Poulton woman takes body image message to biggest North West women’s festival
A Poulton-le-Fylde coach is set to take her message about food and body confidence to one of the North West’s biggest women’s festivals this summer.
A Poulton woman is set to bring her mission to tackle body image struggles to a major regional festival after being invited to run a workshop aimed at helping women break free from “food noise”.
Kirsty McKell, a food and body image coach originally from the Fylde coast, will host a session at Womanifest in Cheshire on July 4 called Break the food and body image cycle.
She said her work was sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic after hearing women talk about “rolling out of lockdown” and fearing weight gain.
“I kept hearing this fear around having gained weight during COVID,” she said. “I was terrified for young minds absorbing this message.”
Kirsty, who has since left a corporate career to focus on coaching full-time, said her own experiences growing up shaped her approach. “I grew up with a terrible relationship with my body and with food,” she said.
“Our children don’t absorb what we want for them, they absorb who we are for ourselves.”
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She added that many women she works with feel trapped by constant thoughts about food and appearance. “It can be all-consuming,” she said. “They miss social events, avoid relationships, even swimming with their kids.”
At Womanifest, she will run an interactive workshop alongside talks, sound baths and other activities. “There’s a moment when women realise they’re not alone,” she said. “And then the real work begins.”
Kirsty also runs one-to-one coaching and online workshops, including a UK-wide session on July 6 for those unable to attend the festival in person.