Hypnosis for Permanent Weight Loss

In this inspiring episode, Leslie welcomes Nicole Cramer, a former high school math teacher who transformed her life by stepping outside her comfort zone and following unexpected opportunities. Nicole shares how feeling stuck, unhappy, and disconnected from her purpose led her to question the path she was on and open herself to new possibilities. Nicole recounts her remarkable journey from teaching math for 15 years to becoming the #1 nationally ranked salesperson in the country twice. Through a series of seemingly coincidental events, intuitive "breadcrumbs," and bold decisions, she discovered the power of changing the stories we tell ourselves. She explains how alignment, intention, and human connection played a far greater role in her success than experience or credentials. The conversation explores manifestation, personal growth, overcoming fear, and embracing life's challenges as opportunities for transformation. Nicole and Leslie discuss how discomfort often serves as a signal for change, why sharing our stories can inspire others, and how shifting our mindset can unlock possibilities we never thought were available to us. "You either have the life you want, or you have the list of reasons why not." Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and introduction to Nicole Cramer 02:25 Why personal growth is an ongoing journey 05:00 The power of sharing your story 07:30 Leaving a 15-year teaching career behind 10:23 Discovering sales through unexpected opportunities 14:13 "I've been selling math to teenagers for 15 years" 19:45 Setting the goal to become #1 in sales 22:18 Mistakes, synchronicities, and manifestation 26:25 The reality behind taking big risks 29:03 Finding meaning in life's challenges 31:05 How discomfort creates transformation 33:04 Nicole's TEDx experience and future goals 35:33 Where to find Nicole online and closing thoughts Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

In this episode, Leslie sits down with hormone health coach Dana Dinnawi to discuss the powerful connection between food, hormones, inflammation, and overall well-being. Dana shares her personal journey from years of unexplained symptoms, including weight gain, cystic acne, frozen shoulder, exhaustion, and severe ovulation pain, to discovering how food and lifestyle changes transformed her health. Dana explains how conventional approaches often focus on managing symptoms rather than addressing root causes. She describes how a simple nutrition-based intervention helped her recognize that many chronic health issues were messages from her body signaling deeper imbalances. That experience eventually inspired her to become a health coach and spend the last 13 years helping women reverse hormonal and inflammatory conditions naturally. Leslie and Dana explore the emotional side of health transformation, discussing the challenges of perfectionism, diet culture, guilt, and shame. They explain why true healing requires more than simply changing what you eat; it also involves understanding emotional needs, stress patterns, self-sabotage, and the deeper reasons behind food choices. The conversation also highlights the importance of developing a healthy relationship with food rather than chasing perfection. Dana shares how she learned to balance enjoying life's special moments while still supporting her health goals, and why becoming the "CEO of your own health" is a journey that unfolds over time through self-awareness, experimentation, and compassion. Standout Quote "Your body is always communicating with you. Symptoms aren't random; they're messages showing you that something needs attention." Timestamp Highlights 00:00 – Dana shares her personal health struggles and the symptoms that led her to seek answers. 02:34 – Leslie welcomes hormone health coach Dana Dinnawi to the podcast. 05:27 – Dana explains how years of dieting and unexplained symptoms led her to explore natural healing. 08:30 – Discovering health coaching and learning about inflammation as a root cause. 10:24 – A two-week nutrition reset produces unexpected improvements beyond weight loss. 11:03 – Understanding symptoms as messages from the body rather than isolated problems. 12:13 – Dana's life-changing realization that inspired her to become a health coach. 13:21 – Leslie shares her own experiences using food to improve health and reduce inflammation. 15:31 – Moving beyond weight loss and embracing a broader definition of health. 16:39 – The moment Dana realized her energy and vitality had returned. 19:04 – Leslie discusses orthorexia and the challenge of becoming overly focused on healthy eating. 20:14 – Primary food vs. secondary food: addressing emotional needs alongside nutrition. 22:11 – Why healing requires flexibility instead of perfection. 24:00 – Mid-episode invitation to schedule a free consultation with Leslie. 26:35 – How emotional needs often drive food choices and self-sabotaging behaviors. 29:00 – The role of community, support, and accountability in long-term change. 31:03 – Leslie discusses how personal growth often reveals deeper layers of healing. 34:15 – Dana shares her journey through perfectionism and restrictive dieting mindsets. 36:12 – Learning from setbacks and recognizing the body's responses to food choices. 39:00 – Finding balance between health goals and enjoying life's special occasions. 41:58 – Why becoming the CEO of your own health requires experimentation and self-trust. 43:56 – Dana shares her coaching programs and ways listeners can work with her. 45:00 – Final reflections on food freedom, health, and sustainable transformation. 46:11 – Closing remarks and information about Leslie's free Food Noise masterclass. Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

