EP 249: Your Recovery Reality Check to Stop Making Excuses & Start Making Changes (+ 2 Freedom Challenges to Try Today!)

Girlfriend, it's time for some real talk. If you keep saying you want recovery but your actions don't match your words, this episode is your wake-up call. Host Lindsey Nichol delivers tough love with compassion as she breaks down the truth: there are two types of people in this world - those with reasons and those with results. Which one are you?

In this powerful episode, Lindsey shares her own struggle with desperately wanting recovery while still restricting, lying to her treatment team, and choosing the "safe" option every single time. She'll teach you how one simple shift - replacing "I can't" with "I won't" - can completely transform your recovery journey by helping you own your choices and reclaim your power.

If you're tired of making excuses, breaking promises to yourself, and staying stuck in the same cycle, this is the episode that will challenge you to finally show up for yourself and your family.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

The Two Types of People Framework:

• Those with REASONS vs those with RESULTS - which one are you?
• Why having a list of excuses keeps you stuck in disordered eating patterns
• How to shift from wanting recovery to DOING recovery

The "I Can't" vs "I Won't" Truth Bomb:

• Why "I can't" gives away your power and keeps you playing victim
• How replacing "I can't" with "I won't" creates awareness and ownership
• The massive difference between these two phrases in your recovery journey

Lindsey's Personal Story:

• When she desperately wanted to get better but her actions didn't match
• How she was still restricting while saying she wanted freedom
• The moment she realized she was tired of her own BS and didn't want to be a statistic
• What finally shifted her from reasons to results

The Reality Check You Need:

• Why your fear isn't protecting you - it's imprisoning you
• How every broken promise reinforces the belief that you can't trust yourself
• The truth about what breaking promises is really doing to your recovery

Key Takeaways:

✨ There are two types of people: those with reasons and those with results - you get to choose which one you'll be

✨ "I can't" is a lie - what you really mean is "I won't" and that's a choice you have power over

✨ Wanting recovery and DOING recovery are completely different things - listening to podcasts isn't the same as taking action

✨ You cannot want recovery more than you want the eating disorder - your actions reveal what you truly want

✨ Your recovery isn't just for you - it's for your family too - they need to see you model what keeping promises looks like

✨ Every action you take is a vote for who you're becoming - what are you voting for today?

Powerful Quotes from This Episode:

• "Recovery isn't happening because you keep breaking promises to yourself"
• "There are two types of people in this world - those with reasons and those with results"
• "Every time you say 'I can't,' what you really mean is 'I won't'"
• "My desires and my future wants didn't match my daily actions"
• "I was tired of my own BS. I didn't want to be a statistic"
• "Wanting recovery and DOING recovery are two completely different things"
• "Your fear is not protecting you. It's imprisoning you"
• "You cannot want recovery more than you want the eating disorder"
• "Your family can't see what you're not modeling"
• "You are one decision away from a completely different life"
• "Those with reasons stay stuck. Those with results change their lives"

Featured Wisdom:

Brené Brown: "You either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness."

James Clear (Atomic Habits): "Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become."

Mel Robbins: "You are one decision away from a completely different life."

Important Truth:

Did you know? Eating disorders have the HIGHEST mortality rate of any mental illness. This isn't small. This is life and death. If you're stuck in the cycle of wanting recovery but not doing recovery, it's time to get honest about what's at stake.

Your Two Challenges (Do Them NOW): Challenge #1: The "I Won't" Awareness Exercise

For the next 24 hours, every time you catch yourself saying "I can't," PAUSE. Take a breath. Replace it with "I won't."

Examples:

• "I can't eat that" → "I won't eat that"
• "I can't rest today" → "I won't rest today"
• "I can't be honest right now" → "I won't be honest right now"

Notice how different that FEELS. When you admit it's a choice, you suddenly have the power to make a different one.

Challenge #2: Make ONE Promise and Keep It

Just ONE. Not ten. Not a complete recovery overhaul. ONE promise.

Maybe it's:

• "I will eat breakfast tomorrow, even if it scares me"
• "I will take a rest day this week"
• "I will order something different at the restaurant"
• "I will tell my therapist one true thing I've been hiding"

Write it down. Then DO IT. Prove to yourself that you're someone who keeps promises.

Reflection Questions to Journal On:

• What excuses have I been using to avoid recovery?
• Where is the gap between what I SAY I want and what I'm actually DOING?
• What promises have I been breaking to myself?
• Am I someone with reasons or someone with results?
• What am I voting for with my choices today?
• What type of person am I becoming based on my current actions?
• What's ONE promise I can make and keep today?
• If I'm honest with myself, do I want recovery more than I want the eating disorder?

Who This Episode Is For:

This episode is your wake-up call and reality check if you:

• Keep saying you want recovery but your actions don't match
• Have a list of excuses for why "now isn't the right time"
• Break promises to yourself regularly
• Lie to your treatment team about what you're really doing
• Choose the "safe" option every single time
• Say "I can't" more than you take action
• Want to be present for your family but feel trapped
• Are tired of making excuses and ready for results
• Need tough love mixed with fierce support
• Want to stop being a statistic and start living in freedom

The Bottom Line:

You have everything you need to recover. You have the desire. You have the resources. You have the support. The only thing standing between you and freedom is YOU.

Your family needs you. Your future needs you. And most importantly, YOU need you.

So stop playing small. Stop breaking promises. Stop saying "I can't" when you mean "I won't."

Because those with reasons stay stuck. But those with RESULTS? They change their lives.

Which one are you going to be?

Ready to Stop Breaking Promises and Start Living Free?

Lindsey has spots open for one-on-one recovery coaching. If you're ready to stop making excuses and start getting results, visit www.herbestself.co to book your complimentary consultation.

Let's make this the season where everything changes.

Now let's talk support:

Ready to sign up for our recovery support group? www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective 

📧 Email Lindsey: info@lindseynichol.com 
🌐 Apply for Recovery Coaching: www.herbestself.co 
💕 Join the Community: www.herbestselfsociety.com 

Limited spots available for fall coaching - only 2 slots remaining

Connect with Lindsey:

🌟 Website: www.herbestself.co 🌟 Instagram: @thelindseynichol 🌟 Client Application: HBS Co. Recovery Coaching - Client Application - Google Forms

Love this episode? Here's how you can support the show:

💕 Share it with a woman who might need to hear this message 💕 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps other women find the show 💕 Screenshot and tag @thelindseynichol if any of these steps help you this week!

Remember, beautiful: Your worth is not measured by how perfectly you do recovery. Healing isn't linear, progress over perfection always, and you are exactly where you need to be right now.

Her Best Self with Lindsey Nichol is a podcast for women in eating disorder recovery who are ready to break free from perfectionism, people-pleasing, and diet culture to live authentically and wholeheartedly.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.