The podcast is back! AND...

My new online course, ⁠⁠Naturally Navigating Picky Eating⁠⁠, is LIVE and open for enrollment! CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & ENROLL TODAY!⁠⁠

In this episode of Speaking of Health and Wellness: The Podcast, I’m kicking off Season 2 of the Picky Eating Series by challenging one of the most common (and most stressful) mealtime beliefs: that the goal is simply to get your child to eat.

Instead, I reframe mealtimes through a nervous-system-informed, relationship-based lens and explain why pressure tactics so often backfire for children with complex picky eating and pediatric feeding challenges. I share how shifting the goal from consumption to connection can reduce anxiety, support regulation, and lay the foundation for meaningful, long-term progress.

The goal should always be: A long-standing healthy relationship with food, mealtimes, and their body... and you, as their parent and/or caregiver! Tune in to hear how to develop this with time, consistency, and patience.

This episode is especially supportive if you’re parenting a child with extreme picky eating, sensory sensitivities, developmental delays, or neurodevelopmental differences, and mealtimes feel heavy, stressful, or overwhelming.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why the goal of mealtimes should not be “obedient consumption”
How pressure‑based feeding strategies impact the nervous system
The difference between short‑term compliance and long‑term progress
How food chaining supports gentle food expansion
Why positive exposure matters more than bites
How to meet your child where they are with food

You can listen directly below or on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms.