Nourish & Empower
Have you ever felt like you could use a little extra support when working on your relationship with food and your body? Join Jessica, a Licensed Professional Counselor, and Maggie, a Registered Dietitian & Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, along with special guests, as we chat about mental health, nutrition, eating disorders, diet culture, body image, and so much more. Together, we have close to 20 years of experience working in eating disorders and mental health treatment. Let’s redefine, reclaim, & restore the true meaning of health on The Nourish & Empower Podcast.
The Eating Disorder Support System You Didn't Know Existed
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The scariest part of an eating disorder is often the beginning, when you finally admit something is wrong and have no idea where to turn next. We’re joined by Simone Seitz, Executive Director of the Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders (CRC for ED), and Caroline Rutledge, a licensed clinical mental health counselor and board president, to map out what real support can look like when the system feels confusing, expensive, or out of reach.
We talk about how CRC4ED has grown over 20 years into a North Carolina no...
Men, Eating Disorders, & the Pressure to be Perfect
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Looksmaxxing. Protein obsession. Teen guys in the gym before sunrise. And, in the most extreme corners, men literally trying to “fix” their faces and bodies to match an online ideal. We’re joined again by Eric Pothen to talk frankly about what he’s seeing in men’s eating disorder recovery right now and why the pressure feels louder, younger, and more algorithm-driven than ever.
We get into how social media shapes male body image, how to slow down the moment you feel pulled toward a harmful behavior, and what it looks like...
The Oreogate Food Fight
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A “no Oreos” message in a kindergarten parent group chat shouldn’t be headline-worthy, but the blow-up says everything about diet culture, control, and what kids learn when adults moralize food. We walk through the Oreo Gate timeline from the original request to the school’s response, the side chat drama, and the moment the kids take over by turning Oreos into contraband, crumbs, and even a playground reward.
From there, we zoom out to the real issue: restrictive feeding and the unintended consequences of “forbidden foods.” We talk about deprivation, why scarcity...
Chronic Illness, Body Image & Nourishment
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Chronic illness can quietly take over everything: your schedule, your energy, your relationships, and eventually your identity. We sit down with Jennifer Zator, LCSW, a therapist who specializes in chronic illness, eating disorders, and body image, to talk about what it actually looks like to stay connected to who you are when your body and capacity keep changing. If you’ve ever felt like your diagnosis is running your life, this conversation offers language, tools, and a lot of compassion.
We get honest about grief and the messy duality of accepting li...
Your Body Is Not a Postpartum Before & After
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The postpartum period can feel like you’re recovering from something huge while the world keeps asking you to “snap back” and smile through it. We wanted a more honest conversation, so we brought on Emily Henning Kuzmanoski, a licensed therapist at Healing on Hudson in Hoboken, New Jersey, who specializes in eating disorders, disordered eating, body image, anxiety, and major life transitions. Together, we name what so many parents experience but rarely say out loud: your body can change in real ways, your relationships can shift overnight, and your brain is doing nonsto...
Recovery on Campus: Friends, Roommates & Sorority Life
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College is supposed to be a fresh start, but if you are living with an eating disorder, trauma, anxiety, or depression, that “new chapter” can turn into the perfect storm fast. We sit down with Lindsay James, LCSW, an eating disorder and trauma therapist at Hilltop Behavioral Health, to talk honestly about what actually changes when you move to campus and why those changes can destabilize recovery even when you feel motivated. We get practical about the stuff no one puts in the brochure: dining hall culture, limited food options, freshmen not having cars...
Is It Ever Okay To Comment On Someone's Body?
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A single comment about someone’s body can feel harmless, even caring, until you zoom out and see what it reinforces: diet culture, comparison, and the idea that our bodies are public property. We sit with the discomfort of recent online discourse around Ariana Grande and ask the question people keep dodging: is it ever appropriate to comment on someone’s body, even when it comes from concern?
We break down why you cannot diagnose an eating disorder or “health” from appearance alone, and how speculation can backfire by pushing people into sha...
The Audacity of Imposter Syndrome
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Your brain can call you a fraud in seconds, even when you’ve done the work, earned the credential, or lived the experience. We get honest about what imposter syndrome actually feels like, starting with a surprisingly relatable moment: going back to the gym after time away and feeling sure everyone is watching, judging, and waiting for you to mess up. That same inner narrative can show up anywhere, from motherhood to friendships to big career steps.
