Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Exciting news - pre-order my debut book
https://linktr.ee/HealthySBTH?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=9db12bc6-b7d3-4df4-bc5c-260e0303792c

You are doing everything right. You are eating well, you are exercising, you are optimizing. And somehow, you still aren't feeling as well as you hoped. That was me at 21, before my body finally found a way to make me listen.


This week on Live Well Be Well, I want to talk to you about something I've been sitting with for the last ten years, something I've seen quietly transform the lives of my clients, something that changed the entire direction of my own life, and something I've spent the last year pouring into my new book, Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard.

This episode is a deeply personal one. I trace the thread from my own health collapse at 21 all the way to the $8.5 trillion wellness industry that, despite its size, is leaving most of us feeling worse, not better. We talk about the try-slip-shame-restart cycle so many of us are trapped in, and why we keep mistaking self-criticism for self-improvement. I also dig into two landmark studies that stopped me in my tracks while writing this book: Ellen Langer's hotel maid experiment, which showed that perception alone changed women's weight and blood pressure without a single lifestyle change, and Alia Crum's milkshake study, which revealed that our thoughts directly alter our hunger hormones.

The science is clear. Our bodies are listening to everything we think about ourselves.

Love,
Sarah Ann 💛

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This episode is sponsored by:

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NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker
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The Great British Veg Out
How to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.
👉 sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-out

Reset Your Health
If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.
👉 sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.
Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.
open.substack.com/pub/sarahmacklin/p/download-your-free-5-recipes-to-relieve

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who read
The Compassionate Cure each week. sarahmacklin.substack.com

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Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe:youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin
📱 TikTok: tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast
💌 Newsletter: sarahmacklin.substack.com

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If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:

The Hardest Thing I've Learned: Self-Compassion and Why Your Body Keeps Score | Sarah Ann Macklin
youtu.be/3m5yNy8U3G8

Ellen Langer: The Mind Can Slow Down an Aging Body
youtu.be/VGpNMy1VxsY


Dr. Kristin Neff: Heal Your Emotional Eating Through Self-Compassion
youtu.be/HWyEyneQ6yY

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Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised.
Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact.
sarahmacklin.substack.com

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Highlights
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:25 Sarah's Health Collapse at 21
00:00:53 The $8.5 Trillion Wellness Industry Problem
00:01:17 Comparison Culture and the Shame Spiral
00:02:22 The Try, Slip, Shame, Restart Cycle
00:03:07 The Pizza Moment and Self-Compassion
00:04:39 Self-Criticism Lives in Your Body
00:08:22 Ellen Langer's Hotel Maid Study Explained
00:10:48 How Your Thoughts Change Hunger Hormones
00:12:22 What Self-Compassion Does to Your Body
00:14:31 The Selfie Test: Your Self-Compassion Score
00:18:34 The Mirror Practice and Leaning In
00:19:24 MAP: Mindfulness, Appreciation, Presence Before Meals
00:21:00 The Self-Compassionate Intention Before Eating
00:23:27 Why Wellness Solutions Aren't Making Us Healthier
00:24:41 The History of Dieting Since 1863
00:26:20 The Story You Tell Yourself

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