The Essere Method

Transform your body image and boost self-confidence in 15 minutes a day.

To give a little context…

Essere, the Italian word for "to be," holds deep significance.

Inspired by my time in Italy, I had it tattooed on my wrist in my early 20s. Little did I know this word would become central to my work as a therapist and educator.

With the Essere Method, I aim to provide you with the tools to foster small, frequent steps toward feeling "enough," confident, and fully present in your body, just as it is, right now.

Let's be real…

You’re *so* exhausted from the constant negative chatter in your head about your body.

You know there is more to life than obsessing over how you look…

You are dreaming of a day when you aren't constantly stressed about your body. A day where it feels good to be in your own skin and you have the brain space to find a new hobby, wear the clothes you want, or finally look in the mirror without spiraling. 

You feel like you are constantly running on a hamster wheel of body hate, wasting so much time trying to figure out “what's wrong with you”.

“Why can't I look like my yoga instructor?”

“Why won’t this diet just click?”

“I just need to be a size smaller”

(Spoiler alert: there is nothing wrong with you)

But no matter what you do you constantly feel stressed about your body.

You feel like you have tried everything, yet all your brain space seems to go toward how to fix your body.

Does this sound like a typical day in your mind?

Thoughts       

  • “I am the biggest person in this room”

  • “I wish I looked like I did when I was 22”

  • “I hate the way my arms look in this shirt”

  • “I was bad for eating that cookie”

  • “I wish I had her legs”

  • “I wonder if my boyfriend noticed how big my stomach looked in that dress”

  • “I can’t miss the gym because I ate too much yesterday”

  • “If I have one chip I will eat the whole bag”

  • “I’ll start again on Monday”

  • “No one will want to be with you if you look this disgusting”

  • “You aren't good enough”

  • “No one will ever like you if you look this way”

  • “Do I have a double chin in that pic?”

  • “Once I have my dream body my life will be amazing and everything will be perfect”

And because this is the constant loop in your head, your life looks like this…

  • You have spent countless years and so much money trying to change your body or not doing things because you don't feel good enough “yet” .

  • Fun movements become opportunities or calculations on how to burn calories.

  • You spiral when you see your body in photos or a reflection in the mirror.

  • You hear the voice in your head constantly whispering that something is missing or you could be doing more.

  • You can't focus on the people you are with because you are preoccupied with how your body looks.

  • You wear clothes specifically to hide your body

  • You believe your body is flawed in comparison with others

  • You throw away the rest of food because you don't trust yourself not to eat it

  • You avoid the doctor because they will weigh you

  • You use a pillow to hide your belly when you sit on the couch

  • You opt out of a pool day with friends because of how your body looks

If that sounds like you, you're *so* not alone.

And it is very common to feel like you are the problem that needs to be fixed. Or that you are just one diet away from having your “dream body”.

What if I told you that you weren't the problem and that there was another way?

We live in a society where we are told that our value is placed on how closely we resemble the current beauty standard. We are bombarded with companies trying to sell us tools that will make us as small as possible. What they don't tell us is that none of those tools will get us what we actually want. And what we want is to feel at peace and confident in our own bodies. 

And what no one tells you is that, that feeling comes from your brain and not the next fad diet.

What if I told you that there were small things that you could do every day to access that part of your brain, unlock your confidence and give you the freedom you have been searching for?

Can you imagine what you could do with your time if you didn't spend it constantly picking apart every little thing about your body?

You could wake up in the morning and:

  • Look at a photo of yourself without having a menty-b

  • Eat the pasta without a side of guilt (or without a binge)

  • Show up to a night out with the girls and have fun without constant comparison

  • Know that you are inherently worthy of love and acceptance

  • Wear a color besides black, that you actually like, even if it's not the “slimming color”

  • Walk into your closet and pick out an outfit, drama-free

  • Move your body because it clears your mind and makes you stronger

  • Scroll through social media without going into fight or flight

  • Find new things you love to do instead of researching how to be skinny

  • Enjoy the pool time without thinking about how your stomach looks in your bikini

What if I told you all of this could be a reality without:

  • Doing torturous exercises you hate

  • Following a new restrictive diet

  • Being harsh with yourself

  • A detox that leaves you starving

  • Being a before and after photo

  • Life altering surgery

  • A medication that you don't need

  • Shrinking yourself or altering who you are

  • Talking shit to yourself

  • Deleting every photo that ever existed of you

  • Cutting out your favorite food group

  • Never being able to enjoy the foods you love

How do I know this to be true? Because I did it.

