Episode 027

Getting to Recovery, Staying Recovered: A Mother-Daughter Story (with Ellen Ewing and Josie Brown)

In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Josie Brown and her mom, Ellen Ewing, to talk about something we don't hear enough about: what it looks like to stay recovered. Josie, now around eight years recovered from anorexia, shares how her illness began without dramatic weight loss---she simply stopped growing for five years---and how her autism diagnosis, which came after recovery, reframed her experience of sensory overload and shame in residential treatment. Ellen, who chairs the FEAST board of directors, describes adapting treatment to her daughter rather than the other way around, from changing the locks at mealtimes to supporting the yoga, climbing, and outdoor life that gave Josie a reason to stay well. Together they walk through the "frame shift" that carried Josie from feeling like an individual floating in space to a person connected to the world around her, how she took ownership of her own recovery, and how climbing went from part of the disorder to a moving meditation and a career coaching kids. Listeners will come away with a rare, hopeful picture of full recovery---and Ellen's reminder that you are the expert on your own child.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:15 Meet Josie Brown and Ellen Ewing

03:15 How Josie's Eating Disorder Began

05:45 Five Years Without Growing

09:15 Autism, Sensory Overload, and Residential Treatment

14:00 Shame in Treatment and Adapting Care at Home

17:00 You're the Expert on Your Child

19:30 The Frame Shift: Reconnecting to the World

24:00 Taking Ownership of Recovery

28:30 The Click Over and Letting Go

32:00 Silver Linings and Driven Traits

33:30 Does the Eating Disorder Ever Pop Up Now?

37:00 Climbing Out of Anorexia

42:00 Coaches, Mentors, and the Unofficial Treatment Team

45:30 What to Hold On To: Full Recovery Is Possible

SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

Climbing Out of Anorexia, by Josie Brown (FEAST blog):

https://feast-ed.org/climbing-out-of-anorexia/

Anorexia on the Spectrum, by Ellen Ewing (FEAST blog):

https://feast-ed.org/anorexia-on-the-spectrum/

Guest Bio:

Josie Brown lives with her husband and cat, Sam, in a converted school bus in Western North Carolina, where she enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, and getting lost in the woods. Over the past eight years, she has graduated high school and college, worked as an elementary school teacher, gotten married, and built a life on her own terms.

Ellen Ewing is Josie's mom and supported her throughout treatment and recovery from anorexia. She has been on the FEAST Board of Directors for 6 years and currently serves as the Board Chair. Before retiring she was an executive at a large multinational corporation. Now she is a painter and does volunteer work for nonprofits in the eating disorder space.

Episode 026

How Parents and Pediatricians Can Bridge the Gap to Eating Disorder Care (with Dr. Anna Tanner and Dr. Elizabeth Woodcock)

In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with pediatrician and eating disorder specialist Dr. Anna Tanner and healthcare administration expert and FEAST board member Dr. Elizabeth Woodcock to talk about the vital role parents play when a child has an eating disorder, and how pediatricians can support and empower them. Anna explains why parents matter so much as treatment initiators---with the average age of onset for anorexia and bulimia now just over 12, children present embedded in their families---and why eating disorders are so hard for pediatricians to see early, since medical complications often lag well behind the changes a parent notices at home.

The conversation covers how pediatricians can bridge families toward family-based treatment while they wait for specialized care, how shame reactions shape what happens in the exam room, and a new American Academy of Pediatrics-backed effort to give parents a resource they can bring back to the pediatrician they already trust. Listeners will come away knowing that their observations about their child matter, and that they are the most important member of their child's care team.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:45 Meet Dr. Anna Tanner and Dr. Elizabeth Woodcock

03:45 How Anna and Elizabeth Met

06:45 Why Parents Matter as Treatment Initiators

09:30 When the Pediatrician Isn't Concerned

11:15 Growth Charts, Screenings, and Parent Fear

14:15 If You Would Only Listen: Elizabeth's Story

17:30 Bridging Families to Eating Disorder Treatment

20:30 The Pediatrician's Position of Trust

22:15 When Even Insiders Get Failed by the System

26:30 Understanding Shame Reactions

29:30 An AAP Resource to Give Parents a Voice

32:30 Guilt, Shame, and the "Crazy Mom" Superpower

37:45 Closing Lessons from Both Sides

SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

Dr. Tanner's book, Pediatric Eating Disorders: The Medical Care of Children and Adolescents:

https://www.aap.org/Pediatric-Eating-Disorders-The-Medical-Care-of-Children-and-Adolescents-Paperback

If You Would Only Listen, by Elizabeth Woodcock (FEAST blog):

https://feast-ed.org/if-you-would-only-listen/

Guest Bio:

Anna B. Tanner, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. A graduate of Williams College, she completed medical school and residency at Vanderbilt University and then remained at Vanderbilt on the Pediatrics faculty in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine until moving to Georgia. Dr. Tanner has served on national and international committees for eating disorders education and advocacy, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Eating Disorder Workgroup. Dr. Tanner is a Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), a Fellow in the Academy for Eating Disorders (FAED), a Fellow in the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (FSAHM), and a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Consultant (CEDS-C). She is the author of the recently published Pediatric Eating Disorders: The Medical Care of Children and Adolescents.

Elizabeth Woodcock has spent more than 35 years in health care administration focused on the intersection of health care delivery and public health. An adjunct professor at Emory University, she was recently recognized by Modern Healthcare in the Leading Women Class of 2026, driving national change in healthcare in the United States. A graduate of Duke University, she earned her MBA from the Wharton School and her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. With lived experience as a caregiver of a loved one with an eating disorder, Dr. Woodcock serves on the board of advisors of FEAST, and volunteers as a caregiver mentor and support group leader.

Episode 025

Title: Feed with FEAST: What Goes on the Plate, and What Happens Next

(with Judy Krasna)

In this episode, Jenni Gaines sits down with FEAST executive director Judy Krasna to talk about Feed with FEAST, a new nutrition resource built for caregivers who are responsible for feeding a loved one through eating disorder recovery. Judy describes how the idea grew from a request for FEAST's old recipe book into a full resource: roughly 50 family-contributed energy-dense recipes, a week-long meal plan, a four-tier snack guide, plain-language nutritional guidance, and a mealtime section covering what to say at the table and how to hold steady when a child pushes back. Both women speak candidly about their own years of guessing in the kitchen, and about the steep learning curve of realizing that what looked like enough food was not enough. Judy makes the case that food is medicine in eating disorder recovery, that the parent is the one administering it six times a day, and that most treatment teams send families home with a calorie goal and little else. Listeners will come away understanding what Feed with FEAST includes, who it is for at every stage and age of recovery, and where to find it.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:00 Introducing Feed with FEAST and Judy Krasna

03:00 Where the Idea Came From

06:00 What's Inside: Recipes, Meal Plan, and Snack Guide

08:00 Jenni's First Week: When Enough Wasn't Enough

09:40 Getting Parents Ahead of the Learning Curve

10:40 Food as Medicine and the Missing Roadmap

14:00 Why This Isn't Just a Google Search for Recipes

17:40 Professional Expertise Meets Lived Experience

20:00 Judy's Own Story: Flying Blind in the Kitchen

23:20 Inside the Mealtime Guidance Section

26:20 Who It's For: Every Stage and Every Age

28:20 Where to Find Feed with FEAST

30:30 Why This Project Is Her Baby

SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST flyer:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

Enroll in Feed with FEAST:

https://feast-ed.org/feed-with-feast-about/

Guest bio:

Judy Krasna has been involved in the eating disorders space as a parent advocate and an expert by experience for over 15 years. She was an active volunteer in the Academy for Eating Disorders and is a staunch advocate for incorporating lived experience into research and treatment. After serving on the FEAST Board of Directors and taking on multiple volunteer roles within the organization, Judy stepped into the position of FEAST Executive Director in early 2021. Judy is passionate about helping families of people with eating disorders, especially after her daughter Gavriella took her own life after a fierce and prolonged battle with anorexia.

Episode 024

A Different Kind of Back to School: Supporting Your Student Through Eating Disorder Recovery

In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen talk through what the back to school season actually looks like when a child is in eating disorder recovery, drawing entirely on their own experience as caregivers. They cover slow re-entry plans and partial schedules, the school services many families never learn about until they ask, and the specific problem of school lunch — why a lunch monitor is not meal support, and what creative workarounds families have used to protect a third of the day's nutrition. Laura walks caregivers through the 504 plan in detail: what it is, what it is not, how to request one, and what to do when a district refuses. Both hosts spend time on the emotional side too — the exhaustion of navigating social noise all day, the grief of a social life on hold, and the permission to change the plan when it stops working. Listeners will come away with practical questions to bring to their school and a reminder that this season is now, not forever.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:00 Why Back to School Feels Different in Recovery

02:30 Laura's Story: A Senior Year Interrupted

05:00 It's Not All or Nothing: The Slow Re-Entry Plan

06:40 School Services Families Don't Know Exist

09:40 Jenni's Story: Six Weeks of Homebound School

14:00 School Lunch: Why It's the Hardest Part of the Day

17:30 Getting Creative with Lunch and Snacks

20:20 Finding a Safe Person at School

24:50 Social Noise and Why They Come Home Exhausted

28:20 Adjusting Expectations: Sports, Activities, and Milestones

33:00 The 504 Plan: What It Is and How to Request One

41:00 When a District Says No

42:20 Validation, Collaboration, and Flexibility

SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

Episode 023

Trust & Treatment: How Outpatient Teams Support Lasting Recovery (with Melanie Lehman)

In this episode, Laura Cohen sits down with Melanie Lehman, a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian nutritionist. Laura and Melanie unpack how caregivers can build and get the most out of an outpatient treatment team: how to tell an eating disorder specialist from a general dietitian, what questions to ask a prospective provider, and how the dietitian, therapist, and medical provider roles overlap and collaborate. Melanie explains why outpatient care is the long haul rather than a quick fix, how she builds rapport with kids who won't engage, and why the caregiver is the most important member of the team.

Listeners will come away with concrete language to use (including asking a doctor for orthostatic vitals), red flags that signal the wrong fit, and reassurance that they have every right to advocate and be treated as a partner in their loved one's care.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:20 Laura Introduces Melanie Lehman

03:00 How Laura and Melanie Met: A Shared History

05:30 Choosing a Dietitian: Why Specialty Matters

08:00 Questions to Ask and Trusting Your Gut

13:00 Building an Outpatient Team and What It Includes

15:00 The Purpose of Outpatient Care: The Long Haul

19:30 Roles of the Dietitian, Therapist, and Medical Provider

27:00 Orthostatic Vitals and Additional Team Members

30:30 Building Rapport with Kids Who Won't Engage

36:00 The Caregiver's Role: Communication and Advocacy

43:30 Handling Disagreements, Weight Goals, and Three Takeaways

SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

MEDA (Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association):

https://www.medainc.org/

Lehman Nutrition (Melanie Lehman's practice):

https://www.lehmannutrition.com/

Guest Bio:

Melanie Lehman is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist in private practice. She specializes in supporting individuals struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image concerns. She studied nutrition at the University of New Hampshire, and went on to complete her dietetic internship at Massachusetts General Hospital. From there, she began her career at the Cambridge Eating Disorder Center and subsequently was the Assistant Director of Clinical Services at Van Dusen Nutrition, a private practice group. Two years ago she took the leap to start her own private practice and recently hired her first dietitian, and hopes to grow Lehman Nutrition in the years to come. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and MEDA (Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association).

Episode 022

Safe to Play: Returning to Sport After an Eating Disorder (with Megan Hellner and Katherine Hill)

In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Dr. Katherine Hill, a board-certified physician and former NCAA Division I swimmer, and Dr. Megan Hellner, a registered dietitian and researcher, the co-founders of AthleatMD, to talk through one of the questions caregivers ask most: when is it safe for an athlete to return to sport after an eating disorder? Katherine and Megan explain what makes athletes a unique population, why weight suppression and stress fractures so often get missed, and how RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) overlaps with eating disorders across all genders and sports. They walk through early warning signs, the medical red flags that warrant pulling an athlete from training, and how to tell an athletic heart from a malnourished one. Laura also shares her own lived experience as a dietitian who missed the signs in her gymnast daughter. Listeners will come away with a hopeful, practical roadmap for a low-and-slow return to sport, guidance on working with coaches and athletic staff, and specific tools, including the SEES return-to-activity guidelines, to bring to their own care team.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:40 Guest Introductions: Katherine Hill and Megan Hellner

04:00 What Makes Athletes a Unique Population

08:00 Higher-Risk Sports and Early Warning Signs

12:30 Laura's Lived Experience: Stress Fractures and Weight Suppression

16:40 What Is RED-S and Low Energy Availability

20:00 Low Testosterone and Missed Signs in Male Athletes

24:00 ARFID, Underfueling, and Overtraining

28:00 Bradycardia and Medical Red Flags to Stop Training

32:45 Deciding Whether to Step Away from Competition

37:15 Coaches, Schools, and How Much to Share

47:15 Returning to Sport and the SEES Guidelines

SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

AthleatMD:

https://www.athleatmd.com/

FEAST webinar — Helping Parents of Athletes Navigate Return to Sport While Battling RED-S and/or Eating Disorders:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIpNYWqMkB0

SEES — Safe Exercise at Every Stage guidelines:

https://www.safeexerciseateverystage.com/sees-guidelines

Guest Bios:

Katherine Hill, MD, is a board-certified physician, eating disorder specialist, and co-founder of AthleatMD. She completed her undergraduate degree, medical degree, and clinical training at Stanford University, where she later joined the faculty in Adolescent Medicine. She went on to serve as the lead physician at Equip Health for four years before launching AthleatMD with Megan Hellner. A former NCAA Division I swimmer, Dr. Hill brings both clinical expertise and lived athletic experience to her work with athletes navigating eating disorders, RED-S, and the pressures of sport.

Dr. Megan Hellner is a registered dietitian, researcher, and co-founder of AthleatMD, where she specializes in helping athletes and individuals recover from eating disorders and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). For more than two decades, she has served as the founding dietitian for some of the nation's leading eating disorder treatment programs. She is passionate about giving caregivers the knowledge, tools, and reassurance they need to confidently support their loved one's recovery journey.