We celebrate Halloween with scary tales, tricks, special music and other surprises. Mark returns as our annual Ghost Host to intro all of the fun. Cheryl and Suz's comment conversation on day 79 about how it feels when people comment on our weight loss, inspires me to ponder how I feel about that scary topic and to ask all of the BCs to post their feelings too. Halloween special segments include an opening Halloween greeting by Dawny, a true-life ghost story written by Cheryl, Music from Suz and my voice acting friend, Max, reads the Legend of Stingy Jack, a story Cheryl sent in about how the tradition to carve Jack O' Lanterns began. Mark writes and narrates this year's spooky campfire tale. Halloween songs by Apache Tomcat and TinyFolk.

Where does using personal effort and energy best serve your life? I decide it makes the most sense for my personal energy to let the live YMCA group and the Sparkpeople team go due to lack of likely participation. I muse about various social media outlets and which ones I actually use more often than others and why. Thanks to an Amazon shopper for using Compulsive Overeating Diary's link prior to an amazing purchase! New Episode and Blog Post index pages take the place of the broken episode widget. Suz and Cheryl have submitted their Halloween fun. Send your audio or written Halloween items in! Welcome to Lauren from Down Under, a friend of Amy from Australia. Featured comments supporting Corinna from Dawny and Suz. Thanks to others who took the time to post. Cheryl is not only the first BC to put herself on our new Bravery Report page, she's also on the bravery report for her brave and heartfelt writing dedicated to BCs on her blog, Wellsprings and Dragonfly Wings. Stéfanie from Quebec gives us words to ponder about how literal are we with what we say.

Procrastination can delay more than your chores. It can put your entire life on hold and kill your dreams. Corinna, from the live YMCA support group, is on the bravery report for recording her thoughts after our first meeting. The YMCA group will continue on and we have an actual bravery report now! We also have a show audio archive again. Featured comments by Rachel about perfectionism, Amy from Australia about my weight photos, Suz about supporting Amy from WI and me, Cheryl about knowing when to give up an activity without guilt, and Sue from the U.K. about the value of persistence. I share my latest singing adventure as well as my voice acting report card results.

Giving up too easily can be an automatic response and a terrible dream-destroying habit. A special shout-out to Heung, a lady I met hiking after recording last episode. Hear clips from my latest voice acting class with my scene partners Len and Matt and learn why I'm so glad I didn't give up after last week's snafu. Welcome to new brave companions Joe, who posted on day 1, and Kelly who shares her story and tells about her new healthy eating blog. Thanks to the latest Coffee Klatch subscriber and I share why it touches me so much, ala Sally Field's famous best actress win quote. Alen Standish releases our second interview on his show, Progress Not Perfection, and thanks to Cheryl's great idea, I interview him back for one of my future shows. Hear about my ongoing YMCA live support group and how the first meeting went. Amy from Wisconsin calls the bravery hotline about her stumbles with intuitive eating and how she refocuses. Featured comments from Suz, Cheryl and Stéfanie about negativity, bravery and creativity. Send in some fun Halloween audio or stories if you'd like a special Halloween episode.

Letting go of inappropriate levels of devastation is today's topic as I share a cringe-worthy story from my latest voice acting class despite encouragement by Sue from the UK and Jackie on Facebook. Thanks to Sofia and Courtney for their 5 star iTunes reviews and to Suz for being an Amazon book shopper through the show link. The live support group starts tomorrow! Greetings and welcome to new brave companions June, who found us on the Natural News, and to Amy who is sharing our show with a group of ladies in Australia! Foolish Fun is a musical extravaganza featuring Suz's piano rendition of a song that really surprised me. Long-time listener and one of the very first brave companions, Jenny, steps on the bravery report for stepping off the scale and into her new life. Supportive and brave comments are featured by Marquita, Stéfanie, Suz, Amy from WI. and Rachel

I'm freaked out and ask for help sharing the details of the upcoming free support group I'm facilitating at the YMCA. I also ponder possible childhood reasons of why I always feel that nobody will EVER come to my party. Marquita and Amy from Ohio call the bravery hotline with their reactions to Day 78's bravery tip

How can we let go of our false selves and learn to express who we are? Welcome to new BC Rachel who recommends a new podcast for us to check out. Now available, a certificate of completion for Brave Companions who have listened or binge-listened, all the way through the episodes so far! I announce my upcoming live support group - details to come. Touching letters from two new brave companions on the bravery report, María from a Spanish speaking country and Amy from Ohio. Courtney, another new brave companion is on the bravery report a record three times in one day! Once for her bravery hotline call, once for her comment on day 4 and once for posting her story on Who are the Brave Companions? Dawny also calls the bravery hotline with an update about her vacation, how she's doing with intuitive eating and what SHE's bravely giving up today! Featured comments by Stéfanie from Quebec and Amy from Wisconsin. I also reveal my secret binge behavior these days. Courtney ends the show by making me LOL!

