James BarryCEO | Chef | Founder of Pluck | Host of Everyday Ancestral | 20+ year Pro Chef Health, Wellness, & Curiosity

Calm a Trigger in About 90 Seconds | EP 101

19 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief segment of the EP 101 episode, James Barry asks what success looks like when working with picky eaters. Speaker B explains that the primary indicator of success is a marked reduction in mealtime stress, citing a 5‑day challenge they run with parents. After the challenge, 85 % of participating parents report lower stress levels. Success also includes children becoming curious about food and willing to try new items, which is seen as laying groundwork for a healthier long‑term relationship with food. The conversation emphasizes that high stress suppresses appetite, so alleviating stress is a crucial first step toward lasting improvement.

What does success actually look like with a pick eater?
I think the biggest success, number one, is that the stress at the table goes down. When I work with parents, we'll do like a 5-day challenge. With this 5-day challenge, at the end of the 5 days, 85% of parents say their stress is reduced. Success looks like they're curious about food, they're willing to try something new. To me, massive success, because again, it's laying the groundwork for future continued improvements in the child's relationship with food. Because if everybody's stressed, nobody has an appetite, you know? So if you can remove that stress, massive success.