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Have you ever felt like you could use a little extra support when working on your relationship with food and your body? Join Jessica, a Licensed Professional Counselor, and Maggie, a Registered Dietitian, along with special guests, as we chat about mental health, nutrition, eating disorders, diet culture, body image, and so much more. Together, we have over 15 years of experience working in eating disorders and mental health treatment. Let’s redefine, reclaim, & restore the true meaning of health on The Nourish & Empower Podcast.
72 Episodes
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A glossy show sold us aspiration; the documentary showed us the bill. We revisit America’s Next Top Model with clear eyes and full context, unpacking how a franchise turned vulnerability into spectacle and then tried to hide behind “it was the times.” As two providers who grew up watching, we connect the dots between what we saw as kids—thinness worship, racial caricatures, manufactured humiliation—and what our clients navigate now: diet culture, body surveillance, and the pressure to perform...
What if recovery didn’t have to be perfect to be real? We’re joined by author Johanna Scoglio, whose new memoir, When the Water Still Holds Me: Letters Through the Tides of a Long-Term Eating Disorder, opens a candid window into life with a long-term eating disorder and the everyday courage it takes to heal. Johanna shares how shame kept her silent for years, how harm reduction and values-based choices gave her traction, and why support that sits beside you beats pressure that pushes. The sto...
If body talk leaves you tired, you’re not alone. We dig into the honest, nuanced space between loving your body and hating it—and why body neutrality can be the most freeing path forward. With one of us practicing as a therapist and the other as a dietitian, we blend emotional insight with practical nutrition tools to help you move through tough body days without sacrificing your life, your relationships, or your meals. We start by defining body positivity, neutrality, and negativity in plai...
Fear, texture, and shame don’t stand a chance when the stakes are low and the support is real. We’re joined by creator Andrew Luber also known as, ARFID Andrew, whose wildly honest food exposures have helped thousands put words to what ARFID actually feels like: a body that misfires at the sight, smell, and feel of certain foods, and a brain that plans the entire day around avoiding them. Andrew opens up about why rigid rituals backfire, how spontaneity reduces anticipatory anxiety, and the u...
You can’t heal what you can’t name. We sit down with recovery coach and advocate Eric Pothen to name what often goes unseen: how eating disorders affect men, why stereotypes keep them silent, and what real support looks like when shame and masculinity collide. Eric’s story fuels a wider movement for representation—from launching EmbraceWare, an apparel brand that donates to treatment and sparks conversation, to building spaces where men can show up as they are and feel understood. We d...
Ever wonder what makes good therapy consistently good? We open the door to the real work that happens off-mic and off-session: supervision, collaboration, and the ethical guardrails that keep clients safe and supported. With licensed professional counselor and supervisor Erin Scheidle, we unpack how individual and group supervision sharpen clinical judgment, reduce imposter syndrome, and translate directly into clearer treatment plans and stronger outcomes—especially in eating disorder care w...
A new calendar doesn’t require a new you. We kick off the year by taking apart the pressure cooker of resolutions, asking why a “firm decision” often casts you as a problem to be solved—and how that framing supercharges diet culture’s loudest season. Instead, we offer a humane alternative: intentions that honor context, capacity, and change over time. This is a conversation about self-trust, not self-surveillance. We explore why so many plans collapse by February: shame-based goals, unrealis...
A new “pyramid” lands, the internet erupts, and we’re left asking the only question that matters: what should actually change on our plates? We take you past the viral graphic and into the real guidance, translating policy-speak into practical choices you can make this week. From protein hype to saturated fat limits, from kids and sugar to food access and cost, we connect the dots with clear, judgment-free advice. We start by grounding the conversation in history—how the 1992 pyramid gave wa...
Ever feel trapped between diet rules and anti-diet slogans, like you have to pick a side to “eat right”? We invited ADHD dietitian Chelsea Pitrelli to break the stalemate. Chelsea has lived on both ends of the spectrum—teaching adult weight management classes and guiding eating disorder recovery—and she shows how the same core skills can serve radically different goals when we strip away shame and refocus on intention. We unpack what anti-diet actually means, beyond hashtags and hot takes. C...
