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 full-time caregiver during his daughter's seven-year recovery journey, and Wayne, a business and life coach who navigated a crisis hospitalization at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, share the distinct roles they each played and the emotions they carried — fear, hopelessness, failure, and grief over what their daughters lost. Together they give listeners a genuine look inside Men of FEAST, a virtual support group for dads and other male caregivers, and explain what makes it different: the permission it gives men to be present, to be honest, and to ask for help. Listeners will come away with a clear message from two men who have been through it: you don't have to face this alone, and recovery is possible.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:02 Guest Introductions: Wayne Herring and Kevin Olmsted

03:31 Wayne's Journey: From Talk Therapy to CHOP

08:16 Kevin's Journey: An Overnight PhD in Eating Disorders

12:37 Day-to-Day Roles in Recovery

18:36 Identity, Roles, and the Male Caregiver Experience

27:29 What They Wish Someone Had Said Earlier

30:56 Fear, Failure, and Mourning What Was Lost

35:47 What Is Men of FEAST?

39:23 Permission, Progress, and the Power of Peer Support

42:41 Encouraging Male Caregivers: Don't Leave the Room

45:26 Closing Thoughts: Hope and the Possibility of Recovery

SUPPORT & RESOURCES

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FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

Men of FEAST:

https://feast-ed.org/men-of-feast/

Kevin Olmsted's memoir, Scared Dad Feeding:

https://www.scareddadfeeding.com/

Guest Bios:

Kevin Olmsted lives in Northern California with his wife of thirty-four years and is the father of two adult children, including a daughter now seven years into recovery from anorexia. A longtime member and co-host of Men of FEAST, Kevin left his career in the wine business seven years ago to serve as a full-time caregiver during his daughter's recovery. He is also the author of Scared Dad Feeding, a self-published memoir about his family's experience navigating his daughter's illness and recovery, and is frequently sought out by other families facing similar challenges.

Wayne Herring lives on a twenty-acre farm in rural Pennsylvania with his family, where they raise pigs and cows. He is the father of five children, including a daughter who has recovered from anorexia. Wayne helped found Men of FEAST alongside other parents and now serves as a co-facilitator, drawing on both his lived experience as a caregiver and his work as a business and life coach to support other male caregivers. He is also an avid runner and lifelong learner who describes himself as grateful every day for his daughter's recovery.

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 behaviors from his wrestling days in high school — where no one taught him healthy weight management — through his professional boxing career, where he spent years cutting weight in secret while hiding a binge eating disorder from coaches, nutritionists, and nearly everyone around him. He talks candidly about the difference between weight cutting and an eating disorder, what it felt like to lose control of the one thing he'd always been able to discipline, and the role his wife Diane played in keeping him afloat. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of how eating disorders hide in plain sight in weight class sports, why men are particularly isolated in this experience, and what caregivers can do — and be — when someone they love is struggling.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:02 Guest Introduction: Danny O'Connor

03:18 Childhood: Family, Food, and a Sandlot Life

06:02 Wrestling, Weight Cutting, and No One Telling Him Anything

13:33 Downward Spiral: Academics, Arrests, and Losing Wrestling

18:10 Finding Boxing: How a PAL Gym Changed Everything

20:57 How Weight Classes Work in Amateur and Professional Boxing

26:53 From Weight Cutting to Eating Disorder: When Control Vanished 31:08 Binge Eating and the Behavior He Couldn't Stop

36:25 Hidden in Plain Sight: 15 Nutritionists and Still Silent

41:58 Isolation, His Wife Diane, and Finding the Right Supports

49:00 Recovery Isn't Linear: Treating the Eating Disorder Like an Opponent

01:01:12 What Danny Wants Caregivers to Know

SUPPORT & RESOURCES

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FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

Danny O'Connor's book, Weight Class:

https://www.amazon.com/Weight-Class-Fighters-Life-Death/dp/B0GMY44348

Guest Bio:

Danny O'Connor is a former elite professional boxer who grew up outside of Boston and was a member of the 2008 United States Olympic Boxing Team. As an accomplished amateur, he captured multiple national titles, including the US National Championships and the National Golden Gloves, establishing himself as one of the top fighters of his generation.

O'Connor turned professional in 2008 and competed at the highest levels of the sport for more than a decade, compiling a professional record of 31 wins and holding the WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Championship. Following his professional career,

O'Connor became a vocal advocate for greater awareness around weight class sports and eating disorders in men. Through his book Weight Class, he gives a voice to the many men who suffer in silence, drawing directly from his career in boxing and his firsthand experience battling an eating disorder in and out of the ring.

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 why her parents' refusal to back down was the single most important factor in her recovery. She and the hosts explore what leverage really means for parents of young adults, why the "once they turn 18, it's over" belief sells parents short, and how to set firm boundaries without damaging the relationship. Kinsey also describes what protecting recovery looks like more than a decade later and offers direct, practical encouragement to any caregiver feeling powerless.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:03 Guest Introduction: Kinsey Dalbec

02:53 Kinsey's Story: From "Healthy Eating" to Anorexia

08:20 The Turning Point: A Crystal Ball in the Adult Program

10:48 What Helped Most: Parents Who Wouldn't Back Down

13:17 When Help Doesn't Feel Like Help

15:24 How Recovery Led to a Career in Eating Disorder Treatment

20:28 The Therapist She Needed but Never Had

22:46 The 18 Myth: Why Parents Still Matter for Young Adults

27:15 Redefining Leverage as an Act of Love

31:15 Empowering Parents to Trust Their Instincts

35:51 Unconditional Love Means Getting in the Trenches

39:09 Setting Boundaries Without Losing the Relationship

43:51 Protecting Recovery: The McDonald's Test

46:39 Spotting Sneaky Eating Disorder Behaviors

49:34 Final Words: Don't Sell Yourself Short

SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

FEAST blog post:

https://feast-ed.org/dear-mom-and-dad-thank-you-for-saving-my-life/

FEAST Family Guide: https://feast-ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FamilyGuide_UsingLeverage_2025_v2.2.pdf

Guest Bio: Kinsey Dalbec is an eating disorder therapist currently working at Equip who has also been in her own recovery from anorexia nervosa for 13 years. After developing anorexia at 17 years old, she received Family Based Treatment, which eventually led her to full recovery. She is now a married mother of two young children and uses her life experience and clinical expertise to help patients and families navigate their own treatment and recoveries.

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 personality research. Dr. Knatz Peck explains what TBT-S is, how specific temperament traits—like anxiety, perfectionism, and harm avoidance—are overrepresented in eating disorders, and why treating to the trait rather than against it changes everything. The conversation covers how parents can access TBT-S, what the five-day intensive format looks like, and why understanding the biology behind their child's behavior helps caregivers show up more effectively.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:16 Guest Introduction: Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck

01:36 What Is TBT-S and Why It Was Developed

06:00 The "S" in TBT-S: Why Words and Supports Matter

08:22 What Temperament Actually Means

11:23 Temperament Traits Across Eating Disorder Subtypes

17:27 Traits as Gifts: Treat to the Trait

25:04 Honoring Traits Without Colluding with the Eating Disorder

30:06 How Environment Interacts with Traits

32:17 Why Parents Are the Primary Agent of Change

36:14 Neurobiological Empathy: What Parents Gain from TBT-S

38:33 How Families Access TBT-S: Intensives and Provider Training

43:58 Case Study: Finding Engagement After Years of Being Stuck

49:23 Three Practical Tips for Supports

SUPPORT & RESOURCES

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FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

FEAST Blog Post-Laura Hill PhD:

https://feast-ed.org/how-temperament-influences-support-given-to-loved-ones-with-eating-disorders/

Bright Mind Therapy (Dr. Knatz Peck's clinic):

https://www.brightmindtherapy.com/

TBTS Institute:

https://tbtstraining.com

Guest Bio:

Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck is a clinical psychologist and the founder and clinical director of BrightMind Therapy. She is a practitioner-scientist trained in the UCSD Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry in child and adolescent mental health and evidence-based treatments for parents and youth. In addition to her role at BrightMind Therapy, Dr. Peck is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where she directs an Intensive Family Treatment (IFT) program for adolescents and young adults with eating disorders and their families.

Dr. Peck is involved in clinical research underway at UCSD evaluating novel psychiatric treatments including psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and family-focused eating disorders treatment. She provides regular workshops and trainings around the world focused on parent training, family-based treatment, and eating disorders. Dr. Peck is passionate about high-impact treatments and working with youth, with a particular focus on adolescents. She is dedicated to ensuring that youth feel connected and safe while receiving high quality treatments that are rooted in science, adapted for age, family-involved, and last but not least, creative and fun!

