Peace Meal

Episode description: Hannah Howard is a writer and food expert who has spent her career in the food industry serving, bartending, cooking on a line, flipping giant wheels of cheese, managing restaurants, and now writing about food. She is the author of two memoirs, Feast: True Love In and Out of the Kitchen and Plenty: A Memoir of Food and Family. In this episode of Peace Meal, Hannah tells us about her complex relationship with food, describing how she once feared her own appetite. Food had been the center point of her career–her professional passion–and also a source of anxiety as she struggled silently with an eating disorder. Hannah describes how sharing her story in recovery has not only connected her to others with similar experiences, but also allowed food to be a source of joy and passion once again. In addition, she discusses the "good" and "bad" labels often applied to food and encourages everyone to approach eating with self-compassion and kindness. She reflects on her experiences of pregnancy in recovery, naming how she set boundaries at the doctor’s office and strives to set a good example for her children. Recovery is a process, one Hannah says she is still learning. We cover: How a career in the food industry could be especially complicated for those with an eating disorder How sharing your recovery story can help you find other people who know what you’re going through How to handle unwanted (and uncalled for) comments about our body, appearance, and food choices How we can improve how our children’s view their bodies by setting a good example ourselves How food can be a point of connection and culture In Hannah’s words: On her once-complicated relationship with food: “For so long, my food relationship has been characterized by, on the one hand, some really positive stuff, some passion, and celebration, and the love for food. On the other hand [was] this other darker, harder side.” On appreciating her body during pregnancy: “Our bodies are pretty amazing machineries. You know, even if we are not feeling great, our bodies do so much for us...I spent all this time being so hard on my body and so mean to my body, and here it is, bringing a person into the world.” On recovery: “Give yourself some patience, give yourself some time, and I really do believe that if it’s possible for me, it’s possible for anyone.” You can purchase Hannah’s memoirs, Feast: True Love In and Out of the Kitchen and Plenty: A Memoir of Food and Family, on Amazon and Bookshop. Follow Hannah on Instagram (@hannahmhoward) and on Twitter (@hannahhoward). Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. _ About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast hosted by The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative that covers topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Betsy is a long-time tennis coach, retired hospital attorney, and the author of a memoir titled The Longest Match: Rallying to Defeat an Eating Disorder in Midlife. Her inspiring message is that it is never too late to be a work in progress. Betsy is also an eating disorder recovery speaker, advocate, and peer support mentor who shows that it is possible to heal from past trauma and become healthier in body, mind, and spirit. In this episode of Peace Meal, Betsy discusses how she was taught to suppress her emotions growing up, how dealing with her trauma was the only way to recover from her eating disorder, and how you’re never too old to start healing. She tells us how the food she consumed as a child was completely controlled by her mother, and how that prevented her from learning how to eat intuitively. She also covers the combination of events that led to her developing an eating disorder in midlife. Betsy shares that telling her story in her memoir lifted the weight of her trauma and made her feel empowered and free. She emphasizes that you can recover, as long as you’re willing to put in the hard work and deal with the trauma you’ve experienced. We cover: Why positive comments about someone’s body can be damaging, even when they are said with good intentions How eating disorders can affect everyone, no matter their age How shame and stigma can prevent people with eating disorders from sharing their experience with the people around them How freeing and empowering it can be to tell your story How to cope with the difficulties the holidays can bring In Betsy’s words: On the shame and stigma surrounding eating disorders: “Like with most mental illnesses, there is so much shame and secrecy, and I think especially when you’re older, there’s probably even more shame and more secrecy. So, I didn’t share it with anybody… I was still trying to understand what this meant for me.” On writing her book: “I decided to write it for two purposes: one was to heal on the deepest possible level from the trauma I had been through and the other was to give hope and inspiration to others because, if I could do this, anybody could do this.” On making her recovery story public: “It has been so freeing having my story out there… It’s almost like I was carrying this heavy weight of trauma and emotions and experiences and by writing my memoir, that weight has been lifted.” On how to cope with the holidays during recovery: “The focus needs to be on recognizing how important self-care is… It’s okay to protect your mental health, even if the people you have to say ‘no’ to don’t understand.” You can purchase Betsy’s book, The Longest Match: Rallying to Defeat an Eating Disorder in Midlife, on Amazon, through her website, and more! You can also follow Betsy on Instagram (@betsybrennerauthor). Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. _ About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast hosted by The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative that covers topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Amy Gardner, MS, CEDRD, RYT, is the creator of the program iMove and the author of the book iMove: Helping Your Clients Heal from Compulsive Exercise. The book discusses the difference between movement and exercise, and how each relates to eating disorder recovery. In this episode of Peace Meal, Amy breaks down what compulsive exercise and movement are, both in and out of the recovery space, how to notice when exercise turns into a compulsion, and what to do when compulsive exercise starts to become the only way some individuals feel a sense of accomplishment. Amy provides insights based on her and her clients’ experiences with movement and offers different approaches to changing compulsive exercise routines. We cover: How compulsive exercise turns into a feeling of obligation and how some may operate their lives around their exercise routines Why slowing down exercise routines can be very uncomfortable, and how to address that The difference between the terms “movement” and “exercise” Questions to ask a healthcare provider if compulsive exercise is becoming a problem In Amy’s words: On realizing that compulsive exercise was a problem in her life: “It really didn’t even dawn on me until I started having a much different relationship with movement...when I started to incorporate yoga and meditation and I started to realize ‘wait a minute, what I’m doing with my body is not coming from a place of love and health, it really stems into my eating disorder.’” On what compulsive exercise can do to a person: “It’s more punishment-driven. It tends to lower mood [and] decreases energy so people have less energy because it is exhausting their bodies so they have less energy for other things in their life.” On the concept of exercise to become tired: “This concept that we need to purposefully exercise to experience movement or to achieve this state of calm. Which I think a lot of people will do, whether it’s because of stress or trauma...they will exercise to exhaust themselves so they can finally rest.” Follow Amy Gardner on Instagram (@imovewithamy) or Facebook (iMoveMethod). _ About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast that explores topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Lucie Waldman is the author of The Jots of Becoming, a book that features insights about recovering from anorexia and includes multiple Jewish excerpts. Lucie also runs an eating disorder recovery awareness and support account on Instagram, enjoys speaking for multiple platforms about the intersection between Judaism and mental health, and is deeply passionate about mental health, eating disorder recovery, and equity in the treatment setting. In this episode of Peace Meal, Lucie discusses how Jewish culture and religion should be considered in eating disorder treatment, how sharing your recovery story can be beneficial, and how small steps in recovery add up to a longer and stronger recovery. Reflecting on her own experience, Lucie shares that she had trouble finding recovery content that resonated with her, so she decided to turn her story into such a resource for others. Among the messages she wanted to share is that not everyone has a “magic moment” where they feel ready to start eating disorder treatment. What’s more important, she says, is being willing to take small steps toward recovery. Lucie also examines the complex relationship between Judaism and her eating disorder recovery, underscoring the need to take into account intergenerational trauma and other cultural considerations during treatment. She concludes the episode by telling anyone struggling that every time they defy their eating disorder, it adds up to a longer and stronger recovery. We cover: Unhelpful messages to hear in recovery Why refraining from mentioning numbers in eating disorder recovery resources is much better for those in recovery who are consuming the content The importance of considering religion and culture in eating disorder treatment How sharing your eating disorder story can be healing and help others heal Advice to anyone suffering with an eating disorder who thinks that recovery is not possible for them In Lucie’s words: On feeling “ready” to start eating disorder treatment: “Having willingness to start recovery is sometimes more important than readiness.” On the importance of personalized eating disorder treatment: “Some of the traditional approaches to family therapy are not as relevant to Jewish clients. There is sort of this aspect of, ‘Oh if a family member is not good for you, you should just cut them out.’ But for me, I never resonated with that because the family unit is something that’s so highly valued.” On the process of recovery: “It might not happen tomorrow or next week, but all the small steps you’re doing towards recovery are adding up. Every meal, every snack, every time you defy the eating disorder once, is adding up to a longer and stronger recovery. It’s a long road, but eventually, through all the work, it does pay off.” You can find Lucie's book, The Jots of Becoming: A Journey of Hope and Recovery, on Amazon. You can also follow the nonprofit organization @projectheal, which is mentioned in the episode. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. _ About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast hosted by The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative that covers topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Kelsey is a pediatric registered nurse working on her master’s degree in psychiatric nursing. In this episode of Peace Meal, she shares her eating disorder and recovery story, including the impact of her faith and her college environment on her experiences of illness and recovery. Though Kelsey had seen many medical providers growing up, she says her relationship with food long went unquestioned. She had concerns about her eating but struggled in silence for years. She didn’t yet have the language to name her disordered eating, often describing her anxiety and stress more generally instead. She faced barriers getting help in college—a stressful environment already—but only found lasting support after an interaction at church. A person of faith, Kelsey turned to her pastor, who told her that her illness required professional support. Prayers alone would not heal her. After being connected with new resources, she says she became honest with her secrets with her family and made a “no more lying” rule with her parents. Her sister and niece were also strong motivations to help her recover and to model and practice body positivity. Kelsey leaves us with insight and hope for college students, people of faith, or anyone struggling with an eating disorder. We cover: How warning signs of eating disorders can go unnoticed by professionals How faith and religion can play a part in recovery The benefits of family support to the recovery process The experience of recovering during the pandemic Advice for college students who struggle with body image In Kelsey’s words: On the importance of professional help: “Prayer wasn’t going to do it alone. We needed professionals. We needed a team of people.” On the missed opportunities to find support earlier: “Beyond my primary care, there were so many people who disregarded and just didn’t recognize my underlying issues. From doctors to dentists to physical therapists, there are like a hundred instances.” On life in recovery: “I think you might expect it to be not messy, but it still is… It’s messy without an eating disorder, [but] it’s better! Life in recovery is beautiful.” Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. _ About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast that explores topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Dr. Laura Hill is an international eating disorder consultant focusing on brain-based eating disorder treatment approaches. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University and Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at The University of California, San Diego. She is one of the original founders of the Academy for Eating Disorders and the Director of the organization now known as NEDA from 1990 to 1994. In addition, Dr. Hill is the founder and former President and Chief Executive Officer of The Center for Balanced Living. In this episode of Peace Meal, Dr. Hill introduces an emerging brain-based treatment called Temperament-Based Therapy with Supports (TBT-S). TBT-S helps people with eating disorders understand their unique temperament so that they can use it as a tool for recovery. Distinguishing between traits and symptoms, Dr. Hill explains that temperament includes traits like impulsivity, introversion, and determination, while symptoms include eating disorder behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. She emphasizes that temperament traits are neither good nor bad; what’s important is how they are applied. TBT-S helps people with eating disorders and their support people use their traits more productively to aid in recovery. Dr. Hill also talks about the importance of support in treatment and recovery. In the end, she addresses how providers can use TBT-S to complement other treatment approaches. We cover: The basics of Temperament-Based Therapy with Supports (TBT-S) How TBT-S is supported by brain research How people with eating disorders can use TBT-S to express their traits more productively and aid in their recovery The role of support people in the TBT-S model How TBT-S differs from and complements other treatment modalities In Dr. Hill’s words: On the traits we’re all given: “Traits are genetically endowed. You don’t get to choose your trait, you just try to make them better.” On the importance of temperament to eating disorder treatment: “What we are finding is that eating disorders have a huge relapse… Our theory is that the relapses are due to us not addressing the traits enough.” On the difficulty of imagining life without an eating disorder: “When clients say, ‘I can’t imagine my life without ED,’ they were telling us the truth. I can’t imagine my life without my traits because it’s who I am.” Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast hosted by The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative that covers topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: ​​Kathryn is a 31-year-old woman who enjoys cooking, hosting friends, teaching music, and getting lost in nature. Best known for her big heart and passion for life, she lives in a larger body and advocates for people to take up more space. Kathryn joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to share her eating disorder story, including how living in a larger body has impacted her recovery. For over 20 years, food was the center of Kathryn’s life. She kept trying to figure out what was happening on her own, blaming herself for her struggles. After talking with the people closest to her, she decided to seek help even though she didn’t have a lot of hope that anything would work. As soon as Kathryn reached out for help, however, she says it felt like a “warm hug.” In speaking with an eating disorder specialist, she discovered that she did, in fact, have an illness. It was not her fault. While she experienced many barriers throughout her recovery living in a larger body, she grew to learn that all food is good food and that you should take up as much space as you need. With the support of her treatment team, friends, and family, she learned how to take care of herself, live as the most authentic version of herself, and make sure all her needs are met. We cover: How a decades-long struggle with food led to an eating disorder diagnosis The possible obstacles of the eating disorder recovery process How our culture invalidates eating disorders, especially if the person is in a larger body What it’s like to be in an eating disorder treatment group as the only person in a larger body The importance of taking up the space you need In Kathryn’s words: On her relationship with food before recovery: “Food was my higher power. It affected my emotions. It controlled everything. Food was always the focus… It was suffocating.” On life in recovery: “Freedom is probably the best word. I energetically take up all the space that I need. I make sure that my needs are met… I just get to be me. There are no more lingering clouds of doubt… I just get to live now.” On her advice to someone currently struggling with an eating disorder: “Choose healing above anything else.... Living life the way you have been and choosing a path of recovery… Both are hard, but choose healing.” Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. _ About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast that explores topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Shikha Advani is an incoming master’s student and dietetic intern at Boston University who is passionate about eating disorders awareness, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion in the nutrition and eating disorder fields. As a teenager, Shikha battled anorexia and orthorexia. She hopes her story can help others with eating disorders, no matter where they are in their recovery process. In this episode of Peace Meal, Shikha discusses what her relationship with food and her body was growing up, how professionals and her loved ones responded to her eating disorder, and how she believes nutrition and eating disorders curricula in universities could be improved. She talks about the weight bias and racism she experienced as a South Asian woman living in a larger body, including the praise she received from doctors for weight loss. Shikha also emphasizes the importance of therapy in addition to any other kind of treatment for eating disorders. In addition, she dives into what her dietetics curriculum at her university was lacking, including topics like social justice, fat positivity, and more, and what it was like to push back against outdated ideas. Finally, she discusses her hopes for the future of the dietetics and eating disorder fields. We cover: How weight bias can prolong an eating disorder diagnosis Why recovery from anorexia is more than just weight restoration How eating disorders can take away the joy of food How Shikha pushed back against the weight-centric curriculum of her university What Shikha’s hopes are for the dietetics and eating disorder fields going forward In Shikha’s words: On the true meaning of food: “[I’ve] learned that food is more than what you should put in your body… food is joy, food is something that represents culture, food is so much more.” On the future of the dietetics and eating disorder fields: “I’m really hoping to see a lot more diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field. I’m seeing a lot of people talk about why diversity is important, but a lot of people tend to forget about the equity and inclusion part of it.” On inherent worthiness: “Diet culture is rampant and there’s constantly people around you that will tell you, you are not worthy because of the size of your body, the color of your skin, but you’re strong and you’re worthy.” Follow Shikha Advani on Instagram @nutrition_by_sa Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. _ About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast that explores topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Dr. Dana Harron is a practicing psychologist, the founder and director of Monarch Wellness & Psychotherapy, and the author of Loving Someone with an Eating Disorder: Understanding, Supporting and Connecting with Your Partner. She joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to discuss how partners of people with eating disorders can support their loved one through illness and recovery. Dana discusses the common mistakes that partners of people with eating disorders can make and how to avoid those mistakes. She also provides practical tips for approaching a partner when you notice unhealthy behaviors and how to respond when a partner shares that they are struggling with food or their body. In addition, Dana covers useful strategies for supporting a partner during eating disorder recovery, emphasizing the importance of self-care to this process. We cover: The impact of eating disorders on close relationships Mistakes commonly made by partners of those with eating disorders How to approach a loved one when they display warning signs of an eating disorder What to say when a loved one shares they are struggling with food or their body Strategies for self-care and for caring for your partner with an eating disorder In Dana’s words: On the confusing nature of eating disorders: “Eating disorders are particularly tricky for loved ones because it seems choiceful. I think it’s really important to keep in mind that it is not. Nobody would decide, ‘I don’t want to be properly nourished.’” On communicating with a partner who has an eating disorder: “You don’t have to say the perfect thing. In fact, the pressure to say the perfect thing, I think, is part of what makes people say all kinds of things that are very far from perfect. Just shoot for good enough." On respecting our different struggles: “We all have a different cognitive set. So for one person, food is difficult; for another person, sleep is difficult. I often say, telling someone with an eating disorder to ‘just eat differently’ is like telling an insomniac to ‘just go to sleep.’ It’s not that easy." Learn more about Dr. Dana Harron on her website. Find a copy of Dana’s book, Loving Someone with an Eating Disorder: Understanding, Supporting and Connecting with Your Partner, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. _ About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast that explores topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Lisa Whalen, PhD, is the author of Stable Weight: A Memoir of Horses, Hunger, and Hope. Her writing has also appeared in An Introvert in an Extrovert World, The Simpsons’ Beloved Springfield, Introvert, Dear, and Adanna, among other publications. Lisa teaches writing and literature at North Hennepin Community College and is an equestrian and volunteer for the Animal Humane Society. In this episode of Peace Meal, Lisa describes two key components of her eating disorder recovery: writing and horseback riding. Underscoring the multifaceted nature of the healing process, she reflects on how writing and riding each offered unique lessons for her mind and body. Writing, she explains, supported and extended her therapy lessons, while riding provided a space to put the lessons into practice. Lisa introduces us to a few of the horses that served as mentors throughout her recovery, highlighting the lessons they could teach us all about staying present, taking up space, and being imperfect. She then translates how these and other recovery “nuggets”—the wisdom learned from horses, writing, and therapy—continue to serve her life and career. We cover: The mental health benefits of writing, even if we never share our writing with others What horses can teach us about taking up space and owning our imperfections The power of body language in both animals and people How traits like perfectionism, high sensitivity, and introversion can be harnessed for good Why recovery—like all growth and learning—is best taken one step at a time In Lisa’s words: On the therapeutic role of horses: “For me, riding horses felt like a therapy practicum… I learned all this stuff while I was in therapy, and the horses were forcing me to practice it over and over.” On embracing imperfection: “There’s no end to the learning. There’s no perfect. You’re always working toward it, but it’s never a standard because the horses aren’t perfect—and they don’t care if they’re perfect or not.” On the support of therapy: “It started off for me as a safe space. It was this place I could go and I could talk about all the worst stuff about myself and there was no judgment. She was only rooting for me. She only wanted me to succeed and to be happy and healthy, and she had the tools and the skills to help me do it.” Learn more about Lisa on her website and follow her on social media @LisaIrishWhalen. Find her book, Stable Weight: A Memoir of Horses, Hunger, and Hope, at Hopewell Publications and on Amazon. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Emily Layden is a writer and former high school English teacher from upstate New York. A graduate of Stanford University, her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Marie Claire, The Billfold, and Runner's World. She joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to discuss her debut novel All Girls. We explore the depiction of disordered eating and anxiety in the book and society more generally, using Emily’s experience with the co-occurring concerns as context along the way. We center our conversation on one of the characters of All Girls, Macy, who struggles with clinical anxiety and an eating disorder resembling ARFID. Emily tells us about her decision to write Macy as she did, eschewing graphic descriptions of behaviors to highlight Macy's anxious thoughts instead. She describes what she hopes All Girls adds to the larger conversation about eating disorders and the adolescent females among whom eating disorders are particularly prevalent. Emphasizing the importance of taking both eating disorders and young women more seriously, we explore how society tends to think similarly of both. We cover: The relationship between anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and disordered eating/eating disorders How exercising compassion with her students became a way for Emily to exercise compassion for herself How our culture routinely dismisses or trivializes eating disorder stories and other experiences prevalent among young women How one character in All Girls, Macy, can widen our cultural understanding of eating disorders What the reader response to Macy says about changing attitudes toward eating disorders and mental illness In Emily’s words: On the connection between anxiety and disordered eating: “Macy is anxious, you see in her chapter, about so many things entirely unrelated to her body or to food. But she copes with that anxiety through avoidant and restrictive behaviors.” On typical eating disorder depictions: “So often when we have a depiction of an eating disorder on TV or in literature, it tends to be this very narrow reflection of the experience.” On the parallel between society’s understanding of young women and of eating disorders: “I think that there’s this whole culture that says that girls are not really whole people and thinks that they are trivial or overly emotional… and I think we see a lot of that same flattening with our cultural thinking about eating disorders.” Find Emily on Instagram @emilylayden and at emilylayden.com. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Holly Toronto is a Certified Master Level Coach who specializes in body image. She has five years of experience helping people stop prioritizing other people’s expectations of beauty, belief, or behavior so that they can live their life from a place of wholeness, fully aligned with the truth of who they are. Holly joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to explore factors that impact our relationship with our bodies, as well as some strategies to improve it. Holly first unpacks how purity culture shaped the way she learned to relate to her own body. Messages about sexuality contributed to body distrust and triggered negative body image at a young age. Her body shame increased as she grew into early adulthood and experienced acne. She adopted a “pure food” diet meant to clear her skin, but lost weight and received validation for that instead. Though it seemed normal and even “healthy,” in reality, the highly restrictive diet was taking a serious toll on Holly’s mental and physical wellbeing. And then came a turning point. Holly shares how finding intuitive eating impacted her life and career by challenging misguided ideas of health and set her on a path toward food freedom and body trust. She dispels common myths about intuitive eating and describes how she walks alongside her clients who adopt it. Emphasizing the importance of body trust and partnership, she offers tips for anyone seeking to heal their relationships with their bodies. We cover: The parallels between sexual purity and “pure” or clean eating Myths and realities of intuitive eating The far-reaching impact of body image healing How to relate to your body as a partner instead of an object How to honor and trust our body signals In Holly’s words: On the gifts of intuitive eating: “What intuitive eating gave me was a sense of trust in my body—that I don’t have to manipulate her for her to be healthy. For her to be strong. For her to be exactly what she needs to be. I needed to disconnect the weight from the worth and the weight from the health.” On the importance of body trust: “This body that we live in was our original life partner. And like any partnership, trust is the foundational element.” On connecting to ourselves: “Body image healing can be a gateway back to ourselves—to a sense of deeper homecoming, connection to ourselves, and what we want to be putting out into the world.” Find Holly on Instagram @holly.toronto. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Maddy Walters is a psychology student passionate about eating disorder research and advocacy. She brings her passion and personal experience to this episode of Peace Meal to help us examine the intersection of social media and eating disorder recovery. We explore what it's like to share your recovery online and to engage with others sharing theirs. Maddy reflects on what she’s learned by creating a recovery Instagram account and how her recovery has evolved in the time since she did. Highlighting the key benefits and challenges of participating in an online recovery community, she offers insight into both the rewarding and tricky parts. She emphasizes the importance of protecting and prioritizing recovery—online and off—and leaves us with practical strategies for others trying to heal in a social media world. We cover: Why and when Maddy decided to create a recovery Instagram page Finding solidarity, support, and encouragement in people who are also recovering The impact of triggering content online, including that which is intended as recovery inspiration Strategies for engaging with social media in recovery Resources to practice and protect your recovery both online and in real life In Maddy’s words: On encountering triggering content on social media: “If I see something that’s really good about a page, but there’s still so much that’s making me feel bad… I block, I restrict, I unfollow. Because there are a lot that don’t do that.” On what’s good about eating disorder recovery: “What’s not good?! I really just cherish every single day since I can actually enjoy it and understand what’s good about it instead of just focusing on myself.” On protecting your recovery when using social media: “It’s so important to guard your space.” Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Katie Price is a registered nurse and yoga teacher whose understanding of what it means to care for bodies—both hers and others'—has been shaped by her recovery from anorexia. She cares deeply about walking alongside others struggling with eating disorders and hopes that by sharing her story, she can offer hope and support. In this episode of Peace Meal, Katie offers exactly that. She shares the many gifts within her story of illness and healing, revealing the light, growth, and support that can be found in moments of darkness and challenge. Katie begins with an honest account of life with anorexia, an illness her parents recognized early on. A meal plan, weight checks, and outpatient appointments were established quickly, but the eating disorder fought to maintain its hold. Katie found herself caught in a “tenuous dance” between it and recovery. The eating disorder led Katie to what seemed like the lowest point possible. “It felt like the darkest, rockiest bottom I could have ever imagined,” she reflects about the moment she entered a higher level of care. But there, at the hospital, is not only where she started to crawl out of the pit of anorexia, but also where she began to realize the gifts of connection, support, and hope she'd continue to find along her journey. Describing her life now, Katie paints a picture rich with feeling and meaning. It is not free from challenges—far from it, especially as a nurse during the pandemic—but still, she notes, it beats the days spent in illness. Even when it’s hard, she says, “I’m present to it, and it’s the fullness of life that I fought so hard for. And it’s so much better than my eating disorder—even when it’s a lot to handle—so I’m endlessly grateful for that.” Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Abby Anderson is a business school graduate who works a corporate job and is passionate about mental health, yoga, and personal development. Diagnosed with anorexia in the summer of 2018, she has experienced a series of ups and downs worth noting to anyone with an eating disorder or disordered eating. In this episode of Peace Meal, Abby tells us about the process of her eating disorder recovery, including the shifts in motivation she has experienced during it. She begins with the rock-bottom moment she first sought help. Exhausted and physically depleted, she recalls being highly motivated to make a change then. But, as is typical in recovery, her motivation ebbed and flowed as time went on, and she learned why healing is often described as a nonlinear process. “Your body catches up a lot before your mind does,” she says. In the process of recovering both physically and psychologically, disordered behaviors crept back into Abby's life. Her “unhealthy voice” got louder the more she engaged in these behaviors, and the pressures of the college environment didn’t help. Returning to treatment allowed Abby to recommit to and strengthen her recovery, a process that continues today. She has insight into the common barriers to healing, as well as tools to maintain motivation. Abby shares several strategies that have been helpful to her healing, emphasizing the power of supportive environments and people. Reflecting on her own experience, she concludes with words of advice for those currently feeling unmotivated or ambivalent about recovery: “The best thing I ever did—and the hardest thing I ever did—was take my hands off the steering wheel and give it to someone else. . . give it to a professional.” Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Kenzie Osborne is a mental health blogger, chef, recipe developer, and former NCAA athlete. After battling intensely with anorexia, she was able to find peace with food through cooking, traveling, and learning about the many benefits food has on the mind, spirit, and body. Kenzie shares her story with us in this episode of Peace Meal. We begin by discussing a label long attached to her—“the healthy and fit one”—and its impact on her identity. A daughter of doctors and sister to high-performing athletes, she felt immense pressure as part of a family defined by health and athletics. “That’s who [others] knew my family was. That’s who they expected me to be,” she reflects. “And I felt like when I lived up to those expectations, I was accepted and I was praised, and I would get really positive feedback.” As Kenzie’s “healthy” eating and exercise were validated, her eating disorder grew stronger, and its impact was far-reaching. Terrified and unable to be present around food, she missed out on social events. She faced health complications. Her wellbeing, her athletic performance—her life—suffered. Still, as it often is in a culture that normalizes disordered eating, it was hard to recognize that she had a serious illness. After a gym teacher expressed concern, Kenzie told her parents she needed help. Immediately, her family lent generous support in ways both traditional and creative. They joined Kenzie at meals—both virtually and in person, for however long they took—and started playing games inspired by shows like Chopped and Guy’s Grocery Games. “It was so cool because it got my mind away from the nutrition for a second and it put it on the creativity,” she says of her family’s Food Network-inspired nights. Kenzie took her new interest in food to culinary school, which both challenged and strengthened her eating disorder recovery. Gradually surrendering long-held control in food preparation, she began to see food as more than a nutrition label. She discovered what normal eating looks like—and what it tastes like. She opened her eyes to food’s various cultural, social, and creative elements. Culinary school, along with traveling, helped Kenzie appreciate food as integral to a full life. In addition to cooking and developing recipes, she celebrates food now by photographing and writing about the life-affirming moments we can share around a meal. Kenzie’s blog is currently under construction. For now, find her on Instagram at @coachkenzieosborne. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Kesslee is a young professional, part-time coach, wife, and dog mom. She is passionate about serving others to become the best version of themselves and using her journey to help them along the way. Kesslee joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to share how perfectionism manifested during her eating disorder and recovery. She begins by recognizing the challenges of being a Division 1 distance runner. Under pressure to be small and lean for the sport, Kesslee restricted food while training more and more. The core issue, she says, was a belief that she was not enough—not for her coaches and not her parents. Now, Kesslee has tools and strategies for combating the lie that says she is a failure. She offers a practical exercise and recommendations for those similarly worried that they’re not enough, emphasizing the power of therapy and meaningful relationships as well. Equipped with this professional and personal support, she is now focused on adding small nurturing and empowering things into her life. She strives to use her perfectionism for good and carries with her a bold affirmation: “I have been put on this earth to take up space and become stronger.” Get help from The Emily Program by calling 1-888-364-5977 or by visiting emilyprogram.com/your-recovery/get-help-now. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Christie Dondero Bettwy is the Executive Director of Rock Recovery, a nonprofit that uniquely combines clinical and community care to help people overcome disordered eating. In this episode of Peace Meal, Christie shares with us her personal and professional experience with eating disorders. She first traces her path through illness and healing, highlighting the risk factors that contributed to her disorder as well as the community that helped her find freedom from it. Then she unpacks her decision to enter the eating disorders field–including how and when she knew she was “recovered enough” to translate her personal experience and passion into a career at Rock Recovery. Finally, Christie helps us reflect on the tremendous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating disorders. We discuss how COVID-19 has triggered and exacerbated these illnesses, and how we, as a field, must work collaboratively and creatively to meet the tremendous need for care now and beyond the pandemic. Learn more about Rock Recovery at rockrecoveryed.org, and follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Charlotte Markey, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology and Health Sciences at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey. She has researched body image and eating behaviors for nearly 25 years, and is the author of The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless. Charlotte joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to discuss adolescent body image. Offering research and practical insight into the multifaceted topic, she notes that body image encompasses far more than whether we like our bodies. She touches on its various dimensions and implications in the everyday lives of adolescents and teens. Body image has long been considered a women’s issue, and our understanding of the unique experiences of boys and men is still evolving. Research on body image in trans and nonbinary youth lags even further behind, Charlotte notes, but it is clear that adolescents of all genders are suffering from body image concerns. Tools for helping this population develop a strong body image are particularly important, especially given that disordered eating and eating disorders often manifest during adolescence and young adulthood. One strategy Charlotte offers is to think of our bodies not in terms of how they look but instead of what they allow us to do. “[Our bodies] allow us to experience the world, and so many people grow up feeling like their body is the problem. Instead, I think it’s just so much healthier to think about… no, your body actually allows this all to happen,” she says. To help children value body functionality over appearance, Charlotte stresses that adults must model the lesson themselves. They can avoid commenting on their own and others’ physical appearance and shift the focus to internal traits, teaching adolescents that they are valued for who they are instead of how they look. Charlotte acknowledges the difficulty of promoting positive body image in an image-conscious, diet-obsessed world. Countering society’s messages about appearance and diets requires careful thought and continual practice. But it can be done, she maintains. Learn more about The Body Image Book for Girls online, and find Charlotte on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Melissa Louise Johnson is a Marriage and Family Therapist, adjunct professor at Bethel University, and the founder of the Impossible Beauty blog and podcast. Through her work at Impossible Beauty, Melissa is on a mission to expand and renew beauty, as she believes the American brand of beauty is divisive, destructive, and far too narrow. Melissa explores the concept of beauty with us in this episode of Peace Meal. She describes how cultural beauty messages impacted her childhood, adolescence, and the development of her eating disorder, as well as how she recognized and reckoned with these messages in recovery. Appearance standards were set early in Melissa’s life. Animated princesses, sitcom actresses—all of the media's kind and “good” characters—reinforced a singular image of beauty. External beauty was important, the media showed. And beautiful meant thin. On top of these media images, another layer of cultural messaging emerged in Melissa’s adolescence and early adulthood. These messages, Melissa sees now, included disordered ideas about food and body. Her peers actively engaged in diets and swapped diet culture messages, all of which reinforced dieting as a means to meet the thin beauty ideal. It was in eating disorder treatment that Melissa began to critically examine society’s messages about beauty, thinness, and dieting. In group therapy, she observed how these messages had impacted other people’s lives, her heart breaking at all the damage they inflicted. “We’ve been so lied to about what beauty is and our worth,” she came to realize. Increasingly aware of these cultural lies about physical appearance, Melissa sought to redefine the concept of beauty for herself and others. Toward that end, she created Impossible Beauty, a blog and podcast that aim to expand narrow societal standards. In her work at Impossible Beauty, Melissa differentiates between culture’s fleeting, fickle standards of beauty and true beauty, which is eternal and unchanging. The blog and podcast invite others to examine appearance expectations as well. “There is actually another path that we can take that actually values our humanity and the sacredness of us as eternal beings—who have so much value beyond how we align or don’t align to this very small picture of beauty,” Melissa says. Find Impossible Beauty at impossible-beauty.com and on Instagram. Connect with Melissa on Instagram at @melissa.louise.johnson. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Jaeden Luke is a singer-songwriter who wrote the single “Beautiful” for his older sister Kianna, who experienced and fully recovered from an eating disorder. Kianna is a graduate of St. Martin’s University, a young adult group ministry leader, and the author of a forthcoming book about her healing journey, The Cross That Set Me Free. Jaeden and Kianna join us in this Peace Meal episode to explore the sibling experience of eating disorders. The brother and sister pair recall how Kianna’s eating disorder impacted their relationship as well as how their relationship—and “Beautiful”—helped her heal. The siblings have always been close, they share. But Kianna’s eating disorder wedged itself between her and her brother, as is characteristic of these isolating illnesses. Entrenched in the depths of her disorder, Kianna grew distant from the family and friends so meaningful to her. She turned down plans and hid from others, her eating disorder isolating her in misery and darkness. It was hard to accept help and love. Jaeden describes the difficulty of witnessing the dimming of Kianna’s light and stealing of her spunk. Though he didn’t understand what was happening, he remembers that one feeling was clear: “I just felt like I was losing a lot of her.” Feeling confused and helpless, he turned to a means of expression most familiar to him, music. Jaeden wrote “Beautiful” for Kianna in the early stages of her recovery. His goal in writing the song, he reflects, was to package a message of comfort that would travel with her anywhere. No matter what, the song would be a reminder that he would always be there. In a Peace Meal first, Jaeden then plays the song live, sharing his encouraging anthem again with Kianna as well as anyone affected by these illnesses. “You are so beautiful,” he sings, strumming his guitar in rhythm. Kianna takes us to the moment she heard the song for the first time. She recounts the complex mix of emotions she felt then: shock, love, and determination along with the numbness that often comes early in recovery. “It was incredible,” she says, “and it gives me goosebumps every time.” The two then unpack the lyrics of “Beautiful.” For Jaeden, they captured Kianna’s journey as he saw it, and for Kianna, they inspired her to commit to recovery more fully and actively. More determined after hearing it, she hoped that one day she would believe its resounding chorus. Reflecting on their own experience, Kianna and Jaeden offer advice for other siblings, including creative ways to reach out to those struggling in isolation and darkness. They champion support that is less about “fixing” things and more about walking alongside your loved one in love and presence. Hear “Beautiful” on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, and YouTube, and learn more about Jaeden on his website and Instagram. Watch for more news of Kianna’s book, The Cross That Set Me Free, soon. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Rachel Wilshusen is a dynamic writer with liberal arts degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, University College London, and the University of Cambridge. After an extensive battle with anorexia, she wrote Emancipated Love Junkie: Liberating Myself From Anorexia to embolden others to follow her path toward recovery. Rachel shares with us her experience of eating disorder recovery in this episode of Peace Meal. She illustrates it as a multi-step, nonlinear journey that began the moment she first reached out for help and continued well into and after her stay at an eating disorder center. Treatment provided the necessary structure, education, and tools to help Rachel launch her healing, and then her task was to implement the lessons learned into her own life. To actively value her health, she says she relied on continued support from eating disorder professionals and a regular practice of self-care. She reminded herself again and again, even when she couldn’t quite believe it was true: She deserves to treat herself well. With repetition and practice, Rachel has been able to quiet her inner critic and treat herself as she would treat her best friend. Self-kindness allows her to handle slips along the way and to reframe her perspective when negative, self-defeating thoughts come. It also helps her to keep her perfectionism and desire for control at bay. Some of the biggest gifts of Rachel’s recovery include the ability to respect, trust, and affirm the power of her body and the opportunity to learn more about herself. She shares how her relationship with her body evolved with pregnancy, as did her appreciation of nutrition. These big and “mini-wins” along the way, Rachel concludes, are what make her recovery. It has indeed been a nonlinear process—but a beautiful one. To put it short? It’s a “manifestation of self-love,” she says. Rachel’s book is available in print and digital form on Amazon. Her blog, Live Free & Happy, is on her website, rachelwilshusen.com. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Kiera Russo is a student at The University of Notre Dame, studying Film, Television, and Theatre. An eating disorder survivor, she hosts the podcast Heavier Than I Look, which aims to empower other survivors, educate listeners, and foster conversation surrounding eating disorders. By finding meaning in her own suffering, Kiera hopes to fight against the silence that eating disorders demand and to liberate others from the same demand. In this episode of Peace Meal, Kiera shares with us her eating disorder and recovery story. She traces the beginning of her illness to the time following eighth grade. During this period of transition, stress, and anxiety, Kiera started running to prepare for her school’s track team. But, she says, “it easily and quickly turned into…a mechanism for me to control not only how many calories I would allow myself that day, but also how much weight I could possibly lose.” While Kiera’s eating disorder was taking root, people around her inadvertently reinforced it by remarking positively on her behaviors and body changes. These comments validated the disordered behaviors, all the while worsening her illness. After years of struggling in silence, shame, and confusion, Kiera opened up about her illness in a class poetry assignment. She recited the poem in front of her classmates, uttering the words “eating disorder” for the first time and acknowledging that she had one. At this moment, Kiera gave herself her voice and revealed it to others. While sharing her experience was an important step in Kiera’s overall story, it did not resolve her eating disorder. She continued to struggle with restricting and bingeing in secret, experiencing a taste of freedom only temporarily when she entered college. Surrounded by friends who had healthy relationships with food and their bodies, she was able to eat without concerns about weight and body. It was a “blindingly euphoric” time, she says. Unfortunately, additional comments about her weight triggered food and body concerns again. Immense fear returned to mealtimes, and darkness encroached upon her life. At this point, Kiera revealed to herself that she needed help. Despite the obstacles to seeking help, Kiera successfully advocated for the professional care her eating disorder required. Equipped with proper support, she pursued recovery while quarantining last year. She ditched the scale, journaled, and rethought her identity, relationship with food and body, and vocational plans. Born out of her recovery was Heavier Than I Look, her podcast which has transformed her plans for her future and kindled her sincere desire to amplify her and others’ voices. Listen to Heavier Than I Look on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and PodBean, and follow the show on Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Dr. Shauna Frisbie is a Licensed Professional Counselor, an approved Supervisor for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC-S), a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist (CEDS), and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). She has taught psychology, family studies, and counseling since 2001 and is currently a Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lubbock Christian University. Shauna joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to discuss the value of sharing and discussing visual content in therapy. Her phototherapy techniques are described in her 2020 book, A Therapist’s Guide to Treating Eating Disorders in a Social Media Age. Images, Shauna explains, and the stories we attach to them provide insight into deep emotional processes and responses. “When I do phototherapy with clients, I’m really trying to help them explore the meaning behind these images,” she says. In treating images as communicators of meaning, she and other trained therapists can help facilitate emotional awareness and processing with clients. Shauna outlines how social media and smartphones have made images more relevant than ever, especially for young adults in a developmental stage of identity searching and relational skill development. For those susceptible to eating disorders, this increased exposure to images can be especially problematic. Shauna explains how phototherapy can help uncover how visual content impacts clients’ relationship to their bodies and/or sense of identity, as well as offer means of healing. Learn more about Shauna at drfrisbie.com, and find A Therapist’s Guide to Treating Eating Disorders in a Social Media Age at norton.com/author/22703/shaunafrisbie. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