Show notes: Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised. Resource links: ANAD: https://anad.org/ NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ NAMI: https://nami.org/home Action Alliance: https://t...
Leaking when you laugh, hip pain that keeps returning, or sex that hurts are not things you just have to live with. We invited Dr. Courtney Smiach, founder of Rebel PT and a licensed pelvic health physical therapist, to unpack the real reasons behind pelvic symptoms and share practical steps to feel better—without shame and without the “that’s normal” brush‑off. We dig into the core canister—diaphragm, abdominals, back muscles, and pelvic floor—and why pressure management is the hidden engin...
Ever wish holiday traditions felt lighter and more like you? We invited our colleague Tamar, an FBT therapist, to help us unpack the meaning of Hanukkah’s light and the realities of eight days filled with latkes, donuts, gatherings, and comments—and then we turn to Christmas, where office cookie swaps, seven fishes, and a packed social calendar can test even the most grounded routines. Together we get honest about food fears, sensory overload, and that pressure to “perform” at the table, then...
Perfection looks like safety on the surface: if nothing is wrong, nothing can hurt me. But under the polish sits a heavy cost—anxious checking, shrinking choices, and a relentless inner critic. We open up a candid, compassionate conversation about perfectionism’s roots, how it shows up in food rules and body image, and why chasing flawless outcomes erodes genuine health. Together, we draw a bright line between being perfect and doing your best. One demands control you can’t actually have; th...
Holidays can be loud—full of love, expectations, and a whole lot of food talk. We pulled the curtain back on what real support looks like when someone you care about is navigating an eating disorder, body image struggles, or heightened anxiety around meals. Together, we unpack how families become part of the treatment team, why the person struggling gets to be the expert on what helps, and how to replace well-meaning but unhelpful habits with language and actions that actually soothe. We get...
The holiday table can feel like a minefield—“save your appetite,” unsolicited body comments, and the pressure to perform a perfect plate. We cut through the noise with a simple plan: treat Thanksgiving like a normal eating day so you can show up fed, calm, and present. That means breakfast, a snack if you need it, and a meal timeline that matches your family’s schedule, whether you sit down at 3 p.m. or 6:30. We also unpack the biggest misconception of the season: most people don’t overeat be...
The holidays are supposed to feel warm and easy, yet many of us tense up the moment food, body talk, and social pressure enter the room. We break down how to protect your peace with practical tools that actually work: comfort-first clothing to reduce sensory stress, permission-based eating that ends scarcity, and short, clear scripts that shut down plate policing without a scene. We start by confronting the cultural rush that blends every celebration and heightens anxiety. From there, we shar...
We unpack why hunger can show up while nothing sounds good and how emotional fullness, decision fatigue, and diet culture make choices harder. We share practical tools to shop with curiosity, build go-to foods, and use sensory cues and flexibility to find satisfaction again. • reframing restrictions as variety and agency • decision fatigue and mechanical eating as short-term tools • myths about grocery store layouts and “healthy” aisles • shop slightly hungry to buy what you actually want • ...
Missed us? We’re back for season two with real talk and zero fluff, catching you up on life changes and digging into the ideas shaping mental health, nutrition, and recovery right now. Trigger warning: This show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Li...
Join Jessica and Maggie to celebrate one year of the pod! We reflect on our favorite moments, how we’ve grown, and share some behind the scenes details. Thank you so much for all of our amazing guests and listeners- we appreciate you all so much! Resource links: ANAD: https://anad.org/ NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ NAMI: https://nami.org/home Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/ NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ How to find a provider: https://map.nat...
Dr. Sarah Pegrum is a Clinical Psychologist, ACT Peer-Reviewed Trainer, and author of "Break the Binds of Weight Stigma: Free Yourself From Body Image Struggles Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy". She has been practicing in the field of body image, weight stigma, and eating disorders for over 15 years. During which she has not only provided therapy to a variety of people but also conducted presentations and training around the world. For more information: check out https://drsar...
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