018: She Started Drinking at 12 and Had an Eating Disorder at 8. Here's How Julie Seidl Built a Life She Actually Loves

What does it actually take to build a life you love when the early chapters nearly broke you?In this episode of Eat the F*cking Food, Kristin Collins sits down with corporate confidence coach Julie Seidl for one of the most honest conversations this show has ever had. Julie opens up about developing an eating disorder at eight years old inside the competitive figure skating world, using alcohol as an escape through her teens and twenties, and the moment at 24 when she made the decision to get help and never looked back.Eighteen years later, she coaches women in boardrooms, in their bodies, and in their lives.This conversation is for the midlife woman who has spent decades pouring into everyone else and is only now starting to ask: what do I actually want? Julie talks about the identity crisis that hits when the kids leave, the confidence struggles women face at work, why sharing your story is the fastest path to feeling less alone, and why joy is not something you earn when everything is perfect. It is something you choose right now, exactly as you are.Because perfection does not exist. And the most powerful thing you can do is stop waiting for it.In this episode, you’ll discover:How the pressure to perform in a "perfect" body inside competitive figure skating planted the seeds of Julie's eating disorder at just eight years oldWhat the road to sobriety and eating disorder recovery actually looked like and why facing food every day is harder than giving up alcoholThe small daily tools Julie still uses to manage body dysmorphia and stay grounded in her recoveryWhy so many midlife women hit a wall and suddenly don't recognize themselves anymoreThe number one confidence struggle Julie sees in corporate women and why it has nothing to do with skillHow to start trusting your voice at work even when everything in you wants to stay quietWhy the empty nest phase triggers a full identity crisis for so many women and what to do when it doesThe reframe that makes putting yourself first feel less like selfishness and more like survivalWhy sharing your story out loud is one of the most powerful confidence tools you haveWhat "find joy in where you're at" actually looks like as a daily practice, not just a motivational quoteWe talk about:00:00 Introduction to Julie Seidl and what brought her to confidence coaching 02:30 Growing up as a competitive figure skater and the eating disorder that started at age eight 07:30 The night everything changed and the decision to get help 10:30 Eighteen years sober and why recovering from an eating disorder never fully ends 13:00 The midlife identity crisis nobody talks about 18:00 How to make yourself a priority without the guilt 23:00 Women in the workplace and why your voice matters more than you think 27:00 Why sharing your story is the fastest path to confidence 31:00 Find joy in where you are right nowConnect with JulieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/corporateconfidencecoach/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-seidl/ Website: https://www.corporateconfidencecoach.com/ Connect with meInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinrcollins/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kristin.collins Website: https://kristincollinshealthcoaching.com/ #WomensConfidenceCoach #CorporateConfidence #EatingDisorderRecovery #BodyImageHealing #SobrietyStory #MidlifeWomen #MakeYourselfAPriority #WomensVoice #BodyDysmorphia #NormalizeStruggle #ConfidenceForWomen #MidlifeIdentity #EatTheFuckingFood #KristinCollins #JulieSeidl #RecoveryStory #WomenAtWork #FindYourVoice #SelfPriority #JoyInProgress