It Has to Be Me

What if emotional eating isn’t a problem to be fixed, but a doorway to understanding ourselves so we can be in control of our choices, not hostages to them?
This solo episode starts with the premise that we’re all emotional eaters. Food is inextricably linked to key experiences, woven into the fabric of our lives.
Looking at our food choices with curiosity—especially if we’re used to framing our habits and compulsions as flaws—we can use those choices as a self-awareness tool.
The relationship with food mirrors how we approach other things, and recognizing this helps us address thought and behavior patterns that keep us stuck, opening paths to sustainable change. Food choices that may have defined you start to refine you.
We unpack how emotional eating is weaponized, and why so many of us get stuck in cycles of fear, regret, guilt, shame, restriction, and overconsumption. Food cravings indicate unmet physical and emotional needs. Upgrading self-care closes that gap.
Addressing familial and societal conditioning, and working with your personality instead of against it combats all-or-nothing thinking, score keeping, and punishment, to find a balanced approach with food that allows room for everything.
You can have your cake and eat it, too.
TESS’S TAKEAWAYS
Rather than a disorder to be fixed, emotional eating is a tool for self-awareness.
Emotional eating is not a lack of self-control. It’s unmet needs crying out for attention.
Restriction, guilt, or shame reinforce emotional eating patterns rather than solve them.
Mindful eating is paying attention to your eating experience without judgment.
For a balanced relationship with food start with flexibility, not restriction and rigidity.
Being aware of diet culture and societal conditioning moderates their impacts.
Willpower is a fake muscle. The antidote to emotional eating is investigating core needs.
The quality of your food choices correlates to the quality you seek in other things.
MEET TESS MASTERS:
Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.
Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.
Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.
CONNECT WITH TESS:
Website: https://tessmasters.com/
Podcast: https://ithastobeme.com/
Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/
Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/

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In the show’s 100th episode, Beau Weaver and Elizabeth Jurgensen, two long-time friends, lead the conversation and interview me. We celebrate the strength, resilience, and wisdom that people build together in relationships.
We start with our strange meeting, almost 20 years ago, and significant moments in a friendship that has shaped our lives in ways still emerging.
Reflecting on the importance of communicating with care, we unpack the value of listening and supporting without a compulsion to change or fix. By letting go of predetermined outcomes, we can explore without an attachment to resolution, and be satisfied if it never comes.
Embracing the “yes and,” we improvise, duck and roll, pivot, and thrive in the unpredictable.
A non-linear life trajectory can seem like a collection of random choices. But, when we pinpoint what drives us, seemingly unrelated events make sense, and feed the next chapter of the story. You don't have to know the way. The way knows the way.
Beau closes with a thought from Maria Popova: Believe in the part of you that cannot be destroyed by the agonies of hope. And adds: Trust in what is flowing through you.
TESS’S TAKEAWAYS:
Embrace the “Yes and.” Stay open to possibilities.
Acknowledge that identity is co-created, and choose your people wisely.
You’ll always be too much for the wrong people; never too much for the right ones.
Trust in your offers and share them.
Sometimes the right teacher for a third grader is a fourth grader.
Your vulnerabilities and mistakes are medicine for others.
Act with boldness and humility by trusting yourself and doubting yourself.
Enjoy being in the middle of the story.
ABOUT BEAU WEAVER
A voice actor for over 50 years, Beau got his first on-air radio job at 15. He quickly worked his way onto popular music radio stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas and Houston in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Then, became the signature voice for dozens of major-market network affiliates.
From there, he spent decades as one of America’s perennial "A list" announcers, voicing movie trailers, network TV promos and shows, documentaries, commercials, and was the live announcer for Hollywood awards shows. With lead roles in animated TV series, Beau portrayed Superman in the ‘80s, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four in the ‘90s, and was one of the original Transformers.
A technical innovator, Beau is widely credited with pioneering the practice of home recording for voice actors, sharing his studio tools and techniques with the entertainment community. The numerous awards he’s won include “Best Voiceover” from PromaxBDA and the “Body of Work” award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences.
Beau retired recently, and he and Elizabeth relocated from California to Oregon to begin a new chapter.
ABOUT ELIZABETH JURGENSEN
With a thirst for learning and achieving, Elizabeth has had multiple careers applying herself to education, research, and disciplined practice.
Her post-college years were focused on the performing arts, as an actress and dancer. Moving to the corporate world, she got a business degree and worked in finance. Her next pivot was to work as a fitness instructor and wellness coach.
Discovering her love for academics, she went back to school, getting a Master’s degree in a new field and teaching college students.
Debilitating injuries from a car accident and ten years’ rehabilitation, made her work impossible, and brought Elizabeth to the next major phase of her life. She embraced somatics, exploring trauma healing, relational dynamics, and embodied awareness.
A certified somatic educator, Elizabeth integrates insights from ancient archetypes, women’s wisdom traditions, and the interplay of masculine and feminine energies. She shares what she knows in adaptive and informal ways to guide others.
MEET TESS MASTERS:
Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.
Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.
Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.
CONNECT WITH TESS:
Website: https://tessmasters.com/
Podcast: https://ithastobeme.com/
Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/
Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/
Thanks for listening!
If you enjoyed this conversation and think others would benefit from listening, share this episode. And, please post your comments or questions below. I’d love to hear what you think.

