Episode 35: The Most Dangerous Thing On Your Plate? Your Beliefs.
What if the thing you think food is doing for you—it actually never could?
This week on Spark Something New, Katie sits down with the powerhouse that is Michelle Petties—TEDx speaker, food story coach, and author of the Amazon bestseller Leaving Large: The Stories of a Food Addict. But don’t get it twisted—this isn’t a conversation about what to eat or the latest food trends. It’s a deep, raw, and sometimes hilarious dive into the emotional work behind our eating behaviors.
Michelle unpacks the real reason diets fail, why “relationship with food” might be the most misleading phrase ever, and how we’re asking food to solve problems it was never designed to fix. (Spoiler: hunger is the only thing that food can actually solve.)
Expect mind-blowing truth bombs like:
“We don’t eat the food—we eat the story attached to the food.”
“If it can’t nourish or heal you, why are you eating it?”
“Food is not your therapist. It can’t hold your pain.”
Whether you’re stuck in a cycle of emotional eating, blaming your hormones, or just saying you’re “too busy” to eat well—Michelle’s message will shake your perspective, in the best possible way.
Get ready to:
Learn the Brand New framework for food and life transformation
Reflect on the real source of your cravings
Start asking: “Why THIS food? Why NOW?”
Hit play and prepare to feel seen. This episode might just change the way you think about food—and yourself—forever.
About Michelle Petties
Michelle Petties is a TEDx speaker, Food Story coach, and author of the award-winning, Amazon best-selling memoir, Leaving Large – The Stories of a Food Addict.
For years, Michelle was a top performer for the most influential brands in media, including Radio One and Disney/ABC. Finally, the stressful and competitive media advertising space took a toll on her mental and physical health. After gaining and losing over 700 pounds, she finally discovered the “secret” to quieting the battle between her mind, body, and hunger – her “story.” Michelle’s memoir, a category winner in The 2022 Memoir Prize for Books, explores the deep emotional and psychological connections to food and how these "food stories" shape our eating behaviors and weight management struggles.
Michelle developed a Prescriptive Writing Process to make peace with her mind, body, and food. Her approach emphasizes that the battle with weight isn't just about food but about the stories and emotions behind why we eat. By understanding and rewriting these narratives, individuals can achieve lasting transformation.
She conducts healing-through-reading-writing-and-storytelling workshops where she teaches others how to find their food and personal truths. She offers various services, including workshops, retreats, and speaking engagements to show others how to uncover their food stories and transform how they manage their relationship with themselves, gain mastery over food, and uplevel performance. She speaks to organizations, large and small, sharing her insights and stories of hope, healing, triumph, and transformation. Her Free Mind Over Meals Online retreat reveals her core principles for losing weight and keeping it off for good.