If you’ve ever wondered why PCOS feels so confusing, why the symptoms don’t line up, why the advice is contradictory, why the solutions feel like guesswork, you’re not imagining it. PCOS is one of the most misunderstood conditions out there, and the internet has not helped. Everywhere you turn, there’s another promise to “balance your hormones,” another restrictive plan, another fear-based warning about what will happen if you don’t get it “right.”

Healing isn’t supposed to be perfect or linear, and when we stumble, it doesn’t mean we’ve failed. It’s a moment, one that can actually offer us valuable information about what still needs care, attention, and compassion.

In this week’s episode, we’re unpacking what it actually means to feel “normal” around food, and why that word can be both confusing and powerful. Because when most of us say we want to feel normal, what we really mean is that we want freedom. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from rules. Freedom to trust ourselves again. We’ll talk about how to rebuild that trust, how structure can be the surprising foundation for flexibility, and why connecting with your body, and with other people, is such a vital part of the healing process.

You’re in a meeting, at school, or out with friends, and instead of focusing on what’s in front of you, all you can think about is what you’ll eat next, what you shouldn’t have eaten, or what you’ll allow yourself later. That constant mental chatter, what many call food noise, can be exhausting.

If you’ve ever stood on the brink of a party, heart racing, contemplating whether to take the plunge into a sea of social awkwardness, you’re in good company. I mean, who doesn’t love the thrill of risking utter humiliation over finger foods and small talk, right? Spoiler alert: I don’t.

It’s easy to think of eating disorders as, well, a disorder. But when we start to really dive into the nitty gritty, are they actually considered an addiction? We’ve all heard people throw the word “addiction” around casually, right? Like, "I'm addicted to coffee," or,  "I’m addicted to this podcast" (which, let’s be real, you probably are). But what happens when we start talking about it in the context of serious eating disorders? That’s where things get a bit sticky. Spoiler: This isn’t the food addiction conversation.

David and I have a conversation no one is having in the eating disorder world. To be clear, no one is having because of the protective feelings we have about the ED community and how we understand it to be most helpful to those who are struggling. Me included. I do know that for a lot of ED clinicians, concerns about backlash and fear of being canceled have prevented more open dialogue about the complicated nature of different types of foods.

*If you currently have an active eating disorder and have a lot of rules in your mind, this post may be best for you to read later until you have fewer rules in your mind*

Learn more about eating disorder therapy and treatment in NYC and Brooklyn with Rachelle Heinemann at rachelleheinemann.com.

If you have ever felt out of control around food, specifically sweets, I'm sure you've thought about whether or not you have a sugar addiction or food addiction. It definitely feels like it! Marci Evans shares revolutionary ideas about how dieting and the sugar addiction experience are closely linked. We also talk about what to do if you feel like you have a food addiction.