021 - Project EMPOWER-ED: Helping Caregivers Navigate Tough Situations with Confidence

021 - Project EMPOWER-ED: Helping Caregivers Navigate Tough Situations with Confidence

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

020 - More than Food: What It Felt Like to Live with an Eating Disorder (with Liron Cohen and Ashley Steenhausen)

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

019 - You Don't Have To Do This Alone: A Conversation for Male Caregivers (with Wayne Herring and Kevin Olmsted)

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

018 - Voices of Hope: A Professional Boxer's Hidden Fight (with Danny O'Connor)

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

017 - Voices of Hope: The Power of Parents in Recovery (with Kinsey Dalbec)

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