111 | How Attachment Styles and Emotional Safety Shape Teen Food Behaviours with Somatic Nutritional Counsellor Stephanie Mara

Hi Parents!

Today’s episode is such an important conversation because we’re exploring something that often gets misunderstood in conversations around teens, anxiety, and food.

I’m joined by Stephanie Mara (stephaniemara.com), a Somatic Nutritional Counsellor, somatic psychotherapist, and the creator of Somatic Eating®, a therapeutic approach that combines nervous system science, trauma work, attachment, and nutrition. Stephanie’s work helps people understand that food behaviours are often not about willpower, discipline, or “bad habits,” but are actually the body’s attempt to create safety, regulation, and comfort.

We talk about the connection between attachment styles and eating behaviours and how a teen’s relationship with food is often deeply connected to emotional safety, stress, anxiety, and nervous system regulation. Stephanie (instagram.com/_stephaniemara) explains how food can sometimes become a substitute for connection when emotional needs feel uncertain or unmet, and why healing a relationship with food often requires looking beyond the surface behaviour itself.

We also discuss how anxiety and nervous system dysregulation can show up through emotional eating, food restriction, body image struggles, or fixation around eating patterns. Stephanie shares how parents can begin approaching these behaviours with more curiosity and compassion instead of fear or control.

This episode is a powerful reminder that food behaviours are rarely just about food, and that understanding the nervous system and emotional attachment can completely shift the way we support our teens.

NEW: My 6-week parent program, The Parent’s Anxiety Toolkit™ (consciouscoach.biz/parent-program-1), is now open! If you’re raising an anxious teen and feeling overwhelmed, unsure what to say, or exhausted by the constant worry, this program will help you feel more calm, confident, and equipped with practical tools that actually work.

Big hugs,

Monica Crnogorac

Next Steps

Book a Free Discovery Call (calendly.com/monicacrnogorac/letschat)

Visit My Website for More Information on My 8-Week Program for Teens (consciouscoach.biz)

Connect With Me on Instagram (instagram.com/__consciouscoach)