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Episode 027 Getting to Recovery, Staying Recovered: A Mother-Daughter Story (with Ellen Ewing and Josie Brown) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Josie Brown and her mom, Ellen Ewing, to talk about something we don't hear enough about: what it looks like to stay recovered. Josie, now around eight years recovered from anorexia, shares how her illness began without dramatic weight loss---she simply stopped growing for five years---and how her autism diagnosis, which came after recovery, reframed her experience of sensory overload and shame in residential treatment. Ellen, who chairs the FEAST board of directors, describes adapting treatment to her daughter rather than the other way around, from changing the locks at mealtimes to supporting the yoga, climbing, and outdoor life that gave Josie a reason to stay well. Together they walk through the "frame shift" that carried Josie from feeling like an individual floating in space to a person connected to the world around her, how she took ownership of her own recovery, and how climbing went from part of the disorder to a moving meditation and a career coaching kids. Listeners will come away with a rare, hopeful picture of full recovery---and Ellen's reminder that you are the expert on your own child. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:15 Meet Josie Brown and Ellen Ewing 03:15 How Josie's Eating Disorder Began 05:45 Five Years Without Growing 09:15 Autism, Sensory Overload, and Residential Treatment 14:00 Shame in Treatment and Adapting Care at Home 17:00 You're the Expert on Your Child 19:30 The Frame Shift: Reconnecting to the World 24:00 Taking Ownership of Recovery 28:30 The Click Over and Letting Go 32:00 Silver Linings and Driven Traits 33:30 Does the Eating Disorder Ever Pop Up Now? 37:00 Climbing Out of Anorexia 42:00 Coaches, Mentors, and the Unofficial Treatment Team 45:30 What to Hold On To: Full Recovery Is Possible SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ Climbing Out of Anorexia, by Josie Brown (FEAST blog): https://feast-ed.org/climbing-out-of-anorexia/ Anorexia on the Spectrum, by Ellen Ewing (FEAST blog): https://feast-ed.org/anorexia-on-the-spectrum/ Guest Bio: Josie Brown lives with her husband and cat, Sam, in a converted school bus in Western North Carolina, where she enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, and getting lost in the woods. Over the past eight years, she has graduated high school and college, worked as an elementary school teacher, gotten married, and built a life on her own terms. Ellen Ewing is Josie's mom and supported her throughout treatment and recovery from anorexia. She has been on the FEAST Board of Directors for 6 years and currently serves as the Board Chair. Before retiring she was an executive at a large multinational corporation. Now she is a painter and does volunteer work for nonprofits in the eating disorder space.

Episode 026 How Parents and Pediatricians Can Bridge the Gap to Eating Disorder Care (with Dr. Anna Tanner and Dr. Elizabeth Woodcock) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with pediatrician and eating disorder specialist Dr. Anna Tanner and healthcare administration expert and FEAST board member Dr. Elizabeth Woodcock to talk about the vital role parents play when a child has an eating disorder, and how pediatricians can support and empower them. Anna explains why parents matter so much as treatment initiators---with the average age of onset for anorexia and bulimia now just over 12, children present embedded in their families---and why eating disorders are so hard for pediatricians to see early, since medical complications often lag well behind the changes a parent notices at home. The conversation covers how pediatricians can bridge families toward family-based treatment while they wait for specialized care, how shame reactions shape what happens in the exam room, and a new American Academy of Pediatrics-backed effort to give parents a resource they can bring back to the pediatrician they already trust. Listeners will come away knowing that their observations about their child matter, and that they are the most important member of their child's care team. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:45 Meet Dr. Anna Tanner and Dr. Elizabeth Woodcock 03:45 How Anna and Elizabeth Met 06:45 Why Parents Matter as Treatment Initiators 09:30 When the Pediatrician Isn't Concerned 11:15 Growth Charts, Screenings, and Parent Fear 14:15 If You Would Only Listen: Elizabeth's Story 17:30 Bridging Families to Eating Disorder Treatment 20:30 The Pediatrician's Position of Trust 22:15 When Even Insiders Get Failed by the System 26:30 Understanding Shame Reactions 29:30 An AAP Resource to Give Parents a Voice 32:30 Guilt, Shame, and the "Crazy Mom" Superpower 37:45 Closing Lessons from Both Sides SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ Dr. Tanner's book, Pediatric Eating Disorders: The Medical Care of Children and Adolescents: https://www.aap.org/Pediatric-Eating-Disorders-The-Medical-Care-of-Children-and-Adolescents-Paperback If You Would Only Listen, by Elizabeth Woodcock (FEAST blog): https://feast-ed.org/if-you-would-only-listen/ Guest Bio: Anna B. Tanner, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. A graduate of Williams College, she completed medical school and residency at Vanderbilt University and then remained at Vanderbilt on the Pediatrics faculty in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine until moving to Georgia. Dr. Tanner has served on national and international committees for eating disorders education and advocacy, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Eating Disorder Workgroup. Dr. Tanner is a Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), a Fellow in the Academy for Eating Disorders (FAED), a Fellow in the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (FSAHM), and a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Consultant (CEDS-C). She is the author of the recently published Pediatric Eating Disorders: The Medical Care of Children and Adolescents. Elizabeth Woodcock has spent more than 35 years in health care administration focused on the intersection of health care delivery and public health. An adjunct professor at Emory University, she was recently recognized by Modern Healthcare in the Leading Women Class of 2026, driving national change in healthcare in the United States. A graduate of Duke University, she earned her MBA from the Wharton School and her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. With lived experience as a caregiver of a loved one with an eating disorder, Dr. Woodcock serves on the board of advisors of FEAST, and volunteers as a caregiver mentor and support group leader.

