Communication Episodes

It’s not your job to make patients change. Your job is to create the environment where change feels possible. In this conversation, I sit down with Staci Belcher, RDN, an Internal Family Systems–informed dietitian, to unpack how to use curiosity, compassion, and counseling techniques to unlock motivation. You’ll learn practical ways to apply behavior change psychology and motivational interviewing principles in real exam-room conversations. Staci shares how resistance often hides wisdom, why f...

Coaching Skills for Clinical Practice. Because if you want patients to actually change, you need to coach—not just prescribe. I’m joined by Annie Wildermuth—RD, PA, PhD-trained researcher, and certified leadership & performance coach. Annie breaks down what real coaching is (and isn’t), how to spot legitimate coach training, and the exact questions that open patients up—without adding time to your visit. You’ll walk away with a pocketful of phrases to build trust, reduce defensiveness, and get ...

That “picky eater” might not grow out of it. And that patient obsessed with “clean eating”? It might be something deeper. Today, we’re joined by eating disorder dietitian Johnna to challenge everything you thought you knew about disordered eating. You’ll learn: The subtle red flags of disordered eating you might be overlooking during routine visits How to ask better questions to uncover what's really going on with your patient’s eating habits A crash course on ARFID—how it differs from pick...

You’ve probably heard it: “I love food too much,” or “I just can’t stick with anything.” These aren’t just excuses—they’re clues. And when we learn to spot them, we can uncover the deeper mindset blocks that keep patients from making progress. In today’s episode, I sit down with Emily, a registered dietitian and mindset coach, to unpack one of the most overlooked barriers to health behavior change: limiting beliefs. We explore how subtle, internal narratives shape your patients' motivation, c...

Ever wonder why we're quick to admire a Great Dane or a Chihuahua for their unique sizes, but struggle to extend that same appreciation to ourselves and our patients? Today, we're unraveling this curious contradiction. In this episode, I'm talking with Tiffany Godwin, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, about why accepting body diversity in humans is just as natural—and important—as it is in our furry friends. Here's what you'll learn: Why comparing body diversity...

Send Colleen a Text Message Ever feel like you're just spinning your wheels with certain patients? You dish out all the right advice, but somehow the change just doesn’t stick? I've got some tough love for you: more information doesn't equal better results. Maybe that patient who just won't seem to change isn't noncompliant, they're just struggling with something. Behavior change is so complicated because it requires a person to disrupt a current habit while simultaneously fostering a new, unfa...