From Yo-Yo Dieting to Lasting Change: Jiordana Saade’s Story

In this episode of Her Unshakeable Confidence, Simone and Olivia talk with Jiordana Saade — founder of The Mind-Full Clinic, a certified nutritionist, hypnotherapist, and behavioral coach — about how to heal your relationship with food and your body. Jiordana shares her personal journey from childhood bullying and yo-yo dieting through substance use, motherhood, and a career pivot into nutrition and behavioral neuroscience.

She explains why diets fail, how the primitive brain drives self-sabotaging eating patterns, the role of trauma and the “mother wound,” and why addressing the nervous system is essential for lasting change. Jiordana also demystifies hypnotherapy, discusses pros/cons of GLP-1 medications, and introduces The Mind-Full Method — her 12-week program (now scaled into an app) designed to help people reclaim freedom from emotional eating.

This conversation blends practical habits, science, and compassion — a must-listen if you want to stop dieting and start living.



✅ Actionable Takeaways

• Look for root causes, not quick fixes. Investigate nervous-system stress, early trauma, or “mother wound” patterns rather than relying solely on diets or pills.
  
  
• Stop using food as reward/punishment. If a reward contradicts your goal (e.g., gym → donut), it will undermine long-term change.
  
  
• Try hypnotherapy/meditative practices if you’re open to them — they can make the subconscious more malleable for habit change.
  
  
• Set one simple boundary: avoid snacking after dinner as a practical, repeatable habit to stabilize blood sugar and break night-eating cycles.
  
  
• Model healthy eating for kids. Children learn self-care by watching you — prioritize showing healthy habits over policing plates.
  
  
• Use mindful portioning: take a small portion of a craved food, say “thank you,” and put it away — train the brain to stop automatic overconsumption.
  
  
• If considering GLP-1s, consult a clinician. They can help in metabolic disease but aren’t a root-cause solution for emotional eating.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 — Introduction
01:27 — Childhood bullying, early dieting, and the start of the story
05:17 — Why food is different: primitive brain, self-sabotage, and survival wiring
12:49 — Labels, identity, and the dieting industry critique
17:50 — The “first diet” and the mother wound pattern
18:29 — Hypnotherapy explained: when it helps and how it works
23:54 — Weight loss approach: focus on inner healing, not metrics
29:54 — Emotional triggers: the four functions of behavior (escape, sensory, attention, tangible)
33:35 — Food as reward/punishment and why that backfires
38:58 — The Mindful Method: 12-week program, scaling, and app launch
45:16 — Confidence as reputation with yourself — small promises, big trust



✨ About Jiordana Saade

Jiordana Saade is the founder of The Mind-Full Clinic and creator of The Mind-Full Method. A cer
tified nutritionist, hypnotherapist, and behavioral coach, she combines clinical nutrition, behavioral psychology, neuroscience, and functional approaches to help people heal their relationship with food. Drawing from her personal history of yo-yo dieting, eating disorders, and addiction, Jiordana returned to study behavioral psychology and neuroscience to better address why diets fail and how the nervous system drives eating behavior.

She built The Mind-Full Method as a scalable program (12 modules + group calls) and has recently expanded it into an app to make the work more accessible. Jiordana also hosts The Mind-Full Method Podcast.


Connect with Jiordana Sade:

• Instagram: @jiordanassade @themindfullclinicinc
• Website: The Mind-Full Clinic
• TEDx talk
• Podcast: The Mind-Full Method Podcast

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