The holidays can be magical — but they can also trigger some of the deepest food struggles women face all year: overeating, emotional snacking, the “screw it” spiral, food guilt, and the exhausting Monday-start-over cycle.

In this episode, Danielle breaks down the real reason holiday eating feels harder — and spoiler: it has nothing to do with willpower. You'll learn the science behind why stress and cortisol increase cravings, how restriction fuels binge behavior, and why your brain goes into “last chance eating mode” the second December hits.

For years, Danielle believed her binge eating was a lack of discipline. But the moment she realized it wasn't about the food — it was about the unmet need underneath the food — everything changed. Inside this episode, she shares the exact emotional and behavioral tools that helped her heal, and the same strategies she teaches inside EmpowerHer Plate.

Together, you'll dive into:

Why holiday overeating is a nervous system response, not a personal failure

The restrict → binge → shame cycle and how to break it

The One Plate Promise (a simple structure that ends overeating without restriction)

How food becomes comfort when your emotional needs go unmet

How to rebuild trust with yourself around food during the holidays

If you want a peaceful relationship with food — not just in December, but for life — this episode will feel like exhaling for the first time in months. And if your tired of being tired, overwhelmed, or stuck in the same patterns.... the Iron Butterfly Challenge is your wake-up call. Come see what you are capable of! Head over to Istagram @ironbutterfly_fitness to register today!

In this episode of the EmpowerHer Plate Podcast, Danielle breaks open the truth every woman knows but rarely says out loud: the invisible mental load that explodes during the holiday season. From the endless to-do lists to the emotional labor of making the holidays magical for everyone else, women carry a quiet weight that leaves them burned out, overwhelmed, and exhausted.

You'll learn why your brain feels overloaded (yes, there's neuroscience behind it), hear a vulnerable personal story of holiday burnout, and get three powerful tools — the Three Piles System, the Delegation Dare, and the Mental Load Release Ritual — to help you take your peace back.

This episode is warm, honest, practical, and deeply validating. If you're tired of doing everything for everyone, this will feel like a deep breath.

You don't need a perfect holiday.

You deserve a peaceful one.

What happens when the cookie, the chips, or the peanut butter win?

In this episode, Danielle gets real about the moments when food triggers take over—and why the guilt spiral that follows is more damaging than the food itself. She shares a raw story of a “cookie box crime scene,” the science behind why guilt actually fuels more cravings, and how to stop making one slip feel like total failure.

Inside, you'll learn:

• Why guilt after eating actually keeps you stuck

• The truth about the stress cycle and emotional cravings

• How to interrupt the “last supper” mentality before it snowballs

• A simple 3-step recovery framework: Pause, Reframe, Redirect

✨ Freedom doesn't mean you're never triggered.
✨ Freedom means knowing how to recover without shame.

If you've ever thought, “I blew it, so I'll start again Monday,” this episode is your permission slip to break that cycle—once and for all.