Episode 025 Title: Feed with FEAST: What Goes on the Plate, and What Happens Next (with Judy Krasna) In this episode, Jenni Gaines sits down with FEAST executive director Judy Krasna to talk about Feed with FEAST, a new nutrition resource built for caregivers who are responsible for feeding a loved one through eating disorder recovery. Judy describes how the idea grew from a request for FEAST's old recipe book into a full resource: roughly 50 family-contributed energy-dense recipes, a week-long meal plan, a four-tier snack guide, plain-language nutritional guidance, and a mealtime section covering what to say at the table and how to hold steady when a child pushes back. Both women speak candidly about their own years of guessing in the kitchen, and about the steep learning curve of realizing that what looked like enough food was not enough. Judy makes the case that food is medicine in eating disorder recovery, that the parent is the one administering it six times a day, and that most treatment teams send families home with a calorie goal and little else. Listeners will come away understanding what Feed with FEAST includes, who it is for at every stage and age of recovery, and where to find it. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:00 Introducing Feed with FEAST and Judy Krasna 03:00 Where the Idea Came From 06:00 What's Inside: Recipes, Meal Plan, and Snack Guide 08:00 Jenni's First Week: When Enough Wasn't Enough 09:40 Getting Parents Ahead of the Learning Curve 10:40 Food as Medicine and the Missing Roadmap 14:00 Why This Isn't Just a Google Search for Recipes 17:40 Professional Expertise Meets Lived Experience 20:00 Judy's Own Story: Flying Blind in the Kitchen 23:20 Inside the Mealtime Guidance Section 26:20 Who It's For: Every Stage and Every Age 28:20 Where to Find Feed with FEAST 30:30 Why This Project Is Her Baby SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST flyer: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ Enroll in Feed with FEAST: https://feast-ed.org/feed-with-feast-about/ Guest bio: Judy Krasna has been involved in the eating disorders space as a parent advocate and an expert by experience for over 15 years. She was an active volunteer in the Academy for Eating Disorders and is a staunch advocate for incorporating lived experience into research and treatment. After serving on the FEAST Board of Directors and taking on multiple volunteer roles within the organization, Judy stepped into the position of FEAST Executive Director in early 2021. Judy is passionate about helping families of people with eating disorders, especially after her daughter Gavriella took her own life after a fierce and prolonged battle with anorexia.

