together — because empowered eating isn’t about choosing one approach. It’s about integration.

Empowered eating lives at the intersection of three things:

Sustainable nutrition starts with knowing what matters most to you. Not Instagram’s definition of health. Not rigid rules. But your values — family, faith, energy, longevity, joy, impact.

When health goals align with values, consistency feels meaningful instead of forced.

Your body is constantly communicating through:

• Hunger and fullness

• Cravings

• Energy and mood

• Digestion and stress responses

These signals aren’t obstacles to overcome — they’re data to interpret. When we learn to listen instead of override, the nervous system settles, clarity increases, and change becomes sustainable.

Science still matters. Fuel matters. Structure matters.

But nutrition science works best when it’s applied in context — alongside your biology, your nervous system, and your real life. Macros, gut health, hormones, and metabolism are tools — not moral scorecards.

Empowered eating isn’t about control. It’s about partnership.

When values guide the direction, biofeedback provides the information, and nutrition science offers the tools — food stops being the fight, and health becomes a platform instead of a pressure point.

If this series has resonated — if you’re ready for a different kind of January — I want to personally invite you to join me live:

Not another macro workshop — this is where food freedom finally clicks.

In this 90-minute live training (with replay included), we’ll walk through:

• A 3-step framework to set health goals that actually stick

• How to align nutrition with your values

• How to use biofeedback to get out of survival mode

• How to apply nutrition science without rigidity or shame

• Live Q&A so you can apply this to your body and your season

👉 Join us here: https://www.jessbrownrd.com/meaningbeyondmacros-masterclass

If you’re done white-knuckling and ready to feel peace in the process — I would love to see you there.

BUT FIRST!!! Join us next week LIVE in the FREE Meaning Beyond Macros MASTERCLASS

If willpower worked, you wouldn’t need it every January.

In this episode, we unpack why so many women feel like they “fall off” with nutrition — even when they’re motivated, disciplined, and genuinely trying. Spoiler alert: it’s not a character flaw. It’s a nervous-system issue.

We explore the difference between white-knuckling nutrition and building habits that actually fit real life — especially for women who care deeply about their families, responsibilities, and values.

You’ll learn how neuro-emotional biofeedback explains why sustainable change can’t happen when your body doesn’t feel safe — and how empowered eating begins when we stop forcing our biology and start partnering with it.

• What “white-knuckling” nutrition actually looks like (and why it’s so common for women)

• Why discipline isn’t the problem — values and survival often override rigid plans

• How stress, emotional load, and unpredictability push the body into survival mode

• What neuro-emotional biofeedback is and why it matters for eating behavior

• How safety allows the prefrontal cortex to come back online for sustainable change

• The shift from control-based eating to empowered, responsive eating

• Simple reflection questions to help you identify where force may be replacing support

Your body isn’t resisting change — it’s protecting you. Sustainable nutrition doesn’t come from trying harder; it comes from creating safety so your brain and body can work together.

If this episode resonated — if you’ve ever felt like you’re capable of change but can’t seem to sustain it — I want to invite you into a deeper conversation.

Not another macro workshop — this is where food freedom finally clicks.

In this 90-minute live experience (with replay included), you’ll learn:

• A 3-step framework to set health goals that actually stick

• How gut health and nervous-system regulation support consistency

• Tools to stop white-knuckling food and start responding with clarity and compassion

• Live Q&A so you can apply this to your body and your real life

👉 Join the masterclass here: https://www.jessbrownrd.com/meaningbeyondmacros-masterclass

I can’t wait to walk this next step with you.