Jessica Mack's popular IGTV weekly show "What's Cooking" evolved into a podcast.

Listen in each week, as Jessica discusses various important topics. Jessica speaks to you directly, and other times, engages in conversation with inspiring guests.

"What's Cooking" is a slang term used to ask what is happening in someone's life. It is a term that bridges people and connects people, just as food and cooking unite individuals.

Every episode will leave you feeling inspired, motivated, energized, and connected!

Welcome to What’s Cooking, the podcast! My famous IGTV show has evolved and I’m glad you’re here with me.

I’ve come to realize that the kitchen isn’t just for cooking. It’s also a place for connecting.  There are so many spiritual, emotional, and psychological issues surrounding feeling loved and feeling cared for when it comes to food. We’ll explore some of that here, starting with emotional eating.

If you’re wanting to redefine your relationship with food, and emotional eating is one of your struggles, the first and biggest step will be to define (or redefine) your why. Why are you wanting to reestablish your relationship with food?

1. Find a quiet, comfortable place with no distractions.
2. List what’s important to you.  People, places, hobbies, anything that brings you joy.
3. List what you love about you. What are you good at?
4. What prevents you from doing what you love? Be honest.
5. What does your dream life look like?

Take your time and really reflect on this.  Become aware of your self-talk and thought distortions that are getting in your way.

What type of eater are you?

1. Fuel eating: eating to provide nutrients. Ideally, this should happen 90% of the time.
2. Fun or joy eating: eating because it tastes good.
3. Fog eating: snacking while distracted, not realizing how much you ate.
4. Storm eating: eating when you’re not hungry, wanting to stop but can’t, also called stress eating.

Over the next 24 hours I challenge you to write down everything you ingest and label it as Fuel, Fun, Fog, or Storm eating.

Share your notes with me @drjessicamack

For more journal prompts and to join my community, visit https://www.drjessicamack.com/podcast

Music credit: Cafe Lounge by FASSounds

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Continuing from the discussion about emotional eating in Episode 1, I’ll go into detail about the differences between physical hunger and emotional hunger. 

For example:

• Emotional hunger can happen suddenly. Physical hunger comes on more gradually.
• Emotional hunger shows up as cravings. With physical hunger, nutritious food sounds good.
• Emotional hunger can lead to regret, guilt, or shame. Satisfying physical hunger doesn’t cause those feelings because you’re giving your body what it needs.

Mindful eating is a practice that builds awareness of your eating habits. I can help you with this. You have more control over your cravings than you think.

Next time you have a craving, try this:

1. Take 5 before giving in to a craving and give yourself the opportunity to make a different decision.
2. While you wait, check in with how you’re feeling emotionally.
3. Accept your feelings, even the “bad” ones.

Learn to recognize your triggers by identifying the specific emotion that initiates the overeating and work on positive ways to cope with it that don’t involve food. Is there a social trigger like popcorn at a movie theater? There are even certain foods that can trigger the out of control eating.

In your journal, write down at least 2 emotional triggers, 3 social triggers, and 3 trigger foods.

Share your notes with me @drjessicamack

For more journal prompts and to join my community, visit https://www.drjessicamack.com/podcast

Music credit: Cafe Lounge by FASSounds

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Today’s guest, Dr. Martin Seif, is an expert in managing and treating anxiety. He struggled with his own anxiety issues in the past and now has his own thriving psychology practice helping others.

In the past, techniques for managing anxiety were basically just distractions which only worked in the short term.  The way to truly manage anxiety is to adjust the attitudes.

During this pandemic anxiety has run the gamut. Being forced to stay in gave us both permission to avoid and a lot of uncertainty to deal with.

A couple of ways to shift your perspective about anxiety are:

• Be aware of your thoughts.  Observe yourself being anxious and step away a little.
• Lean into the anxiety. If you know you’re going to be anxious about something and know that you’re overreacting, accept that you’re going to be anxious and do the thing anyway.
• Stay connected to the present instead of “what if.”

The active therapeutic ingredient for overcoming any significant anxiety is exposure. The trick is to not traumatize the experience.

Dr. Seif and his colleague Dr. Sally Winston have written a number of self help books which can be found on Amazon. 

For more tools and to connect with Dr. Seif, visit his website: https://drmartinseif.com/

Anxiety and Depression Association of America: adaa.org

International OCD Foundation: iocdf.org

Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapists: abct.org

Share your notes with me @drjessicamack

For more journal prompts and to join my community, visit https://www.drjessicamack.com/podcast

Music credit: Cafe Lounge by FASSounds

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

In this episode I’ll chat with Dr. Michael Hynes, school administrator, about the importance of developing trusting relationships within schools. Particularly with students that are having difficulties at home or with academics, it’s critical that someone is there that they can trust.

​​Dr. Hynes is: a Superintendent, an Associate Professor, a Fulbright Specialist, a TEDx speaker,  and author of the best-selling book “Staying Grounded: 12 Principles to Transform School Leader Effectiveness” and featured in the documentary “Chasing Childhood”.

Listen in as we discuss leadership, connection, and more!

Share your notes with me @drjessicamack

For more journal prompts and to join my community, visit https://www.drjessicamack.com/podcast

Music credit: Cafe Lounge by FASSounds

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Eric Rooney (“Rooney”) is a biophiliac and an entrepreneur. Rooney is passionate about teaching, connecting, and instilling in others, the benefits plants and fungi bring to people's physical and emotional bodies.  He founded his current business in 2015 from San Francisco and spends his time working in the community managing internal and external plantscaping scopes.  He hosts events, workshops, classes, online courses, and most recently became a death doula!

Listen in as we discuss plants, nature, and a topic many find difficult to discuss: death.

@halfmoon.farms

Share your notes with me @drjessicamack

For more journal prompts and to join my community, visit https://www.drjessicamack.com/podcast

Music credit: Cafe Lounge by FASSounds

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

I’m joined in this episode by my long-time friend, Tom Kenniff. Thomas Kenniff (“Tom”) is a founding partner of Raiser & Kenniff, PC, and a popular television legal analyst. He specializes in representing individuals accused of criminal offenses.

Prior to founding Raiser & Kenniff, PC, Tom served as an Assistant District Attorney in one of the metropolitan area’s most prestigious district attorney’s offices.

NYC criminal lawyer Tom Kenniff is also a commissioned officer in the Army National Guard’s Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps and a veteran of the current war in Iraq, where he earned the Army Commendation Medal and the Global War or Terrorism Expeditionary Medal for his outstanding service in a combat zone. Captain Kenniff spent ten months in Tikrit, Iraq during 2005, serving as Chief Legal Assistance Officer for the storied 42nd Infantry Division.

Some of Tom’s high profile criminal cases have drawn international media attention, and Tom has been featured in the NY Post, Newsday, USA Today, and many other major publications.

Many of us know Tom from his frequent television appearances on FOX News Channel, CNN, and other major news outlets, where he’s often seen commenting on high-profile criminal cases.

Listen in as Tom and I discuss the criminal Justice system, second chances, and more!Tom is an attorney and we’re going to discuss how he connects with his clients, even when they’ve made some awful decisions. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, and people are capable of change if they choose to.

Any of us could be one impulse away from a very different path in life.

Share your notes with me @drjessicamack

For more journal prompts and to join my community, visit https://www.drjessicamack.com/podcast

Music credit: Cafe Lounge by FASSounds

A Podcast Launch Bestie production