Episode 024 A Different Kind of Back to School: Supporting Your Student Through Eating Disorder Recovery In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen talk through what the back to school season actually looks like when a child is in eating disorder recovery, drawing entirely on their own experience as caregivers. They cover slow re-entry plans and partial schedules, the school services many families never learn about until they ask, and the specific problem of school lunch — why a lunch monitor is not meal support, and what creative workarounds families have used to protect a third of the day's nutrition. Laura walks caregivers through the 504 plan in detail: what it is, what it is not, how to request one, and what to do when a district refuses. Both hosts spend time on the emotional side too — the exhaustion of navigating social noise all day, the grief of a social life on hold, and the permission to change the plan when it stops working. Listeners will come away with practical questions to bring to their school and a reminder that this season is now, not forever. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:00 Why Back to School Feels Different in Recovery 02:30 Laura's Story: A Senior Year Interrupted 05:00 It's Not All or Nothing: The Slow Re-Entry Plan 06:40 School Services Families Don't Know Exist 09:40 Jenni's Story: Six Weeks of Homebound School 14:00 School Lunch: Why It's the Hardest Part of the Day 17:30 Getting Creative with Lunch and Snacks 20:20 Finding a Safe Person at School 24:50 Social Noise and Why They Come Home Exhausted 28:20 Adjusting Expectations: Sports, Activities, and Milestones 33:00 The 504 Plan: What It Is and How to Request One 41:00 When a District Says No 42:20 Validation, Collaboration, and Flexibility SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

Episode 023 Trust & Treatment: How Outpatient Teams Support Lasting Recovery (with Melanie Lehman) In this episode, Laura Cohen sits down with Melanie Lehman, a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian nutritionist. Laura and Melanie unpack how caregivers can build and get the most out of an outpatient treatment team: how to tell an eating disorder specialist from a general dietitian, what questions to ask a prospective provider, and how the dietitian, therapist, and medical provider roles overlap and collaborate. Melanie explains why outpatient care is the long haul rather than a quick fix, how she builds rapport with kids who won't engage, and why the caregiver is the most important member of the team. Listeners will come away with concrete language to use (including asking a doctor for orthostatic vitals), red flags that signal the wrong fit, and reassurance that they have every right to advocate and be treated as a partner in their loved one's care. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:20 Laura Introduces Melanie Lehman 03:00 How Laura and Melanie Met: A Shared History 05:30 Choosing a Dietitian: Why Specialty Matters 08:00 Questions to Ask and Trusting Your Gut 13:00 Building an Outpatient Team and What It Includes 15:00 The Purpose of Outpatient Care: The Long Haul 19:30 Roles of the Dietitian, Therapist, and Medical Provider 27:00 Orthostatic Vitals and Additional Team Members 30:30 Building Rapport with Kids Who Won't Engage 36:00 The Caregiver's Role: Communication and Advocacy 43:30 Handling Disagreements, Weight Goals, and Three Takeaways SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ MEDA (Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association): https://www.medainc.org/ Lehman Nutrition (Melanie Lehman's practice): https://www.lehmannutrition.com/ Guest Bio: Melanie Lehman is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist in private practice. She specializes in supporting individuals struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image concerns. She studied nutrition at the University of New Hampshire, and went on to complete her dietetic internship at Massachusetts General Hospital. From there, she began her career at the Cambridge Eating Disorder Center and subsequently was the Assistant Director of Clinical Services at Van Dusen Nutrition, a private practice group. Two years ago she took the leap to start her own private practice and recently hired her first dietitian, and hopes to grow Lehman Nutrition in the years to come. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and MEDA (Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association).

Episode 022 Safe to Play: Returning to Sport After an Eating Disorder (with Megan Hellner and Katherine Hill) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Dr. Katherine Hill, a board-certified physician and former NCAA Division I swimmer, and Dr. Megan Hellner, a registered dietitian and researcher, the co-founders of AthleatMD, to talk through one of the questions caregivers ask most: when is it safe for an athlete to return to sport after an eating disorder? Katherine and Megan explain what makes athletes a unique population, why weight suppression and stress fractures so often get missed, and how RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) overlaps with eating disorders across all genders and sports. They walk through early warning signs, the medical red flags that warrant pulling an athlete from training, and how to tell an athletic heart from a malnourished one. Laura also shares her own lived experience as a dietitian who missed the signs in her gymnast daughter. Listeners will come away with a hopeful, practical roadmap for a low-and-slow return to sport, guidance on working with coaches and athletic staff, and specific tools, including the SEES return-to-activity guidelines, to bring to their own care team. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:40 Guest Introductions: Katherine Hill and Megan Hellner 04:00 What Makes Athletes a Unique Population 08:00 Higher-Risk Sports and Early Warning Signs 12:30 Laura's Lived Experience: Stress Fractures and Weight Suppression 16:40 What Is RED-S and Low Energy Availability 20:00 Low Testosterone and Missed Signs in Male Athletes 24:00 ARFID, Underfueling, and Overtraining 28:00 Bradycardia and Medical Red Flags to Stop Training 32:45 Deciding Whether to Step Away from Competition 37:15 Coaches, Schools, and How Much to Share 47:15 Returning to Sport and the SEES Guidelines SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ AthleatMD: https://www.athleatmd.com/ FEAST webinar — Helping Parents of Athletes Navigate Return to Sport While Battling RED-S and/or Eating Disorders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIpNYWqMkB0 SEES — Safe Exercise at Every Stage guidelines: https://www.safeexerciseateverystage.com/sees-guidelines Guest Bios: Katherine Hill, MD, is a board-certified physician, eating disorder specialist, and co-founder of AthleatMD. She completed her undergraduate degree, medical degree, and clinical training at Stanford University, where she later joined the faculty in Adolescent Medicine. She went on to serve as the lead physician at Equip Health for four years before launching AthleatMD with Megan Hellner. A former NCAA Division I swimmer, Dr. Hill brings both clinical expertise and lived athletic experience to her work with athletes navigating eating disorders, RED-S, and the pressures of sport. Dr. Megan Hellner is a registered dietitian, researcher, and co-founder of AthleatMD, where she specializes in helping athletes and individuals recover from eating disorders and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). For more than two decades, she has served as the founding dietitian for some of the nation's leading eating disorder treatment programs. She is passionate about giving caregivers the knowledge, tools, and reassurance they need to confidently support their loved one's recovery journey.

