Love You More Podcast
As a dietitian who works in behavior change, I've noticed a common theme in my work: the need for people to give themselves permission for true self care. But, sometimes, the world makes us feel like self-care should be ONE more thing we strive for leaving us feeling like we even fail at this! The Love You More podcast is here to support you in your personal journey towards being there for THE most important person in your life: YOU.
Ep 68: Dr. Amy Johnson on Accessing the Essence of Experience
Send us a text
October 7, 2025
Love You More
Ep 68: Dr. Amy Johnson on Accessing the Essence of Experience
Episode summary:
Who are the influential people who are shaping your lens right now?Â
For this episode Jen got to sit down with one of the people that’s been shaping her lens recently. Dr. Amy Johnson joins Jen to talk about the power of experiencing our world through more than just our thoughts by stepping back to access the true essence of your experience.Â
Earlier this year...
Ep 67: Less Americans are Drinking! (and an update on Jen's sober journey)
Send us a text
September 23, 2025
Love You More
Ep 67: Less Americans are Drinking! (and an update on Jen's sober journey)
Episode summary:
Jen's back for a new season (finally!) and today she's giving us an update on her sober journey. From summer vacations to social events to handling weekend plans, she shares her successes and struggles navigating life without drinking.Â
This episode also features some hard-hitting data about the amount Americans are drinking (spoiler, it's less than it was 2 years ago!) and what kind o...
Ep 66: Parenting Beyond Diet Culture with Oona Hanson
Send us a text
July 22, 2025
Love You More
Ep 66:Â Parenting Beyond Diet Culture with Oona HansonÂ
Episode summary:
Grab your coffee and settle in for a heartfelt conversation with writer, educator, and parent coach Oona Hanson to explore how diet culture affects families, especially boys, in today’s appearance-focused world. Oona shares personal and professional insights, including her own child’s experience with an eating disorder, and reflects on the often-overlooked body image pressures boys face around fitness, leanness, and muscularity.
Oona offers compassionate, practi...
Ep 65: Life Coach Lessons on Getting Grounded
Send us a text
July 8, 2025
Love You More
Ep 65: Life Coach Lessons on Getting GroundedÂ
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen reflects on what it means to feel grounded and how her work with life coach and psychologist Amy Johnson has helped her get there.
She shares how tough it can be to follow a gut feeling instead of getting caught up in racing thoughts, and why learning to trust that inner sense has made such a difference. Jen also talks about w...
Ep 64: Sobriety as a Sacred Practice
Send us a text
June 24, 2025
Love You More
Ep 64: Sobriety as a Sacred Practice with Liz McCandless
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen chats with the lovely Liz McCandless about her deeply personal journey to sobriety. After a big wake-up moment, Liz realized life was slipping by—and decided it was time to make a change. She opens up about her experience in rehab, the power of slowing down, and how sobriety helped her reconnect with who she really is. They dive into all the feels—grie...
Ep 63: It All Falls on Me
Send us a text
June 10, 2025
Love You More
Ep 63: It All Falls on Me
Â
Episode summary:
 In this episode, Jen talks about the strain that can come with summer and how she often feels like everything is on her. Through her work with a life coach, she’s been focusing on being more present—paying attention to how her body feels instead of getting stuck in her head. She’s noticing that the need to feel in control often creates its own kind of suffering. But when...
Ep 62: Urges
Send us a text
May 27, 2025
Love You More
Ep 62: Urges
Episode summary:
In this solo episode, Jen dives deep into the nature of urges—whether it's the craving for food, alcohol, or the impulse to escape an uncomfortable emotion. She reflects on how we often turn to these behaviors for comfort rather than allowing ourselves to truly feel what’s beneath the surface.Â
Drawing from her professional experience, Jen shares how she once helped clients avoid certain foods, only to later realize the urge itself holds...
Ep 61: What if We Did Different with Sandy Weiss, PT, GCFP
Send us a text
May 13, 2025
Love You More
Ep 61: What if We Did Different with Sandy Weiss, PT, GCFP
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen is thrilled to welcome Sandy back to the podcast for the third time! Jen shares how the work she’s done with Sandy has been nothing short of life-changing. They explore the idea of stepping away from rigidity and instead ask, what if things didn’t have to be so fixed? What if slowing down, tuning in, and sensing ourselves could open...