In this deeply emotional and inspiring conversation, Leslie sits down with entrepreneur and coach Xander Fryar to explore how pain, purpose, faith, and emotional healing can completely transform a person's life. Xander shares the devastating experience of losing his best friend, AJ, to suicide and how that moment forced him to confront mortality, question society's definition of success, and ultimately leave his six-figure engineering career at Cisco to pursue a more heart-led mission. Together, Leslie and Xander discuss how so many people stay trapped in logic, overthinking, and emotional suppression while desperately searching for fulfillment through external success. The conversation dives deeply into meditation, subconscious healing, and why emotional processing is essential for both personal growth and physical health. Xander explains how meditation helped him stop operating from fear and instead take courageous action aligned with his intuition and heart. Leslie and Xander also unpack the connection between emotional avoidance and behaviors like overeating, emotional eating, addiction, and burnout. They discuss the importance of fully feeling difficult emotions instead of trying to "positive think" them away, and how emotional release creates space for clarity, peace, and authentic healing. Xander also opens up about one of the most traumatic experiences of his life — when his wife Maddie nearly died from internal bleeding after a miscarriage complication in Costa Rica. In a raw and vulnerable moment, he shares how he believed he was losing the love of his life, the profound spiritual experience he had while waiting outside the operating room, and how the experience deepened his understanding of faith, service, and the fragility of life. The story becomes a powerful reminder that pain and suffering can often reconnect us to what matters most. Throughout the episode, Leslie and Xander emphasize that true success requires stepping beyond social conditioning, embracing discomfort, and believing in something greater than yourself. Whether listeners are struggling with emotional eating, fear, shame, lack of purpose, or simply feeling disconnected from themselves, this episode offers a powerful perspective on healing, conscious living, and finding fulfillment through purpose, connection, and courageous action. Standout Quote: "Success by definition is illogical. If you want more love, more impact, more freedom, and more fulfillment than average, you can't live by average logic." — Xander Fryar Timestamp Highlights: 0:01 – Introduction to Xander Fryar and his mission-driven work 1:29 – Losing his best friend AJ to suicide changed everything 4:46 – Why Xander quit his six-figure Cisco engineering career 5:54 – "Everybody knows they're going to die, but nobody accepts it" 6:38 – Leslie shares her own experience with grief and awakening 9:40 – Xander's meditation practice and how it transformed his life 11:21 – Why people chase tangible success instead of emotional fulfillment 12:22 – The law of attraction vs. courageous action 13:48 – How meditation creates clearer, more aligned decisions 16:59 – Xander shares the terrifying story of his wife nearly dying 21:18 – A spiritual moment in the hospital parking lot changed him forever 23:36 – Why pain gave him deeper clarity around purpose and service 24:11 – Leslie and Xander discuss emotional suppression and overeating 27:05 – "The only way through an emotion is through an emotion" 29:35 – How suppressed emotions stay trapped in the subconscious mind 31:04 – Xander's "emotional dump" practice for emotional healing 33:24 – Why fully feeling pain creates freedom and wisdom 36:00 – Emotional eating, crying, and authentic self-soothing 38:49 – Shame, fear of judgment, and fear of being seen failing 41:08 – Why success requires faith in something bigger than yourself 43:07 – Self-preservation vs. self-realization 44:30 – How purpose and connection impact emotional health and fulfillment 47:10 – Final advice: take scary action and trust the process Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