Episode 021 Project EMPOWER-ED: Helping Caregivers Navigate Tough Situations with Confidence In this episode, Jenni Gaines sits down with four members of the team behind Project EMPOWER-ED — Dr. Ari Kaiser, pediatric psychologist at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago; Dr. Jocelyn Lebow, child and adolescent psychologist at Mayo Clinic; Arielle Smith, clinical psychology PhD student at Northwestern University; and FEAST Executive Director Judy Krasna — to introduce a free online program designed to help caregivers navigate the hard moments of eating disorder recovery with more confidence and skill. Built on a single-session intervention model originally developed for caregivers of children with anxiety disorders, Project EMPOWER-ED addresses one of the most common and painful dynamics in eating disorder recovery: accommodation — the instinct to reduce a child's distress in ways that, despite coming from love, actually feed the illness. In about 20 to 30 minutes, caregivers walk through recognizing their child's avoidance patterns, understanding why even loving accommodation can hold recovery back, and learning concrete language and skills they can reach for right away, with a personalized action plan delivered immediately after. Representing a rare collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and families, Project EMPOWER-ED is available for free on the FEAST website and is now being expanded to serve caregivers at every stage of the eating disorder recovery journey. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:00 Guest Introductions: Dr. Ari Kaiser, Dr. Jocelyn Lebow, Arielle Smith, and Judy Krasna 03:30 Where Parents Get Lost: The Disempowerment of Eating Disorders 06:00 The Gap Between Hospital and Home 08:30 Why FEAST Said Yes: What Drew Judy to Project EMPOWER-ED 12:00 What Is a Single-Session Intervention? 19:30 What Accommodation Actually Looks Like Day-to-Day 23:00 Why Accommodation Happens — and Why It Has to Stop 26:30 Project EMPOWER-ED in Action: A Real Mealtime Example 31:00 What Changes When Parents Stop Accommodating 35:00 Who Is Project EMPOWER-ED For? 39:00 What This Program Could Have Changed: Judy's Reflection 44:00 Research Goals and What's Next SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ Project EMPOWER-ED: https://feast-ed.org/project-empower-ed/ Guest Bios: Dr. Ari Kaiser is a pediatric psychologist on the Inpatient Eating Disorders Service at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Her research and clinical work focus on supporting youth with eating disorders and implementing family-based treatment-informed approaches during hospitalization. Inspired by these experiences, she led the development of Project EMPOWER-ED. She is grateful for the many caregivers, collaborators, and community partners whose expertise, feedback, and shared commitment made Project EMPOWER-ED possible. Dr. Jocelyn Lebow is a child and adolescent psychologist at the Mayo Clinic. Her clinical practice includes working with young patients with eating disorders and their families in the primary care setting, and her research focuses on adapting evidence-based treatments to be more accessible to a wider range of people. She is a proud member of the FEAST Advisory Board. Arielle Smith is a clinical psychology PhD student at Northwestern University in the Lab for Scalable Mental Health. Her research focuses on developing and implementing single-session interventions for eating disorders. Her work on Project EMPOWER-ED is influenced by a family member's lived experience with an eating disorder. Judy Krasna has been involved in the eating disorders space as a parent advocate and an expert by experience for over 15 years. She was an active volunteer in the Academy for Eating Disorders and is a staunch advocate for incorporating lived experience into research and treatment. After serving on the FEAST Board of Directors and taking on multiple volunteer roles within the organization, Judy stepped into the position of FEAST Executive Director in early 2021. Judy is passionate about helping families of people with eating disorders, especially after her daughter Gavriella took her own life after a fierce and prolonged battle with anorexia.

