Ep 20: Finding Freedom From Body Image Struggles Through Faith | Liz Hardy
Finding Freedom From Body Image Struggles Through Faith: My Conversation with Liz Hardy
By Sherry Sutton | Heart of the Hustle Show
Discover how Liz Hardy overcame body image struggles through faith, joyful movement, and self-worth rooted in love.
Do you ever feel like your worth is tied to a number on the scale?
If you’ve ever stood in front of a mirror and thought, “When I lose the weight… when I fit into those jeans… then I’ll finally feel good about myself,” I want you to know — you’re not alone.
I’ve felt that same pull. That quiet voice in the back of your head that says, “You’re not enough until…” And for so many women I work with, that voice has been there for years.
That’s why my recent conversation with Liz Hardy on Heart of the Hustle hit so close to home. Liz has lived that battle from the inside — the constant comparison, the mental loop of “I’ll be happy when…,” and the exhausting back-and-forth between neglecting her body and obsessing over it.
But what makes Liz’s story so powerful is that she didn’t just “find a new diet” or “discover a better workout plan.” She found a way to finally make peace with her body, not because her body changed, but because her heart did.
In this blog, I want to take you deeper into Liz’s journey — and show you the lessons we can all take away if we’re ready to stop letting body image dictate our worth.
Liz Hardy’s Early Struggles With Body Image
Liz is a wife, a mom of three, and someone who has dedicated her life to helping other women heal their relationship with their bodies. But before she could do that for others, she had to do it for herself.
From the time she was in middle school, Liz was aware of how her body compared to the people around her. She remembers noticing differences, measuring herself against friends, and feeling like she never quite measured up.
Over the years, those thoughts turned into a pattern — a pendulum swing between two extremes:
Neglect: Ignoring her body’s needs, not moving it, not nourishing it well.
Obsession: Monitoring every bite, scrutinizing every reflection, pushing herself harder and harder.
And through it all, she felt stuck in her head — unable to simply enjoy the life and the body she’d been given.
“I was stuck thinking about my body constantly,” Liz told me. “I couldn’t really enjoy what God had given me because I was too busy trying to change it.”
The Rock Bottom Moment
Everything came to a head after Liz had her third baby. Like so many women in that postpartum season, she was adjusting to a body that felt different. Her shape had changed, her energy levels were unpredictable, and her hormones were all over the place.
She tried to make “healthy changes” — adding movement, taking supplements, making small adjustments — and physically, it started to show. She lost weight, her clothes fit better, and she found herself in what she called “the best shape of my life.”
But here’s the twist: the moment she thought she had arrived was also the moment things started to unravel.
“I finally liked my body,” Liz said. “But then I started worshiping it.”
Her appearance became an idol. She admitted that how she looked could set the tone for her entire day — her mood, her interactions, even how she treated others.
Then God asked her to let go of nicotine completely. She had already quit smoking but was still using nicotine in other forms. This time, she obeyed.
The result? Her body changed quickly. She gained 30 pounds, her clothes no longer fit, and that image she had been clinging to slipped away almost overnight.
“I felt like I lost my everything,” Liz said. “But that’s when I realized my everything was in the wrong place.”
This was her rock bottom — the moment she knew something deeper had to change.
Discovering Revelation Wellness
Before her rock bottom, Liz had heard of a ministry called Revelation Wellness — a program that blends movement, faith, and freedom. But at the time, she brushed it off.
“I was too busy hustling,” she admitted. “I had my timer on, trying to run faster miles in the Texas heat. I thought I didn’t need it.”
When she finally hit that low point, though, she remembered the recommendation and decided to try it. This time, she went all in.
Through the “Live Well” health coaching program, Liz learned a whole new way of approaching her body:
Movement was no longer punishment — it became a celebration.
Faith was central — God wasn’t just part of her spiritual life, but part of her physical one too.
Truth replaced lies — she began catching the negative thoughts and answering them with God’s truth about her worth.
For Liz, this wasn’t just about fitness. It was about finally connecting her heart and her body in a way that felt aligned with her values.
Breaking Free From the Scale
One of the boldest and most freeing things Liz did? She put the scale away.
“I noticed my daughters weighing themselves,” she said. “It hit me that I was modeling that behavior for them — and I didn’t want them to believe a number could tell them their value.”
