The Diet Culture We Grew Up In And How to Finally Let It Go
From Over 50 & Flourishing with Dominique Sachse by Dear Media
March 16, 2026 · 1h 6m · Episode 153
About this episode
Dominique Sachse and Erin Washington discuss the impact of diet culture and perfectionism on identity and body image.
In this episode of Over 50 and Flourishing , I sit down with Erin Washington for a conversation about diet culture, perfectionism, and identity. Erin Washington is a former Division I soccer player whose identity was rooted in athletics from the age of four. After her college career ended abruptly, she spent twenty years battling body image struggles and hiding a painful secret before ultimately committing to healing and sharing her story in her book From Pain to Purpose . We talk about the pressure to achieve, the connection between being the “good girl” or oldest daughter and perfectionism, and how so many high-performing women quietly tied their worth to their bodies. We also explore listening to your hunger cues after years of restriction, the role of stress and cortisol in midlife, modeling confidence for our daughters, navigating divorce after finding purpose later in life, and why growth can sometimes change a marriage. If you or anyone you know is struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, you’re not alone. Visit findedhelp.com or call ANAD’s free helpline at 888-375-7767 for more information. For more on Erin, follow her on: Instagram…
People in this episode
Host: Dominique Sachse
Guest: Erin Washington
Topics covered
- diet culture
- body image
- perfectionism
- identity
- midlife
- eating disorders
Keywords
- diet culture
- body image
- perfectionism
- eating disorders
- midlife
- healing
- identity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Blue Butterflies Foundation, ANAD
Books & works: From Pain to Purpose
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