​Heidi’s Lane with Heidi Powell

In this special holiday episode of Heidi's Lane, we are joined by two very special people in my life: Lauri, my mother and Matix, my oldest son! Today we dive into the intimate world of family traditions and the poignant dance with grief during the holidays.My mom and I reminisce about cherished memories, like our lively Polish Christmas Eves and my dad's signature German chocolate cake. We laugh, share stories, and even shed a few tears, acknowledging the bittersweet absence of loved ones. I also explore how traditions evolve, especially in the tapestry of a blended family, and the importance of finding joy in simplicity. This episode is a raw, authentic journey through the joys and sorrows of holiday memories and traditions, inviting you to reflect on your own.Here are the key moments from the episode:5:00 Family traditions and why they are important11:30 Appreciating childhood memories20:30 The importance of creating new traditions26:30 Adapting traditions to life's changes38:00 Our Polish Christmas Eve dinner tradition53:50 Choosing memories over materialism56:30 Dealing with grief during the holidaysConnect with Heidi:
Website: https://heidipowell.net/  Email: [email protected]  Instagram: @realheidipowellFacebook: Heidi PowellYouTube: @RealHeidiPowellTrain with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/

This week, we’re continuing the conversation about eating disorders, but this time, with a professional who has spent nearly two decades treating eating disorders.After my solo episode (ep. 75) sharing my 15-year battle with anorexia, bulimia, food addiction, and body dysmorphia, you sent in hundreds of questions…and I saved all of them for this conversation.Today, I’m joined by Dr. Morgan Francis, licensed therapist and eating disorder specialist, for a powerful, honest, informative, and definitely-lifesaving conversation that every woman (and every parent) needs to hear.Together, we break down:✨ Disordered eating vs. eating disorders—the difference matters✨ How young it starts (as early as five years old) and why✨ The most commonly missed warning signs✨ How to know if you may be struggling✨ What to do if someone you love has an eating disorder✨ How to help yourself if you’re stuck in the cycle✨ Why “looking healthy” can hide years of pain✨ The role of shame, trauma, comparison, and control✨ What real healing actually looks like, and how you can learn to love your bodyThis episode is equal parts education, compassion, and empowerment. Whether you’re in recovery, supporting someone who is, or trying to understand your own relationship with food and your body…this conversation is a gentle, grounding place to start.If you or someone you love is struggling, please know: you’re not alone, there IS help, and healing is absolutely possible. 🫶🏼Here are three free, reputable places to get help:💛 NEDA: Free screening tools and a 24/7 crisis text line (text NEDA to 741741).💛 ANAD: Free virtual support groups and one-on-one peer mentoring at anad.org. 💛 Project HEAL: Helps people access treatment when cost or insurance is a barrier at theprojectheal.org. You’re not alone, and real support is available. 🫶🏼Want deeper support from Dr. Morgan?💛 Here’s a link to Dr. Morgan’s Guide to Intuitive Eating and her Trainings for Therapists & Coaches -> CLICK HERE If this episode speaks to you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs it. And if you haven’t listened to Part 1 my story—it’s Episode 75.Watch this full episode on YouTube here or head to https://www.youtube.com/@RealHeidiPowell .Here are the key moments from the episode:02:11 Why I Brought a Therapist On08:30 Dr. Morgan’s Story & Trauma15:45 Body Image Isn’t Vanity21:50 Eating Disorder vs. Dysmorphia29:10 Can You Trust Yourself Around Food?36:15 Disordered Eating vs Diagnosis42:18 Binge Eating & Fitness Culture49:30 Ozempic: Relief or Distraction?56:40 Body Trust, Respect & Appreciation01:00:05 Are You Ready to Heal?01:06:14 The Power of Self-Forgiveness01:13:02 Eating Disorders in Men01:18:55 What Dr. Morgan Wants You to KnowConnect with Heidi:
Website: https://heidipowell.net/  Email: [email protected]  Instagram: @realheidipowellFacebook: Heidi PowellYouTube: @RealHeidiPowellTrain with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/  Connect with Dr. Morgan Francis:Website: http://www.scottsdalepremiercounseling.com/  Instagram: @drmorganfrancisAbout Dr. Morgan Francis:
 Dr. Morgan Francis is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology and a Licensed Mental Health Therapist. She is the owner of Scottsdale Premier Counseling in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her mission is to break through the mental health shame game. With over 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of Body Image and Eating Disorders, Dr. Francis can empower you to make peace with your body and food. You can watch her on Wellness Wednesdays as the Mental Health Expert for 12 News Arizona.  She is also a frequent guest on Fox News and serves as public speaker and consultant on mental health helping churches, schools, and community organizations. You can work with Dr. Francis by accessing her online courses or attending her webinars. Dr. Francis lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her three children and husband.