We also dig into why clinicians like therapists and dietitians are especially prone to im...
Contemplating Treatment? Let's Talk Admissions
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The hardest part of getting help is often the moment before help begins: that first phone call. We sit down with Alycia Aldieri, a behavioral health professional, who leads admissions for eating disorder treatment programs, to explain what “higher level of care” actually looks like from the inside and how the admissions process can be supportive, clear, and deeply human.
We walk through the real flow of admissions step by step: the first call that gathers basics and offers validation, the deeper clinical screening that reviews mental health history and eating diso...
Choosing Confidence in a Thin-Obsessed World
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Your jeans fit yesterday, the “same size” won’t go past your shoulders today, and suddenly you are questioning everything. We are talking about the messy intersection of body image, clothing, and summertime pressure, and why it can feel so hard to stay present when your brain is nitpicking your body. Maggie and I keep this one conversational and real, including a quick trigger warning up front, because diet culture and eating disorder recovery topics deserve care. We dig into a truth that does not get said enough: you can leave an argument with so...
What If Meeting With A Dietitian Felt Safe?
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People hear “dietitian” and picture rules, judgment, and a perfect plate. We want to replace that stereotype with something more honest: nutrition counseling that feels human, collaborative, and actually useful. We’re joined by Mia Bailey, RD, who works with eating disorders and body image using a HAES aligned, weight-inclusive, evidence-based approach. Together, we unpack why some clients have real “horror story” experiences with nutrition care and what it looks like to try again without forcing instant trust. Mia shares how she starts by asking what didn’t work before, explains her philosophy clearly, and...
The Summer I Tuned Out Diet Culture
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Summer can feel like a spotlight you never asked for. The beach, the pool, family photos, patio dinners, and travel routines can crank up body image anxiety, diet culture thoughts, and old eating disorder patterns even when you truly want to have fun. We talk honestly about what makes this season so activating and how to create more memories than regrets, without pretending it’s easy.
We get practical about vacation prep: packing outfits that support your real body on real days, trying clothes on ahead of time, and using mantras th...
GLP-1s, Boundaries, and Protecting Your Recovery
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GLP-1 medications are no longer just a headline, they’re showing up at family parties, in group chats, and at work. When bodies change fast and the story is “I’m just eating cleaner,” it can stir up a messy mix of grief, anger, jealousy, confusion, and shame, especially for anyone healing their relationship with food. We wanted a real conversation that doesn’t flatten this into good or bad.
We’re joined by Jillian Higbee, LPC and founder of Higbee Counseling, to unpack GLP-1s through the lens of eating disorder rec...
Are We Self Diagnosing Typical Human Experiences?
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The internet can hand you a mental health label in 30 seconds and that speed is exactly the problem. We sit down with Kyra McFadden, LPC and founder of the Emotional Processing Project, to talk about what gets lost when TikTok therapy turns complex clinical work into bite-sized “if you do this, you have that” certainty.
We start by catching up on Kyra’s path since her last visit: earning her license, moving into doctoral work in applied psychology with a focus on equity in health systems, and publishing books and tools that c...
Does Harm Reduction Have a Place in Eating Disorder Recovery?
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Black-and-white recovery rules can sound “safe” on paper, but they often create the exact thing we’re trying to prevent: secrecy. We sit down with returning guest Johanna Scoglio, educator, writer, peer supporter, and author of *When the Water Still Holds Me*, to talk about harm reduction in eating disorder recovery and why it can be the missing bridge between clinical goals and real life.
We unpack what harm reduction actually looks like in practice, including a concrete example around movement. Instead of “never move again,” we explore nuanced questions that protect sa...
Recovery Isn’t Linear: If Recovery Feels Hard Right Now, Listen to This
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Healing can feel like you’re doing everything “right” and then one trigger knocks you sideways. We’re naming that experience for what it is: normal, common, and not proof you’re failing. Recovery isn’t linear, especially when you’re trying to rebuild your relationship with food and body image while real life keeps happening around you.
