The Appetite

As the pandemic is rapidly removing what we’ve come to rely on in our day-to-day lives, it is becoming clear that we are not only in a health and economic crisis, but also a crisis of mental health. Opal’s Co-Founders Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, and Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS sit down with host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC to offer an inspiring call to self-care and...

 “Leaning out” and manipulating body weight have been widely accepted modes of performance preparation for elite athletes. But as the sports world wakes up to the harm that the emphasis on weight manipulation can have on athletes’ mental and physical health (like in runner Mary Cain’s story), this question should be front and center: Is it ever appropriate to manipulate weight and body compos...

Does design impact mental health? Inspired by Opal’s recent remodel, Opal Co-Founder, Executive Director, and design-enthusiast Dr. Lexi Giblin PhD, CEDS sits down with host Carter Umhau, LMHC to talk about the psychology behind Opal’s interior design. Lexi will describe how even the smallest details at Opal were chosen to reflect Opal’s mission of offering transformative healing to our clients. S...

What should you do if a medical provider is offering a treatment recommendation based on your BMI? In the second of a two-part series, Opal Co-Founder and Nutrition Director Julie Church RDN, CEDRD-S, CD is answering this listener question (and others!) about the Body Mass Index. In conversation with host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC we’re diving into even more about the racist and unscientifi...

 Can you actually measure health? BMI— or Body Mass Index—has become a widely embraced measurement of health, but is actually based on an entirely unscientific and racist 19th century research project. In this first episode of two parts, Opal Co-Founder and Nutrition Director Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD sits down with host Carter Umhau, LMHC to talk about the history of the BMI, why it’s b...

Body Image can be a struggle at any time, but what about when you’ve had a baby? For the birthing person, one’s relationship to food and body can be vastly impacted by the perinatal experience. In a roundtable conversation, Opal: Food + Body Wisdom Co-Founders Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, and Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS are sharing their (quite varied) experiences of pregnanc...

What assumptions do you think are made about pregnancy and the postpartum experience? Doula Davinah Simmons and postpartum-focused therapist Julie Davidson, LMHC join Carter Umhau, LMHC to explore the ways in which our society under-prepares the birthing person or mother for the “emotional infancy” that begins when baby arrives.  They’ll explore how the perinatal experience brings about new b...

Can we truly control our bodies in order to change the way we look? As talk of New Year’s “lifestyle changes,” diets, and new exercise regimens fill our feeds, we’re here to talk about a major function of the body impacted by unhealthy dieting and changes in exercise: METABOLISM. In this episode we’re exploring what it is, how it works, and whether or not the assumptions diet culture has made abou...

What makes a good coach? With no agreed upon definition of a "qualified coach," this is a question often ignored! Julie McCleery, PhD, of the Center for Leadership in Athletics at the University of Washington, joins us to talk about how the often toxic culture in sports could be transformed through better, more holistically-minded training for coaches. With Opal: Food+Body Wisdom's Exercise+Sport...

Are you sick of making New Year’s resolutions you don’t keep? Instead of goal setting, try commuting to self-exploration! As an alternative to resolutions, Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS leads The Appetite crew in the journaling process of “self-inquiry,” a Radically Open DBT concept in which you move toward discomfort for the sake of growth. Lexi, along with Opal Co-Founders Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS a...

How do the holiday festivities impact your diet? For many—especially those already struggling with a disordered relationship to food and body—the holiday season can be chock-full of challenges. From holiday drinks with friends, to office parties, to busy schedules, and all of the special treats and seasonal foods, there’s a lot that’s both exciting and stressful! Opal Co-Founders Kara Bazzi, LMFT,...

Does sport culture need to change? We say, absolutely—and especially around weight! Mary Cain was the fastest high school distance runner in the world until she joined the best distance running program in the country, the Nike Oregon Project, coached by Alberto Salazar. From there, the abusive pressure to become thinner and thinner consumed her running career, leading her to disordered eating and...