Ep 60: Menopause Strong with Brooke Kalisiak, PT, DPT
Send us a text
April 29, 2025
Love You More
Ep 60: Menopause Strong with Brooke Kalisiak, PT, DPT
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen sits down with Brooke Kalisiak, a pelvic floor physical therapist and founder of Legacy Physical Therapy in St. Louis, to dive into all things menopause. Brooke shares her own self-care routines and offers an inside look at the approach to pelvic floor therapy at her practice. Together, Brooke and Jen have created Menopause Strong — a program designed to help women stay strong an...
Ep 59: So, I Went on a Silent Retreat
Send us a text
April 15, 2025
Love You More
Ep 59: So, I Went on a Silent Retreat
Episode summary:
Last month Jen went on a silent retreat and we're lucky enough to have a front row seat to the debrief of her experience. The journey to a silent retreat started when her life coach, Helen, introduced her to the work of Amy Johnson—the woman who facilitated the retreat. Amy’s book Just a Thought, along with her other teachings, deeply resonated with Jen and help...
Ep 58: Creating Your Mindful Closet with Guest Dacy Gillespie
Send us a text
April 1, 2025
Love You More
Ep 58:Â Creating Your Mindful Closet with Guest Dacy Gillespie
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen is joined by personal stylist Dacy Gillespie, who shares her journey from burnout in the nonprofit world to building a career around her lifelong love of fashion. What started as a one-year break has turned into twelve years of helping other women through her business, Mindful Closet. Dacy opens up about how she defines self-care—setting up her life to avoid burnout. She wal...
Ep 57: Better
Send us a text
March 18, 2025
Love You More
Ep 57: Better
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen explores the idea of being "better" and how wellness culture often pressures us to constantly improve. You don’t have to strive to be better; you are already enough just as you are. Trying new things isn’t necessarily about improvement—it’s about exploration and growth in different directions.
Jen also challenges the notion of control, emphasizing that we can never truly predict where life will take us. She...
Ep 56: Special Episode from Rhett Smith's Podcast: Social Media and Slowing Down
Send us a text
March 4, 2025
Love You More
Ep 56: Special Episode from Rhett Smith's Podcast: Social Media and Slowing Down
Â
Episode summary:
Today we have a special episode - we're bringing you an episode of Rhett Smith's Praxis podcast featuring Jen!
In this episode, Rhett and Jennifer dive deep into the concepts of wintering - slowing down and taking time to rest. Recently both Jen and Rhett have noticed a trend of moving away from social media and technology. They take this hour t...
Ep 55: Grounding Phrases with Life Coach Helen McLaughlin
Send us a text
February 18, 2025
Love You More
Ep 55: Grounding Phrases with Life Coach Helen McLaughlin
Episode summary:
Jen's welcoming her life coach Helen back to the show today to talk about grounding phrases that you can use to support your feelings and move through them with a different perspective.
Helen has been working with Jen for over a year and in this episode they talk through some of the grounding phrases that have helped them work through life's harder moments. In...
Ep 54: No Shame, Just Science: Talking Bodies, Blushing Optional
Send us a text
February 4, 2025
Love You More
Ep 54: No Shame, Just Science: Talking Bodies, Blushing Optional
 Episode summary:
Today Jen is letting us into the more personal self care she's been working while navigating some minor, but impactful health issues. It's too common for people to avoid talking about things because they're embarrassing or they think they're the only one experiencing it, so today Jen is opening up in the hopes of connecting with listeners that may be having similar experiences.Â
To honor Am...
Ep 53: Celebrating 2 Years Sober with Special Guest PJ McDaniel (Jen’s Husband!)
Send us a text
December 16, 2024
Love You More
Ep 53: Celebrating 2 Years Sober with Special Guest PJ McDaniel (Jen’s Husband!)
Episode summary:
Jen is celebrating two years of sobriety today and is chatting with her most special guest yet - her husband PJ. From navigating a relationship where alcohol was once central to their social life to finding new rhythms, they reflect on the ups and downs of this change. PJ opens up about how her journey has impacted his own relationship with alcohol, leading to su...