Outside of her professional life, she enjoys being in nature, surfing, yoga, hiking, writing, and spending time with her young daughter and husband. Born and raised throughout Central and South America to American parents, Dr. Peck identifies as “third-culture” which she credits for the value she places on openness, flexibility, and appreciation for diversity of opinion.

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 suicidality. Dr. Parks explains the neurobiology behind why consequences and rewards work differently in the eating disorder brain, and shares a vivid real-world example of how one family used that understanding to break through a months-long standoff. She also offers direct, compassionate guidance on how to talk openly about self-harm, when to involve emergency services, and how to protect your child while accepting the limits of your own control. Listeners will come away with practical tools for the hardest moments of caregiving and a reminder that imperfect support is still meaningful support.

00:00 Introduction, Disclaimer, and Content Warning

01:02 Guest Introduction: Dr. Erin Parks

04:40 When Meals Go Wrong: What to Do After You Snap

08:40 De-escalating in the Moment

11:35 Repairing After a Blow-Up

14:35 What Distress Tolerance Actually Means

23:48 Neurobiology 101: How the Eating Disorder Brain Processes Consequences and Rewards

30:19 The Shake Story: Finding the Key That Motivates Your Child

34:56 When Your Child Feels Nothing: Depression and Eating Disorders

39:22 Self-Harm and Suicidality: How to Keep the Conversation Open

47:53 Safety Planning and Imminent Risk

52:41 One Practical Tip: Choose One

SUPPORT & RESOURCES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST programs and services:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

FEAST webinar - How to Talk to Your Child When ED Has You Walking on Eggshells: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6ibx-8YhWE

Brainstorms podcast episode:

https://brainstormsorg.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/episode-8-eating-disorder-interview-with-dr-erin-parks/

Guest Bio:

Dr. Erin Parks is a clinical psychologist and researcher who co-founded Equip in 2019. Equip is now the largest virtual eating disorder treatment program in the United States. As Chief Clinical Officer, she leads the clinical and research efforts that keep Equip's outcomes best in class. Before Equip, Dr. Parks was on the faculty at UC San Diego, where she treated patients across all levels of care for eating disorders. She earned her PhD from UC San Diego and completed her undergraduate work at Northwestern University.

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 real.

In this episode, Jenni Gaines and Laura Cohen sit down with Kyle King, a second-year medical student at Yale and mental health advocate with lived experience of both OCD and anorexia nervosa. Kyle shares his journey from an OCD diagnosis at 12 to an eating disorder at 17, the ways anorexia drove him to lie to the people closest to him, what it was like to relapse in college and hide it from his parents, and how family-based treatment ultimately saved his life. He also offers a rare inside look at how OCD and eating disorders interact, why being male shaped his experience, and why he now dedicates his advocacy work to supporting caregivers.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:22 Guest Introduction: Kyle King

02:34 Kyle's Lived Experience: From OCD to Anorexia

05:47 When ERP Didn't Work: The Limits of OCD-Only Treatment

07:15 Family-Based Treatment and Starting to Recover

08:06 The Lying Piece: What Parents Need to Know

09:30 Relapse in College: Fabricating Weights and Hiding

13:13 How Being Male Impacted the Eating Disorder Experience

17:09 Lying to Therapists and the Role of Pride

19:31 Why Kyle Fabricated His Weight: It Wasn't for Himself

21:05 How OCD and an Eating Disorder Interact

24:26 Should OCD and Eating Disorders Be Classified Differently?

28:06 Temperament, Brain Circuitry, and Environment

29:15 What Parents Did That Helped Most

32:40 How an Eating Disorder Affects the Whole Family

37:02 OCD Unfiltered: A Program Built for Parents

41:08 Why Kyle Shifted His Focus to Caregivers

44:06 The Power of Parental Vulnerability

46:51 From Lived Experience to Psychiatry

49:41 Hopes for the Future of Eating Disorder Treatment

SUPPORT & RESOURCES

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FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST flyer:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

Guest Bio:

Kyle King is a second-year medical student at Yale School of Medicine. More central to his identity, however, Kyle is a mental health advocate with lived experience of OCD and anorexia nervosa. He serves as a National Advocate with the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), is the founder and co-leader of the IOCDF's Young Adult Special Interest Group, and hosts the IOCDF Research Roundtable. In addition, Kyle works as a research assistant in the Yale OCD Clinic and is a frequent speaker at OCD conferences across the country. His primary interests include investigating novel treatments for psychiatric conditions, addressing inequities in access to mental health care, and exploring the complex overlaps between OCD and related conditions such as eating disorders.

