Peace Meal

By The Emily ProgramHealth & Fitness

Peace Meal episodes

December 22, 2021 Episode 66: A Compilation of Advice for Those Doubting Recovery
Episode description:
In this special holiday episode, we have compiled some powerful insights on recovery from several of our 2021 guests who have experienced it themselves. Throughout the year, we asked our podcast guests with a personal eating disorder story this question: “What would you tell someone listening who believes recovery isn’t possible for them?” This episode features some of the answers we received in response.
Many of our guests share how they once thought that recovery wasn’t possible for them as well, but every little step they made toward healing was so important. While acknowledging how challenging recovery can be, they also emphasize how much better it is than having an eating disorder. If you are experiencing or recovering from an eating disorder yourself, we hope that this episode leaves you with some hope and wisdom on your path to healing.
Because we weren’t able to highlight every inspiring voice of recovery, we encourage you to check out any episodes you may have missed in 2021. Featured in this compilation are the following guests (in order of appearance):
Episode 49: Managing Perfectionism with Kesslee
Episode 52: The Gifts of Recovery with Katie Price
Episode 59: Choosing Recovery with Kathryn
Episode 53: Social Media and Recovery with Maddy Walters
Episode 44: Recovery as a Journey with Rachel Wilshusen
Episode 51: Staying Motivated in Recovery with Abby Anderson
Episode 58: Advancing Eating Disorders Education with Shikha Advani
Episode 54: Building Body Trust with Holly Toronto
Episode 50: Food is More Than a Nutrition Label with Kenzie Osborne
Episode 64: Healing Has No Age Limit with Betsy Brenner
Episode 56: The Healing Power of Horses with Lisa Whalen
Episode 43: Giving Voice to Eating Disorder Stories with Kiera Russo
Episode 65: Honoring Your Hunger with Hannah Howard
Episode 55: Eating Disorders in Fiction with Emily Layden
Episode 62: Eating Disorders in the Jewish Community with Lucie Waldman
If you’d like to share your recovery story on the podcast, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing your story and more next year on Peace Meal.
Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977.
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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!
17 min
December 06, 2021 Episode 65: Honoring Your Hunger with Hannah Howard
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.
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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.
29 min
November 17, 2021 Episode 64: Healing Has No Age Limit with Betsy Brenner
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.
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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.
37 min
November 01, 2021 Episode 63: Healing from Compulsive Exercise with Amy Gardner
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).
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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.
31 min
October 20, 2021 Episode 62: Eating Disorders in the Jewish Community with Lucie Waldman
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.
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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.
20 min
October 04, 2021 Episode 61: The Intersection of Faith and Mental Health with Kelsey
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.
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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.
32 min
September 15, 2021 Episode 60: Temperament-Based Therapy with Supports (TBT-S) with Dr. Laura Hill
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.
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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.
37 min
September 07, 2021 Episode 59: Choosing Recovery with Kathryn
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.
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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.
29 min
August 18, 2021 Episode 58: Advancing Eating Disorders Education with Shikha Advani
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.
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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.
26 min
August 02, 2021 Episode 57: Supporting a Partner with an Eating Disorder with Dana Harron
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.
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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.
37 min