I rush down to the park to squeeze in a bonus walk and talk before we leave for a memorial service. I ponder how to stop letting what others say or think about me, or what I THINK they think of me, determine my mood. Josh's album, The Simple Life, which contains my theme song, I'm Letting Go, is the resource of the day. Quick shout-outs to new brave companions, Courtney and Amy from Ohio, who will be featured next episode. I explore how dieting really IS the flip side of my binge eating disorder. I appreciate the new things and relationships in my life now that I have space in place of food obsession. I reveal my inner body fears and how I overcome them.

When might limiting some kind of food become a free choice rather than an event that triggers diet mentality? Mark and Laurie go bike riding on the LA River Bike Path. Mark gives his monthly unbiased report on Laurie's progress. Laurie's excited by her voice acting teacher's comments on her last take. Marquita and Stéfanie have their comments featured.

Why do I always want to isolate and what can I do about it? Alen recommends via text a great movie that's on Netflix about voice acting and I wonder if we shouldn't share cool movies and books on the show? Besides supporting the show financially with cups of coffee you can also support it with likes, reviews and ratings so new brave companions can find us. Stéfanie from Quebec supports us with her comments on Day 74. I get encouragement for my singing and acting with comments from Sandy, Cheryl and Stéfanie. Fionna calls the bravery hotline with her opinion. Helen cheers me up with another joke on Foolish Fun. As an experiment, Dawny and I Skype about Intuitive Eating.

Back on the mountain I let go of the stew of anxiety and doubt swirling around trying new things, newly tight pants, photos that make you look as bad as possible AND discover that Photoshop can crop your negative thinking as well as those pesky bad photo angles! Max's 20/20 show is delayed due to the passing of Joan Rivers. I'm LaurieDreamWeaver on Instagram and I like to see your photos. A shout-out to Sophie from Scotland. I decide to make certificates for catching up with all of the show episodes and mention how to sign up for the show email list so you can be one of the first to see them. Welcome to new brave companion Annie! Last show, Stéfanie's Secret Topic of the Day triggered a comment conversation between Cheryl, Marquita and me. Marquita is on the bravery report for calling the bravery hotline! I'm on the bravery report too for sharing the stories and clips from my first voice acting class and my first singing lesson.

Surprise! After waking early I head to the podcast rock even though just the day before I had recorded a long interview with Alen Standish. Letting go of internal fear is one of the topics of the day. I share my latest bravery news. Thanks to the newest Coffee Klatch subscriber and to Amazon shoppers in the USA, Canada and UK! Welcome to new brave companion Marquita who posted her story on Day 71. An update from Alana on Facebook with her reactions about housework and catching up with the show episodes. Cheryl has a question for us based on Stéfanie from Quebec's comment on day 73 about what's under our reactions to unsolicited advice. Another great comment conversation between Helen from the UK and Amy from Wisconsin on Day 72 about intuitive eating. Stéfanie from Quebec asks her secret topic of the day about what's under the fear of emptiness?

Last week's whacked up events demonstrate my total dependency on schedules and how I need to let that go and become more flexible. Thanks Helen for your funny joke and 5-star review on UK iTunes! Thanks too to Amazon shoppers and Coffee Klatchers. Several BCs chime in and give support to Shaunie L, Diane the Champion and express their comments about unasked for advice. More thoughts on being selfish vs. being self-supportive. Responses to Kendra's question about what to do when you are mourning the loss of food as a coping mechanism. The unknown Foolish Funner tells a joke that transports me back to when I was a teacher. Brave Companion Amy asks for our thoughts and opinions about how much is a good amount to eat when learning Intuitive Eating.

Totally stressed out from a podcast technological disaster, I head off to the park to blow off steam. I'm encouraged by a call from Sarah from Wisconsin on the bravery hotline. Kendra asks our opinion on what replaces food and do we mourn our old relationship with food? Helen is a knock out during Foolish Fun. Diane the champion is on the bravery report for calling directly following a binge and for her great plan to deal with it. Brave Companion Suz shares inspiring songs on Facebook.

I dig deep to discover, define and then actually share my fears, concerns and boundaries around giving and getting unasked for advice. Learn about the wonderful album that my theme song, 'I'm Letting Go' comes from. Shauni L is on the bravery report for calling the bravery hotline and telling her story in her own words.