For Liz, ditching the scale wasn’t about ignoring her health. It was about breaking a mental chain. She realized that weighing herself had become a trigger — something that could instantly shift her mood, her confidence, and her self-talk.
By removing that trigger, she gave herself room to focus on how she felt instead of what she weighed.
Obsession vs. Neglect: Finding the Balance
Before her transformation, Liz’s relationship with her body swung between extremes:
Obsession — over-monitoring, over-controlling, and tying her happiness to her appearance.
Neglect — ignoring her body’s needs, avoiding movement, and making choices that didn’t serve her well-being.
Now, she’s found a balance — and it’s one of the biggest lessons she shares with her clients.
That balance looks like:
Nourishing her body instead of depriving it.
Moving for joy instead of punishment.
Listening to her body’s needs instead of silencing them.
“It’s not about doing whatever you want all the time,” Liz explained. “It’s about asking, ‘What does caring for my body look like today?’”
The Role of Somatic Healing in Body Image Freedom
One of the most eye-opening parts of Liz’s journey is how she learned to connect her body image struggles with what was actually happening in her body.
Through somatic healing, Liz began to see that trauma, stress, and unprocessed emotions don’t just live in our memories — they live in our tissues.
“There were things I’d been carrying for years,” she told me. “Not just in my mind, but physically in my body. Pain, tightness, tension — all connected to experiences I’d never really processed.”
She started paying attention to what her body was trying to tell her. Tight shoulders, a knot in her stomach, a heaviness in her chest — they weren’t random. They were messages.
Her healing involved moving in ways that released that tension, inviting God into the process, and creating a safe space for her body to finally rest.
Parenting and Body Image
As a mom of three — two of them daughters — Liz knows the stakes are high when it comes to modeling a healthy body image.
“Kids watch how you treat yourself,” she said. “Before we can teach them to see themselves differently, we have to see ourselves differently.”
That meant being intentional with her language. No more standing in front of the mirror tearing herself apart. No more casually talking about needing to “lose weight” in front of her girls.
It also meant setting boundaries around social media. Liz is aware of how early and how strongly comparison can take root — especially online. That’s why she’s holding off on letting her kids have full access to certain platforms until they have a stronger sense of self-worth.
Liz’s Daily Practices for Staying Free
Liz’s upcoming 365-day devotional is filled with short readings and actions that help women shift their mindset about their bodies. But in our conversation, she shared a few of the daily habits that keep her grounded:
Ask for your assignment each morning.
“Lord, what do You want me to do today? Who do You want me to help?” This shifts the focus off appearance and onto purpose.Move with joy.
Whether it’s walking, dancing, stretching — it’s about enjoying movement, not punishing the body.Replace lies with truth.
When negative thoughts pop up, she counters them with affirmations rooted in God’s love.
Rest without guilt.
Not every day has to be “productive” in the world’s eyes. Sometimes the most important work is allowing yourself to recover.
How You Can Start Your Own Healing Journey
If Liz’s story resonates with you, here are the first steps I’d encourage you to take:
Step 1: Remove the triggers.
Whether it’s your scale, certain clothing items, or social media accounts that fuel comparison — take them out of your daily life for now.Step 2: Invite faith into the process.
Healing isn’t just physical. Allow God’s truth about your worth to guide your choices.Step 3: Choose joy in movement.
Find ways to move your body that make you feel alive — not punished.Step 4: Speak kindness over yourself.
Your inner dialogue matters. Make sure it’s one that builds you up.Step 5: Find safe support.
Whether through coaching, a small group, or a trusted friend, find a space where you can be real about your struggles without judgment.
Final Thoughts: Your Worth Was Never on the Scale
Liz Hardy’s journey is such a powerful reminder that peace with your body doesn’t come from a number on the scale or a certain clothing size. It comes from shifting your focus — from chasing an image to living in your purpose.
Her story proves that Christian body image healing isn’t about giving up on health; it’s about caring for your body in a way that’s fueled by love, not shame. It’s about moving in joy, nourishing yourself well, and letting your worth be defined by who you are, not how you look.
If you’ve been feeling stuck in your own body image struggles, take this as your sign to start a new chapter. Remove the triggers. Find movement you love. Speak kindness over yourself. And most importantly — believe that freedom is possible for you, too.
🎧 Watch my full conversation with Liz Hardy on Heart of the Hustle to hear her story in her own words: Watch Now
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