Welcome back to Diet Culture Dropout Podcast. In today’s episode, I am thrilled to converse with Laura Jean, our first Australian guest on the podcast, who brings incredible insights into living authentically through values. Laura Jean is a seasoned dietitian based in Australia with over 20 years of experience. She focuses on how we can live in alignment with our authentic values and apply them in various aspects of our lives, including our relationship with food, parenting, and professional life.

Listen to the full episode here

Understanding Values

Laura’s definition of values is profound and ideally suited for anyone looking to live authentically. She defines values as “the characteristics that underlie our attempts to meet our needs.” This means that values are about how we act and why we do what we do, and they reflect our motivations and intentions.

Values: A Foundation for Authentic Living

Why should we care about values? Laura emphasizes that without a clear understanding of our values, we risk being pulled along by default cultural values, particularly diet culture. Our values offer us a choice in how we want to show up and co-create the world we desire.

Laura differentiates between values (verbs) and places where we act into values (nouns). For example, family, friends, and health are not values but places where our values manifest. Values are actionable and can change as we grow and reflect on our lives.

Identifying Your Values

Laura offers various methods to identify your values:

1. Reflect and Write: Create a list of words that resonate with you and categorize them to find common themes.

2. Ask Others: Seek input from friends, family, and colleagues about how they perceive you and your values.

3. Future Visioning: Imagine your 80th birthday and what people from different parts of your life would say about you. This exercise helps uncover the common threads in how you want to be seen and remembered.

Values in Action: Real-Life Application

Values are not about being perfect but about aspiring to be the best version of ourselves. Laura shares a personal experience where she had to repair a miscommunication with a colleague. This highlights the importance of acting into our values, showing compassion toward ourselves and others.

Parenting and Values

Laura offers insights into parenting through values. She suggests maintaining curiosity when engaging with children and setting boundaries based on family values. This approach fosters a supportive environment where both parents and children can thrive.

In the End

In summary, grounding ourselves in our values is a powerful way to live authentically and relate to those around us meaningfully. Laura urges us to combine curiosity, connection, and compassion in our daily interactions and decision-making processes. By doing so, we create a space to be our true selves and offer the same opportunity to others.

For more insights from Laura Jean and to explore how you can ground your life and work in your values, check out her podcast, Dietitian Values, and visit her website.

Get in Touch

To learn more about Laura Jean and her work, visit her website at Dietitian Values. She’s always open to connecting and holding meaningful conversations.

Keep living authentically and grounding yourself in your values. Until next time, thank you for joining us on Dye Culture Dropout!