Episode 020 More than Food: What It Felt Like to Live with an Eating Disorder (with Liron Cohen and Ashley Steenhausen) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen welcome Liron Cohen, senior program coordinator at ANAD, and Ashley Steenhausen, a 20-year-old ANAD peer mentor who was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at 16, to continue answering the caregiver questions that there wasn’t time for during FEAST's 2026 FEAST of Knowledge recovery panel. Together, Liron and Ashley offer an inside view of what it actually feels like to live with an eating disorder — the relentless internal chaos, the ego-syntonic nature of the illness, the seductive-yet-tormenting voice that can never be won against, and why the disorder so often breeds isolation even when support is present. They also tackle one of the most common and least-understood symptoms — never feeling "sick enough" — and explain why that cruelty compounds the difficulty of seeking and accepting help. Listeners will come away with a translator's view of the eating disorder experience, a clearer sense of why compassion and patience matter more than any perfect response, and a reminder that caregivers need support too. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:00 Guest Introductions: Liron Cohen and Ashley Steenhausen 03:30 What Is ANAD? 04:30 What Peer Support Teaches: Liron on Working Alongside Recovery 06:40 Being a Peer Mentor: Ashley's Experience at ANAD 09:00 Why People with Eating Disorders Don't Feel Heard 13:30 Older Adults with Eating Disorders: Invisible and Overlooked 16:30 What It Actually Feels Like to Live with an Eating Disorder 22:00 More Than Vanity: The Internal Battle and What Recovery Means 25:00 What People with Eating Disorders Wish Caregivers Understood 31:00 Never Sick Enough: The Cruelest Symptom 39:00 What Caregivers Can Do: Compassion, Patience, and the Celiac Parallel SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ ANAD peer mentorship program: https://anad.org/get-support/request-a-recovery-mentor/ ANAD eating disorder support groups: https://anad.org/get-support/about-our-support-groups/ ANAD eating disorders helpline: https://anad.org/get-support/eating-disorders-helpline/ Ashley Steenhausen's caregiver resource site: mychildhasaneatingdisorder.squarespace.com Guest Bios: Liron Cohen is the Senior Program Coordinator at ANAD. Liron runs ANAD's mentorship program, as well as develops trainings for all ANAD programs. In her role, she has trained hundreds of volunteers and matched and supervised hundreds of mentors and mentees. She feels immensely grateful to get to be a part of so many healing journeys. Ashley Steenhausen is a 20-year-old college student studying Psychology and Child Development at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She grew up in Orange County, California, where she spent her time playing soccer, skiing, spending time at the beach, and doing everything with her two older sisters. Shortly after her 16th birthday, she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, and her family's world was completely turned upside down. That experience changed her in ways she is still learning from and gave her a deep compassion for those struggling with eating disorders and the caregivers supporting them. Watching her own parents feel lost with little guidance is a big part of why she cares so much about supporting families through recovery. Today, she carries that passion into her work as an ANAD peer mentor, where she uses her lived experience to support her mentee, and through speaking on the 2026 FEAST of Knowledge panel.

Episode 019 Title: You Don't Have To Do This Alone: A Conversation for Male Caregivers (with Wayne Herring and Kevin Olmsted) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Kevin Olmsted and Wayne Herring, co-facilitators of Men of FEAST and fathers who each supported a daughter through an eating disorder and into recovery. Kevin, who left his career in the wine business to become a full-time caregiver during his daughter's seven-year recovery journey, and Wayne, a business and life coach who navigated a crisis hospitalization at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, share the distinct roles they each played and the emotions they carried — fear, hopelessness, failure, and grief over what their daughters lost. Together they give listeners a genuine look inside Men of FEAST, a virtual support group for dads and other male caregivers, and explain what makes it different: the permission it gives men to be present, to be honest, and to ask for help. Listeners will come away with a clear message from two men who have been through it: you don't have to face this alone, and recovery is possible. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:02 Guest Introductions: Wayne Herring and Kevin Olmsted 03:31 Wayne's Journey: From Talk Therapy to CHOP 08:16 Kevin's Journey: An Overnight PhD in Eating Disorders 12:37 Day-to-Day Roles in Recovery 18:36 Identity, Roles, and the Male Caregiver Experience 27:29 What They Wish Someone Had Said Earlier 30:56 Fear, Failure, and Mourning What Was Lost 35:47 What Is Men of FEAST? 39:23 Permission, Progress, and the Power of Peer Support 42:41 Encouraging Male Caregivers: Don't Leave the Room 45:26 Closing Thoughts: Hope and the Possibility of Recovery SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ Men of FEAST: https://feast-ed.org/men-of-feast/ Kevin Olmsted's memoir, Scared Dad Feeding: https://www.scareddadfeeding.com/ Guest Bios: Kevin Olmsted lives in Northern California with his wife of thirty-four years and is the father of two adult children, including a daughter now seven years into recovery from anorexia. A longtime member and co-host of Men of FEAST, Kevin left his career in the wine business seven years ago to serve as a full-time caregiver during his daughter's recovery. He is also the author of Scared Dad Feeding, a self-published memoir about his family's experience navigating his daughter's illness and recovery, and is frequently sought out by other families facing similar challenges. Wayne Herring lives on a twenty-acre farm in rural Pennsylvania with his family, where they raise pigs and cows. He is the father of five children, including a daughter who has recovered from anorexia. Wayne helped found Men of FEAST alongside other parents and now serves as a co-facilitator, drawing on both his lived experience as a caregiver and his work as a business and life coach to support other male caregivers. He is also an avid runner and lifelong learner who describes himself as grateful every day for his daughter's recovery.