This one feels extra close to home. As Thanksgiving rolls in, Ryan and I cozy up to talk about dating after divorce, the quiet that follows shared holidays, and what it’s really like to rebuild love in your 40s. From last year’s lonely Thanksgiving to navigating real-life quirks, triggers, blended-family chaos, and leaving the honeymoon phase behind, we go there. Honestly, it’s some of our most real conversations yet.✨ We talked about:Dating after divorce when you’ve “lived a lot”Navigating the quiet, the loneliness & the healingWhat shifting out of the honeymoon phase really feels likeHow we communicate through triggers, tension & growthThe messy, beautiful truth about modern relationshipsIf this resonates, please like, comment, subscribe, and share. It helps our little community grow. ❤️Watch the full episode on YouTube here or head to https://www.youtube.com/@RealHeidiPowell.Here are the key moments from the episode:0:00 Why Dating After Divorce Feels So Different3:12 The Thanksgiving That Broke Me Open6:01 Why We Stay in Unhealthy Relationships9:18 The Side of Me Most People Never See12:27 Why I Crave Deep, Real Connection15:06 Feeling “Different” My Whole Life18:10 When Someone Finally Sees the Real You21:05 The DM I Never Replied To24:08 Why This Relationship Feels Different27:01 Leaving the Honeymoon Phase30:22 The Miscommunication That Taught Us a Lot33:42 How We Process Emotions So Differently36:29 Why Real Life Feels Like a Milestone39:41 The Hardest Part of Dating After Divorce42:53 What Healthy Conflict Really Looks Like46:06 Choosing Your Hard in Relationships49:40 Why Communication Matters More Than Chemistry53:11 What Surprised Us About Social Media56:44 The Emotional Crash After Big Life Events1:00:29 When Stress Shows Up in Your Relationship1:03:52 How Honest Talks Build Real Safety1:07:10 Understanding Your Triggers in Love1:10:31 Fighting with Each Other, Not Against Each Other1:13:02 When Speaking Up Helps and When It Doesn’t1:16:15 What Healthy Love Looks Like NowConnect with Heidi:Website: https://heidipowell.net/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: @realheidipowellFacebook: Heidi PowellYouTube: @RealHeidiPowellTrain with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/

