Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Darling
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My unhealthy relationship with food, goes as far back as I can remember. As a young child, I turned to food for comfort, entertainment, connection and most importantly, distraction, Food was my escape when things didn’t feel warm and fuzzy in my home or at school. As I got a bit older, I learned how to eat in a more conscious way and began daily exercise. Although, this appeared to be a step in the right direction; unfortunately it was the catalyst for 20 years of yo-yo dieting and food obsession. You could say researching new diets became my favorite hobby and the only thing I ever seemed to talk about. I was in a state of perpetual fix-it mode and no matter what I did, it was never enough. Until one day, I decided I was DONE. I filled my trash can with stacks and stacks of diet books, tracking journals and calorie counters. Immediately, it felt like the giant backpack of shame that I had been carrying around my whole life, was gone. I felt euphoric! I knew this was the path I needed to walk and that is was time to start learning a NEW way to take care of myself. I spent the next several years, shifting the narrative in my head and sitting with the difficult moments that food was no longer sheltering me from. I went to endless hours of counseling, worked with a life coach and joined support groups. I learned to meditate, journal and find more soothing and joyful outlets for my emotions. I adopted many mantras during this time and repeated them like gospel, until they stuck. Food was now just food. I was stepping back from our food obsessed culture and disengaging in the diet and self deprecation talk. It was hard at first, but over time, I grew strong and solid in what I created within myself. I wanted to share this system with others and so I began developing what I consider to be, The Mindset Method. This way of living cannot be found in a book, magazine or podcast. It is lived experience and my own unique method that I have curated over the last 20+ years. It is what I guide my amazing clients to learn so they too, can put down the heavy weight of diet shame and start living free!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first began my nutrition career, I wanted to provide support in whatever areas needed by my clients. I created personalized meal plans, constructed family recipe binders and even customized calorie goals to coincide with fitness programs. I was all over the map! However, fairly quickly I started realizing one common thread ran through 99% of my clientele. Even with the best plan of action and the most customized program, they still turned to food fulfill their emotional needs. This was when I shifted from plans and tracking, to uncovering thoughts and feelings.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am often told Mindset Nutrition and the Mindset Method is different any other coaching program my clients have ever done. Sometimes I even hear this on the first day! I tell my clients that it is my goal that someday, they no longer need me. The diet industry is made for repeat customers, my program is not. My mission is to motivate the individuals I work with to have power over their plate, feel confident in their body and heal their relationship with food. They learn to trust themselves, reject the food noise and decide what is best for them and their body. There is magic in being anywhere in the world, and still feeling self assured in your choices.
What matters most to you?
If you are someone who has spent a lifetime dieting; I imagine you often feel lost, overwhelmed and burdened by the pressures of thin culture. You may feel completely disconnected from yourself and/or disappointed that you haven’t figured out the magic solution by now. This is where I can relate; on the deepest of levels. It important to me, that my clients know I hear them, see them and support them in this process. It matters that they feel safe to openly express their emotions and trust me to hold space for them while we take this journey together.
Pricing:
- Mini Session $27
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mindsetnutritionstl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindsetnutritionstl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindsetnutritionstl
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nutrimom/