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Struggling to make a dent in your goals for the New Year again? Educator and coach Elizabeth Jurgensen explores with me how annual resolutions have turned rituals of renewal into rituals of failure, and outlines a more sustainable, grounded approach to change.
Tracing the surprising history of resolutions, she starts at their origins, millennia ago, in rituals centered on agriculture, responsibility, and community. Those practices evolved into our contemporary intention of making a fresh start with the incoming year. When we don’t become better versions of ourselves immediately, we see it as failure.
Elizabeth lays out how societal and familial conditioning steer us toward things we “should” want rather than those we genuinely desire, and how we get used to letting grief, shame, and regret drive our choices.
Many of us think of resolutions as punishment, atonement, or restitution. Elizabeth proposes that we break out of that mindset, focus on integration, and reframe the pursuit of goals as exploration and experimentation.
Using Elizabeth’s analogy of a garden, we discuss how transitions require patience, attention, and responsiveness to changing conditions. When we insist on rigid timelines, perfection, or outside expectations, we focus on the weeds. “Tending” things allows room for flexibility and compassion, and opens up more possibilities.
Key takeaway: Reaching our goals doesn’t mean starting over.
TESS’S TAKEAWAYS:
Internalized capitalism has turned self-improvement into a job.
All-or-nothing thinking leads to inconsistency, burnout, and self sabotage.
Desire-based goals have intrinsic drive.
Avoidance-based goals push energy to repression.
To figure out what you most desire, dwell in curiosity and possibility.
Progress framed as tending rather than fixing or achieving is more effective.
Rest, reflection, and integration are necessary transition points, not signs of failure.
Motivation increases when goals consider community impact, not just individual benefit.
ABOUT ELIZABETH JURGENSEN
With a thirst for learning and achieving, Elizabeth has had multiple careers applying herself to education, research, and disciplined practice.
Her post-college years were focused on the performing arts, as an actress and dancer. Moving to the corporate world, she got a business degree and worked in finance. Her next pivot was to work as a fitness instructor and wellness coach.
Discovering her love for academics, she went back to school, getting a Master’s degree in a new field and teaching college students.
Debilitating injuries from a car accident and ten years’ rehabilitation, made her work impossible, and brought Elizabeth to the next major phase of her life. She embraced somatics, exploring trauma healing, relational dynamics, and embodied awareness.
The values of slowing down and turning inward, and the gifts of deep presence and self-care became central to her philosophy. She pursues them as ends in themselves, not toward goal-oriented pursuits, nor in a commercial practice.
A certified somatic educator, Elizabeth integrates insights from ancient archetypes, women’s wisdom traditions, and the interplay of masculine and feminine energies. She shares what she knows in adaptive and informal ways to guide others.
MEET TESS MASTERS:
Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.
Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.
Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.
CONNECT WITH TESS:
Website: https://tessmasters.com/
Podcast: https://ithastobeme.com/
Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/
Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/
Thanks for listening!
If you enjoyed this conversation and think others would benefit from listening, share this episode. And, please post your comments or questions below. I’d love to hear what you think.
Subscribe to the podcast.
Get automatic updates so you never miss an episode. Subscribe to this show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
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Dietitian Ayla Barmmer helps us understand just how much nutrition and gut health impact fertility, pregnancy, and reproductive health during perimenopause and menopause.
While supporting women undergoing IVF, Ayla noticed a troubling pattern: Many were advised by doctors to restrict food, and meet their nutrition needs with prenatal supplements that didn’t prepare their bodies for healthy conception and pregnancy. Furthermore, the medical establishment was hardly addressing men’s pre-conception health at all.
These gaps prompted Ayla to revolutionize reproductive supplements for women and men. She developed a prenatal multivitamin and launched FullWell, offering the first dietitian-formulated product in the category. Her commitment to radical transparency—publishing actual third-party test results rather than relying on certifications—redefined expectations in the supplement industry.
Ayla walks us through how to care for our reproductive health at all phases of life. We go over key labs and pre-conception food and lifestyle strategies for both women and men. And get the non-negotiable nutrition requirements for healthy pregnancy. From there we discuss recovery after birth (often ignored), other postpartum needs, plus recommendations for breastfeeding, and preparation for subsequent pregnancies.
Moving on to priorities in perimenopause and menopause, Ayla cuts through the confusion about protein, collagen, creatine, and enzymes. She red flags various supplements, then gives us a quick course in reading labels and speaking to companies, to ensure we’re giving ourselves the best support.
Big takeaway: Reproductive health goes beyond conception and pregnancy. Paying attention to this part of our health at every age is preventative wellness.
TESS’S TAKEAWAYS
Reproductive health is a powerful indicator of overall health at every age.
Gut health is foundational for reproductive health in women and men.
Women and men need to prepare their bodies 3 months before conception.
Men’s pre-conception health profoundly impacts fertility and pregnancy.
Semen quality impacts placenta development more than mother’s health.
Digestive and liver health impact optimal estrogen metabolism.
Adequate protein and fiber are essential for reproductive health.
Exercise is essential for optimal hormones and reproductive health.
ABOUT AYLA BARMMER
Ayla Barmmer, MS, RD, LDN is a Registered Dietitian, functional medicine practitioner, and founder and CEO of FullWell, the only dietitian-led reproductive health supplement company.
With Boston Functional Nutrition, she built a globally recognized private practice helping individuals and couples navigate fertility, pregnancy, and hormone health.
Seeing a persistent gap in the quality, evidence base, and transparency of reproductive health supplements, Ayla formulated a prenatal vitamin and launched FullWell in 2019, committed to doing things differently. FullWell’s Women’s Prenatal Multivitamin consistently ranks among the top supplements in the category, with users in over 50 countries.
As a leading clinical voice in reproductive nutrition, Ayla speaks on evidence-based food strategies, supplement integrity, and women’s health, and uses her Substack to educate consumers and healthcare providers. She has mentored hundreds of practitioners and led one of the largest RD communities in the United States.
A mother of two, she lives in New England.
CONNECT WITH AYLA
Website: https://fullwellfertility.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@aylabarmmer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullwellfertility/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullwellfertility/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aylabarmmer/
MEET TESS MASTERS:
Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.
Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.
Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.
CONNECT WITH TESS:
Website: https://tessmasters.com/
Podcast: https://ithastobeme.com/
Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/
Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/
Thanks for listening!
If you enjoyed this conversation and think others would benefit from listening, share this episode. And, please post your comments or questions below. I’d love to hear what you think.
Subscribe to the podcast.
Get automatic updates so you never miss an episode. Subscribe to this show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Ratings and reviews from listeners help our podcast rank higher so it can reach more people. Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