Ep 52: Lessons from Mark Spewak, a St. Louis Running Icon
Send us a text
December 10, 2024
Love You More
Ep 52: Lessons from Mark Spewak, a St. Louis Running IconÂ
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen is joined by Mark Spewak, a competitive runner, coach, and cornerstone of the St. Louis running community. Mark shares his journey from selling More Miles, More Smiles T-shirts to organizing charitable races that have become local institutions. Drawing inspiration from his mother’s charitable work, Mark’s latest project, the Market Mile, aims to support organizations actively revitalizing downtown St. Louis—combining fitness...
Ep 51: Bittersweet Steps: Parenting a Teenager
Send us a text
November 26, 2024
Love You More
Ep 51: Bittersweet Steps: Parenting a Teenager
Episode summary:
Â
In this emotional episode, Jen opens up about navigating raising a teenager and watching her 13-year-old son grow up and start to pull away. Jen shares her raw feelings about the sudden changes in their once easy, close bond, reflecting on how quickly her son seems to be coming into his own. While she knows this independence is a healthy part of growing up, it’s left her gra...
Ep 50: A Conversation on Aging Gracefully
Send us a text
November 12, 2024
Love You More
Ep 50: A Conversation on Aging Gracefully
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen explores her experience with aging and the challenges that come with navigating the flood of health advice online. She talks about how many women in her circle, like herself, are facing perimenopause and feeling overwhelmed by conflicting health information. Jen opens up about the struggle to find reliable guidance and shares her own journey toward aging gracefully.
Â
From choosing positive "gracefully aging" role m...
Ep 49: Beyond the Silence: Real Talk on Women’s Health with Dr. Melanie McKean
Send us a text
October 29, 2024
Love You More
Ep 49: Beyond the Silence: Real Talk on Women’s Health with Dr. Melanie McKeanÂ
 Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen is joined by Dr. Melanie McKean, a reproductive psychiatrist specializing in women’s health, to talk about perimenopause—a topic that’s often shrouded in silence. As Jen opens up about her own experience with perimenopausal symptoms, like brain fog and forgetfulness, Dr. McKean dives into the neurological and hormonal shifts women undergo during this transition and shares actionable...
Ep 48: Sleep and the Feldenkrais Method with Sandy Weiss, PT, GCFP
Send us a text
October 15, 2024
Love You More
Ep 48: Sleep and the Feldenkrais Method with Sandy Weiss, PT, GCFP
 Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen welcomes back one of her favorite people, her Feldenkrais teacher Sandy, to dive into the transformative power of self-care and sleep. They explore Sandy’s recent sleep camp and how it uses Feldenkrais methods to help participants achieve better sleep and greater body awareness. Jen shares her own experiences from sleep camp and offers tips on how to improve sleep quality at...
Ep 47: Is Your Self Care Routine Serving You?
Send us a text
October 1, 2024
Love You More
Ep 47: Is Your Self Care Routine Serving You?
Episode summary:
After a recent talk centering on burnout and self care for a group of registered dietitians, Jen has found herself coming back to the idea of finding the self care practices that serve the individual.Â
In this episode, Jen shares her most effective self care practices and the ways that she has adapted them to work for her. Not all of these will work for everyone, b...
Ep 46: Exploring Sobriety with Alex Highsmith
Send us a text
September 17, 2024Â
Love You More
Ep 46: Exploring Sobriety with Alex Highsmith
Episode summary:
In this emotional and candid episode, Jennifer and special guest, Alex Highsmith, open up about their sober journeys. From drinking daily and living moment to moment to owning multiple businesses, Alex shares her highs, lows, and tips for staying sober. If you're sober or sober-curious, this episode is a must listen.
Check out the links below to visit the first non-alcoholic bottle shop in the US!
Favorite Q...
Ep 45: Getting Real About Infertility with Guest Dr. Maureen "Moe" Schulte
Send us a text
September 3, 2024
Love You More
Ep 45: Getting Real About Infertility with Guest Dr. Maureen "Moe" Schulte
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen talks with Dr. Maureen "Moe" Schulte about self-care strategies for people experiencing infertility. From taking blame out of the conversation to maintaining a healthy exercise program, Dr. Moe draws on her own experience to connect with her patients and guide them through the physical and emotional challenges of infertility.