Episode 018 Title: Voices of Hope: A Professional Boxer's Hidden Fight (with Danny O'Connor) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Danny O'Connor, a former elite professional boxer, Olympic team member, and author of Weight Class, to hear his firsthand account of battling an eating disorder across more than two decades of competition. Danny traces the origin of his disordered behaviors from his wrestling days in high school — where no one taught him healthy weight management — through his professional boxing career, where he spent years cutting weight in secret while hiding a binge eating disorder from coaches, nutritionists, and nearly everyone around him. He talks candidly about the difference between weight cutting and an eating disorder, what it felt like to lose control of the one thing he'd always been able to discipline, and the role his wife Diane played in keeping him afloat. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of how eating disorders hide in plain sight in weight class sports, why men are particularly isolated in this experience, and what caregivers can do — and be — when someone they love is struggling. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:02 Guest Introduction: Danny O'Connor 03:18 Childhood: Family, Food, and a Sandlot Life 06:02 Wrestling, Weight Cutting, and No One Telling Him Anything 13:33 Downward Spiral: Academics, Arrests, and Losing Wrestling 18:10 Finding Boxing: How a PAL Gym Changed Everything 20:57 How Weight Classes Work in Amateur and Professional Boxing 26:53 From Weight Cutting to Eating Disorder: When Control Vanished 31:08 Binge Eating and the Behavior He Couldn't Stop 36:25 Hidden in Plain Sight: 15 Nutritionists and Still Silent 41:58 Isolation, His Wife Diane, and Finding the Right Supports 49:00 Recovery Isn't Linear: Treating the Eating Disorder Like an Opponent 01:01:12 What Danny Wants Caregivers to Know SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ Danny O'Connor's book, Weight Class: https://www.amazon.com/Weight-Class-Fighters-Life-Death/dp/B0GMY44348 Guest Bio: Danny O'Connor is a former elite professional boxer who grew up outside of Boston and was a member of the 2008 United States Olympic Boxing Team. As an accomplished amateur, he captured multiple national titles, including the US National Championships and the National Golden Gloves, establishing himself as one of the top fighters of his generation. O'Connor turned professional in 2008 and competed at the highest levels of the sport for more than a decade, compiling a professional record of 31 wins and holding the WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Championship. Following his professional career, O'Connor became a vocal advocate for greater awareness around weight class sports and eating disorders in men. Through his book Weight Class, he gives a voice to the many men who suffer in silence, drawing directly from his career in boxing and his firsthand experience battling an eating disorder in and out of the ring.

Episode 017 Voices of Hope: The Power of Parents in Recovery (with Kinsey Dalbec) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Kinsey Dalbec, an eating disorder therapist at Equip who is also 13 years into her own recovery from anorexia nervosa. Kinsey shares the story of developing anorexia at 17, the crystal-ball moment in an adult treatment program that changed everything, and why her parents' refusal to back down was the single most important factor in her recovery. She and the hosts explore what leverage really means for parents of young adults, why the "once they turn 18, it's over" belief sells parents short, and how to set firm boundaries without damaging the relationship. Kinsey also describes what protecting recovery looks like more than a decade later and offers direct, practical encouragement to any caregiver feeling powerless. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:03 Guest Introduction: Kinsey Dalbec 02:53 Kinsey's Story: From "Healthy Eating" to Anorexia 08:20 The Turning Point: A Crystal Ball in the Adult Program 10:48 What Helped Most: Parents Who Wouldn't Back Down 13:17 When Help Doesn't Feel Like Help 15:24 How Recovery Led to a Career in Eating Disorder Treatment 20:28 The Therapist She Needed but Never Had 22:46 The 18 Myth: Why Parents Still Matter for Young Adults 27:15 Redefining Leverage as an Act of Love 31:15 Empowering Parents to Trust Their Instincts 35:51 Unconditional Love Means Getting in the Trenches 39:09 Setting Boundaries Without Losing the Relationship 43:51 Protecting Recovery: The McDonald's Test 46:39 Spotting Sneaky Eating Disorder Behaviors 49:34 Final Words: Don't Sell Yourself Short SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ FEAST blog post: https://feast-ed.org/dear-mom-and-dad-thank-you-for-saving-my-life/ FEAST Family Guide: https://feast-ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FamilyGuide_UsingLeverage_2025_v2.2.pdf Guest Bio: Kinsey Dalbec is an eating disorder therapist currently working at Equip who has also been in her own recovery from anorexia nervosa for 13 years. After developing anorexia at 17 years old, she received Family Based Treatment, which eventually led her to full recovery. She is now a married mother of two young children and uses her life experience and clinical expertise to help patients and families navigate their own treatment and recoveries.