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 most challenging moments, hope is real.

In this episode, Laura Cohen sits down with her daughter, Alexa Cohen, to talk openly about Alexa's eating disorder diagnosis at 16, the hard road through family-based treatment and higher levels of care, and what their relationship looks like on the other side. Alexa, now 22 and working in inpatient eating disorder care, shares her perspective from both sides of recovery.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:02 Guest Introduction: Alexa Cohen

04:06 Life Before the Diagnosis: Ages 13–16

06:49 The Role of Lockdown, Social Media, and the ED Voice

10:02 How Laura First Learned Something Was Wrong

11:44 Starting FBT: Refeeding at Home During COVID

16:17 What FBT Felt Like from Alexa's Perspective

19:11 Why Giving In Was Never an Option

20:44 Finding the Right Treatment Team (and How Long It Took)

25:26 Deciding to Pursue a Higher Level of Care

32:00 College, Contracts, and Choosing Recovery

37:18 Alexa's Work in Eating Disorder Care Today

40:12 Advice for Caregivers Whose Kids Are in Treatment

45:49 What Alexa Would Tell Her 13-Year-Old Self

47:26 Advice to Caregivers: It Won't Ruin the Relationship

SUPPORT & RESOURCES

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FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST flyer:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

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 rehabilitation first, and offers a realistic picture of what success actually looks like in treatment. Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of when to raise a red flag with their pediatrician, who should be on their child's treatment team, and how to manage the anxiety and fatigue that come with supporting a loved one through recovery.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:11 Guest Introduction: Nathalia Trees

03:20 What Is ARFID? The Three Presentations

05:20 How ARFID Differs from Anorexia, Bulimia, and Anxiety Disorders

07:30 Motivation vs. Anxiety in ARFID Treatment

09:10 Picky Eating vs. ARFID: Where's the Line?

11:20 First Steps for Caregivers: Advocating with Your Pediatrician

15:06 What Does ARFID Treatment Look Like?

16:20 Why Nutrition Rehabilitation Comes Before Food Trials

18:15 Weight Gain Goals and Growth Curve Realities

19:55 The Malnourished Brain: Why Food Trials Can't Come First

23:26 What Does Success Actually Look Like?

25:45 Tracking Progress and Celebrating Small Wins

26:00 Common Setbacks: Travel, Illness, and Food Fatigue

29:40 Building Your Treatment Team: Who Does What

33:15 Caregiver Anxiety and Distress Tolerance at the Table

36:01 Is There a Timeline for ARFID Recovery?

38:08 When to Consider a Higher Level of Care

SUPPORT & RESOURCES

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FEAST website:

https://feast-ed.org/

FEAST flyer:

https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/

FEAST Webinar - Feeding Without Fear: Navigating Nutrition in ARFID

Feeding Without Fear: Navigating Nutrition in ARFID - YouTube

FEAST Family Guide - Beyond Picky Eating: Strategies for Navigating ARFID and Supporting Your Loved One (with Nathalia Trees)

https://feast-ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FamilyGuide_BeyondPickyEating_2026_v1.2.pdf

Guest Bio:

Nathalia Trees is a certified eating disorder Registered Dietitian and consultant specializing in the treatment of adults and adolescents with eating disorders. She was granted a Bachelor of Science from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science in clinical nutrition from Tufts University. She completed her dietetics internship at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA.

Nathalia’s experience spans over 13 years in medical nutrition therapy, nutrition education, public speaking, and eating disorder related research. Her passion is advocacy, training, and education for current and future dietitians and helping individuals rebuild their relationship with food. Nathalia’s approach focuses on non-diet centered, weight inclusive, and compassionate care. Nathalia’s leadership style focuses on community, connection, and striving for clinical excellence in the field of eating disorders.