252. Healing the Emotional Roots of Food and Addiction with Sandy Zeldes
Happy Whole You
You can follow every diet and still feel stuck if the real issue lives beneath the surface. This conversation invites you to look at eating disorders and addictions through an emotional and nervous system lens, not willpower. You start to see how trauma, shame, and unprocessed experiences quietly shape your relationship with food, weight, and control. You’re introduced to holistic tools like Emotional Freedom Techniques that go beyond talk therapy and calorie counting. By addressing emotional blockages directly, real change becomes possible. The focus shifts from fixing your body to...
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251. Why rest is productive (and Hustle Is Making You Sick)
Happy Whole You
In this episode, Anna challenges hustle culture and reframes rest as a powerful productivity tool and health necessity. She explains how chronic overwork and lack of sleep can dysregulate hormones, weaken the immune system, and increase emotional reactivity—especially for women whose biology requires cyclical rest. Drawing on Barbara O’Neill’s “8 hours rest / 8 hours work / 8 hours play” framework, she offers practical tips for improving sleep quality and using visualization and breathing techniques to wind down. The episode closes with an invitation to rethink daily rhythms so that...
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250. You’re Thoughts Aren’t Harmless… They’re Biochemical Instructions
Happy Whole You
In this episode, you explain how thoughts are not harmless but act as biochemical instructions that can either support healing or keep the body stuck in stress and illness. You connect mindset with physiology—stress hormones, sleep, inflammation, and even gene expression—and encourage listeners to consciously choose more supportive inner dialogue, explore epigenetics (e.g., Dr. Bruce Lipton’s work), and consider coaching to rewire their neural networks. Key Points Thoughts act as biochemical instructions in the body Chronic negative self-talk raises stress hormones (e.g.,...
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249. Why You’re Doing ‘All The Right’ Things and Still Not Healing
Happy Whole You
In this episode, we explore why you can be eating clean, working out, and taking all the right supplements yet still not feel well. Anna explains how unresolved emotional stress keeps the body from feeling safe, which blocks physical healing. You’ll learn why safety cues, breathwork, and coaching support are crucial for deeper, lasting healing beyond diet and exercise. Key Points: Doing “all the right” health habits but still feel unwell Body won’t heal when it doesn’t feel emotionally safe Unresolved emotional stress suppresses immune function Stress slows tissue repair and...
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248. Your Gut Has Feelings Too/ Why Healing Starts In The Gut
Happy Whole You
In this episode, we explore the powerful connection between your gut, stress, and emotions. Anna explains how anxiety and chronic stress can disrupt the gut-brain axis, damage immune function in the gut, and show up as bloating and digestive issues. You’ll learn simple daily practices and supportive supplements that help calm the nervous system, restore gut lining, and address both the emotional and physical sides of gut healing. Key Points Stress and anxiety strongly affect gut health Gut-brain axis communicates via the vagus nerve Fight-or-flight state disrupts digestion and heart...
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247. You’re Not Lazy - Your Nervous System Is Fried!
Happy Whole You
In this episode, Anna explains why what we label as “laziness” is often actually burnout and nervous system overload. She shares her own experience of hitting a wall after years of high productivity, describes how chronic stress keeps us stuck in survival mode, and outlines simple, science-backed ways to regulate the nervous system. Listeners are encouraged to see burnout as a biological state—not a character flaw—and to reclaim energy through rest, boundaries, and basic self-care. Key Points Burnout is a nervous system issue, not a character flaw Mindset matters at first, then...
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246. Lesson’s I didn’t expect to learn (Part 6)
Happy Whole You
In this episode of “Lessons I Didn’t Expect to Learn,” Anna reflects on how losing her grandmother reshaped her understanding of success. Instead of measuring life by revenue and achievements, she explores family time, presence, and connection as the metrics that really matter. Through a tender story of her grandmother’s final days, she shares how grief led her to redesign her life around proximity to loved ones and choosing memories over milestones. Key Points: Success is often measured by numbers, not connection Loss of grandmother prompted deep reflection on priorities Final...
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245. Lesson’s I didn’t expect to learn (Part 5)
Happy Whole You
In this episode of “Lessons I Didn’t Expect to Learn”, Anna explores how reframing disappointment as information rather than a personal failure can be deeply freeing—especially for people pleasers. By recognizing that many disappointments reflect others’ capacities, fears, and seasons (not our worth), we can release self-blame, soften resentment, and respond with more clarity, peace, and self-compassion. Key Points: Disappointment isn’t personal; it’s information We often over-own disappointments that aren’t ours Many disappointments reflect others’ stress, fear, and...
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244. Lesson’s I didn’t expect to learn (Part 4)
Happy Whole You
In this episode, Anna explores the uncomfortable reality that hitting big goals doesn’t always bring the fulfillment we expect. She shares candid stories about giving keynotes that didn’t feel authentic, how borrowing others’ “success frameworks” shook her nervous system, and why tying worth to achievement leads to restlessness and anxiety. The conversation centers on reclaiming authenticity, listening to the body’s signals, and examining whether our goals are truly ours or shaped by others’ expectations. Key Points: Success can feel empty even when goals are met...
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243. Lesson’s I didn’t expect to learn (Part 3)
Happy Whole You
In this episode, Anna reflects on the moment she realized she didn’t need another program, course, or coach—she needed to live what she already knew. She explores the subtle shift from endlessly preparing and collecting frameworks to actually integrating, embodying, and trusting her own wisdom. This is a gentle call, especially to high achievers, to step back from constant “doing,” embrace stillness, honor their values, and become the work instead of buying more of it. Key Points: Realizing it’s time to live the work, not buy more of it Love of growth can become a distraction...
info_outlineYour body is always listening to your thoughts. When your mind is rushed or stressed, digestion slows and energy drops. When you slow down, listen inward, and act with gratitude, your body responds. This conversation explores how coherence and alignment shape your health more than any single protocol or plan.
You hear how breath, visualization, and imagination can shift your nervous system and unlock real physical change. The brain becomes your own pharmacy, guided by neuroplasticity and inner knowing rather than outside noise. When you trust yourself and practice presence, health stops being something you chase and starts being something you create.
The Magnetic Leader Workshop on January 4th, 2026.
Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-magnetic-leader-26-tickets-1976781967077?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
About Cortney McDermott:
Cortney McDermott is an award-winning author and speaker and celebrity coach. Her work in self-development and business strategy has been featured in Inc., Women’s Health, NBC, The Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, and SUCCESS, and her talks on human potential have been shared on stages including TEDx, Mindvalley, Oxford Saïd Business School, and Richard Branson’s private island, Necker.
With a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, Cortney blends academic rigor with real-world experience to help individuals and organizations reach their highest potential. Her career highlights include executive roles at Vanity Fair Corporation, Vice President at Sustainability Partners Inc., and successfully running her own businesses, where she has worked with brands such as Universal Music Group, Nike, Kickstarter, and Google.
Fluent in four languages, Cortney splits her time between Italy and the US.
Connect with Cortney:
Connect with Anna:
Email: annamarie@happywholeyou.com / info@HappyWholeYou.com
Website: www.happywholeyou.com / https://linktr.ee/happywholeyou
Personal Website: www.DrAnnaMarie.com
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Personal Instagram: @Dr.Anna.Marie
Facebook: Happy Whole You
LinkedIn: Anna Marie Frank
Venmo: @happywholeyou