Welcome to a new episode of the Nutrition and Life podcast! Today, our host, Lisa, is joined by Maddie Hawley, a registered dietitian, personal trainer, and coach, who’s passionate about helping women find balance, food freedom, and confidence through an integrative approach to wellness.
In this episode, Maddie opens up about her own journey from burnout in the corporate world to building her own coaching business, and shares practical tools for achieving client consistency, embracing the "gray area," and getting results that last. Lisa and Maddie dig deep into how to avoid the all-or-nothing mentality with nutrition, why “perfect” tracking isn’t always the answer, the importance of periodizing your nutrition, and ways to foster true flexibility in your health journey.
If you’re tired of rigid dieting, want to understand reverse dieting, or are searching for habits that actually fit your real life, you don’t want to miss this power-packed conversation!
Timestamp Overview:
00:00 - Introduction & Maddie’s Story
02:21 - Pivoting to Dietetics & Launching an Online Business
02:54 - Common Macro Tracking Challenges
03:23 - Building Healthy Relationships with Food & Tracking
05:04 - Learning to Live in the Gray Area
06:06 - Tracking as an Educational Tool
07:24 - Pitfalls of “Tracking Didn’t Work”
08:28 - Why Eating Out and Special Occasions Matter Most
09:50 - Food Logs: Learning from High Calorie Days
10:30 - Adjusting Meals for Social Events
11:29 - Why Consistency Beats Perfection
13:42 - Nutrition Periodization & Setting Realistic Targets
14:16 - What Is a Reverse Diet?
16:20 - Reverse Dieting: Mindset Challenges & Missteps
17:18 - Why Intuitive Eating Can Backfire Post-Diet
18:15 - Feeling “Fluffy”: Overtraining, Inflammation, and Plateaus
19:06 - The “Five Dials” Approach to Wellness
21:07 - Impact of Sleep, Stress, and Food Quality
24:09 - Processed Foods and Calorie Accuracy
25:40 - Maddie’s Recommended Training Routine
27:23 - Cardio vs. Strength Training Mistakes
28:17 - Overtraining and Hormones in Perimenopause
29:31 - Integrating Training, Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Mindfulness
30:38 - Mindfulness Practices That Work
32:31 - Mindfulness in Action: Breaking Food Patterns
34:57 - Downregulating Stress After Workouts
36:05 - Maddie’s Own Fitness Routine
37:27 - Walking, Post-Meal Movement, and Blood Sugar
38:46 - Connect with Maddie & Episode Wrap Up
Connect with Maddie:
Instagram: @maddiehawley Website: www.maddiehawleycoaching.com
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