We talk about the difference between a relapse and what we jokingly call the “cha cha slide” moments, those slips and loops that feel awful but can still be part of progress. We share a clearer vi...
A Compassionate Conversation on Eating Disorders & Substance Use
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Treating an eating disorder while ignoring substance use is like trying to put out a fire while a second one burns behind you. We sit down with Leslie Plaia, Executive Director of Magnolia Creek and a licensed counselor with deep experience in eating disorder treatment, addiction recovery, and program leadership, to talk about what integrated, dual diagnosis care actually looks like when someone is dealing with both.
We get practical about the clinical realities: why many programs require a primary eating disorder diagnosis while still addressing co-occurring substance use...
What If They’re Judging Me? Food Guilt, Body Image & Learning to Let Go
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Nobody at the beach is thinking about your body as much as you are and that truth can be weirdly freeing. We sit down for a candid, story-driven chat about food guilt, body image, and the spike in body scrutiny that hits when the weather warms up and social feeds get flooded with “shoulds.” If you’ve ever felt anticipatory anxiety about a swimsuit, a gym workout, or a meal that didn’t fit the rules in your head, we’re talking directly to you.
We share a simple but powerful tool we us...
From Doomscrolling to Disconnection: The Impact of Screen Time
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Your phone can be a tool, a comfort, a classroom, and a trigger all at once and your body often pays the price before you even realize it. We sit down with registered dietitian Kelsey McNulty, founder of True North Nutrition, to unpack how social media, screen time, and algorithm-driven content can shape eating behaviors, body image, and mental health, especially for people navigating disordered eating, chronic conditions, and recovery.
We get specific about what makes the scroll so sticky: dopamine, attention, and the “slot machine” effect of endless short-form videos. We a...
Consistent, Not Constant: Rethinking Support
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Want to help someone with an eating disorder without turning into the food police? We sit down with eating disorder dietitian Kelly May to get painfully practical about what to say, what to avoid, and how to build support that actually reduces shame instead of fueling it.
We dig into the real goal of support: increasing openness, decreasing isolation, and protecting autonomy, not controlling meals or trying to “fix” recovery with the perfect line. Kelly breaks down why vague, unlimited support often collapses, and how simple agreements made outside the hard mome...
You Deserve To Be Present On Your Wedding Day
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Wedding season can make even the most grounded person start negotiating with their body. Suddenly it’s not just a dress, it’s photos, comments, fittings, “just until the wedding” rules, and the fear that you’ll spend a once-in-a-lifetime day thinking about how you look instead of what you feel.
We get into the real pressure points: the subtle way families talk about weight, the way dress shopping can bring up anxiety when you don’t have the “movie moment,” and the ways fatphobia shows up in bridal spaces online. We also unpack w...
Noah Kahan's Silent Struggle: Masculinity, Body Image, and Finding a Voice
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He sells out Madison Square Garden, walks off stage, opens Instagram, and the first thought that hits is disgust about his body. That single moment in Noah Kahan’s Netflix documentary “Out Of Body” captures something we see constantly in our work: you can reach the goal you dreamed about and still feel hijacked by body dysmorphia, perfectionism, and a brain that won’t let you rest.
We recap the documentary through a mental health and body image lens, pulling out the scenes that made us tear up and the lines we can’t...
Beyond The Disorder: Finding Yourself Again
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A diagnosis can explain what you’re going through, but it should never get to decide who you are. We’re joined by Brianna Mainprize, a registered psychotherapist from Ontario, Canada, whose work in eating disorder recovery is grounded in both clinical experience and her own healing journey. Together, we dig into the moment many people quietly hit: when “I have anxiety” turns into “I am anxiety,” or when “I struggle with an eating disorder” starts to feel like the only identity that fits.
We talk about the signs your mental health label is...
Rewiring Recovery: ADHD, Neurodivergence, and Healing Your Relationship with Food
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Article written by our guest, Nikki DeRosa
 https://www.todaysdietitian.com/flexible-meal-planning-for-autism-and-adhd/Â
Most “healthy eating” advice is built for brains with steady energy, easy task initiation, and predictable appetite cues. If you live with ADHD, autism, or other forms of neurodivergence, that gap can turn food into a daily stressor and it can make eating disorder recovery even harder. We’re joined by registered dietitian Nikki DeRosa to unpack what neurodivergent-affirming nutrition actually looks like when you stop forcing one-size-fits-all rules and start designing support around real barriers.