What does food and body wisdom look like? With the concept front and center in Opal’s name, we decided to poll the staff (dietitians, therapists, and beyond!) to hear what body wisdom means to them. From pursuing the wisdom of one’s appetite cues, attachment style, and experience of privilege, our awesome staff came at this topic from all sides, all while exemplifying the Opal spirit. Listen to th...

How does your body carry emotion? Did you know that the answer to this question can serve as a window into understanding not only your relationship to food but your attachment style and personality as well? Opal’s Milieu Therapist Lead, Madeline Young, BS, RYT, LMT, joins host Carter Umhau, LMHC to discuss her work with somatic psychotherapy and Core Energetics. Carter and Madeline will discuss th...

Why is anger an important emotion? The Appetite crew talks about why anger is useful, and how our perception and expression of it is impacted by gender and race. Opal: Food + Body Wisdom Co-Founders Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS and Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS let you into a small moment of anger between them, displaying how we often “sanitize” anger. Then, with host Carter Umhau, LMHC, we discuss h...

How does talk about diets and weight impact you? One of the hardest things about recovery from an eating disorder is holding onto a new awareness of your needs, desires, and thoughts around food while out in the “real world.” This is especially difficult during the holiday season. Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, and Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD, Co-Founders of Opal: Food + Bo...

 Is it normal to lose your period when changing up your diet or exercise routine? Nicola Rinaldi, PhD joins the podcast today to discuss her journey to recover her period once it was lost, and offers her wealth of knowledge on hypothalamic amenorrhea (aka the loss of one’s period). Drawing from the research in her book, No Period. Now What?, Nicola joins Carter Umhau, LMHC and Opal...

Do you work out to deal with your emotions? There are so many messages out there that exercise will make you happier, healthier, and thinner…but none of these assumptions are a given, especially when movement is your only way to regulate or have a good day. This episode will explore the connection between exercise and emotions—unpacking the much more nuanced reality in order to broaden our underst...

What’s the difference between being “in recovery” versus being “recovered” from an eating disorder? And is full recovery possible? At Opal, we believe that YES—it definitely is! Today Opal Co-Founders Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, and Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD are talking with host Carter Umhau, LMHC about what the process of recovery looks like, why it’s different...

 What would your personal style look like if you weren’t concerned about size or body image? Hear how Erin Drischler has changed lives through changing the closets of women in recovery from eating disorders. Through The Garment Project—the non-profit she founded—those in recovery are getting a chance to find clothing without having to deal with the often triggering experience of navigating cl...

Are you ready for a change? We’re exploring what  the stages of change are and why acknowledging ambivalence is often the linchpin when it comes to transformation.  In a roundtable conversation that touches on self-care, creative habits, routines, and recovery, Opal Co-Founders Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS and Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD sit down with host Carter Umhau, LMHC t...

How are bodies political? The vibrant dietitian and podcast host Aaron Flores, RDN (of Dietitians Unplugged) joins Opal’s Nutrition Director Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD and host Carter Umhau, LMHC to share his feminist perspective on the politics of being in a fat body. Aaron talks about how being fat (as a cis, white man) has given him access to understanding the lack of safety peopl...

What does it take to heal? Obviously there’s a lot to it, but we’d dare to say that COURAGE (in all its forms) is at the heart of it all. Opal Co-Founder and Executive Director Dr. Lexi Giblin PhD, CEDS joins host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC to explore the many types of courage and their roles within eating disorder recovery. Lexi and Carter will pull from psychologist Rollo May’s work, which...

Do you trust your body’s appetite cues? It’s all about internal regulation on the last of this four-part series inspired by Ellyn Satter’s “Eating Competency Skills” and we’re talking body wisdom. Opal Co-Founder and Nutrition Director Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD talks with host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC about the wisdom your body holds around food and eating. They’ll be exploring the po...

What habits and routines can support healthy eating?  This third of our four-part series on Ellyn Satter’s eating competency skills, offers a look into how to build a healthy context and environment to support your food choices. Opal Co-Founder and Nutrition Director Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD talks with host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC about grocery shopping, a full pantry, and...