Hi, I’m Maddie, a licensed therapist, ex-body hater and creator of The Essere Method. I work with women every day to tackle their body image issues.

I did it for myself and helped dozens of my clients do the same. For years, I was convinced I was the problem until I hit a breaking point. I spent those years dieting, over-exercising, and blaming myself. At 27, in grad school, burnt out, I knew something had to change. I began to unlearn all the conditioning I had been exposed to and recognized the shame and self-hatred I was constantly putting myself through. I then began to dismantle it all and step into my true self. By doing this, I opened up my life in so many ways—hello, free brain space! I started painting, solo traveling, doing pilates, writing, and reading so much more. I learned that you can't hate, criticize, or berate your body into looking the way you want it to.

Let me say that again, you can't berate yourself into the body you think you should have.

The only way through is to cultivate a lifestyle that can create lasting change.

The extreme body-positive approach didn’t immediately click with me, and honestly, it still isn’t my go-to. I’m human, and I often have to challenge the idea that I need to do everything perfectly. Finding body neutrality and self-acceptance, based on science-backed modalities, works for me. This balanced, nuanced way of thinking often resonates with many of the people I work with. We are not meant to fit in a box; we get to be our own beautifully unique human beings.

When I started working on changing the neuroplasticity in my brain, that’s when I began to notice a significant difference in my daily life.

I was finally able to look in the mirror. I ditched my scale. I stopped thinking about my body in every single scenario of every single day. I could get dressed in the morning without a major meltdown. I started acknowledging my body for what it does for me. Oh, and I began ordering what I actually wanted off a menu, rather than what I thought would make my body look good.

Old me: Disordered eating, criticizing myself to no end….

…hoping that changing my appearance would solve all of life’s problems. Pushing myself to extremes and wondering what was wrong with me. 

New me: Daily self-compassion and mindfulness….

…mental freedom. Body acceptance. Shame Free. Managing emotions without food. I truly unlocked a sense of confidence I didn't know I had. Because of that I have better relationships with the people I love, thrive more at work, and love working out because I feel empowered and strong.

How I got from the old me to the new me took me years, but what I wish I had from the start was a daily practice that I could slowly get better at.

Like a workout at the gym - but for my brain. 

That’s why I created The Essere Method…

Introducing…

The Essere Method

The Essere Method is a blueprint guaranteed to take you from hating your body to feeling confident in your body.

Reframe your unhelpful thoughts

Understand and deconstruct diet culture

Discover the true values about your body

How long will this take me?

All of this by only spending 15 minutes a day for 28 days 🤯

01

Sign up and get instant access to the daily exercises.

02

Start the 28 Day Ritual (it takes less than 15 minutes a day).

03

Use The Triage Kit for body-image emergencies.

The 28 Day Ritual

Everything you need to learn and cement a new body image into your brain…

Each day we cover a different theme and action step. All topics broken into small digestible videos and exercises that can be done in less than 15 minutes a day. So grab your coffee (or tea) and watch the magic happen:

  1. Your Body Image story

  2. The call is coming from inside the house…

  3. Naming and taming

  4. Fight, flight, freeze, fawn

  5. The Comparison Trap

  6. The Shame Spiral

  7. Ditch Diet Culture

  8. Food: It’s complicated

  9. Language and Numbers

  10. The Homer Simpson Method

  11. Photos

  12. Social Media

  13. Social Media Part 2

  14. Physical Health

  15. Values

  16. Intentional Goals

  17. Self Compassion

  18. Self Compassion Part 2

  19. Being In Your Body

  20. Eating… WTF do I do?

  21. Eating Intuitively

  22. Moving Your Body

  23. Moving Your Body Part 2

  24. The Secret Sauce

  25. Not Your Mama’s Self Care

  26. Self Care Part 2

  27. Chill Pills

  28. Nervous System Regulation

Day 29: More Resources: 20 extra journal prompts, Affirmation builder, 5 additional meditations, 3 additional visualizations, Book/Podcast Recommendations, List of helpful IG/Tiktok accounts.