In this episode, Leslie sits down with Cytel Schultz for a deep conversation about authenticity, intuition, astrology, business alignment, and the connection between body, purpose, and success. Together, they explore how understanding yourself more deeply can transform not only your business and relationships but also your relationship with food, body image, and emotional well-being. Cytel shares her unexpected journey into astrology and entrepreneurship, explaining how learning to trust her intuition and spiritual guidance completely changed the direction of her life and business. Leslie and Cytel discuss the power of honoring your authentic communication style, why some people thrive through speaking while others thrive through writing, and how self-awareness creates confidence, alignment, and healthier relationships. The conversation also dives into emotional eating, body trust, spirituality, AI, feminine energy in business, and how caring for your body can dramatically expand your capacity for creativity and impact. Leslie reflects on how healing the deeper emotional patterns underneath food and weight struggles allows women to finally create lives that feel meaningful, aligned, and fulfilling. Whether you're struggling with perfectionism, trying to find your purpose, or looking for a more aligned way to grow your business and life, this episode is a reminder that true transformation begins with understanding yourself. "The more you know yourself, the better everything goes." Episode Highlights 0:01 – Introduction to Cytel Schultz and her work combining astrology and marketing 1:24 – Leslie shares why purpose matters more than obsessing over weight 3:12 – Using astrology as a tool for emotional awareness and healing 4:50 – Cytel's journey from skepticism about astrology to fully embracing it 6:55 – Why Cytel never originally planned to become an entrepreneur 8:13 – Cytel explains how she experiences intuitive "downloads." 9:42 – Leslie shares how intuition transformed her coaching approach 11:47 – Meditation, trance states, and receiving guidance 13:37 – Faith, spirituality, and respecting different beliefs 18:46 – Marketing as authentic communication and connection 20:39 – Why some people are naturally better at speaking vs. writing 24:43 – Following your own communication style instead of trends 26:04 – Leslie shares the spiritual moment that led her to leave nursing 28:24 – Cytel explains Leslie's astrology chart and spiritual business alignment 30:24 – The connection between body health and business growth 31:50 – Leslie discusses choosing purpose over perfectionism with food 33:34 – Why eating more actually helped both women feel healthier 34:44 – Learning to trust your body instead of fighting it 36:18 – AI, alignment, and creating a life by design 38:58 – How Cytel uses AI alongside astrology and intuition 41:18 – Creating personalized routines based on astrology 43:33 – Why AI should support human wisdom, not replace it 46:00 – The importance of human connection, intuition, and heart-led work 47:11 – Where listeners can connect with Cytel Schultz Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

If you've ever felt out of control around food, this episode will completely shift how you see it. Instead of blaming willpower, discipline, or yourself, you'll learn what's actually happening beneath those moments and why nothing has worked long-term. This conversation breaks down the hidden "trigger → relief → repeat" loop that keeps you stuck, and introduces a new way to finally change the pattern at its root. "You're not out of control. You're triggered, and that changes everything." Key Takeaways Feeling out of control with food doesn't mean something is wrong with you; you're triggered The real issue isn't discipline, it's an automatic pattern happening beneath awareness Dieting, restriction, and "trying harder" often make the cycle worse The brain prioritizes relief and safety, not logic, in triggered moments The temporary relief from eating is what reinforces the cycle Understanding the pattern is not enough; you need tools to change it True freedom means less mental noise, not perfect eating Timestamps 0:01 – Why this approach is different from traditional weight loss 1:00 – "There's nothing wrong with you" explained 2:14 – Why discipline-based advice fails 4:26 – The feeling of being "out of control" with food 7:10 – What actually needs to change 11:27 – The real reason the pattern keeps repeating 12:35 – Trigger vs willpower explained 14:15 – The trigger → relief → repeat loop 18:03 – Why diets, therapy, and knowledge aren't enough 21:29 – Orthorexia and the "new rules, same cage" problem 23:39 – How NLP helps change the pattern 25:00 – What life looks like when you're untriggered 29:00 – Why understanding alone doesn't create change 31:52 – What a Food Freedom Call is 33:08 – Final mindset shift: you're not broken Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

