Ep 179: Food Freedom Meet Financial Freedom With Michelle Campbell
1/22/26 | 50:07 | Episode 179
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Audible | Amazon | iHeart
What if the way you relate to money is more connected to your body, your cravings, and your self-trust than you ever realized?
In this episode, Lia sits down with financial expert and author Michelle Campbell for a conversation that goes way deeper than budgeting tips. Together, they unpack the striking overlap between how we relate to food and money, and why so many smart, capable women keep finding themselves back in the same loop: debt, dieting, shame, “starting over,” and trying harder.
Michelle shares the truth of her story, including the cycles she lived through, the moment that forced her to face it, and the breakthrough that changed everything. You’ll hear why sustainable change isn’t about more willpower or more information, it’s about getting honest about the emotion underneath the pattern, and building a relationship with yourself that doesn’t require punishment to create progress.
If you’ve ever felt behind, embarrassed, or like you should have “figured this out” by now, this episode is a reminder: you are not alone, and you’re not broken. There is a lesson under the loop, and you can absolutely learn it.
In this episode, we cover:
Why food shame and money shame often live in the same place
The hidden reason budgeting (and portion control) stops working long-term
How self-image can quietly fuel debt cycles and yo-yo patterns
Michelle’s “timeline + emotion” exercise, and why it creates real clarity
Why you can’t “abstain” from food or money, you have to repair the relationship
The constant check-in question that helps you stop spending (or eating) for approval
What financial literacy actually requires first: self-awareness, honesty, and ownership
Practical steps to stabilize your money without bypassing the emotional root
The truth about under-earning, self-worth, and charging what you’re worth
A powerful reminder that you’re not behind, you’re in a pattern, and patterns can change
Practical steps Michelle recommends:
Start with self, and face it. Open the mail, look at the numbers, stop avoiding what you’re afraid to see.
Identify the relationship. What emotion is driving the spending, avoiding, restricting, or compensating?
Pull your credit report and know your numbers.
Create a realistic budget (Michelle shares the 50/30/20 approach).
Organize and make a plan: payment arrangements, debt strategy, and stability-first decisions.
Resources + ways to connect with Michelle
Michelle shares resources through her nonprofit Hashtag Stability, along with her writing, blog, and financial services work (including tax support).
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561259970143
https://bymichellecampbell.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bluebirdmemoir/
https://www.tiktok.com/@taxshell
https://www.youtube.com/@taxshell6072
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-c-1a697b318
If this episode hit home…
You don’t need more shame, and you don’t need another “fresh start.”
You need the root. You need the truth. You need self-trust.
And you’re allowed to begin from exactly where you are.
Listen now, then ask yourself:
Am I making this choice from love, or from the old need to be accepted?
Do you know there are 3 different types of overeater? Find out which one you are by taking my FREE QUIZ:
➡️https://liapinellicoaching.com/quiz
Let’s Connect:
Ready to take this work deeper? Join me inside The Fempire, where we make transformation feel effortless.
➡️ https://www.liapinelli.com/weight-loss-coaching