This is the information I wish I had ten years ago when I was starting my body acceptance journey. It is everything I learned personally and professionally as a therapist to change my mind and my life.

And that’s not all….

You also get…

The Triage Kit

After the 28 days are through… you get to use The Triage Kit; a handy First-Aid Kit for the “body-image emergency” situations. I’m talking the exact steps to help you get through those really tough scenarios.

Get the Exact Steps to Handle Body-Image Emergencies like…

  • SOS: Someone brings up dieting in a conversation 

  • SOS: You are packing for vacation and have nothing that will look good

  • SOS: You go to the doctor. They weigh you and tell you that losing weight is the only solution to your medical complaint.

  • SOS: You feel a binge coming on

  • SOS: You feel overly full and its triggering you into a shame spiral

  • SOS: You are on social media and in a comparison spiral.

  • SOS: Someone makes an unsolicited comment about your body

  • SOS: You notice your body shape is changing

  • SOS: You need extra help to exercise in a way that works for you

  • SOS: You are going to a social event and you feel insecure

  • SOS: You see a photo of yourself that you hate

  • SOS: You are so confused about what to eat if you aren’t dieting

  • SOS: You are putting on a bathing suit

  • SOS: You are about to get your period and your body image is a dumpster fire.

  • SOS: You step on the scale and it ruins your mood

You’ll get the exact steps to help you get through these specific scenarios…and many more.

The reviews are in…

TESTIMONIALS

“This work has helped me unpack my beliefs and reconstruct my own new values about my body. There was a lot of unlearning that had to occur before rebuilding and the course guides you beautifully and compassionately through the process.”

“Taking this course felt like opening the door of curiosity and being received with both validation and strategies to process and navigate this new way of thinking.”

PS -

ALL BODIES WELCOME

ALL AGES WELCOME

ALL GENDERS WELCOME

“I learned that I’m a big girl in a small world… and that’s more than okay”

“Maddie is a gentle and qualified guide”

“A refreshing, insightful and intuitive program that is helping me to understand more about myself and my body.”

“Working with Maddie is a game-changer.”

Here’s what you need to know: If I was so deep in that hole and got out of it…

SO CAN YOU

I know you might have doubts like:

  • If I accept my body will I be complacent?

  • If I accept myself then will I ever have my dream body?

  • If I stop controlling my food then will I just eat everything?

  • If I accept my body will I be lazy?

  • If I accept my body will my health go down the drain?

  • What will people think if I accept myself as I am?

  • Will I let myself go?

  • And most importantly where do I even start?

Here is why that logic doesn't work and here's why these things don't have to be true. 

  • Embracing yourself isn’t about settling; it’s about acknowledging where you are with kindness. From this place, you can make healthier choices without the pressure of unrealistic expectations.

  • The idea of a "dream body" often comes from outside influences. Focusing on what makes you feel good and confident helps you nurture your body in a way that’s true to you.

  • It’s natural to fear losing control with food, but body neutrality helps you trust your body’s needs. Over time, you’ll find a balance where you can enjoy food without rigid rules.

  • Embracing your body doesn’t mean you’ll be lazy. It’s about respecting and caring for your body, leading to activities that feel good and are sustainable.

  • Listening to your body can actually improve your health. When you tune in, you make choices that support overall well-being, beyond just appearance.

  • Others’ opinions can be tough, but what matters is how you feel about yourself. Embracing self-compassion helps you build confidence that doesn’t rely on external validation.

  • Embracing yourself doesn’t mean letting go of care; it means letting go of harsh self-criticism. You’ll still care for yourself, but with love rather than fear.

  • Start small. Challenge harsh thoughts with kindness and listen to your body’s needs. Remember, it’s okay to take this journey one step at a time.


After taking this course you will learn how to be on the “same team” as your body.