Have you ever noticed how a vacation, something meant to be relaxing, can turn into stress, anxiety, and constant overthinking about food, weight, and how you look? In this episode, Leslie shares a powerful before-and-after transformation of her relationship with food, body, and weight, specifically around vacations. What used to feel like pressure, fear, and an exhausting mental loop has now become ease, balance, and presence. She walks you through the contrast between living in constant food noise and finally experiencing freedom where decisions feel natural, guilt disappears, and life is no longer controlled by "being on or off track." This episode is an invitation to step out of the all-or-nothing cycle and into a more peaceful, confident way of living where food is no longer the center of everything. "You can either spend your life worrying about food and weight… or you can learn how to live without that noise." — Leslie Thornton What you'll learn from this episode: 00:01 – Birthday reflections and why this transformation matters 01:14 – Before vs after: identity shift around food, body, and vacations 02:29 – Pre-trip anxiety: fear of weight gain, clothes, and "staying on track." 06:52 – Vacation patterns: being overly strict vs completely letting go 10:05 – The guilt cycle after vacation and trying to "fix it" 15:01 – Why the diet cycle never ends (holidays, events, routines) 17:53 – What true health really means beyond just food and weight 18:57 – Life now: no food anxiety, just presence and balance 22:09 – Ending food obsession and creating a normal relationship with eating 24:10 – The "mental chatter" problem and why it needs to be addressed 28:28 – Building confidence and self-trust through this journey 31:10 – Growth, coaching, and transforming your entire life Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

Have you ever felt like you've tried everything to lose weight, diets, programs, rules, only to end up back in the same cycle? In this episode, Leslie sits down with Donna, a program graduate, who shares her deeply personal journey from years of dieting, emotional eating, and control patterns… to finally experiencing peace with food. Donna opens up about her past struggles with anorexia, growing up in a dysfunctional household, and how control over food became her way of coping. From people-pleasing tendencies to hiding food, rewarding herself with snacks, and navigating a toxic marriage, her story highlights how weight struggles are never just about food; they're about emotions, identity, and unmet needs. Through the program, Donna discovered something radically different from traditional diets: instead of rules and restrictions, she learned to understand her hunger, process her emotions, and set boundaries in her relationships. For the first time, she began eating like a "normal person" without guilt, obsession, or constant cravings. The shift wasn't just physical, but emotional and even spiritual. This conversation is a powerful reminder that real, lasting change doesn't come from willpower; it comes from doing the deeper inner work. When you stop trying to control food and start understanding yourself, everything changes. "You will actually be able to eat like a normal person… and you'll never have to diet again." — Donna Wilson What you will learn from this episode: 00:18 – The real reason behind emotional eating and weight struggles 01:17 – How trauma and life experiences shape eating behaviors 03:01 – Introduction to Donna and her background 05:30 – Donna's experience with anorexia and control patterns 07:01 – How food became a way to cope with a chaotic environment 09:14 – The impact of family and childhood conditioning on weight 10:48 – Why traditional diets fail long-term 11:27 – Recognizing emotional triggers behind eating habits 12:32 – How boundaries with people reduce emotional eating 13:33 – Breaking people-pleasing patterns and reclaiming self-worth 16:47 – What led Donna to finally seek a different solution 18:36 – Discovering hypnosis and trusting intuition 19:20 – Early results: weight loss without hunger or cravings 21:03 – The power of group support and subconscious work 21:52 – How hypnosis rewires habits and decision-making 22:56 – Using food as a reward and how that pattern shifts 24:17 – The connection between relationships, guilt, and eating 25:39 – Leaving a toxic marriage and reclaiming personal happiness 27:29 – How hiding, perfectionism, and low self-worth show up in food behaviors 29:20 – Overcoming fear, finances, and taking control of your life 32:50 – Why this work is "priceless" compared to traditional weight loss methods 34:31 – Letting go of cravings and emotional attachment to food 35:00 – Who this program is for (and who it's not for) 37:24 – Why belief and readiness are key for transformation 37:48 – The promise of never dieting again 38:24 – The importance of support and community in long-term success 39:18 – How to stop obsessing about food and finally feel free Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

