Perfectionism is Sabotaging Your Weight Loss (Why You Can't Keep It Off) with Dr. Nicole LePera

Live Like a Girl with Dr. Mindy Pelz

Dr. Mindy Pelz

Science, Health & Fitness, Perimenopause, Women's Hormones, Women's Health, Menopause, Live Like A Girl, Dr. Mindy Pelz, Alternative Health

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 13 July 2026

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What if the biggest thing standing between you and better health isn't your diet, your workout routine, or your hormones?

What if it's the relationship you've built with yourself?

In this conversation, I sit down with psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Nicole LePera to explore how our earliest experiences shape the way we move through adulthood. From emotional eating and food noise to perfectionism, people pleasing, burnout, and the struggle to trust ourselves, so many of the habits we think are personality traits are actually learned survival strategies.

We also explore why healing isn't about becoming someone new. It's about reconnecting with the parts of yourself that have always been there.

If you've ever wondered why you know what to do for your health but still struggle to follow through, this conversation offers a completely different way to understand yourself.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why the first five years of life shape the way your nervous system responds to stress
Why food noise and emotional eating often point to deeper unmet needs
How small daily promises help rewire your brain and build confidence
The difference between guilt and shame, and how each affects your decisions
Why learning to rest can feel uncomfortable for so many women
Practical ways to reconnect with your body and begin healing old patterns

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More on Dr. Nicole LePera

Dr. Nicole LePera is a holistic psychologist, trained at Cornell University, The New School for Social Research and The Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis. She is the founder of the global community healing membership SelfHealers Circle and the author of #1 NY Times Bestseller "How to Do the Work" "How To Meet Your Self" and "How To Be The Love You Seek"

For more resources related to today's episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep351

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Connect with Dr. Mindy:

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you are loving the conversations on my podcast and you want to go deeper with me, come join me over on Substack.
0:07.7	It's where I share the conversations I'm having behind the scenes, the research that I'm obsessed on and paying close attention to,
0:16.4	and really the thoughts I don't always get to unpack here on the podcast or any of my other social
0:23.3	media. We're taking women's health, fasting, hormones, food systems, mindset, aging, and what it
0:30.2	really means to live like a girl in today's world to a whole new level. You'll also get early podcast access, deeper essays on my
0:40.9	thoughts around how we can all stay healthy in this modern world. You get community, you get
0:46.7	conversations, and exclusive content that I only share there. I'm not joking when I said this is my
0:53.3	new favorite place. It is currently where I am at.
0:57.0	So you can head on over to substack.com or just search Live Like a Girl with Dr. Mindy Pels directly in
1:07.3	the Substack app. I'm super excited to have you over there.
1:11.7	Please introduce yourself.
1:13.6	And let's dive in to some really good conversations.
1:20.2	Hey, Dr. Mindy here.
1:22.0	And welcome to the Live Like a Girl podcast, where I bring you icons, disruptors, educators, scientists, and
1:31.1	doctors that show you what can be possible when you love and celebrate the female body
1:38.3	you are blessed to live in. Let's dive in. By the time a child turns five, 90% of their brain has already ground.
1:51.2	90%.
1:52.4	And in that same tiny window before most of us could even speak in full sentences,
1:59.4	we were already learning how to handle stress, how to
2:03.9	soothe ourselves, how to feel safe or not, in our own bodies. We didn't choose any of it.
2:12.3	We just absorbed it. I grew up in a turbulent household, and for years I thought I had moved past it.
2:21.9	I fasted, I studied biochemistry, I built a career teaching women how to heal themselves
	...

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