Are Weight and Food Struggles Interfering With Your Professional Success?

Struggles with emotional eating, overeating, and weight take a tremendous amount of energy. For women business owners and professionals, these struggles can also take a major toll on their success.

* A prospective client (and business owner) tells me she is avoiding public speaking opportunities because she feels self conscious being on stage because of her weight.
* A successful internet entrepreneur hasn’t had her headshot updated in almost ten years because she’s afraid of the reaction she might get when people see she’s gained weight.
* A business owner on an upward trajectory says, “I have so much to offer. I know I’m holding myself back because I don’t want to step forward in my overweight body. If it weren’t for my weight, I would be a rock star.”

Sound familiar? Struggles with weight and food aren’t just about the pounds. These struggles take up so much precious space in our busy minds, suck incredible amounts of our time and energy, impact our self esteem and confidence, and for many women, affect their choices to be visible and powerful in areas of their life and business. Food and weight struggles take a tremendous toll.

What’s a business owner to do?

For many busy women, especially entrepreneurs and professionals, self-care takes a back seat to business building and work. Especially in today’s economy, many professionals simply feel they can’t afford to sacrifice anything for the advancement of their business. Here’s the piece many miss. The successful foundation for a solid business or career includes a strong, confident self. You purchase the equipment you need for your business. You dress professionally for that important presentation. Addressing the struggles that wear you out, bring you down, and cause you to potentially play smaller is at least as important—and essential for growing the business or career of your dreams.

Are struggles with food and weight holding you back?

Take a look at your calendar and your life and business plan for the next six months. Have you included the changes you want to make in these areas? Do you have a plan to create more peace with food and move in the direction you really want to go? Take some time to think about it. Ending these struggles is one of the best investments you can make.