Hey, it's Ella. Just a quick intro before we jump into this episode with a listener, Mandy Kellogg.

This is something different in store for us today. This is a conversation with Mandy, a listener

who I was connected to on Instagram but had never met. And Mandy sent me a message and she was

clearly fed up. I want to share that message with you because I think it gives context to this

conversation. Mandy said, so how does your brain work?

How did you get started with working out? You look amazing. That's nice, Mandy. You have great energy

from what I see on Instagram. You seem very strong-minded and determined. I want to be all of that.

I just don't identify as that yet. I identify as someone who tries to work out but knows she'll

always get hurt because she's getting older. I love to eat. I'm tired. I feel like someone who tries to work out but knows she'll always get hurt because she's

getting older. I love to eat. I'm tired. I feel like I'm 94 instead of 44. She goes on to say, I know I'm asking a lot, but I just thought I'd throw this away. I always want to walk up to fit older women in workout clothes and just ask them how they do it. Like what is literally going on in your brain every day to make this happen. All of that to say that Jim Fortin, she's referring

to episode 139, Jim Fortin recommends. do it. Like, what is literally going on in your brain every day to make this happen? All of that to say

that Jim Fortin, she's referring to episode 139, Jim Fortin recommended to start identifying as someone

who has what you want. I'm constantly telling myself I can't or it won't happen for me and I have to

change this. So she was fed up and we started a dialogue up until about two weeks before this

conversation. She was

really, really down on herself, weighing herself every day and feeling like she was failing.

And so this is a conversation that Mandy and I have, and it starts out, admittedly, about

the weight loss roller coaster, the deprivation binge cycle, and Mandy's fears and realizations around intuitive eating. But that's only

about the first 10 to 12 minutes of this conversation. And then we really deep dive into mindset.

So she meant it when she said, how does your brain work? Where does your energy come from?

How can I be happy and healthy? And she talks about the changes she's made just in the past two weeks,

and it's pretty incredible. So this show is for anyone who feels like they're in a rut or knows

...