Episode 016 Title: Treating to the Traits: An Introduction to Temperament- Based Treatment with Supports (TBT-S) (with Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck, clinical psychologist and co-developer of Temperament Based Treatment with Supports (TBT-S), to explore a model of eating disorder care built on neuroscience and personality research. Dr. Knatz Peck explains what TBT-S is, how specific temperament traits—like anxiety, perfectionism, and harm avoidance—are overrepresented in eating disorders, and why treating to the trait rather than against it changes everything. The conversation covers how parents can access TBT-S, what the five-day intensive format looks like, and why understanding the biology behind their child's behavior helps caregivers show up more effectively. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:16 Guest Introduction: Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck 01:36 What Is TBT-S and Why It Was Developed 06:00 The "S" in TBT-S: Why Words and Supports Matter 08:22 What Temperament Actually Means 11:23 Temperament Traits Across Eating Disorder Subtypes 17:27 Traits as Gifts: Treat to the Trait 25:04 Honoring Traits Without Colluding with the Eating Disorder 30:06 How Environment Interacts with Traits 32:17 Why Parents Are the Primary Agent of Change 36:14 Neurobiological Empathy: What Parents Gain from TBT-S 38:33 How Families Access TBT-S: Intensives and Provider Training 43:58 Case Study: Finding Engagement After Years of Being Stuck 49:23 Three Practical Tips for Supports SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ FEAST Blog Post-Laura Hill PhD: https://feast-ed.org/how-temperament-influences-support-given-to-loved-ones-with-eating-disorders/ Bright Mind Therapy (Dr. Knatz Peck's clinic): https://www.brightmindtherapy.com/ TBTS Institute: https://tbtstraining.com Guest Bio: Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck is a clinical psychologist and the founder and clinical director of BrightMind Therapy. She is a practitioner-scientist trained in the UCSD Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry in child and adolescent mental health and evidence-based treatments for parents and youth. In addition to her role at BrightMind Therapy, Dr. Peck is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where she directs an Intensive Family Treatment (IFT) program for adolescents and young adults with eating disorders and their families. Dr. Peck is involved in clinical research underway at UCSD evaluating novel psychiatric treatments including psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and family-focused eating disorders treatment. She provides regular workshops and trainings around the world focused on parent training, family-based treatment, and eating disorders. Dr. Peck is passionate about high-impact treatments and working with youth, with a particular focus on adolescents. She is dedicated to ensuring that youth feel connected and safe while receiving high quality treatments that are rooted in science, adapted for age, family-involved, and last but not least, creative and fun! Outside of her professional life, she enjoys being in nature, surfing, yoga, hiking, writing, and spending time with her young daughter and husband. Born and raised throughout Central and South America to American parents, Dr. Peck identifies as “third-culture” which she credits for the value she places on openness, flexibility, and appreciation for diversity of opinion.

Episode 015 Title: Facing the Toughest Moments in Eating Disorder Caregiving (with Dr. Erin Parks) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Dr. Erin Parks, clinical psychologist and co-founder of Equip, to tackle the situations caregivers dread most: mealtime meltdowns, a child who seems to have stopped caring about everything, and the terrifying reality of self-harm and suicidality. Dr. Parks explains the neurobiology behind why consequences and rewards work differently in the eating disorder brain, and shares a vivid real-world example of how one family used that understanding to break through a months-long standoff. She also offers direct, compassionate guidance on how to talk openly about self-harm, when to involve emergency services, and how to protect your child while accepting the limits of your own control. Listeners will come away with practical tools for the hardest moments of caregiving and a reminder that imperfect support is still meaningful support. 00:00 Introduction, Disclaimer, and Content Warning 01:02 Guest Introduction: Dr. Erin Parks 04:40 When Meals Go Wrong: What to Do After You Snap 08:40 De-escalating in the Moment 11:35 Repairing After a Blow-Up 14:35 What Distress Tolerance Actually Means 23:48 Neurobiology 101: How the Eating Disorder Brain Processes Consequences and Rewards 30:19 The Shake Story: Finding the Key That Motivates Your Child 34:56 When Your Child Feels Nothing: Depression and Eating Disorders 39:22 Self-Harm and Suicidality: How to Keep the Conversation Open 47:53 Safety Planning and Imminent Risk 52:41 One Practical Tip: Choose One SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST programs and services: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ FEAST webinar - How to Talk to Your Child When ED Has You Walking on Eggshells: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6ibx-8YhWE Brainstorms podcast episode: https://brainstormsorg.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/episode-8-eating-disorder-interview-with-dr-erin-parks/ Guest Bio: Dr. Erin Parks is a clinical psychologist and researcher who co-founded Equip in 2019. Equip is now the largest virtual eating disorder treatment program in the United States. As Chief Clinical Officer, she leads the clinical and research efforts that keep Equip's outcomes best in class. Before Equip, Dr. Parks was on the faculty at UC San Diego, where she treated patients across all levels of care for eating disorders. She earned her PhD from UC San Diego and completed her undergraduate work at Northwestern University.