This is an authentic and vulnerable look into the complexities and emotional effects...
Ep 44: Supporting Your Energy
Send us a text
August 20, 2024
Love You More
Ep 44: Supporting Your Energy
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen shares her go-to strategies for keeping both her mental and physical energy levels up. She dives into the importance of nutrition, offering tips on building a day's worth of meals that keep your energy steady—from managing blood sugar to finding the right rhythm with meal timing. Jen also opens up about her alcohol-free lifestyle, explaining how it helps her maintain consistent habits and avoid the energy-draining effects of alcohol. Plus, sh...
Ep 43: Internal Family Systems Therapy with Karissa Mueller
Send us a text
August 6, 2024
Love You More
Ep 43: Internal Family Systems Therapy with Karissa Mueller
Episode summary:
It seems like everyone is talking about Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. On today's episode, Jennifer talks to IFS certified therapist, Karissa Mueller. Karissa walks us through the ins and outs of IFS and even walks Jen through a live therapy session in the episode. You don't want to miss this one - it could actually change your life.
IFS is good for everyday life, not only when something i...
Ep 42: Reflections on 1 year 7 months Alcohol Free
Send us a text
July 23, 2024
Love You More
Ep 42: Reflections on 1 year 7 months Alcohol Free
Episode summary:
Jen's back for a third season and in this first episode she's reflecting on the past 1 year and 7 months that she's spent sober. From more even social energy to feeling more authentic to sleeping better to being more present with her family, Jen has noticed both expected and unexpected benefits from not drinking. But, it hasn't been without struggle and Jen opens up about how she navigates the bumps in...
Ep 41: Taking Control of Your Pelvic Floor - An Interview with Dr. Jamie Kocher
Send us a text
April 16, 2024
Love You More
Ep 41: Taking Control of Your Pelvic Floor - An Interview with Physical Therapist Jamie Kocher
Episode summary:
Dr. Jamie Kocher, a leading expert in women's health and fitness, joins us today to get personal about everything from incontinence to how tight jeans can affect your health. With years of experience helping women work through pelvic floor dysfunction to return to sports and active lifestyles.Â
Pelvic floor concerns can be extremely embarrassing and frustrating. So many people feel re...
Ep 40: Reframing Masculinity: Navigating Emotions and Self-Care with Dr. Bryan Pearlman
Send us a text
April 2, 2024
Love You More
Ep 40: Reframing Masculinity: Navigating Emotions and Self-Care with Dr. Bryan Pearlman
Episode summary:
In this episode, Jen's family therapist, Dr. Bryan Pearlman, joins the show as we delve into the topic of self-care for boys and men. From exploring the barriers that get in the way of emotional awareness to the stigma surrounding vulnerability and expressing feelings, this conversation goes deep.Â
In his practice, Dr. Bryan focuses on the power of mindfulness and being present and living i...
Ep 39: Unpacking Anxiety with Rhett Smith
Send us a text
March 19, 2023
Love You More
Ep 39: Unpacking Anxiety with Rhett Smith
Episode summary:
Want to hear two emotionally in-tune professionals talk about all things anxiety? Tune into this conversation between Jen and Rhett. Rhett Smith is a marriage and family therapist, executive coach, speaker, and author with an expertise in the treatment of anxiety. And we already know that Jen is a dietitian with a passion for self care and personal growth.
From delving into the root cause of anxiety (a violation...
Ep 38: Restlessness in St. Louis
Send us a text
March 4, 2023
Love You More
Ep 38: Restless in St. Louis
Episode summary:
Restless is a word that represents a lot of complicated feelings, but we all know what it feels like in our bodies. In this episode, Jen explores how she deals with restlessness; that feeling that you should clean the house or be productive or make time for volunteering at your kids' school. She reminds us that rest and stillness are also important. Take the challenge to slow down and take some time...
Ep 37: The Weight of It
Send us a text
February 20, 2024
Love You More
Ep 37: The Weight of It
Episode summary:
In this candid, vulnerable episode, Jen opens up about her past struggles with disordered eating and control around food and exercise. This year has re-ignited some of these old thinking patterns and Jen shares openly about how she's still healing this part of her.