Many people feel like they are addicted to sugar or certain foods. In this episode, Leslie shares her personal journey of believing she was a food and sugar addict and how that belief shaped her eating habits, behaviors, and identity for years. Because of her science background, the research around dopamine, habits, and reward pathways made the addiction model feel very convincing. Over time, however, Leslie began noticing something deeper. The belief that she was addicted to sugar was actually intensifying the struggle. When foods are labeled as "dangerous," "forbidden," or "trigger foods," the brain creates fear, urgency, and scarcity, which can lead to the exact overeating patterns people are trying to avoid. Leslie explains how the meaning we attach to food can influence our physiology, emotions, and behavior. When those beliefs shift, food loses its emotional charge and becomes neutral again. This shift can transform a chaotic relationship with food into one that feels calm, balanced, and sustainable. "Once I stopped believing I was a food addict, food stopped having power over me."— Leslie Thornton What You'll Learn in This Episode: 0:00 – Why many people believe they are addicted to sugar or food 1:19 – How identifying as a food addict initially helped Leslie control her eating 2:50 – The science behind food cravings and reward pathways 3:26 – How Leslie eventually shifted beyond the food addiction belief 5:22 – Why the beliefs that helped you before may stop working later 7:38 – Feeling frustrated watching others eat freely without gaining weight 9:34 – The milkshake study showing how belief changes physiology 11:13 – How identifying as a food addict can reinforce overeating patterns 12:25 – Why restrictive dieting often leads to overeating later in the day 13:27 – How labeling foods as "trigger foods" increases cravings 14:19 – What happens when you remove food rules and allow all foods 15:39 – How identity influences behavior around food 17:09 – The moment Leslie realized she simply wanted peace with food 19:19 – Why labels and diagnoses can sometimes keep people stuck 23:01 – Questioning the belief that you cannot have a normal relationship with food 24:31 – The mindset shift that helped Leslie move beyond the addiction identity 27:45 – Why changing the meaning attached to food changes behavior 30:27 – The "forbidden fruit effect" and why restriction backfires 31:32 – What a neutral relationship with food actually looks like 32:58 – The powerful question: What if the problem was never the food? Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

What if your obsession with food isn't about food at all? In this powerful episode, Leslie dismantles one of the biggest myths in weight loss that you simply lack discipline. She explains why constantly thinking about food, battling late-night cravings, and feeling out of control around your body isn't a willpower problem… it's a nervous system problem. Leslie walks high-achieving women through the real root of food obsession: unprocessed emotional pressure, fear, perfectionism, and what she calls "good girl energy." When stress builds with nowhere to go, your nervous system looks for relief and food becomes the fastest regulator. Whether it shows up as overeating or over-controlling, both patterns stem from the same dysregulation beneath the surface. Most importantly, she reveals how triggers, core wounds, and old emotional imprints from childhood drive today's cravings. The solution isn't dieting harder it's healing deeper. When you learn to process emotions safely, regulate your nervous system, and take radical ownership of your triggers, food quiets naturally. Confidence stops being something you chase through weight loss and becomes something you embody from within. "Your obsession with food is not about food. It's your nervous system asking for relief from fear, pressure, and unprocessed emotion." — Leslie Thornton What you will learn from this episode: 00:00 – Why your food obsession isn't actually about food 02:48 – How food struggles are a nervous system stress response 04:29 – Why chasing the "right" diet keeps you overwhelmed and stuck 08:14 – Why dieting harder is not the solution 11:43 – The hidden pressure of perfectionism and "good girl energy" 12:36 – How stress gets stored in the body and turns into cravings 15:01 – Why food becomes your most accessible emotional regulator 16:52 – What triggers really are and how they activate overeating 20:07 – Understanding your core wound (formed ages 0–10) 22:20 – Why certain comments hit so deeply (and others don't) 23:32 – The survival wiring behind fear of rejection and weight gain 25:21 – How to take radical ownership of your triggers 27:47 – Why managing food won't work without healing underneath 31:20 – Turning triggers into personal power 34:25 – The biggest lie about confidence and losing weight 37:21 – Why it's not your partner's job to fix your triggers 41:00 – The real solution: healing your nervous system 42:17 – How clearing core wounds naturally quiets cravings 45:17 – Why mastering emotions is the missing link to lasting freedom 46:49 – Becoming the CEO of your health and making rules that work for you Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

