In this episode, Karin welcomes Don Blackwell father, author, speaker, advocate, and a quiet encourager of those battling and in recovery from eating disorders, to the show for the newest episode of Recovery Bites, “Unconditional Support”

Join Karin and Don for a conversation on the intimacy of the father daughter relationship, turning fear to empathy, beliefs of un-lovability, the harm of a loved one becoming the “identified patient,” the healing essence of letter writing, a father’s vulnerability, Don’s impact on the eating disorder recovery community, and much more.

Don Blackwell is a trial lawyer, whose daughter, Ashley, fought and overcame an eating disorder. Don’s resulting journey to greater self-awareness led to the publication of a book entitled, “Dear Ashley: A Father's Reflections and Letters to His Daughter on Life, Love and Hope.” It also led him to become a speaker, a tireless eating disorder advocate, and a quiet encourager of those battling and in recovery from an eating disorder.

Don has written and spoken extensively on a variety of eating disorder topics, including dads and daughters. In January 2020, Don organized and hosted the Legacy of Hope Summit, a weekend conference of more than 20 of the country’s most respected eating disorder aimed at coming up with a consensus-based series of recommendations designed to move the eating disorder field forward on critical issues relating to Prevention, Early Detection, and Intervention; Research and Research Funding; Standards of Care; Affordability, Accessibility, and Accountability of Care; and Advocacy, Legislation, and Education. The Report and Recommendations that resulted from the Summit were released publicly in March 2021. Don has since become a regular contributor on Sondra Kronberg's Morningside Chats.