We’re getting the truth about Irritable Bowel Syndrome from Meghan Donnelly—GI dietitian and certified FODMAP practitioner.
We start with the basics: What IBS is, the common symptoms, how many people it affects, and what causes it. Then dive into diagnostic challenges, conditions IBS can overlap with, and why it is commonly misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated. With those ambiguities in mind, we identify the red-flag symptoms we never want to ignore.
Meghan walks us through the steps to an accurate diagnosis. She covers the importance of working with a gastroenterologist to rule out other digestive issues. Then lays out the benefits of working after diagnosis with a dietitian and a GI psychologist—both specializing in IBS.
We turn to the most effective dietary-intervention strategies, from small food and lifestyle changes to the more restrictive Low-FODMAP Diet, which is a short-term tool and not appropriate for everyone. Meghan explains how misinformed food restrictions can not only be unnecessary, but make symptoms worse, leading to nutrient deficiencies and mental health issues.
She wraps up with medications, supplements, stress management, gut-directed hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and nervous system regulation. All of these help manage symptoms and transform outcomes for people living with IBS.
The key takeaway: Don’t self-diagnose or self-treat. Work with medical practitioners who specialize in IBS to develop a multi-pronged treatment plan that’s specific to you.
TESS’S TAKEAWAYS:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects 10–15% of the population, and can be managed.
IBS is more common in women, due to fluctuating hormones.
1 in 10 people develop post-infectious IBS after food poisoning or traveler’s diarrhea.
IBS is a disorder of the gut-brain interaction. Food can be a trigger —but it isn’t the cause.
IBS symptoms include gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and changes in bowel movements.
Stress and nervous system regulation play a major role in triggering IBS symptoms.
IBS is diagnosed through symptoms and by ruling out digestive diseases and colon cancer.
To diagnose and treat IBS, consult with a gastroenterologist and GI dietitian who specialize.