Episode 014 Title: Voices of Hope: Untangling OCD and Anorexia (with Kyle King) This episode is part of our Voices of Hope series. In these conversations, you'll hear from individuals who have walked through an eating disorder and come out on the other side. Our intention is to highlight that recovery is possible, relationships can survive, and even during the most challenging moments, hope is real. In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Kyle King, a second-year medical student at Yale and mental health advocate with lived experience of both OCD and anorexia nervosa. Kyle shares his journey from an OCD diagnosis at 12 to an eating disorder at 17, the ways anorexia drove him to lie to the people closest to him, what it was like to relapse in college and hide it from his parents, and how family-based treatment ultimately saved his life. He also offers a rare inside look at how OCD and eating disorders interact, why being male shaped his experience, and why he now dedicates his advocacy work to supporting caregivers. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:22 Guest Introduction: Kyle King 02:34 Kyle's Lived Experience: From OCD to Anorexia 05:47 When ERP Didn't Work: The Limits of OCD-Only Treatment 07:15 Family-Based Treatment and Starting to Recover 08:06 The Lying Piece: What Parents Need to Know 09:30 Relapse in College: Fabricating Weights and Hiding 13:13 How Being Male Impacted the Eating Disorder Experience 17:09 Lying to Therapists and the Role of Pride 19:31 Why Kyle Fabricated His Weight: It Wasn't for Himself 21:05 How OCD and an Eating Disorder Interact 24:26 Should OCD and Eating Disorders Be Classified Differently? 28:06 Temperament, Brain Circuitry, and Environment 29:15 What Parents Did That Helped Most 32:40 How an Eating Disorder Affects the Whole Family 37:02 OCD Unfiltered: A Program Built for Parents 41:08 Why Kyle Shifted His Focus to Caregivers 44:06 The Power of Parental Vulnerability 46:51 From Lived Experience to Psychiatry 49:41 Hopes for the Future of Eating Disorder Treatment SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST flyer: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/ Guest Bio: Kyle King is a second-year medical student at Yale School of Medicine. More central to his identity, however, Kyle is a mental health advocate with lived experience of OCD and anorexia nervosa. He serves as a National Advocate with the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), is the founder and co-leader of the IOCDF's Young Adult Special Interest Group, and hosts the IOCDF Research Roundtable. In addition, Kyle works as a research assistant in the Yale OCD Clinic and is a frequent speaker at OCD conferences across the country. His primary interests include investigating novel treatments for psychiatric conditions, addressing inequities in access to mental health care, and exploring the complex overlaps between OCD and related conditions such as eating disorders.

Episode 013 Title: Voices of Hope: A Mother and Daughter Reflect on Their Eating Disorder Journey (with Alexa Cohen) This episode is part of our Voices of Hope series. In these conversations, you’ll hear from individuals who have walked through an eating disorder and come out on the other side. Our intention is to highlight that recovery is possible, relationships can survive, and even during the most challenging moments, hope is real. In this episode, Laura Cohen sits down with her daughter, Alexa Cohen, to talk openly about Alexa's eating disorder diagnosis at 16, the hard road through family-based treatment and higher levels of care, and what their relationship looks like on the other side. Alexa, now 22 and working in inpatient eating disorder care, shares her perspective from both sides of recovery. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:02 Guest Introduction: Alexa Cohen 04:06 Life Before the Diagnosis: Ages 13–16 06:49 The Role of Lockdown, Social Media, and the ED Voice 10:02 How Laura First Learned Something Was Wrong 11:44 Starting FBT: Refeeding at Home During COVID 16:17 What FBT Felt Like from Alexa's Perspective 19:11 Why Giving In Was Never an Option 20:44 Finding the Right Treatment Team (and How Long It Took) 25:26 Deciding to Pursue a Higher Level of Care 32:00 College, Contracts, and Choosing Recovery 37:18 Alexa's Work in Eating Disorder Care Today 40:12 Advice for Caregivers Whose Kids Are in Treatment 45:49 What Alexa Would Tell Her 13-Year-Old Self 47:26 Advice to Caregivers: It Won't Ruin the Relationship SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FEAST website: https://feast-ed.org/ FEAST flyer: https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/