🌿 If you’re navigating entrepreneurship and chronic illness, or simply craving a more sustainable way to grow your business without sacrificing your health, energy, or self-care priorities, explore Chronically You & Profitable (CYAP). (https://www.thrivewithnikita.com/cyap)
About this Episode:
In this episode of Business with Chronic Illness, I'm joined by Jessica Setnick, RD, CSSD, LD—a registered dietitian, eating disorder specialist, and founder of a nonprofit making eating disorder care accessible—to talk about the invisible energy drain keeping entrepreneurs burned out: food shame.
Jessica opens up about her own journey of having to go to therapy just to learn how to charge for her services, what she calls the "Mother Teresa trap" that keeps service-based entrepreneurs undervaluing their work. She shares how shame around food, eating, and body image is completely invisible (you can't look at someone and know what they're eating), and why this hidden struggle is stealing the energy women entrepreneurs need to recover from burnout.
We dive into why stress changes your brain chemistry and turns food into mood-altering medication, the critical difference between shame and regret (and why one keeps you stuck while the other moves you forward), and Jessica walks through practical ways to spot shame-based patterns that are draining your business capacity.
By the end of this episode, you'll walk away with:
• A framework for recognizing food shame - the specific signs that shame (not just your chronic illness) is keeping you burned out, including eating differently alone versus with people and overthinking every food choice.
• Understanding the stress-food-shame cycle - why your body uses food as medication when you're burned out, how this is brain chemistry (not a character flaw), and why weight stigma myths like "eat less, move more" ignore hormones, stress, and chronic illness.
• Permission to recover imperfectly - Jessica's reframe that recovery isn't about never having thoughts about food; it's about keeping the struggle at the thought level instead of letting it drive your behavior, plus where to start when you're ready for support (books, resources, and finding eating disorder-informed care).
Jessica's story reminds us that you cannot fix burnout by pushing harder when shame is stealing your energy; sustainable business growth starts with compassionate, practical tools that help you nourish yourself and reclaim the capacity you need to show up.
🎧 Want to learn more about today’s guest?
Visit CraftedToThrive.com (https://my.captivate.fm/#) for guest details, key takeaways, and extra links mentioned in this episode.
CYAP (https://www.thrivewithnikita.com/cyap) is my voice-first business system designed for women entrepreneurs, creatives, and women with chronic illness who want sustainable growth and burnout support while keeping life and wellness first.
It helps you use your voice and story to build a business with systems and strategies that run smoothly, so your work supports your life, not the other way around.
⭐ Enjoyed this conversation? Leave a review (https://www.craftedtothrive.com/reviews/new/) and share it with another CEO woman or creative entrepreneur growing a health-first, sustainable business.
📱 Stay connected: Follow me on Instagram. (https://www.instagram.com/thrivewithnikita/)
Links referenced in this episode:
• craftedtothrive.com (https://craftedtothrive.com)
• jessicasetnik.com (https://jessicasetnik.com)
• healingyourinnereater.com (https://healingyourinnereater.com)