Favorite Quotes:
“Peeling back the artichoke leaves to get to the very juicy heart of peace, acceptance, love, and letting go of...
Ep 36: Zero Proof, Full Flavor: Unveiling the Non-Alcoholic Napa Cab Crafted by a Family of Visionaries
Send us a text
February 6, 2024
Love You More
Ep 36: Zero Proof, Full Flavor: Unveiling the Non-Alcoholic Napa Cab Crafted by a Family of Visionaries
Episode summary:
The Kamat family is the embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit. In this episode, Jen talks to Drs. Vinay and Sona Kamat and their son Ehan. They stopped drinking alcohol 10 years ago, but maintained an appreciation for exploring the complexities of flavors.Â
Jennifer and the Kamats talk about the benefits of not drinking, how you can still enjoy b...
Ep 35: Troubleshooting Triggers
Send us a text
January 23, 2024
Love You More
Ep 35: Troubleshooting Triggers
Episode summary:
Everyone gets triggered. It's normal and a part of life. When you get triggered, do you find yourself asking, "Why can't I get past this?" "Why does this still bother me?" ?
In this solo episode, Jennifer processes where she is in her current place of growth when it comes to managing triggers. She explores changing her approach from thinking about the root cause of triggers to experiencing the feelings and...
Ep 34: One Year Without Alcohol
Send us a text
January 9, 2024
Love You More
Ep 34: One Year Without Alcohol
Episode summary:
The decision to stop drinking was one of the top best choices Jen's made in her life. A Little over a year after her last drink in December of 2022, Jen talks about how her life has changed, the feedback she's received, and what's next for her.
In this episode Jen gets personal about why she shares her journey so publicly and how she responds to people's reactions to her...
Ep 33: Grateful for Gratitude, but not Gratitude Gone Wrong
Send us a text
December 27, 2023
Love You More
Ep 33: Grateful for Gratitude, but not Gratitude Gone Wrong
Episode summary:
What is gratitude? What are the benefits to health? When does gratitude extend beyond the positive and go wrong?
In this episode Jennifer reflects on a couple of interactions with her sons over the past few weeks that got her thinking about staying grateful. They also got her thinking about how gratitude can go wrong and more intentional ways to approach gratitude in her own...
Ep 32: Shaking Yourself Out of Stuck-ness
Send us a text
December 12, 2023
Love You More
Ep 32: Shaking Yourself Out of Stuck-ness with Becky Vollmer
Episode summary:
In this episode Jennifer gets to interview one of her dream guests! She sits down with renown writer, teacher, speaker, and leading voice in the recovery and sobriety community, Becky Vollmer. When Jen first started Love You More, she had a vision of the content she would produce and the people she would dream of having on the show. Becky was one of those dream guests.
<...
Ep 31: Exploring Thoughts and Feelings with Life Coach Helen McLaughlin
Send us a text
November 28, 2023
Love You More
Ep 31: Exploring Thoughts and Feelings with Life Coach Helen McLaughlin
Episode summary:
Today Jennifer sits down with her life coach, Helen McLaughlin, to talk about how you can reframe situations by recognizing your thoughts and feelings for what they are. They unwind the between peace and happiness, discuss the merits of assigning greater meaning to your positive thoughts, and delve into how the brain creates the thought patterns that can have so much control over us.
...
Ep 30: The Power of Hypnosis (in nutrition and everything else)
Send us a text
November 14, 2023
Love You More
Ep 30: The Power of Hypnosis (in nutrition and everything else)
Episode summary:
In this episode Jennifer talks with fellow dietitian Sarah Krieger about how she discovered hypnosis and how she integrates it into her nutrition practice. In her current practice, the majority of her clients are seeing her for hypnosis, but are being treated for some type of nutrition issue in the background. Most clients come to her looking for help with weight loss, but she has also...
Ep 29: The Power of Play - for adults!
Send us a text
October 31, 2023
Love You More
Ep 29: The Power of Play - for adults!
Â
Episode summary:
A couple of weeks ago, Jennifer spent a weekend in Nashville at a 3 day music fest - with the goal of letting loose and just having fun. This past alcohol-free year, has been an exercising in re-discovering what fun means and she is here for it!Â
Research shows that play is good for physical and mental health and helps adults to develop better coping mechanisms and...
