Briana McAteer Coaching

Briana has worked in a variety of sectors from the film industry, to mental health, to sales and marketing. Although she loved aspects of each of these, she was looking for something more.

Monday 16 August 2021

Briana has worked in a variety of sectors from the film industry, to mental health, to sales and marketing. Although she loved aspects of each of these, she was looking for something more. Having an entrepreneurial spirit and being a new mom, Briana wanted a career that provided her flexibility to raise her baby girl but mostly she wanted a career where she could support women.

Briana spent years struggling with self-esteem, especially in regards to food and her weight. Much like her clients, Briana is diligent, hard-working and aims to do her best in whatever she pursues and she applied this ethic in trying to adhere to diet culture rules--hoping that by being skinny enough she would finally feel better about herself. Tracking 1200cals per day, cutting out carbs, eating only boiled eggs for breakfast, not eating after 7pm – whatever the “rules” were, she followed them. Starved and deprived, eventually, she would feel out of control around food, over eat sugar or carbs, which resulted in intense feelings of guilt and shame. She believed her inability to stick to the rules meant something was wrong with her, not there was something wrong with the “rules”. It didn’t matter how thin she got, it wasn’t thin enough and it never provided her with the confidence and satisfaction she was looking for.

During a no-carbs diet phase Briana "crumbled" and ate a sandwich for lunch which was immediately followed by extreme self-ridicule and judgement. How could I? What is wrong with me? Now I'll have to work twice as hard at the gym. I am disgusted. God, I'm fat. I'll never fit into those jeans. Look at how bloated I am! And on and on it went. At that moment Briana heard the thoughts in her head differently. They sounded harsh and unnecessary. I would never talk to a friend like that? Why am I being so mean to myself? This is insane. Over a sandwich. No one should feel this bad for eating a sandwich. She decided she was done with diet culture and was going to learn to honour her body and her health first. In doing so, she not only found emotional freedom from the constant battle with food and weight, but also learned the intricate ways our relationship with ourselves is displayed in our relationship with food. When she finally overcame her issues, Briana studied personal training and nutrition with the objective of helping other women overcome some of the same issues she struggled with. In 2020 Briana launched Briana McAteer Coaching where she coaches women to heal their relationship with food.

“We have been saturated in diet culture messages for decades resulting in generations of women confused about what to eat, feeling out of control and in a constant battle with their weight. Way too much of our time and energy is spent worrying about the size of our jeans, counting our points or calories and stressing about having “gone off track”.

When women stop obsessing about food and weight they free up headspace to focus on important things like, "Who am I when I'm not obsessing about food? What am I passionate about? What issues would I like to see change in my community? How can I be a better parent? Does this relationship still work?" It’s my mission to help women do that for themselves.” Life is too precious to obsess about calories or the size of your thighs. Wouldn't you rather spend your time and energy doing something you love, being with people you love--being someone you love. You can start today.

Briana McAteer Coaching provides 1:1 coaching for women who feel stuck on the diet rollercoaster or who want freedom from binge and emotional eating. Find out more on Facebook or Instagram

Monday 16 August 2021