Are you putting your life on hold until you lose weight? Avoiding photos, canceling plans, dreading dressing rooms, and telling yourself you'll finally feel confident "when the weight comes off"? In this episode, Leslie dives into the quiet pain so many women carry the shame, the closet spirals, the social event anxiety and why waiting to feel good in your body is costing you precious years of your life. Leslie vulnerably shares her own experience of rapid weight gain, intense body shame, dressing room trauma, and believing weight loss was the only path to confidence. She explains why most women have it backwards: trying to change their body first in order to feel confident, when in reality, confidence and self-relationship must come first for lasting weight loss to happen. The real transformation begins when you stop punishing yourself, stop hiding, and rebuild your relationship with your body from the inside out. When shame quiets down and safety replaces self-criticism, you stop opting out of your life and ironically, that's when sustainable body changes become possible. "Stop putting your life on hold until you lose weight. Don't lose weight first feel good first. That's the order that actually creates lasting change." — Leslie Thornton What you will learn from this episode: 00:56 – Why you don't have to lose weight to feel confident in your clothes 02:05 – The hidden cost of hating your body for years 04:21 – The quiet pain of getting dressed and dressing room shame 06:05 – Why shame not laziness keeps you canceling plans 11:26 – The "social event spiral" and how it sabotages your confidence 16:58 – How putting your life on hold is stealing your time 19:47 – Why weight struggles are not a food or willpower problem 21:06 – Why confidence must come before weight loss 21:24 – We have it backwards: start with state, not strategy 24:30 – What life feels like when you truly love your body now 30:46 – Rebuilding a relationship with your body instead of living in your head 33:05 – Why mastering the internal changes everything externally 35:10 – How safety replaces shame and that's when the body changes Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

Feeling trapped in a painful cycle of restriction, control, and weight regain only to wonder why nothing ever truly sticks? In this episode, Leslie reveals why even the most disciplined approaches to food often backfire, leading to shame, food noise, and dramatic rebound weight gain. She shares her own experience of extreme restriction, long-term "success," and the devastating kickback that followed. Leslie explains why strategies like strict dieting, food addiction labels, or external controls can feel logical but often deepen distrust with food and yourself. She breaks down why 95% of people regain weight after restriction and why willpower, perfection, and cutting foods out are not the missing pieces. Instead, she points to what's really driving overeating beneath the surface. The breakthrough comes from understanding and healing the three internal food drivers that actually run the show: the mind spiral, emotional coping, and self-abandonment. By shifting the focus inward calming food noise, learning emotional regulation, and stopping self-betrayal you can finally create a peaceful, sustainable relationship with food and your body without tracking, restriction, or fear. "This is not a food problem or a self-control problem. It's an internal problem and when you start there, everything on the outside begins to shift." — Leslie Thornton What you will learn from this episode: 01:48 – Why 95% of people regain weight after restriction and exercise 02:10 – The three internal food drivers that keep you stuck 07:28 – Why extreme food rules and perfection create massive rebound weight gain 10:42 – How restriction trains your brain not to trust you 11:02 – The "beach ball" effect: why pushing harder always leads to kickback 16:11 – Internal Driver #1: The mind spiral (food noise & all-or-nothing thinking) 17:49 – How hypnosis helps calm overthinking and obsessive food thoughts 18:11 – Internal Driver #2: Emotional eating as a stress-release valve 19:22 – Why high performers struggle most with emotional regulation 21:40 – How unresolved emotions fuel compulsive eating 23:07 – Internal Driver #3: Self-abandonment and people-pleasing 24:08 – Why feeling unseen, depleted, or resentful leads to overeating 26:14 – Why external solutions (even surgery) can't fix internal patterns Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

Feeling frustrated that no matter how strictly you follow your diet, the weight just isn't coming off? You eat the right foods, follow the rules, and even stick to strategies that worked in the past, but still, the scale doesn't budge. It's not your diet, your body, or your willpower that's holding you back; it's your energy. When your energetic state is low, restriction and discipline alone won't work. Most of us were never taught how to master our daily energy, and without that, no plan sticks. This episode dives into why mastering your energetic state is the missing key to effortless weight loss, consistent healthy habits, and long-term transformation. By shifting your focus to your state first, then your story, and finally your strategy, you can finally experience food freedom and sustainable results without obsession, restriction, or stress. "All you have to do is identify whether you've ever learned how to master your energetic state, change your story, and have the tools to sustain it. Once you do that, the strategy becomes automatic." – Leslie M Thornton What you will learn from this episode: 00:00 – The bold truth: It's not your diet, it's your energy problem 01:15 – Why low energy prevents sustainable weight loss 03:07 – How mastering your energetic state changes everything 05:05 – Tony Robbins' "Three S's" approach: Strategy, Story, and State 07:18 – Why starting with strategy alone doesn't work 09:49 – How your story and beliefs influence your results 11:00 – The connection between positive state and empowerment 13:23 – Client success story: Angela's 10-pound weight loss and clearing years of trauma 15:00 – How mastering your state makes food and exercise natural and effortless 16:05 – What happens on a Food Freedom call: Assessing state, story, and strategy 17:57 – The simple sequence for lasting weight loss: State → Story → Strategy Valuable Resources: Join my next LIVE masterclass Join the 8-week Fastrack to Food Freedom Program -Guaranteed mental and emotional freedom from food Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!

