If you work in a high-pressure job and find yourself turning to food at night to cope, you are not alone. In this episode of Being Human, clinical psychologist Annelise Lai, founder of The Soma Psychology Clinic in Singapore, explains why binge eating and emotional eating are far more common among high performers than most people realise.

As a former CNBC anchor, I understand this personally. When I was presenting live every morning at 3 a.m., I often coped with stress by eating at the end of the day. I believed I “deserved it,” but like many executives, I didn’t understand the deeper psychological and physiological reasons behind the behaviour.

In this conversation, Annelise breaks down:

• why high achievers binge eat even when they’re disciplined in every other area of life
• the nervous system response that drives stress eating
• how identity, perfectionism, and overwork fuel the cycle
• the “high-functioning trap” executives fall into
• how childhood patterns and parentification show up in adult coping mechanisms
• why binge eating is not a lack of willpower — it is a survival strategy your body learned to feel safe
• three evidence-based techniques to break the cycle in a healthy, sustainable way

If you’re a professional, founder, or leader who struggles with performance pressure — and the late-night eating that often comes with it — this conversation will help you understand what’s really happening and what to do next.

Key themes: executive stress, emotional eating, binge eating disorder, high-functioning coping, nervous system regulation, identity and success, leadership wellbeing, high achievers, workplace mental health.

Featuring: Annelise Lai, Clinical Psychologist Founder, The Soma Psychology Clinic, Singapore

Website: www.somapsychologyclinic.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annelise-lai-00002789/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annelise_psychologist/

For more videos on executive mental health, watch the Being Human playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvKPPM2_lagxk51mJpg0zjoz_ASHb8zLw