Hold on to your hats and glasses, it's going to be a wild and wooly time on the podcast rock today! I have an epic tussle with a newly discovered inner bully and kick its ass to the curb! It all starts when waking up in an unexplained blue mood for the second day in a row, I strap on my recorder, grab my half-written notes and head off to the park to figure myself out. In this hybrid episode of bonus off the cuff rambling and regularly planned notes, I decide to let go of having to feel wonderful every single day and ponder the source of my recurring blue mood. While I'm pondering, I give thanks for the new 5-Star rating on iTunes USA and a heartfelt special thanks to my second podcast subscriber. I reminisce about what I learned from my past diet history and discover that bastardly inner bully. Well, let's just say I enjoyed what came next! Shauni L calls the bravery hotline with her reactions to Day 69 and earns a place on the bravery report for allowing her voice to be heard. We hear the reactions of Dawny and Diane the Champion to hearing their own bravery hotline calls last show. Cheryl and Helen also post encouraging comments.

It's an unexpected Scottish appreciation day in honor of BC Sophie as a bagpipe player practices in the park on the very day I was mysteriously hungry for, and baked scones for breakfast! I thank all of the Coffee Klatchers and Amazon shoppers and explain how you can use these ways to support the show and how to get onto the various special email lists. I try to correct my last show's mispronunciation of Brave Companion Fionna's name and take proactive steps to correctly welcome new BC Alana from Facebook. We hear a cool hiking analogy from our caller from Rhode Island, who I'm now calling BRICE as a nickname for Brave Rhode Island Companion Extraordinaire, because it's easier than Brave Companion from Rhode Island. Together we muse on how much time compulsive eating takes up and what we might do instead. New BC Shaunie L calls the bravery hotline and allows me to share some of her story, but not her voice as yet.Cheryl leaves another supportive comment on day 68 and I tell all of the Brave Companions just how much their support on day 67 and day 68 did to help change my mind and my life. My new voice acting buddy and honorary BC, Max and his friends make a killer video on YouTube called Les MiseraBaristas. We hear two very different Bravery Hotline calls from my new dynamic duo, D and D, Diane the Champion and Dawny. We discover Dawny's been on the Half Size Me podcast! Diane reveals her own, very personal feelings about her current interactions with food. My husband, Mark begins a new feature where he tells it like it is about my progress and what it's like to live with me now vs. when I was dieting. He will report monthly from now on in lieu of my scale. Finally, I muse on my main topic, What's the difference between eating intuitively and just eating all that you want whenever you want?

I mourn actor and comedian Robin Williams and ponder my own experience with depression. I decide to let go of feeling repsonsible for what happens to other people. For example, I felt I was disappointing you on Day 67 by not being thinner. But after exploring my issues with the diet/binge cycle further I realize I need to be true to myself and continue on with Intuitive Eating. I'm super excited when Brave Companion Cathi from Connecticut calls the bravery hotline during her own walk to share her take on intuitive eating and how she really feels about my journey. Brave companions Amy and Sue also post encouraging comments on Day 67. I really appreciate the support and it helps me look deeper. Welcome to new listeners Sandra and Suz who both post on Day 4, to Diane, a Body for Life champion, who posts several places to share her feelings and to support Crystal and others. Also welcome to new listeners and brave companions from Facebook, Fionna, who has a wonderful blog herself, and to Lisa, a successful loser and maintainer, who has made a decision to try intuitive eating herself. Many of our brave companions are good examples of why we can't assume people's relationship with food by their size.

I ponder my sudden burst of body shame and explore possible reasons why I feel I may disappoint listeners and myself. I tell about a cool Facebook group, Operation Global Change that supports the body acceptance movement. I update my Amazon page to include my favorite things and thank the generous shoppers who use the Compulsive Overeating Diary link for USA, UK and Canada. I listen to the Coffee Klatch and update my buttons on their feedback and advice. Finally, the Unknown Foolish Funner makes us all feel good!

Insecurity seems to be another excuse to give yourself permission to fail. I ponder this and ways to gain clarity on what we actually want for ourselves. Thanks to the 5 dollar senders, aka my new Coffee Klatch and to the Amazon shoppers for supporting the show. Welcome to new Sparkpeople team members. Thanks also to Melb4564 whose 5-star iTunes review causes me to ponder on the nature of cross-addiction and overspending when dieting. New brave companion Cathi from Connecticut is on the bravery report twice! Once for her comment and once for her brave call to the bravery hotline. I tell the harrowing story of my latest bike incident. Welcome Maggie who kindly posted on day 4. Learn the details of my next possible adventure and how the brave companions helped me to prepare for it. Also, due to Kendra's great advice, I create and share my own personal mission statement and reveal my biggest life dream. Cheryl supports our listener from Rhode Island and then we have a great comment conversation about money and self-worth. Dawny bravely shares her less than happy feelings on the bravery hotline and new listener, Brave Companion Isabel helps me discover what's really under my feeling fat.