Episode 65. Today I’m talking to Courtney Gayle (I know her from middle school as Courtney Warford).

Courtney Gayle is an Austin-based singer/model/actress. Known for her powerful-yet-intimate vocal style, she frequently performs solo and with groups throughout the country.

As an actress, her one-woman show, “The Blurred Lines,” made a splash at the Metropolitan Room shortly before her musical theater debut at The Fulton Theatre. 

Courtney frequently does print and influencer modeling, often showcasing her impressive red locks for brands including DevaCurl and EyeBuyDirect.

Currently recording new music with her closest collaborators, Courtney is available for performances, modeling opportunities and voice-over work.

“The more comfortable I am, the less successful I am.”

– Courtney Gayle

We cover the following (and more!):

  • Courtney’s journey pursuing her dream as a singer
  • Her relationship with food and body and how that played a role when she is clearly told that her body is “part of the sale”
  • The strategies she uses regularly to cope with negative body image thoughts within the entertainment industry

Watch Courtney In Action!

IG Links: https://www.instagram.com/iamcourtneygayle/

https://www.instagram.com/grittysunset/

Website: https://www.grittysunset.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grittysunsetduo

YouTube: Courtney Gayle

Want To Support Local Bookstores Near You?

Buy your books from Bookshop! Support local bookstores near you and this blog and podcast and help prevent Amazon from completely squashing the local book market.

Do you ever worry that you are wasting your life?

I definitely did. In fact, I wrote that in my journal many years ago when I was in the middle of the diet-binge roller coaster ride.

  • I woke up every day thinking about food, my body, and what I would eat that day to “be healthy”
  • The notebooks I had filled with calories and points could fill up a spare bedroom
  • Social events and vacations immediately prompted the thought “they will notice I gained weight” or “I need to lose weight by then”
  • Deep down I knew I wasn’t living life the way I wanted to, but I didn’t know how to pull myself out of it.

If this is you, I want you to imagine what it would feel like to feel empowered in your body and proud of your choices on a consistent basis. I promise you, it isn’t too late.

Dieting steals our motivation. It makes us ineffective. It keeps us spinning our wheels in a system that was never built to work.

If you are ready take the first step to motivating yourself with what matters to you, download my free Create Powerful Motivation guide (which is quite beautifully designed if I do say so myself), and walk through the 3 simple steps to create motivation that works for YOU in 15 minutes or less. You will get a simple formula to write ONE SENTENCE you can use to motivate yourself on a daily basis.

You can write it on your bathroom mirror, put on the background of your phone, or just read it and repeat it in your mind.

Look, I know how much it hurts to live a life worrying you are missing out, not stepping into the person you were truly meant to be, vibrant, passionate, curious, vulnerable, and brave.

You can listen to the podcast all day, but taking that first step, putting pen the paper (or typing on your phone) is required for true lasing change. It’s time to start living my friend.

It’s 100% free, so what are you waiting for? Grab your free copy of the guide today at DrHondorp.com/Motivate 

Main Takeaways from This Conversation

  1. Dieting in any of the traditional ways we do it disconnect us from our life.
  2. To progress and succeed in life, it takes stepping out of your comfort zone.
  3. People respond differently to confidence. If you’re confident, often no one cares how much you weigh.
  4. Diamonds form under pressure and beauty emerges from times of adversity.
  5. We are able to live our lives to the fullest through food. It’s how we connect with each other, celebrate, and experience new cultures. Life is too short to worry about dieting.

Support Independent Bookstores Near You!

Did you know that that if nothing slows their momentum, Amazon will have almost 80% of the book market by the end of 2025?

Look, I love the convenience of Amazon, but I’ve got a super cool way that you can support local bookstores and my blog and podcast simply by buying books like you already do! You can choose any bookstore on the list in the US and Canada (they plan to expand to other counties in the future) OR you can just let the donation get split between all stores. As of this recording, they have raised 15 million dollars for local bookstores. On my bookshop, you will see my absolute favorite books related to health and wellness, courage and vulnerability, and even my favorite fiction and kids books!

My recent favorite related to improving the quality of our lives was Digital Minimalism. Our family actually decided to do an optional screen free August to re-evaluate the role of screen time in our lives.

So if you believe in supporting local businesses, please consider buying your books through Bookshop from now on!

The Psychology of Wellness Bookshop Link.

Disclaimer: This blog and podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual professional advice or treatment, including medical or mental health advice. It does not constitute a provider patient relationship.

Disclosure: Using the Bookshop.org links in this post means that I would get an affiliate fee if you purchase from the online bookshop (this supports my business, and local bookstores too!).