You will learn how to…

  • Eat the way that feels best for YOUR body

  • Stop letting the scale dictate how you feel about yourself

  • Learn to regulate your nervous system and connect your mind and body

  • Learn to trust what is best for you and your body

  • Stop comparing yourself to every single person that walks by

  • Have more time and brain space to do all the things you love or will love

  • Exercise out of want and pleasure rather than punishment

  • Feel at peace when it's time for that vacation and that bathing suit

There was a time in my life when I didn't think any of this was possible.

But now that I am on the other side of it… I can tell you that in the last ten years, I have completely embraced my body and learned to accept myself as I am today.

And I want that for you too.

Have you tried several times to say “I am enough” in the mirror and it never works? You might be someone who has tried to manifest or mantra your way into your dream body. However, you are missing a key component which is the secret weapon: self-compassion and nervous system regulation. I believe in those two components together because that is how you rewire your brain.

Doing affirmations without that part is like baking a cake without baking soda. It won’t come out how you want it to. 

The Essere Method is the way that you lay the groundwork to heal your body and start living your best life. 

Ready to feel confident in your body?

The Essere Method

The Essere Method

A blueprint guaranteed to take you from hating your body to feeling confident in your body.

Reframe your unhelpful thoughts

Understand and deconstruct diet culture

Discover the true values about your body


15 minutes a day, for 28 days

What’s Included

28 Daily Lessons
Less than 15 minutes a day

28 Daily Action Items
From journal entries, meditations, visualizations

The Triage Kit
For body-image emergencies

Lifetime Access · Instant Access

Self Paced · Open Enrollment

4 monthly payments of: $64
or
A one-time payment of: $247

Let’s talk investment…

I’m trained in this. And I’ve lived this, personally. The Essere Method is 8+ years of professional experience combined with my personal experience and I honestly feel that this work is equal to about 6 months in therapy. That means…

The Value of this Course: = $4,680
(Equal to 6 months of Therapy)

The Essere Method:
4-monthly payments of: $64
or
A one-time payment of: $247

Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
No fluff included. Lifetime access.

Imagine having less anxiety about your body.

After taking this course you will …

  • Feel free from the number on the scale.

  • Know how to take care of your physical and mental health.

  • Have a wealth of tools in your toolbox.

  • Feel at peace with your body.

  • Break free of the guilt and shame.

  • Know how to curb specific body image situations so they don’t ruin your whole day.

  • Save money (no need for diet programs, or magic pills). This is lasting change.

Common Questions…

  • As long as the course is active you will have access.

    Like working a muscle, our relationships to ourselves and our bodies need constant revisiting. The content that’s within this course can help you to solidify and practice the content in real life. We are all in a constant state of change and evolution. If you need a “refresher”, this course will be here for you. 

  • For 28 days, you will lay the groundwork for 15 minutes or less a day. I have designed this course to contain small, daily, achievable learnings and actions that create real lasting results. This isn't a quick fix. It's the groundwork to lasting change. After the 28 days, you will start solidifying the things you have learned and should start to notice real, tangible improvements with your Body Image.

  • Yes! You will but again, it is designed in a way that's best for you to gain small, achievable results. We’re leaving quick fixes in the dust and stepping into lasting change. I highly recommend committing to The 28 Day Ritual and carving out 15 minutes a day to practice and learn that day's lesson.

  • Because this course is digital in nature, there are no refunds. Please purchase this course with intention.

  • The hope is that as you do this course, your mindset will shift. The goal of this course is to feel better about your body no matter the size. The goal is not to change your body. If this is a challenging thought for you, you’re definitely in the right place.

“Maddie is so honest and vulnerable and it made me feel more comfortable.”

— Past Student

The Essere Method

A blueprint guaranteed to take you from hating your body to feeling confident in your body.

Reframe your unhelpful thoughts

Understand and deconstruct diet culture

Discover what you truly value for your body


15 minutes a day, for 28 days

What’s Included

28 Daily Lessons
Less than 15 minutes a day

28 Daily Action Items
From journal entries, meditation, visualizations

The Triage Kit
For body-image emergencies

Lifetime Access · Instant Access

Self Paced · Open Enrollment

4 monthly payments of: $64
or
A one-time payment of: $247