Getting "back on track" with food and weight can feel exhausting especially when you know what to do, but can't seem to stay consistent. The food noise is loud, self-criticism creeps in, and the harder you try, the worse you feel. For many women, this cycle repeats again and again, leaving them frustrated and disconnected from themselves. In this episode, Leslie explains why lasting change doesn't come from forcing yourself back into a plan, but from examining who you are being. She shares how identity, emotional safety, self-relationship, and fear-based patterns silently shape eating behaviors, weight struggles, and self-trust. When you stay stuck in perfectionism, isolation, people-pleasing, or avoidance, getting back on track becomes impossible no matter how much willpower you use. You'll hear Leslie's personal journey through food addiction, bingeing, weight gain, and emotional rock bottom and how she discovered that food was never the real problem. Through emotional work, hypnosis, and identity shifts, she learned that permanent change begins when you stop fighting yourself and start creating an unconditionally supportive relationship with who you are becoming. When that shifts, food, weight, and consistency naturally follow. "Who you are being determines how you eat, how you feel, and whether lasting change is even possible. You don't get back on track by trying harder you get back on track by becoming someone new." – Leslie Thornton What you will learn from this episode: 00:05 – Why asking "Who are you being?" is the key to permanent change 01:11 – How identity directly impacts food noise, weight struggles, and self-trust 02:18 – Reflecting on past success: who you were being when things felt easy 03:44 – Why passion, obsession, and mission often fade and what that means 04:10 – Why desperation and forcing yourself back on track doesn't work 05:45 – How knowing what to do is different from being able to do it 06:48 – Signs that you're being asked to evolve instead of repeating the past 07:27 – Discovering that food addiction and food drama are not permanent 08:35 – Letting go of the belief that you'll always struggle with food 09:51 – A powerful moment that challenged the identity of being "addicted." 10:36 – The painful in-between phase: binging, weight gain, and confusion 11:45 – Why rock-bottom moments often lead to the biggest breakthroughs 13:27 – Uncovering harsh self-talk and how it fuels bingeing and shame 15:46 – Realizing the problem isn't food it's the relationship with yourself 16:44 – How conditional self-love keeps you stuck in perfectionism 17:53 – Why healing emotionally changes food, weight, and relationships 18:30 – How hypnosis supports rebuilding safety and self-trust 19:13 – Taking inventory of how you're being during stressful seasons 20:15 – Fear-based ways of being that block freedom and peace with food 22:14 – Why isolation, people-pleasing, and overthinking don't work 24:59 – Asking better questions to identify what's really keeping you stuck 26:48 – How awareness creates change only when followed by action 28:27 – Doing the opposite of the pattern that keeps you in the ditch 29:59 – Why action is required to meet the universe halfway 31:55 – The importance of being mission-driven, passionate, and supported 34:27 – How life transitions affect food and weight more than willpower 36:15 – Choosing hard conversations over a lifetime of feeling bad 38:18 – Why food and weight are symptoms, not the root problem 40:00 – Expecting success and believing you're meant to feel good 41:02 – Identifying the life area that's asking for your attention 42:55 – Final invitation: pick up your mat and take action todayValuable Resources: Join my next LIVE masterclass Join the 8-week Fastrack to Food Freedom Program -Guaranteed mental and emotional freedom from food Connect With Leslie Thornton: Book A Clarity Call Website Facebook LinkedIn Email: Leslie@hpwl.co If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!