Fiona O'Donnell MSc Nutritionist

If you’re wondering why Pippy is my model for today, here it is;

Pippy has very specific behaviours with food. She doesn’t rush to it, she can hoard an apple for days just because…

She doesn’t bite your fingers when you’re paying the cheese tax. There’s no urgency.

Her cousin, Danny, on the other hand, is a savage. He would take your arm to the elbow…. After you’ve told him to be gentle.

Now before you think I’m comparing people to dogs… take a breath.

I’m comparing a state. Relaxation around food, enjoyment, appreciation….

Versus, urgency, a sense of lack, constantly looking for and thinking about the next meal.

We help clients to understand where the urgency comes from…. Whether it’s a physical prompt like hunger because you’ve been “so good all day”….

Or is it about how you think.

When it’s happening, all we see is the craving, the need to eat…. We don’t take the extra few steps of pulling on the threads of that thinking and understanding it.

In a world where ‘6 week bodies’ are the trend and as thin as possible appears to be à la mode, we want to work with women who know that 12 weeks is just the beginning.

12 weeks is just laying the foundation for change. Real change takes time, support and a willingness for growth.

If you’re ready for that change, we are opening our group coaching again for September.

12 weeks of 1-1 sessions, group education, introduction to movement and psychoeducation, all enclosed in a single package.

Are you ready to really pay attention to what your body is telling you?

DM me with JOIN and let’s chat.

Making a quick comeback to advertise our trusty camper. Completely renovated horse box in 2021. Replaced walls and floors, full electrics with leisure battery. Touch lighting with phone charge ports. Completely insulated with laminate floor and kick boards. L shaped couch with under seat storage, folds out to large double bed. €15,000.

Selling our awesome horse box / camper.
€15,000.

Full electrics inside with leisure battery. Phone charging ports and lights.
Fully insulated. Floors and walls replaced in 2021. Original fibre glass roof. Camping window at the back with privacy screen. L shaped couch opens to double bed with under couch storage compartments.
Jockey door for access and front ramp with new flooring/rubber matting. In excellent condition - indoor storage year round when not in use.

I was asked recently why I don’t have ‘weight management’ in my LinkedIn Bio.

And the person who asked me, went on to tell me that I’d probably get far more exposure and gain more clients if I added it.

I explained that it would be like a shop that sold fresh fruit posting a billboard outside their door selling ice cream…. When they don’t stock ice cream…. But they want to use it as a ploy to get people in the door.

🤢 I don’t want to use manipulation or trickery to ‘get more clients’.

Maybe it’s a poor business model…. But I’m not here for it.

I’ll stick with explaining what we do….

Sharing case studies where it’s appropriate so that you can get a clear idea of how we help our clients to achieve their results…

And if that means that I achieve a smaller, more authentic following or client cohort, then I’m here for it 100%.

I remember one time, I sold access to a beta programme that I was trialling.
I contained some psychoeducation to see how delivery impacted those involved - did it help? Was it useful?
I emphasised the need for individual sessions in order to discuss individual changes if that’s what the members wanted.

2/3 of the clients who joined, stayed working with me for 9pm the to 2 years.

The other 1/3 left - maybe they got what they needed, maybe it wasn’t for them, maybe they already know this stuff.

One person complained. The programme wasn’t what she wanted and she was incredibly disappointed.

And that’s not what I want for my clients.
So I put more detailed contracts in place - so that each of my clients understands exactly what our relationship looks like and how we go about co-creating that relationship.

Transparency always.

Without paying thousands up front with no possibility of a refund.

Terrible business model - but one that aligns with my ethics.

So no - I’m not the person to help you focus on weight. But you will be changed after you’ve worked with me.

That much I can promise.

Whatever I choose works for me.

I’m grateful to have the financial means to be able to buy a selection of my favourite foods made by small producers.

I’m happy to pay a little more for some things, especially when I enjoy them.

I buy them because they taste good and because I enjoy supporting local Irish businesses.

Some people don’t have the financial means to make those choices.

Some people work huge hours and don’t have the time or energy to cook meals from scratch.

Some parents are so exhausted because of sleepless nights that a frozen meal is their lifeline.

Now imagine going out of your way, to point out to these people, that their choices are way down on the list of ‘should buy’ items.

Imagine implying that these people are actively choosing to support another countries unethical production methods 🙄 of their irish counterparts (and making up stories about standards to suit their narrative).

Imagine setting a list of notional rules about food like ‘you can’t have sugar’ ‘sugar is killing our gut micro biome’ ‘you can’t eat after 6pm’ and ‘smoothies make you fat’ ….

Imagine implying that if you don’t wake at 5am to journal and finish your day with a meditation that you’re ’just not trying hard enough’.

Imagine a 20 yr old newly qualified gym bunny (boy or girl) telling a new parent that we all have the same 24 hrs in a day.

Now just have a think about how ridiculous that all sounds.

If you want to perform at a certain level …. If you want extraordinary results…. The effort that goes into that has to be exceptional.

But most of us are just trying to stay a little bit fit, a little bit healthier …. And live a life of balance and contentment.

Can we start to dodge the advice that absolutely nobody asked for (I recognise the irony here btw)

But I guess the difference is, I’m working in this space and have been asked for this advice a gazillion times.

Thoughts?