The Other Side Of The Plate

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 Northweste...

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 du...

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 f...

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...

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 wh...

Episode 016 Title: Treating to the Traits: An Introduction to Temperament- Based Treatment with Supports (TBT-S) (with Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck, clinical psychologist and co-developer of Temperament Based Treatment with Supports (TBT-S), to explore a model of eating disorder care built on neuroscience and persona...

Episode 015 Title: Facing the Toughest Moments in Eating Disorder Caregiving (with Dr. Erin Parks) In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Dr. Erin Parks, clinical psychologist and co-founder of Equip, to tackle the situations caregivers dread most: mealtime meltdowns, a child who seems to have stopped caring about everything, and the terrifying reality of self-harm and suicida...

Episode 014 Title: Voices of Hope: Untangling OCD and Anorexia (with Kyle King) This episode is part of our Voices of Hope series. In these conversations, you'll hear from individuals who have walked through an eating disorder and come out on the other side. Our intention is to highlight that recovery is possible, relationships can survive, and even during the most challenging moments, hope is rea...

Episode 013 Title: Voices of Hope: A Mother and Daughter Reflect on Their Eating Disorder Journey (with Alexa Cohen) This episode is part of our Voices of Hope series. In these conversations, you’ll hear from individuals who have walked through an eating disorder and come out on the other side. Our intention is to highlight that recovery is possible, relationships can survive, and even during the...

In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Nathalia Trees, a certified eating disorder Registered Dietitian, to unpack ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), a diagnosis that often gets mistaken for simple picky eating. Nathalia breaks down the three presentations of ARFID, explains why a malnourished brain makes food trials nearly impossible without nutritional rehabi...

Episode 011 Title: Stronger Together: How Caregiver Alignment Supports Recovery In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen dive into the vital but often overlooked topic of caregiver alignment. They discuss how eating disorders can exploit "cracks" in relationships and the profound impact—both positive and negative—that caregiver unity has on a child’s recovery trajectory. Listeners will gain p...

Episode 010 A Personal Recovery Journey: Insights for Caregivers (with Hannah Hickinbotham) In this episode, Jenni speaks with Hannah Hickenbotham, founder of the UK-based "Full of Beans" podcast about eating disorder awareness. Hannah shares her personal journey through atypical anorexia, body dysmorphia, and the late ADHD diagnosis (after 14 years of struggling) that finally unlocked her path to...

Episode 009 Navigating Family Based Treatment (with Dr. Amy Boyers) In this episode of The Other Side of the Plate, hosts Laura and Jenni welcome Dr. Amy Boyers, co-founder and president of Galen Hope and a clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience treating eating disorders. Laura and Amy's friendship stretches back to childhood in Miami, making for a warm and candid conversation a...

Episode 008 Body Image and Eating Disorders (with Dr. Anita Federici) In this episode of The Other Side of the Plate, hosts Jenni and Laura welcome Dr. Anita Federici, a clinical psychologist and globally respected expert on eating disorders and DBT. Dr. Federici challenges the common assumption that body image naturally improves after weight restoration, explaining that for many people, body dist...

Episode 007 The Importance of Male Caregivers in Eating Disorder Recovery (with Kevin Dunn) In this episode of The Other Side of the Plate, hosts Jenni and Laura discuss the often overlooked role of male caregivers in eating disorder recovery with special guest Kevin Dunn. Kevin, a seasoned volunteer and the Director of Family Mentorship at Equip, shares insights from his eight-year journey suppor...

Episode 006 Handling the Holidays with a Loved One in Eating Disorder Recovery In this episode of The Other Side of the Plate, hosts Laura Cohen and Jenny Gaines discuss managing the holidays when a loved one is not in residential or in-patient treatment and is able to be with their family at home (or able to travel with family for the holidays). They share strategies for caregivers to support the...

Episode 005 The Heart of FEAST: A Conversation with Judy Krasna In this episode of The Other Side of the Plate, hosts Jenni and Laura sit down with a very special guest: Judy Krasna, the Executive Director of FEAST. Judy shares her powerful personal journey from finding FEAST as a parent in Israel to leading FEAST as a global organization. She discusses the core mission of FEAST—parents helping pa...

Episode 004 A Roadmap to Key F.E.A.S.T. Resources In this episode of 'The Other Side of the Plate,' host Jenni Gaines provides an in-depth look at crucial resources offered by FEAST, an organization dedicated to supporting families dealing with eating disorders. The episode covers educational programs such as the 'FEAST 30 Days' program, the 'FEAST Caregiver Skills Toolkit,' and the 'Family Guide...

Episode 003 What to Tell Family and Friends About Your Loved One's Eating Disorder In this episode of The Other Side of the Plate , hosts Jenni and Laura discuss the complex topic of how to inform family and friends about a loved one’s eating disorder diagnosis. Drawing from their personal experiences, they outline the pros and cons of sharing the diagnosis, setting boundaries, and managing privac...

Episode 002 Food is Medicine in Eating Disorder Recovery In this episode of The Other Side of the Plate , hosts Jenni and Laura delve into the crucial role of nutrition in the recovery from eating disorders. As caregivers with lived experience, they highlight the importance of viewing food as literal medicine for those in recovery. They address common misconceptions, the need for high calorie inta...

001 - Where to Start: Recognizing and Responding to Your Child’s Eating Disorder In this inaugural episode of The Other Side of the Plate , hosts Jenni and Laura introduce the new F.E.A.S.T. podcast aimed at helping parents and caregivers navigate the complex and often overwhelming world of eating disorder caregiving. Both hosts share their personal experiences as mothers who supported their child...