We t...
The Wellness Trap: How Orthorexia Takes Hold
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A “healthy” diet can turn into a cage so slowly you don’t notice until your world gets smaller. After seeing orthorexia pop up in Scrubs, we pull the camera back and talk about what orthorexia actually looks like in real life, why it’s so easy to praise at first, and why the harm is still real even though orthorexia isn’t an official DSM diagnosis.
We unpack the overlap between orthorexia and anorexia nervosa, including restriction, body image pressure, and the relentless anxiety that comes from rigid food rules. We also di...
The Real Baggage: The Food Rules We Bring On Vacation
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Spring break is supposed to feel like a break, yet for so many of us it turns into a countdown of food rules, body checking, and “vacation ready” pressure. We’re talking about travel nutrition and body image in a way that’s realistic, compassionate, and grounded in what actually helps. If you’ve ever tried to restrict before a trip and ended up more bloated, more constipated, more anxious, and more distracted by food, you’re not alone and you’re not broken.
We walk through our go-to travel framework: adequacy, cons...
Rally for Recovery with the National Alliance for Eating Disorders
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A bathroom scale can become a judge, a ritual, and a cage and most people suffering from disordered eating learn to hide it well. We sit down with McCall Dempsey, founder of Southern Smash and a National Alliance for Eating Disorders advocate, and Johanna Scoglio, author of *When the Water Still Holds Me* and founder of A Dragonfly’s Dream, to talk about what happens when recovery stops being private and starts becoming community.
We get into Rally For Recovery and why it’s built differently: a morning focused on hope, conn...
Yoga For Every Body: Making Yoga Virtually Accessible
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What if yoga stopped asking you to earn your place and started meeting you where you already are? We sit down with Emily Anderson, a Pittsburgh-based yoga therapist and founder of All Bodies Welcome Yoga, to rethink movement through nervous system care, clear consent, and radical inclusion. No more “all levels” as code for bootcamp. No more stock-photo diversity without real access. This is yoga as a healing practice, not a performance.
Emily traces her path from sweaty power vinyasa to a therapeutic approach that brought amputees, pregnant students, folks with Park...
ANTM: How A “Reality Check” Missed The Reality Of Harm
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A glossy show sold us aspiration; the documentary showed us the bill. We revisit America’s Next Top Model with clear eyes and full context, unpacking how a franchise turned vulnerability into spectacle and then tried to hide behind “it was the times.” As two providers who grew up watching, we connect the dots between what we saw as kids—thinness worship, racial caricatures, manufactured humiliation—and what our clients navigate now: diet culture, body surveillance, and the pressure to perform pain for attention.
Across our conversation, we look at accountability that never...
For Those on the Long Journey: A Recovery Story for ED Awareness Week
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What if recovery didn’t have to be perfect to be real? We’re joined by author Johanna Scoglio, whose new memoir, When the Water Still Holds Me: Letters Through the Tides of a Long-Term Eating Disorder, opens a candid window into life with a long-term eating disorder and the everyday courage it takes to heal. Johanna shares how shame kept her silent for years, how harm reduction and values-based choices gave her traction, and why support that sits beside you beats pressure that pushes. The story of Friday pizza nights leading to pizz...
When Worth Isn’t A Size: Choosing Function Over Aesthetic
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If body talk leaves you tired, you’re not alone. We dig into the honest, nuanced space between loving your body and hating it—and why body neutrality can be the most freeing path forward. With one of us practicing as a therapist and the other as a dietitian, we blend emotional insight with practical nutrition tools to help you move through tough body days without sacrificing your life, your relationships, or your meals.
We start by defining body positivity, neutrality, and negativity in plain language, then show how diet culture twis...
ARFID Andrew Redefines Food Exposures
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Fear, texture, and shame don’t stand a chance when the stakes are low and the support is real. We’re joined by creator Andrew Luber also known as, ARFID Andrew, whose wildly honest food exposures have helped thousands put words to what ARFID actually feels like: a body that misfires at the sight, smell, and feel of certain foods, and a brain that plans the entire day around avoiding them. Andrew opens up about why rigid rituals backfire, how spontaneity reduces anticipatory anxiety, and the unexpected role of humor in building tolerance with...
Breaking Stereotypes & Embracing Yourself: Eating Disorder Recovery for Males
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 You can’t heal what you can’t name. We sit down with recovery coach and advocate Eric Pothen to name what often goes unseen: how eating disorders affect men, why stereotypes keep them silent, and what real support looks like when shame and masculinity collide. Eric’s story fuels a wider movement for representation—from launching EmbraceWare, an apparel brand that donates to treatment and sparks conversation, to building spaces where men can show up as they are and feel understood.
We dig into the signs most people miss in men: the...
Finding Your Therapist (and Why They Have Support Too)
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Ever wonder what makes good therapy consistently good? We open the door to the real work that happens off-mic and off-session: supervision, collaboration, and the ethical guardrails that keep clients safe and supported. With licensed professional counselor and supervisor Erin Scheidle, we unpack how individual and group supervision sharpen clinical judgment, reduce imposter syndrome, and translate directly into clearer treatment plans and stronger outcomes—especially in eating disorder care where dietitians and therapists must align.
We explore the difference between supervision and a clinician’s own therapy, and why that boundary matt...
Grounded Goals, Not Grand Transformations
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A new calendar doesn’t require a new you. We kick off the year by taking apart the pressure cooker of resolutions, asking why a “firm decision” often casts you as a problem to be solved—and how that framing supercharges diet culture’s loudest season. Instead, we offer a humane alternative: intentions that honor context, capacity, and change over time. This is a conversation about self-trust, not self-surveillance.
We explore why so many plans collapse by February: shame-based goals, unrealistic timelines, and the myth that transformation must be dramatic to count. Fro...
Reviewing the New Food Pyramid: Pros, Cons, and Our Take!
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A new “pyramid” lands, the internet erupts, and we’re left asking the only question that matters: what should actually change on our plates? We take you past the viral graphic and into the real guidance, translating policy-speak into practical choices you can make this week. From protein hype to saturated fat limits, from kids and sugar to food access and cost, we connect the dots with clear, judgment-free advice.
We start by grounding the conversation in history—how the 1992 pyramid gave way to MyPyramid and then MyPlate—and why that plate was...
Diet Culture vs. Anti Diet: How Inclusive Nutrition Actually Works
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Ever feel trapped between diet rules and anti-diet slogans, like you have to pick a side to “eat right”? We invited ADHD dietitian Chelsea Pitrelli to break the stalemate. Chelsea has lived on both ends of the spectrum—teaching adult weight management classes and guiding eating disorder recovery—and she shows how the same core skills can serve radically different goals when we strip away shame and refocus on intention.
We unpack what anti-diet actually means, beyond hashtags and hot takes. Chelsea explains Health at Every Size as a behavior-first framework, how set...
EMDR Demystified: From Stigma To Skillful Healing
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Show notes:
Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.
Resource links:
ANAD: https://anad.org/
NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/<...
From Pain to Ease: How Pelvic Floor PT Changes Everyday Life
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Leaking when you laugh, hip pain that keeps returning, or sex that hurts are not things you just have to live with. We invited Dr. Courtney Smiach, founder of Rebel PT and a licensed pelvic health physical therapist, to unpack the real reasons behind pelvic symptoms and share practical steps to feel better—without shame and without the “that’s normal” brush‑off.
We dig into the core canister—diaphragm, abdominals, back muscles, and pelvic floor—and why pressure management is the hidden engine behind so many issues: urinary urgency, incontinence, constipation...
What If Holiday Traditions Served Your Values, Not Your Fears
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Ever wish holiday traditions felt lighter and more like you? We invited our colleague Tamar, an FBT therapist, to help us unpack the meaning of Hanukkah’s light and the realities of eight days filled with latkes, donuts, gatherings, and comments—and then we turn to Christmas, where office cookie swaps, seven fishes, and a packed social calendar can test even the most grounded routines. Together we get honest about food fears, sensory overload, and that pressure to “perform” at the table, then trade it for values, boundaries, and practical support.
We explo...
