Episode 29: Emotional Eating, Control & Parts Work with Ivana Legnerova | IFS Therapy for Healing Your Relationship with Food

In this episode, I’m joined by Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist Ivana Legnerova for a deeply compassionate conversation about emotional eating, control, and healing your relationship with food. Ivana specialises in working with eating disorders, including emotional eating, under-eating, perfectionism, and self-sabotage. Together, we explore how these patterns are not failures, but protective parts of your system trying to help you cope. We talk about what’s actually happening underneath the need to control food, why so many high-functioning women struggle in private, and how parts work can help you move out of shame and into understanding. This episode will help you see your behaviours differently, not as something to fix, but as something to get curious about. In this episode, we explore: • why emotional eating and restriction are protective, not problems  • what’s really underneath the need to control food  • how high-functioning women can struggle with food behind closed doors  • the role of shame in eating patterns and why it keeps the cycle going  • how IFS therapy helps you build a relationship with your inner world  • what healing actually looks like beyond just changing behaviour  • why you’re not broken, and change is still possible If you’ve ever felt stuck in patterns around food, or like you’re holding everything together on the outside while struggling internally, this conversation will help you feel less alone and more understood. 🌐 **Connect with Ivana** Link to website  https://www.ivanatherapy.co.uk/ 🎙️ **Listen to more episodes** The Self Led Woman Podcast is where we go beyond behaviour to understand emotional eating, body image, and your relationship with food through a self-led, parts-based lens. ⚠️ **Disclaimer** The Self Led Woman podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, medical advice, or professional healthcare.  If this episode brings up anything difficult for you, please consider reaching out to a trained healthcare professional, therapist, or support service. In Australia you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Butterfly Foundation National Helpline on 1800 33 4673, which provides support for people experiencing eating disorders and body image concerns. **Come find me on Instagram** → ⁠⁠@megandarnelltherapy⁠⁠ **Breaking the Emotional Eating Cycle is coming.** If you're ready to understand what's actually driving the cycle — not the food, the parts underneath it, join the waitlist to be the first to know when doors open and receive founding member pricing. → [⁠⁠\[Join the waitlist here\]⁠⁠](https://www.megandarnell.com.au/waitlist)