This one has been a long time coming. For 15 years, I lived inside the prison of an eating disorder that is anorexia, bulimia, food addiction, and body dysmorphia. It was loud, lonely, and exhausting. I hid it behind smiles, success, and “healthy” habits…until I couldn’t anymore.In this deeply personal episode, I open up about what recovery has really looked like, the pain, the progress, and the quiet miracles that changed everything. I share how I healed my relationship with food, with my body, and most importantly, with myself.✨I let you in on:The real cost of living with food obsessionHow shame kept me silent for yearsThe turning point that led to healingWhat “freedom” actually feels like todayIf you or someone you love is struggling, please know: you’re not alone, there IS help, and healing is absolutely possible. 🫶🏼 Here are three free, reputable places to get help:💛NEDA: Free screening tools and a 24/7 crisis text line (text NEDA to 741741). 💛ANAD: Free virtual support groups and one-on-one peer mentoring at https://anad.org/. 💛Project HEAL: Helps people access treatment when cost or insurance is a barrier at https://www.theprojectheal.org/. You’re not alone, and real support is available. 🫶🏼 If this episode speaks to you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs it. And for even more support, listen to Ep. 77 with eating disorder therapist, Dr. Morgan Francis.Watch the full episode on YouTube here or head to https://www.youtube.com/@RealHeidiPowell.Here are the key moments from the episode:00:00 The Untold Battle I’ve Hidden for 15 Years03:42 Living in the Grip of an Eating Disorder07:15 The Physical Damage No One Talks About13:35 What Body Dysmorphia Really Feels Like17:02 Why Recovery Isn’t a Straight Line24:49 Hiding My Disorder in Plain Sight29:22 When Love Meets Self-Doubt33:17 The Moment I Realized Shame Breeds Secrecy36:41 Trading One Destructive Pattern for Another41:02 Hurting Myself to Feel in Control49:54 Redefining Self-Worth Beyond the Mirror54:03 How Childhood Shapes Body Image58:29 The Pressure to Be Perfect in a Public Life1:02:45 Breaking Free from the Need to Be “Enough”1:07:16 What True Healing Actually Looks Like1:11:33 Learning to See My Body Through Love1:16:04 The Role of Therapy, Faith, and Self-Work1:20:12 Why Vulnerability Is the Gateway to Healing1:24:36 Lessons I’ve Learned from Past Relationships1:34:03 The Hard Truth About Long-Term Recovery1:39:41 What I Want Every Woman Struggling to Know1:44:25 How to Help Someone Who’s Struggling1:49:37 Finding Meaning in My StoryConnect with Heidi:Website: https://heidipowell.net/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: @realheidipowellFacebook: Heidi PowellYouTube: @RealHeidiPowellTrain with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/

What was meant to be a five-day trip to visit my daughter for her birthday in Thailand…turned into two very unforgettable weeks in foreign hospitals when Marley had yet another unexpected medical emergency. In this episode, Ryan and I share our experiences with Marley – from having the time of our lives on a tropical island with Marley, to the dreadful night it all went downhill and the hospitals became our hotel.Without giving it all away, I’ll say this… God has a way of delivering incredible little gifts of light in hard and heavy circumstances. This trip was no exception. A thing that felt so scary to experience on the other side of the world turned into quite the experience full of bonding mother-daughter moments, inside jokes and laughter, and mind-blowing top-notch medical care from Bangkok.Bonus? If you ever want to REALLY get to know the person you are dating, have a family emergency 30 hours away that extends your trip while being stuck in a hospital room with them. Safe to say, Ryan passed with flying colors.In this episode, I share:Our entire medical experience in Thailand: hospitals visited, cost of care, insurance usedThe story behind it all – including how Marley is healingAll about our Thailand travels – Bangkok to Koh SamuiThe beautiful gifts of grace that we found along the waySome pretty sweet relationship lessons I’m learning from Ryan’s kindnessWhy learning to let someone else lead changed everythingThe hidden strength that emerges when you’re running on emptyIf this episode moved you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share. It truly helps our little community grow. ❤️ Watch the full episode on YouTube here or head to https://www.youtube.com/@RealHeidiPowell.Here are the key moments from the episode:0:00 The Story Behind This Episode5:25 The Call Every Parent Dreads7:25 Fear in a Foreign Hospital10:58 What Saved Us in Thailand14:46 First Impressions of Bangkok18:02 The Side of the City No One Sees21:43 Jet Lag, Street Markets & Getting Scammed26:10 When I Finally Let Go of Leading30:04 Learning to Be Led33:56 Love That Survives Life’s Tests37:48 When Parenthood Pushes Your Limits41:29 Finding Faith in Fear45:18 The Gift Hidden in Breakdown49:04 When a 5-Day Trip Turns Into 2 Weeks of Survival53:10 Gratitude in the Messiest Moments57:42 The Lesson I Didn’t Expect1:02:25 The Spiritual Side of Surrender1:07:01 Parenting Grown Children1:11:42 The Beauty of Being Fully Present1:16:18 Coming Home Changed Forever1:23:22 Why Hard Seasons Reveal Who We Are1:27:58 How Love Looks Different After This1:32:43 From Fear to Faith: The Lesson I’ll Never Forget1:37:16 What I Hope You Take From This StoryConnect with Heidi:
Website: https://heidipowell.net/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: @realheidipowellFacebook: Heidi PowellYouTube: @RealHeidiPowell
Train with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/