**Content warning: This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences in recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, and symptoms. This episode includes mention of sexual assault. Please use your discretion when listening and speak with your support system as needed. Episode description: Miranda Snyder is a student in the Honors College at the University of Maine, where she is studying to be a high school ELA teacher. A strong proponent of storytelling-based advocacy, her past and current advocacy efforts emphasize the power of lived experience. The power of Miranda’s lived experience is on full display in this episode of Peace Meal. She shares with us her eating disorder story, charting it from illness to “quasi-recovery” to full recovery. When Miranda first underwent treatment for anorexia in eighth grade, she felt she had little say in the matter. She received ample support from friends, teachers, and friends, but her participation in care was more passive than active. Although she achieved nutritional rehabilitation, she continued to struggle with strict food rules and routines for the next several years. She lived in so-called “quasi-recovery.” “I figured, ‘This is as good as it’s gonna get,’ she says, reflecting on that time. “I would be doing the best I could and be achieving so well, but I would always have an ED in the back of my mind.” And then came a turning point. Earlier this year, Miranda realized that she is “worth so much more than a quasi-recovered life.” She entered treatment again, this time on her own terms as a 21-year-old. Miranda put her whole self into recovery, making it a project that received her full focus and dedication. She voraciously took notes in virtual “eating school,” relied on support from family and friends, and regularly journaled affirmations and plans for her future. In moving beyond quasi-recovery, Miranda has found space for things far more meaningful than disordered rules and routines. She’s better able to engage in coursework, research, and advocacy, she says, as well as relationships with others. She’s more present, more centered. She has claimed a sense of self rooted in her true values—and a life fully free from the leech that is an eating disorder. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Brittany Braswell is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN) who runs a virtual private practice for those struggling with food and body image concerns. In both individual and group settings, she helps clients reduce their anxiety and disordered behaviors so that they can achieve lasting freedom from the bondage of their eating disorders. Brittany joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to explore recovery from a faith-based perspective. For many, she explains, faith is a belief system more powerful than an eating disorder, one in which people can trust when distancing themselves from their illness. To place trust in faith during recovery, Brittany emphasizes the importance of intentionality. “I think being able to reconnect to those values or to your faith is really about turning down the eating disorder volume and getting really intentional about identifying and listening for those healthy voices,” she says. As those healthy voices become louder in recovery, people can also strengthen their connection with their bodies and nutritional needs. Faith can augment a non-diet approach like intuitive eating, Brittany says, highlighting the alignment she sees between scripture and intuitive eating principles. She explores this connection in greater detail in her eBook, Faith Over Fear. A key to recovery—for people of faith and otherwise—is finding eternal worth and an identity separate from the eating disorder. “Once you know your worth and identity,” Brittany says, “place your identity in that thing that’s unshakeable.” To learn more about Brittany and her faith-forward approach to recovery, visit her website at brittanybraswellrd.com. There you can find her free eBook, Faith Over Fear: Ditch Food Rules and Nourish Your Body Without Guilt, information about the services she offers, and other resources. Brittany is also on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Maddy Kit is a woman in recovery who is writing a book about her experiences with anorexia and other obstacles. She hopes to share her story with the world to help anyone going through something similar. Maddy joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to share her recovery story. She tells us first about developing anorexia at nine years old and the barriers to care she experienced at this young age. She then reflects on how her eating disorder evolved in the context of bullying and isolation, as well as a severely traumatic event in high school. Though her illness was not a choice, she notes how it did provide some short-term comfort and illusory control in the face of these painful experiences. She then goes on to describe how she came to accept eating disorder care. Initially resistant to it, she understands recovery now as a life-saving experience, one that has allowed her to realize her worth beyond her body and to pursue interests like writing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Mark Schindler is an NBA writer and podcaster for SB Nation and his co-created site, Premium Hoops. Mark joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to reflect on his eating disorder experience, particularly as it relates to his pursuit of a professional boxing career. His food and body image concerns manifested in the sport and contributed to an eating disorder that extended far beyond it. Sharing how his illness compromised both his physical and mental well-being, Mark warns of the dangers of weight-cutting and offers a definition of health that encompasses more than appearance. Strewn throughout the episode are meaningful words of advice and comfort for those considering recovery. Find Mark on Twitter @MSchindlerNBA. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Susan Burton is an editor at the public radio program This American Life and a former editor of Harper’s. Her radio documentaries have won numerous awards, and her writing has appeared in Slate, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and others. Susan’s debut book, Empty: A Memoir, is out now from Random House. In this episode of Peace Meal, Susan tells us about Empty, a personal story of her eating disorders long kept hidden. In describing her experience with binge eating disorder (BED) and anorexia, she poignantly recounts how the illnesses felt both destructive and protective, both safe and stifling. They functioned in part, she says, as ways to cope with longing and a deep desire for human connection. Understanding now that BED and anorexia were equally harmful and isolating, Susan shares myriad lessons from the perspective of someone still recovering. In this liminal space of recovery, she continues to learn how to sit with discomfort, balance emotional highs and lows, and practice self-compassion with the help of therapy and family support. Empty is available at local bookstores and on Amazon. Connect with Susan via her website, Instagram, or Twitter. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Note: Since the recording of this episode, our guest has changed his name and pronouns to Dev, he/him. We respect and affirm that gender identity can continue to evolve over time. At the guest's request, the original audio will remain unchanged to reflect the conversation as it occurred. We are pleased to update this blog to honor Dev's current identity. Episode description: Dev Seacrest, Ph.D. (he/him) is a non-binary math professor who is passionate about advocating for mental health and showing that eating disorders affect a variety of people. In this episode of Peace Meal, Dev speaks to his eating disorder experience as a non-binary person. He shares how negative body image in early childhood morphed into anorexia in adolescence, and how body image continued to be relevant to his gender journey and eating disorder recovery. Crediting karate, self-advocacy, and social connection as important tools in recovering from his anorexia, he reflects on the progress he's made and offers strategies for others suffering. He also shares how the eating disorder community can be more gender-affirming and competent in the language we use and services we provide—a generous and important contribution given the disproportionate rates of eating disorders among trans and/or non-binary people. Contact Dev via email with any questions. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Teresa Schmitz is the powerhouse coach behind mybestselfyet.com, a website and blog recently launched to help others define and become their best selves. She discovered her own best self while in recovery from a midlife eating disorder. Teresa joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to share her eating disorder experience, including the personal, professional, and age-related factors that complicated her relationship with food. She tells us how providers have focused on weight throughout her life, encouraging various diets and appetite suppressants with the sole aim of weight loss. Then, Teresa says, a diagnosis of binge eating disorder finally connected her to meaningful care and community support. Eating disorder recovery has helped her redefine her relationship with food and her body, nurture her sense of self outside of career accolades, and restore her physical, emotional, and mental health. Learn more about Teresa on her website and connect with her on Instagram. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Lisa Wingårdh is a yoga teacher based in Stockholm, Sweden. Fully devoted to helping others reconnect with their body and breath, she is especially passionate about eating disorder recovery given her personal experience with anorexia and bulimia. In this episode of Peace Meal, we discuss the role of yoga in eating disorder treatment and recovery. Lisa shares her journey to discovering yoga and describes the ways it has nurtured her body, mind, and soul. Speaking from experience and training, she explains the benefits of yoga to those healing from eating disorders as well as reasons people might find the practice intimidating or challenging. She also offers gentle advice for making sure our yoga practice remains self-compassionate and customized to our own needs and lives. Learn more about Lisa on her website, wingardhwellness.com, and find her on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Dr. Heidi Dalzell is a licensed clinical psychologist in the greater Philadelphia area with 25 years of therapy experience. She specializes in treating eating disorders and body image concerns, especially in women at midlife. Heidi joins us in this episode of Peace Meal to discuss midlife eating disorders. She explores the cultural, biological, and life-stage factors that make women susceptible to eating disorders at this point in life. Among them are societal appearance ideals of thinness and youthfulness, aging-related weight and shape changes, and changes in relationship roles and dynamics. Heidi explains the unique barriers midlife women face in seeking care, including shame, stigma, and lack of access to age-appropriate treatment, and then identifies how we can better serve this population. Emphasizing that recovery is possible, she encourages anyone struggling with an eating disorder to reach out for help. Learn more about Heidi on her website, talktogrow.com, and check out her Facebook support group, Eating Disorders at Midlife. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Johanna Kandel is the Founder and CEO of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, a national non-profit dedicated to eating disorders outreach, education, early intervention, and advocacy. Having recovered from an eating disorder herself, she is a passionate and prominent advocate for mental health and eating disorders legislation. In the last of our three-part series on eating disorder advocacy and policy, Johanna joins us to talk about the personal experience of advocacy. First she opens up about her own eating disorder, recovery, and journey to advocacy. She then describes how her closeness to the issue has fueled and challenged her advocacy efforts, how her professional and personal motivation has evolved over time, and how she focuses on opportunity instead of cynicism. Underscoring the importance of personal voices and lived experiences, she concludes by encouraging others to get involved. Learn more about The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness at allianceforeatingdisorders.com and about The Emily Program at emilyprogram.com or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Chase Bannister, MDIV, MSW, LCSW, CEDS, is the president of the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC), the federal advocacy organization that advances the recognition of eating disorders as a public health priority. In this episode of Peace Meal, Chase describes the EDC and its members, its mission and goals, and how it engages in eating disorders education and advocacy. He emphasizes the importance of community, strategy, and persistence in advocacy, as well as the immense power we have as constituents. He then explains two of the EDC’s current policy efforts, the Nutrition CARE Act and the SERVE Act, and offers easy ways we can get involved. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Attorney Katrina Velasquez is the Founder and Managing Principal of Center Road Solutions, a public policy firm that works with the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC) to advance eating disorders as a public health priority on Capitol Hill. Katrina takes us through the federal legislative process in this episode of Peace Meal. She outlines how ideas are introduced as bills, discussed and amended by committees, and ultimately voted on to become laws. Describing the influence of politics, timing, and leadership, she shows how the process can be lengthy and involved. Citizen participation, however, is vital and not as intimidating as it may seem. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: In this episode of Peace Meal, we chat with a Division 1 soccer player, Cece Muskovac, about eating disorders in student athletes. Cece shares how sports have impacted her relationship with food and body, and how her eating disorder once held captive the personality traits that make her a strong athlete. She describes how she came to appreciate, fuel, and listen to her body and find recovery with the support of her coaches and teammates. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Bronwen Clark is a Los Angeles-based therapist and the author of Don’t Be Weird: A Memoir of Food and Feelings, a book that chronicles her journey through eating disorder treatment. In this episode of Peace Meal, Bronwen reflects on the client experience of treatment, including its rewards, challenges, and lasting impact. She explores lessons learned, the difficulty of transitioning between treatment centers and across levels of care, and the search for an identity outside of a diagnosis. She concludes by offering advice for those considering treatment now. Read more about Don’t Be Weird on The Emily Program’s blog, and find Bronwen @bforboundless on Twitter. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: In this episode of Peace Meal, writer Lindsey Hall reflects on the online recovery community, where she has shared the nitty-gritty details of eating disorder recovery for over six years. She describes how writing publicly about her experience has both protected and challenged her ongoing process of healing. To create a more compassionate, inclusive recovery community, Lindsey encourages us to practice vulnerability and grace when telling our stories and hearing those of others. Learn more about Lindsey on her blog, and find her on Instagram and Facebook. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.

Episode description: Author and psychotherapist Thom Rutledge joins Peace Meal to discuss how people with eating disorders can prioritize recovery during the coronavirus pandemic. While “Ed”—the eating disorder—may try to co-opt the current cultural anxiety and changes in food, exercise, and environment for his purposes, Thom explains how we can intervene. With the support of others, we can reclaim our power and use the situation as an opportunity to strengthen our recovery efforts. Thom Rutledge, LCSW, is the author of Life without Ed (with Jenni Schaefer), as well as Embracing Fear, The Self-Forgiveness Handbook, and more. Learn about Thom and his work at thomrutledge.com, and find him on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: In this episode, author Chrissy Cahill recounts her daughter Alexandra’s battle with anorexia. Alex struggled with the eating disorder for 18 years and ultimately died from it at the age of 33. Following Alex’s death, Chrissy gained entry into her daughter’s private, painful world through Alex’s writings. Chrissy published these writings to educate others about life with an eating disorder, weaving them into a book called Fatal Reflection. Chrissy chronicles her experience of writing the book, describes the loving, strong person Alex was, and shares how the eating disorder affected the different members of her family. Find Fatal Reflection on Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers. Learn more at https://www.austinmacauley.com/author/chrissy-cahill. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Kitty Westin is an internationally known advocate for those with eating disorders. Since losing her daughter Anna to anorexia in 2000, she has worked tirelessly and tenaciously to improve access to eating disorder care. In this episode Kitty reflects on two decades of advocacy, including her role in creating treatment centers, a non-profit organization, and the historic Anna Westin Act, the first eating disorders legislation passed into federal law. Honoring Anna’s spirit throughout, she encourages others to voice their own experiences to create change. Learn how you can get involved at eatingdisorderscoalition.org. Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: When an eating disorder affects a child or adolescent, it affects the child’s parents and caregivers as well. In this episode, Raffaela discusses the impact of her daughter’s eating disorder on her family. She describes how she continues to fight alongside her daughter, navigating treatment and the challenges associated with it. She addresses the confusion, isolation, frustration, and exhaustion commonly felt in this situation, and emphasizes the importance of patience, self-care, and a strong support system. To underscore the importance of support systems, Raffaela would like to thank those who have supported her family in her daughter’s journey toward recovery. "Thank you to all of our family, friends, and organizations for your loving support," she says, "We could not do this without you." John & Anita Vacchio Nicholas & Janet DiStasio Joe & Josephine & Giovanna Tarulli Gino & Debbie Farone Jeff & Marissa West Laura Turner Paul & Heather Hemmer Shawn & Jen Drogen Mary Jo & Sage Daughton Earl & Ginny Wensel Michelle Morales & Family Ronald McDonald of Connecticut Prime Care/Easter Seals of NY Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. — Follow The Emily Program on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Peace Meal’s Recovery Series features stories of those in eating disorder recovery in hopes of starting conversations, breaking stigmas, and encouraging healing. In this episode, we talk to Olivia McNeil. Olivia is a youth group leader from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She is passionate about helping and supporting others with their mental health journeys and spreading awareness about eating disorders. Olivia reflects on her own experience with eating disorder illness and healing. She describes her process of seeking help and achieving full recovery, and how she continues to protect this recovery. You can find us at The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

We had a fantastic time at The Emily Program's first live podcast event, Make Peace With You! Our discussion covered topics of perfectionism, social media, and eating disorder recovery. Episode description: Make Peace with You is a special live episode of Peace Meal focused on stories of embracing individuality and practicing self-acceptance. On November 2nd, host Dr. Jillian Lampert talked with world-renowned cross country skier Jessie Diggins and journalist Jana Shortal about how they learned to come to terms with body image issues and other challenges. — Episode show notes: Jessie Diggins was riding in her parents' ski backpacks before she could walk. Jessie has gone on to have a distinguished career in cross-country skiing, earning several honors for her sport. In 2018, Jessie revealed that had struggled with an eating disorder as a teenager, which set off a national conversation about eating disorders in athletes. By partnering with The Emily Program and WithAll, Jessie hopes she can change the narrative around body image and create a more positive, affirming society for people of all shapes, sizes, and identities. "Let's try to focus not on what our bodies look like, but rather what they can DO," Jessie has said. Jana Shortal is a reporter and co-anchor of "Breaking the News" on KARE 11. An accomplished journalist, Jana has won five regional Emmys in her career and is a member of the National Association of LGBTQ Journalists. Jana made headlines herself earlier this year when she spoke out on NBC's TODAY show about breaking the "unofficial dress code" for female on-air reporters and embracing her true sense of style. "Maybe because of me somebody will watch and say, 'I want to do that," she told TODAY. "And they won't think that they have to be somebody else because they saw me." During the podcast, we covered topics including why it's important that we don't expect perfection of ourselves, how to not live for "likes" on social media, and how pursuing recovery for an eating disorder can help us live our best lives. