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.

If you've ever stood in front of the pantry whispering, “I'm not gonna do it…”
...and then did it anyway—this one's for you.

In this episode, Danielle breaks down one of the biggest myths keeping women stuck in the shame cycle: the lie that you just need “more willpower.”

She shares a vulnerable story of the first emotional binge moment (we all have one), and explains the brain science behind why we default to food when triggered—and why it has nothing to do with weakness.

Inside, you'll learn:

• How emotional triggers hijack your nervous system

• Why “white-knuckling it” never works

• What it means to replace a pattern instead of trying to resist it

• How to build your own trigger response plan with tools that actually work

• You'll leave the episode with an action plan to break your nuber one trigger today!

You're not lacking discipline. You're lacking a pathway.
This episode will help you build it—step by step.

You think you're craving food…
But what if what you're actually craving is relief?

In this powerful episode, Danielle kicks off the Trigger Series by unpacking what's really happening beneath emotional eating. Spoiler alert: it's not about the peanut butter, the chocolate chips, or the cookies—it's about the feeling that came before it.

She shares the raw story of a pantry binge moment, breaks down the brain science behind food triggers, and helps you identify what's really driving those “out of nowhere” cravings.

This episode will help you:

• Understand what a food trigger actually is

• Recognize the emotional patterns that lead to reactive eating

• Learn why your brain links comfort to food—and how to start shifting that response

• Drop the shame and pick up curiosity and compassion

You don't need more control—you need clarity.
Because once you see the trigger, you can finally break the cycle.

And don't forget—share this episode if it helped you. Tag me on IG @ironbutterfly_fitness and let's get real about the real reason we keep reaching for the pantry.

Raise your hand if you've ever sworn Monday would be different…
Only to fall into the same cycle by Thursday.

In this episode, Danielle exposes the real reason so many women feel stuck: it's not a lack of willpower—it's the worship of perfection. And it's keeping you from the consistency that actually creates results.

She shares her personal story of the start-stop spiral, the science behind how habits actually form (hello, neuroplasticity), and why small daily actions matter way more than perfect plans.

Plus, she introduces the Iron Butterfly Challenge—a no-fluff, all-heart framework that helps you show up daily with movement, mindset, meals, and mission-driven purpose.

✨ If you're ready to break the binge/restrict/reset loop for good, this episode is your battle cry.

Spoiler: You don't need another day one.
You just need to keep going.

What if your hunger wasn't the problem—but the shame around it was?

In this episode, Danielle takes you deep into the lie so many women have believed: that having an appetite makes you undisciplined, weak, or “too much.” She shares her personal story of surviving on 1,200 calories, chasing validation through shrinking her body, and the powerful moment she reclaimed her hunger—unapologetically.

You'll learn the science behind hunger hormones (ghrelin and leptin), how chronic dieting wrecks your ability to feel full, and why real freedom starts when you stop performing “control” and start honoring your body's cues.

If you've ever felt guilty for craving food, second-guessed your portions, or apologized for ordering the burger—this one's for you.

You are not too much. You are finally listening.

You've blamed yourself long enough.

In this brutally honest episode, Danielle unpacks one of the most dangerous lies diet culture has ever sold women: If you can't stick to the plan, it's your fault.

She shares the raw, hilarious, and heartbreaking story of cycling through every “miracle” diet—cabbage soup, lemon water, fat burners—and how each one left her more depleted, discouraged, and convinced she was the problem.

But the truth?
You're not broken.
The system is.

This episode dives deep into the science of why 95% of diets fail, how your metabolism adapts under chronic restriction, and why your body's “rebellion” is actually a survival strategy—not sabotage.

✨ Plus: a powerful reframe that will help you stop chasing fixes and start pursuing healing.

You're not undisciplined. You've just been handed a rulebook designed to keep you stuck. And it's time to throw it out.