Nourish & Empower
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.
Episodes
75 episodes
The Real Baggage: The Food Rules We Bring On Vacation
Spring break is supposed to feel like a break, yet for so many of us it turns into a countdown of food rules, body checking, and “vacation ready” pressure. We’re talking about travel nutrition and body image in a way that’s realistic, compassio...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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36:26
Rally for Recovery with the National Alliance for Eating Disorders
A bathroom scale can become a judge, a ritual, and a cage and most people suffering from disordered eating learn to hide it well. We sit down with McCall Dempsey, founder of Southern Smash and a National Alliance for Eating Disorders advocate, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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39:54
Yoga For Every Body: Making Yoga Virtually Accessible
What if yoga stopped asking you to earn your place and started meeting you where you already are? We sit down with Emily Anderson, a Pittsburgh-based yoga therapist and founder of All Bodies Welcome Yoga, to rethink movement through nervous sys...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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49:36
ANTM: How A “Reality Check” Missed The Reality Of Harm
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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35:34
For Those on the Long Journey: A Recovery Story for ED Awareness Week
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 w...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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49:45
When Worth Isn’t A Size: Choosing Function Over Aesthetic
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 a...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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46:44
ARFID Andrew Redefines Food Exposures
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 ac...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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50:13
Breaking Stereotypes & Embracing Yourself: Eating Disorder Recovery for Males
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 an...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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56:05
Finding Your Therapist (and Why They Have Support Too)
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 profession...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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42:51
Grounded Goals, Not Grand Transformations
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 s...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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44:49
Reviewing the New Food Pyramid: Pros, Cons, and Our Take!
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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1:00:59
Diet Culture vs. Anti Diet: How Inclusive Nutrition Actually Works
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 man...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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39:49
EMDR Demystified: From Stigma To Skillful Healing
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 c...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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54:23
From Pain to Ease: How Pelvic Floor PT Changes Everyday Life
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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44:17
What If Holiday Traditions Served Your Values, Not Your Fears
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 comment...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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52:03
Why Striving For Your Best Beats Chasing Perfect
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 ab...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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34:16
How To Support Our Loved Ones With Communication and Connection This Holiday Season
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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39:02
Save Your Leftovers Not Your Appetite: Decreasing Thanksgiving Food Guilt
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 u...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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47:11
Pass The Pie And Mind Your Plate: Boundary Setting for the Holidays
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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36:02
From Decision Fatigue To Gentle Nourishment
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 flexibil...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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38:12
New Season; Still Us
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, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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38:50
Happy One Year Anniversary!
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 a...
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Season 1
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Episode 54
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27:19
“What Would Make Future You Proud?” with Dr. Sarah Pegrum
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 o...
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Season 1
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Episode 53
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51:44
You Can’t Pour From An Empty Cup
Self-care is the practice of taking care of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of your life to promote health and wellness. Join Maggie & Jessica as we discuss self-care, self-love, and confidence!
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Season 1
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Episode 52
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38:39
The Future of Dietetics
Dr. Lacie Peterson, is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, and is Board-Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management. She completed her Master’s degree and PhD in Nutrition and Integrative Physiology at the...
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Season 1
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Episode 51
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52:09