ABOUT MEGHAN DONNELLY, MS, RDN, CSDH
Meghan is a registered dietitian specializing in gastrointestinal nutrition, and is Director Of Health Communications at the Celiac Disease Foundation.
Her experience spans clinical practice, nutrition counseling, medical nonprofits, and the food industry.
In her private practice at Nutmeg Nutrition, Meghan helps her clients establish a balanced and joyful relationship with food, particularly when managing digestive disorders (IBS and SIBO), food intolerances, gluten-related conditions (celiac disease), and disordered eating.
She also provides nutrition counseling for heart health, kidney disease, weight management, and food intolerances. Monash University certified, she guides clients on Low-FODMAP diets.
As lead dietitian for Skinny60®, Meghan provides nutrition education and support for participants in the 60-Day Reset.

CONNECT WITH MEGHAN
Consult with Meghan: https://www.nutmegnutrition.org/
Low FODMAP Diet Podcast: https://ithastobeme.com/podcast/episodes/meghan-donnelly-the-low-fodmap-diet-a-dietitians-guide/

MEET TESS MASTERS:
Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.
Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.
Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.
CONNECT WITH TESS:
Website: https://tessmasters.com/
Podcast: https://ithastobeme.com/
Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/
Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/

Thanks for listening!
If you enjoyed this conversation and think others would benefit from listening, share this episode. And, please post your comments or questions below. I’d love to hear what you think.

Subscribe to the podcast.
Get automatic updates so you never miss an episode. Subscribe to this show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Ratings and reviews from listeners help our podcast rank higher so it can reach more people. Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.