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Peace Meal’s Recovery Series aims to share stories of those in eating disorder recovery in hopes of starting conversations, breaking stigmas, and encouraging healing. On today’s episode, we talk to Rachel Moe. Rachel has struggled with anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction, and substance use disorder. Now a registered nurse, Rachel leads an eating disorders anonymous meeting in Duluth, Minnesota. — Episode show notes: Rachel Moe started using eating disorder behaviors in junior high. Rachel reflects on the years she spent struggling with her dual diagnosis of an eating disorder and substance use disorder until some significant turning points forced her to reach out for help. Rachel describes how embracing vulnerability and self-compassion helped her find her way through the recovery process. An alum of The Emily Program, Rachel is passionate about sharing her story and creating support systems for others who are struggling. In the episode, Rachel says “I realized that if I put half the amount of energy into my eating disorder into my recovery, I could do amazing things.” You can find us at The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Ancel Keys’ Minnesota Starvation Experiment was a 1944-1945 study where 36 men voluntarily starved themselves to aid researchers in discovering ways to help those affected by the war recover from starvation. While the study shed light on starvation recovery, it also became an important study in the eating disorder field. Susan Swigart, an Emily Program psychiatrist, explains why. — Episode show notes: Susan Swigart completed her psychiatry residency and child psychiatry fellowship at the University of Minnesota and is currently a psychiatrist at The Emily Program. Susan is open about having an eating disorder when she was a Division 1 gymnast in college, which she says led her to have a special interest in working with athletes. In addition to this, Susan co-authored the follow-up investigation of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. The Minnesota Starvation Experiment was conducted by Dr. Ancel Keys and took place at the University of Minnesota. This study aimed to look at the effects of starvation on health and to take that information and use it to help those affected by the war in Europe recover from starvation. The study was made up of 36 male volunteers. These 36 men were directed to lose 25% of their body weight to mimic the conditions of people in Europe. There were three parts to the study: a control period of diet adjustment to meet the individual’s ideal body weight, a six-month semi-starvation phase with the goal of dropping 25% of body weight, and a three month refeeding and rehabilitation period. During the entire study, the men were expected to maintain their normal lives. While the study was beneficial for those suffering from the war, it was also incredibly useful to eating disorder treatment specialists and researchers. The study found that 32 of 36 men were successful in losing 25% of their body weight. The four men who discontinued the study did so for various mental health reasons. Two had to be hospitalized due to negative emotional and psychological states. One struggled with binge eating and began eating from the garbage. Another became a compulsive gum chewer. Out of the men who completed the study, an additional five men had serious psychiatric symptoms. This proves that starvation can greatly affect one’s overall wellbeing and drastically change their outlook. These are only some of the negative effects that the men experienced during and after the starvation study. Due to these findings, the study proved to be useful for eating disorder research and treatment—and a follow-up study was completed. Susan Swigart discusses how she came to be a part of the follow-up study and how the follow-up study contributed to additional eating disorder research. From this second study, researchers learned about the long-lasting effects of starvation and changed our understanding of eating disorders. You can find us at The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ Blog image courtesy of the Keys Collection, CVD History Archive, School of Public Health -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram ** Blog image courtesy of the Keys Collection, CVD History Archive, School of Public Health.**

Episode description: Peace Meal’s Recovery Series aims to share stories of those in eating disorder recovery in hopes of starting conversations, breaking stigmas, and encouraging healing. On today’s episode, we talk to Abbie Scott. Abbie suffered from an eating disorder during her youth, continued on to pursue recovery, and now helps others who have struggled in her career as a registered dietitian. — Episode show notes: Abbie Scott is a Registered Dietitian at The Emily Program’s Anna Westin House in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is passionate about eating disorder prevention, yoga, and helping others develop positive food-body relationships. In addition, Abbie holds her 200-hour registered yoga teacher certification and has completed multiple trainings on the intersection of yoga, food, and body image. Abbie was officially diagnosed with the eating disorder EDNOS (now known as OSFED) when she was a preteen. Abbie discusses how comments she heard about losing weight, smaller being better, and problematic compliments affected the development of her eating disorder. These negative comments and body-based praise led Abbie to start restricting the types of food she would consume. This then turned into the micromanagement of everything she consumed. As Abbie’s weight dropped, her mom brought her to a therapist to discuss her food judgments and behaviors. She was eventually referred to a hospital-setting where the providers treated all types of mental illness and were not specialized in eating disorder treatment. This led Abbie to have a memorable experience that she states, “Scared her into recovery,” though she wishes she could have experienced more tailored treatment. Following her care at the hospital and ongoing therapy, with the support of her mom, Abbie began recovery. From therapy, Abbie began to untangle her food judgments and behaviors, while finding new ways to adapt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. After her recovery, Abbie pursued a degree in nutrition, which led her to The Emily Program. Abbie has been a dietitian since 2013 and says working with eating disorders was always her passion. To those struggling, Abbie says, “No matter what your eating disorder voice is telling you, it’s not the only answer. Yes, recovery is challenging but it does get easier.” You can find us at The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Exercise in eating disorder recovery is a hotly disputed topic. What type of activity is positive? When does activity become disordered? Is there a place for intense exercise in recovery? The Emily Program’s Director of Nutrition, Shena Washburn, joins Peace Meal to answer these questions and more. — Episode show notes: Shena Washburn is the Director of Nutrition at The Emily Program, where she oversees nutrition and food services programming. Shena is a former dance instructor and is passionate about helping those in recovery find food and body peace. We start this episode by discussing what types of exercise can be a risk factor for the development of eating disorders—key sports being gymnastics and cross country. Shena explains her preference for using the word movement over exercise because exercise implies control. Movement, on the other hand, can include any type of activity where your body is moving and it is a fluid term with little constraint. When understanding if exercise is excessive, one can ask certain themselves questions. Why am I playing this sport? What am I hoping to gain? Am I nourishing my body? How would I feel if I wasn’t able to do the activity one day? Do I feel pressure to look one way? By reflecting on the answers to these questions, individuals can learn about their food-body relationship and understand if it is negative and disordered. In addition to excessive exercise, there is also exercise avoidance. Individuals who are exercise-resistant often avoid exercise due to a dislike of movement, discomfort with their appearance or the social setting, and/or body trauma. For these individuals, eating disorder treatment and tailored therapy can be particularly helpful at addressing the root causes and behaviors. Shena wraps up the podcast by discussing how individuals can find a proper level of activity and what she recommends to those in recovery. Shena recommends that those struggling from food, body, or exercise issues should seek specialized care and be very aware of the intentions behind their activities. Shena believes the purpose of movement should be joy and purpose. You can find The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Peace Meal’s Recovery Series aims to share stories of those in eating disorder recovery in hopes of starting conversations, breaking stigmas, and encouraging healing. On today’s episode, we talk to Hannah Johnson. Hannah developed anorexia during high school and found that it was exacerbated by society and stress. Hannah shares her recovery story and words of wisdom to those currently in treatment. — Episode show notes: Hannah Johnson is a Food Service Assistant at The Emily Program’s Toogood location in Minnesota. Hannah has her Bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and she is actively pursuing her credentials to be a registered dietitian. In high school, Hannah saw a photo of herself playing lacrosse that caused her to pick apart her body and start losing weight. In addition to negative body image, an unhealthy relationship and a stressful job contributed to Hannah developing anorexia. After struggling with anorexia over the summer, Hannah’s family started talking to her about her eating habits and body image. After talking to a family friend that also struggled with an eating disorder, Hannah realized she had a problem and needed help to get better. During recovery, Hannah made an effort to reach out to friends and family that could be there to hold her accountable during recovery. In addition, she focused on eating well and exercising an appropriate amount. With support from those around her and an understanding of eating disorders, Hannah found recovery and went on to pursue a dietetics degree. While in school, Hannah realized that she enjoyed working in the mental health field, which led her to The Emily Program. Hannah says recovery is worth it because she can finally live without fear or concern about her body. At the end of the episode, she gives her best advice to those currently struggling with an eating disorder—seek treatment. You can find us at The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram