All Bodies are Camera-Worthy Bodies with Lindley Ashline

In this episode, Karin welcomes Lindley Ashline, photographer, author, cat mom, entrepreneur, musician and body activist to the show for our newest episode, “All Bodies are Camera-Worthy Bodies.”

Join Karin and Lindley for a discussion on the science of bodies, the fat acceptance community, exclusion of larger bodies in the photography industry, body activism, aspirational verse realistic photography, beauty standards as power and currency, the expressive and oppressive methods in pursuing beauty standards, how power shifts often lead to shifts in beauty standards, the effects of removing the diet industry’s profit, reframing our body stories, and much more!

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iMove and Breaking Free from Compulsive Exercise with Amy Gardner, MS, CEDRD, RYT

In this episode, Karin welcomes Amy Gardner, MS, CEDRD, RYT, founder, author, creator, and registered dietitian with over twenty years of clinical experience and personal recovery experience, to the show for the newest episode of Recovery Bites, “iMove and Breaking Free from Compulsive Exercise.”

Join Karin and Amy for a discussion on body connection through joyful movement, trauma induced states as a means of survival, healthy versus compulsive exercise, the importance of slowing down, safe exercise in the recovery process, Amy’s book “iMove, Helping Your Clients Heal from Compulsive Exercise,” the iMove™ program, and much more.

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The Courageous Path to Healing with Jennifer Kreatsoulas, PhD, C-IAYT

In this episode, Karin welcomes certified yoga therapist, author, educator, advocate, and mother Jennifer Kreatsoulas, PhD, C-IAYT to the show for the newest episode of Recovery Bites, “The Courageous Path to Healing”

Join Karin and Jennifer for a discussion on relapsing from an eating disorder as a mother, the contributing risk factors that come with postpartum, the dangerousness of keeping disordered behaviors (no matter the severity), the difference between traditional yoga classes and yoga therapy, how yoga therapy directly challenges common eating disorder behaviors, accepting your inner struggle as a means of finding acceptance and moving towards healing, the impact of having COVID-19, and much more.

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Self Love is the Best Love with Connie Sobczak

In this episode, Karin welcomes writer, educator, and mentor Connie Sobczak to the show for our newest episode, “Self Love is the Best Love.”

Join Karin and Connie for a discussion on Connie’s experience while writing her novel, “Embody: Learning to Love Your Unique Body (and quiet that critical voice!),” the ways children absorb body-shaming messages, the impact of bonding over body hatred, the role diversity plays in preparing children to navigate a diet-obsessed culture, tips for becoming an expert of your own body, Connie’s motivation for co-funding The Body Positive non-profit, the 5 Competencies of the Be Body Positive Model, and much more!

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Correlation Does Not Equal Causation with Harriet Brown

In this episode, Karin welcomes Harriet Brown, journalist, advocate, mother, and accomplished author of numerous books including Body of Truth and Brave Girl Eating, to the show for our newest episode, “Correlation Does Not Equal Causation.”

Join Karin and Harriet for a discussion on Harriet’s experience while chronicling her daughter’s eating disorder and recovery in Brave Girl Eating, how the education provided in school propagates food issues, the damage of “fat shaming” as a motivation to lose weight, how a starved brain does not discriminate based on body size and/or weight, how our diet obsessed culture’s body centric focus dehumanizes individuals, looking at the diet-industry’s worth to understand its lies, and much more!

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Recovery From Within with Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, MD, FAED, CEDS

In this episode, Karin welcomes Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, Board Certified psychiatrist, mom, writer, clinician, and leader in the field of eating disorders to the show for our newest episode, “Recovery From Within with Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, MD, FAED, CEDS.”

Join Karin and Wendy for a discussion on the shifting perceived “weakness”, attunement in the client relationship, upholding expectations and accountability as an expression of hope, Within Health’s approach to eating disorder care, using exposure therapy to make peace with food, changing the mindset of treatment refractory to healing experiences, and much more!

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Recovery is Counterculture with Dr. Janean Anderson

In this episode, Karin welcomes Dr. Jean Anderson, licensed psychologist, author, and host of The Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast, to the show for “Recovery is Counterculture” our newest episode of Recovery Bites.

Together, Karin and Janean discuss integrative therapeutic healing, the fundamentals of Action Commitment Therapy (ACT) therapy, the fragmented nature of one’s true values vs eating disorder values, the self-propagating nature of an eating disorder’s set of values, how (and why) diet culture equates thinness to goodness, approval, and success, the path that led Janean to start her own eating disorder recovery podcast, how motivation to recover puts you one step closer to full recovery, and much more!

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Strong Recovery with Dr. Colleen Reichmann

In this episode, Karin is joined by Dr. Colleen Reichmann, licensed clinical psychologist working in private practice at Therapy for Eating Disorders and Body Image and co-author of “The Inside Scoop on Eating Disorder Recovery” to the show for “Strong Recovery” our newest episode of Recovery Bites.

Together, Karin and Colleen discuss sense of humor, Colleen’s book “The Inside Scoop on Eating Disorder Recovery,” how action steps serve as a catalyst to change, shedding toxic labels, finding patience and empathy as a provider, misconceptions that sabotage recovery efforts, and much more!

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Changing Body Culture with Brianna M. Campos, LPC

In this episode, Karin is joined by Brianna M. Campos, LPC, fat-positive, Health At Every Size provider, mental health counselor, therapist, and body image coach to the show for “Changing Body Culture” our newest episode of Recovery Bites.

Together, Karin and Bri discuss the intersection of one’s relationship to body, food, and movement, the normality of body negativity vs the taboo nature of body positivity, separating the act of overeating and living in a larger body, the Poodle Science theory, the health-focused paradigm of the Health at Every Size® (HAES) approach, addressing weight bias and stigma in individuals living in larger bodies, HAES in the context of a weight neutral, public health approach, the dangers of a $72 billion weight loss industry, fears of living in a fat body, the physical and mental before and after effects of weight loss surgery, and much more!

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Nourishing Your Relationship with Food with Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND

Join Karin alongside Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Fiaedp, FAND. Elyse is nationally known for her work in helping patients break free from diet culture through the Intuitive Eating process and she is the co-author of “Intuitive Eating,” a revolutionary book and movement now in its fourth edition.

Together, we talk about the Intuitive Eating Principles, changing the narrative of how we relate to food and body, diet culture’s oppressive messages, the harm of weight stigma, and instinct and emotional states compared to our belief systems (and much more).

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The Body Is Not an Apology with Sonya Renee Taylor

In all of my years of being recovered, no one had ever uttered the words that I truly felt in my eating disorder until, Sonya Renee Taylor. Upon reading the title of her book, “The Body Is Not an Apology” my experience of suffering had become encapsulated in a way I didn’t think existed. Recording this episode with Sonya was (and is) one of the greatest gifts I’ve received as being a recovered person, and I am so proud to share her voice and wisdom, and so grateful that I no longer have to apologize for being me.

In celebration of our fiftieth episode of Recovery Bites, I am absolutely honored to welcome author, poet, and teacher, Sonya Renee Taylor, to the show for “The Body is Not an Apology”. Join us as we discuss the unique paths to liberation, our innate relationship with our body (and the bodies of others), living/existing/surviving/thriving in a society that profits from body-mind disconnect, internalizing radical self-love, dismantling the systems within ourselves, oppressive messages of “better” bodies, the Body-Shame Profit Complex, advocating and rebalancing oppressive systems through community building, and much more!

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Body Wisdom with Elisa Mott Jones, Ed.S, NCC, LMHC

 
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Episode 47 - Body Wisdom with Elisa Mott Jones, Ed.S, NCC, LMHC

by Karin Lewis, MA, LMFT, CEDS

IN THIS EPISODE:

This week we welcome Elisa Mott Jones, Ed.S, NCC, LMHC, Health At Every Size (HAES) Advocate, published author and national speaker on yoga, eating disorders, and body image. Elisa has worked at the nation's top eating disorder facilities across the country where she has designed mindful movement groups for children, adolescents, and adults. Her pieces express who she is as a woman, partner, daughter, yogi, and dancer, and reflect her own journey to healing. Elisa currently has a virtual private practice based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and now teaches a virtual yoga class for participants across the country seeking freedom from anxiety, trauma, disordered eating, and body image concerns. 

SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED:

  • How those with eating disorders can be both hypersensitive and detached from their body.

  • The role of music, especially with adolescents, to create a window to someone's emotional state when they do not have the words to articulate.

  • The ways in which grounding exercises can bring the body back into the therapy room.

  • How yoga can offer a feeling of control after traumatic experiences.

  • Yoga is not about “working out,” but rather “working in.”

  • How connection and support from others can provide a connection with self.

ABOUT ELISA MOTT JONES:

Elisa Mott Jones received her Masters of Education and Education Specialist degrees in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida in 2010. While in graduate school, she completed the University of Florida's Arts in Medicine, Elisa obtained a Certificate in Spirituality and Health and Arts in Medicine. She also holds the title of National Certified Counselor from the National Board of Certified Counselors and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida.  

After being introduced to yoga in 2000, and after 5 years of practice, Elisa decided to become a yoga instructor. She graduated from Discovery Yoga’s 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program in St. Augustine, Florida in 2005. In 2015, she completed my 500-hour yoga teacher training at Downtown Yoga in Pleasanton, CA, and is a 500-level, Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) with the Yoga Alliance. Elisa has additional certifications in Restorative Yoga, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, YogaDance, Colorgized Yoga, KarmaKids Yoga, and Pilates. In 2015, she became a Reiki Master and integrate the transformative healing of Reiki into her individualized sessions.

Beyond counseling and teaching, Elisa also writes about body image, eating disorders, and yoga. She co-authored “The Use of Holistic Methods to Integrate the Shattered Self,” a book chapter in the textbook Treatment of Eating Disorders: Bridging the research-practice gap, ( check it out) edited by Margo Maine, Beth Hartman McGilley, and Doug Bunnell. Elisa also authored “Client Perspectives on Strong, Restorative and Partner Yoga Classes”, a chapter in Carolyn Costin and Joe Kelly’s book Yoga and Eating Disorders. (check it out). 

Additionally, Elisa presents nationally on the use of yoga in the treatment of eating disorders and body image issues and utilizes yoga and movement in counseling centers and hospitals with adults, adolescents, and children. At Kaiser Permanente’s eating disorder intensive outpatient unit in Walnut Creek, CA, as well as Center for Discovery's eating disorder and mood disorder intensive outpatient and partial hospitalizations programs in North Palm Beach, FL,  Elisa led expressive movement and therapeutic yoga groups for adults and adolescents. 

Elisa is currently offering Accepting Your Body’s Wisdom: Nutrition, Yoga and Body Image, a transformational workshop designed for women who want to make peace with their bodies and their relationship with food.

Additionally, Elisa choreographs and performs YogaDance and Acro-Yoga across the country and at national eating disorder conferences. Her pieces express who she is as a woman, partner, daughter, yogi, and dancer, and reflect her own journey to healing. 

Elisa lives in Jupiter, Florida with her husband, Lewis Jones Psy.D and their two daughters. She offers workshops, groups, and individualized sessions for those seeking freedom from anxiety, trauma, disordered eating, and body image concerns. 

CONNECT WITH ELISA MOTT JONES:

ABOUT KARIN LEWIS:

Karin Lewis, MA, LMFT, CEDS has been recovered from Anorexia Nervosa for over 20 years and has been specializing in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders since 2005. Karin is the founder of the Karin Lewis Eating Disorder Center located in Boston, MA. You can visit Karin Lewis Eating Disorder Center online to learn more about Karin and her center’s services. You can also connect with Karin on social media by following her on Facebook and Instagram.

 

The Language of Recovery with Carmen Cool, MA, LPC

 
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Episode 46 -
The Language of Recovery with Carmen Cool, MA, LPC

by Karin Lewis, MA, LMFT, CEDS

IN THIS EPISODE:

This week, I am joined by Carmen Cool, MA, LPC, a politicized therapist, educator, speaker, and activist helping people heal their relationships with food and their bodies. For the past 20 years, Carmen has been working to dismantle diet culture, support the next generation of body liberation leaders, and shift the psychotherapy profession toward justice. She has also started and run a nonprofit, created youth programs, and speaks internationally on Health At Every Size ®, feminism and eating disorders, and weight stigma.


SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED:

  • Owning and respecting oneself despite what other people think.

  • Recovering from an eating disorder vs recovering from weight stigma.

  • How personal views can change over time.

  • Doing “whatever it takes” to heal from an eating disorder.

  • Who decides what “recovered” looks like?

  • There is no “one-size-fits-all” eating disorder or recovery and the paths are unique to the individual.

  • Challenging and embracing anger

  • How meeting societal expectations/misconceptions can be an achievement when one is in their eating disorder.

  • The diagnostic criteria used by insurance companies as a contributing factor to weight stigma.

  • Believing in the healing and preventative strength of activism.

  • Looking at how outside influences affect one’s relationship to their body.


ABOUT CARMEN COOL:

Carmen Cool, MA, LPC is a politicized therapist, educator, speaker, & activist helping people heal their relationships with food and their bodies. For the past 20 years, Carmen has been working to dismantle diet culture, support the next generation of body liberation leaders, and shift the psychotherapy profession toward justice. She has also started and run a nonprofit, created youth programs, and speaks internationally on Health At Every Size ®, feminism and eating disorders, and weight stigma. Carmen served as the Board President of the Association for Size Diversity and Health, was named “Most Inspiring Individual” in Boulder, Colorado, and was the recipient of the Excellence in Eating Disorder Advocacy Award in Washington, DC.


CONNECT WITH CARMEN COOL:

ABOUT KARIN LEWIS:

Karin Lewis, MA, LMFT, CEDS has been recovered from Anorexia Nervosa for over 20 years and has been specializing in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders since 2005. Karin is the founder of the Karin Lewis Eating Disorder Center located in Boston, MA. You can visit Karin Lewis Eating Disorder Center online to learn more about Karin and her center’s services. You can also connect with Karin on social media by following her on Facebook and Instagram.

 

The Inside Scoop On Eating Disorder Recovery with Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C

 
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Episode 45-

The Inside Scoop on Eating Disorder Recovery with Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C

by Karin Lewis, MA, LMFT, CEDS

IN THIS EPISODE:

This week, I am joined by Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C, therapist and founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland. Jennifer specializes in working with adolescents and adults with eating disorders including, anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, body image issues, anxiety, and depression. With a passion for helping individuals to recover from eating disorders and body image issues, to discover self-compassion, food freedom, and body appreciation, Jennifer also does this work because she has been there. Recovered from her own eating disorder, she believes that everyone’s struggle is unique and uses her lived experience to relate and help others find the same freedom that she did. Jennifer is the co-author of the upcoming book 'The Inside Scoop to Eating Disorder Recovery: Advice from two therapists who have been there,' which will be published March of 2021. She is also a revered and prominent figure on Instagram and TikTok.


SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED:

  • If you think you have an eating disorder, there isn’t a line at which you are “sick enough.”

  • Finding purpose outside of self through connection and relationships.

  • Motivation to recover can wax and wane and that’s normal.

  • Embracing your imperfections and reminding oneself that you’re a “work in progress.”

  • The freedom found when you shift the energy put into an eating disorder to something self-fulfilling.

  • How the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic foster further disordered thinking and behaviors.

  • Orthorexia and the ways in which it can morph into other eating disorders.

  • The idea that an eating disorder can contribute to someone’s “uniqueness” when, in actuality, it does just the opposite.


ABOUT JENNIFER ROLLIN:

Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C is a therapist and founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland, who specializes in working with adolescents and adults with eating disorders including, anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, body image issues, anxiety, and depression.

Jennifer has experience working in a variety of settings including, an outpatient mental health clinic, residential programs for adolescents, and a sexual assault crisis hotline. She serves as the chairwoman of Project Heal's national network of eating disorder treatment providers. Jennifer has been named as one of the top eating disorder experts in the world by Balance Eating Disorder Treatment Center.

Jennifer has a certificate in Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders. She also has a certificate in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. She is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. She was on The Junior Board of Directors for The National Eating Disorders Association. She was invited to serve on the conference committee for The National Eating Disorders Association's 2018 Conference.

Jennifer is the co-author of the upcoming book 'The Inside Scoop to Eating Disorder Recovery: Advice from two therapists who have been there,' which will be published in March of 2021 with Routledge. She is an expert writer on The Huffington Post and Psychology Today. Her professional blog was named one of the top eating disorder blogs in the world. Jennifer’s articles have reached thousands of people through websites, magazines, and books, including, Eating Disorders in America: A Reference Handbook, How To Thrive: Expert Tips For Coping With Depression & An Eating Disorder, EatingDisorderHope.com, Anxiety.org, NationalEatingDisorders.org, and Social Work Today Magazine.

Jennifer has been interviewed speaking about eating disorders on television including on Fox, ABC, PBS, and NBC. She gives talks about eating disorders at national eating disorder conferences, therapy centers, and colleges. Jennifer is an expert writer for The Huffington Post and Psychology Today.


CONNECT WITH JENNIFER ROLLIN:

ABOUT KARIN LEWIS:

Karin Lewis, MA, LMFT, CEDS has been recovered from Anorexia Nervosa for over 20 years and has been specializing in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders since 2005. Karin is the founder of the Karin Lewis Eating Disorder Center located in Boston, MA. You can visit Karin Lewis Eating Disorder Center online to learn more about Karin and her center’s services. You can also connect with Karin on social media by following her on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Grow Through What You Go Through with Monika Ostroff, LICSW, CEDS-S

 
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Episode 39 - Grow Through What You Go Through with Monika Ostroff, LICSW, CEDS-S

by Karin Lewis, MA, LMFT, CEDS

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode, I am joined by Monika Ostroff, LICSW, CEDS-S, and Executive Director of Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association Inc (MEDA). Nationally recognized for her 25+ years of experience and contributions to the field of eating disorders, Monika has directed several successful residential, partial hospital, and intensive outpatient eating disorder programs in addition to having owned a thriving private practice. Monika’s passion for treating eating disorders and mentoring other professionals was borne out of her own struggle and full recovery from what today is known as Severe and Enduring Anorexia Nervosa.


SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED:

  • How the recovery journey looks different for everyone.

  • Recovering when professionals label you as “chronic.”

  • How compassion, respect, and empowerment can elicit change.

  • Connecting back to one’s innate, inner wisdom.

  • The need for inclusivity, access, and equality within healthcare.

  • Being seen as a human, not a diagnosis.

  • Finding your voice is your key to recovery.

  • How eating disorders can serve as a “resource” when no other “resources” aren’t available.

ABOUT MONIKA OSTROFF:

Monika Ostroff, MSW, LICSW, CEDS-S is the Executive Director of MEDA, a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to healing, educating, and empowering the community in the fight against eating disorders.

Monika is a therapist, author, and consultant specializing in the fields of eating disorders and substance use disorders. She is nationally recognized for her contributions to the field of eating disorders and their treatment. With expertise in individual, group, and family therapy in both outpatient and hospital settings, Monika has 25 years of experience in the field of eating disorders. Her passion for treating eating disorders and mentoring other professionals was borne out of her own struggle and full recovery from what today is known as Severe and Enduring Anorexia Nervosa.

Prior to joining MEDA, Monika was the Manager of Outpatient Behavioral Health Services at HCA’s Parkland Medical Center where she provided leadership for Reflections Eating Disorders Treatment Center at Parkland Medical Center in Salem, NH; Parkland’s Center for Emotional Wellness Adult Partial Hospital Program and the Behavioral Health Unit’s inpatient Social Work Department. She also assisted in launching the Cambridge Eating Disorder Center of New Hampshire, where she served as their Director. She served as the Clinical Director for R.O.A.D. To A Better Life's nine addiction treatment centers in the state of New Hampshire as well as the Program Director for Hampstead Hospital's Eating Disorder Treatment Center. Additionally, she owned a thriving private practice specializing in eating disorders for many years.

Among her credits, Monika is the co-author of Anorexia Nervosa: A Guide to Recovery, 1999; and a contributing author to both Self-Harm Behavior and Eating Disorders., 2004 and The Thinking Mom's Revolution: Autism Beyond the Spectrum, 2012. She has also authored several well-received essays on the topics of anorexia, bulimia, trauma, and healing. Monika has appeared on several radio and television broadcasts including NPR’s Public Affair and Boston’s WGBH Arts and Ideas. Monika has extensive experience speaking publicly and presenting workshops on eating disorders. She continues to lecture and present at conferences and universities across the country.

Monika strongly believes in providing compassionate care that combines alternative healing with evidence-based modalities. In addition to using meditation, yoga, and essential oils, she is certified in several alternative modalities and has recently teamed up with Dr. Patrick Porter to create an eating disorders recovery support series for the revolutionary BrainTap.

Monika received her BA from Wellesley College and her MSW from Boston College Graduate School of Social Work.


CONNECT WITH MONIKA OSTROFF:

  • Learn more about MEDA’s eating disorder support and recovery services

  • Donate directly and view other ways to support MEDA

  • Follow MEDA on Facebook and Instagram

  • Sign-up for MEDA’s weekly support group and view other events here

  • Tune into MEDA’s IGTV channel on Instagram to view their weekly support series and live recovery chats/interviews.

ABOUT KARIN LEWIS:

Karin Lewis, MA, LMFT, CEDS has been recovered from Anorexia Nervosa for over 20 years and has been specializing in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders since 2005. Karin is the founder of the Karin Lewis Eating Disorder Center located in Boston, MA. You can visit Karin Lewis Eating Disorder Center online to learn more about Karin and her center’s services. You can also connect with Karin on social media by following her on Facebook and Instagram.