In this episode of Behind the Bite, Dr. Cristina Castagnini speaks with therapist Cassie Krajewski about healing from trauma, eating disorders, and body disconnection. They explore the concept of embodiment versus disembodiment and how trauma impacts one’s relationship with their body and food. Cassie shares trauma-informed approaches, including Internal Family Systems and EMDR, to safely reconnect with the body. They also discuss the intersection of sexuality, body image, and trauma recovery. F...
Jun 26, 2025•44 min•Ep. 240
This powerful episode dives deep into the challenges of living in a diet-obsessed culture and explores how to navigate conversations about weight, health, and body image. Dr. Castagnini and Karen Scheuner discuss the exhausting reality of being professionals in the eating disorder field while encountering diet culture messaging in everyday social situations. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Jun 19, 2025•46 min•Ep. 239
Lindley, a photographer and body liberation activist, discusses her journey combining photography with activism focused on marginalized bodies. She explains how societal messages about bodies are absorbed daily and shape our emotional reactions to photos of ourselves. The episode delves into the historical roots of body image issues, linking them to racism and the development of Western beauty standards. Lindley highlights how media and culture reinforce these standards and the ongoing process o...
Jun 12, 2025•44 min•Ep. 238
In this insightful episode, Béa joins the show to discuss her journey from primary care and functional medicine to focusing on the psychology and nervous system aspects of health. The conversation explores the deep connections between mind, body, trauma, and the development of codependency, perfectionism, and people-pleasing habits. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Jun 05, 2025•44 min•Ep. 237
In this episode, Sheryl Lynn shares her personal journey from trauma, dysfunction, and searching for joy to founding Joyely, a lifestyle brand and community centered around the concept of joy intelligence. She discusses how joy is often misunderstood, the science behind it, and how it differs from happiness. Sheryl explains the core elements needed to prioritize joy—safety, presence, and joy itself—and introduces the concept of joy as a skill rather than just an emotion. SHOW NOTES: Click here F...
May 29, 2025•30 min•Ep. 236
In this episode, therapist Becca shares her personal and professional journey from being immersed in diet culture to discovering intuitive eating and the Health at Every Size approach. She discusses the moment she realized she had an eating disorder, how working with a coach transformed her perspective, and her ongoing process of recovery. Becca and host Cristina explore the myths around eating disorder recovery, emphasizing that while triggers can reappear, long-term healing is possible. The co...
May 22, 2025•42 min•Ep. 235
This episode features a deeply personal and candid conversation with Julia Trehane, an eating disorder recovery coach, podcast host, and speaker. Julia shares her journey through 40 years of battling anorexia nervosa, orthorexia, and exercise addiction, ultimately achieving full recovery and dedicating her life to helping others find freedom from eating disorders. Julia recounts her earliest memories of body image struggles beginning at age three, exacerbated by childhood teasing and a difficult...
May 15, 2025•37 min•Ep. 234
In this heartfelt episode, Cristina Castagnini explores the complexities of body image and the pressures surrounding self-love and body positivity. She begins by expressing gratitude to listeners for choosing to invest in their healing and self-worth, acknowledging the effort it takes to engage with these important topics. Cristina challenges the pervasive cultural messages that urge people to “just love yourself” or achieve constant body positivity. She explains that, while well-intentioned, th...
May 08, 2025•16 min•Ep. 233
In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Cristina Castagnini speaks with Ava Manuel, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Tribune and Mrs. Enterprise America 2025. They discuss how one conversation and one belief shift changed everything for Ava, reigniting a decades-old dream and launching her on the road to the Mrs. America stage. This episode explores reclaiming joy, breaking up with perfectionism, and finally saying yes to yourself at any age, size, and exactly as you are. SHOW NOTES: Click here Fo...
May 01, 2025•41 min•Ep. 232
This episode of "Behind the Bite" explores the overlap between eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Dr. Cristina Castagnini interviews Allyson Ford, a therapist specializing in both disorders with personal experience. Ford shares her journey with orthorexia and anorexia as a teenager, which later led to the realization of underlying OCD tendencies. The discussion covers the similarities between OCD and eating disorders, such as intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, an...
Apr 24, 2025•35 min•Ep. 231
In this episode of Behind the Bite, Dr. Cristina Castagnini is joined by Abbie Attwood, a weight-inclusive nutritionist and host of the Full Plate Podcast. Together, they explore the complexities of disordered eating, recovery, and the cultural forces that shape our relationships with food and body image. Abby shares her deeply personal journey through competitive running, chronic illness, and recovery from disordered eating, offering insights into how diet culture and societal norms perpetuate ...
Apr 17, 2025•48 min•Ep. 230
In this solo episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini addresses the anxiety many people feel as summer approaches, particularly regarding body image concerns related to wearing summer clothing. She explores how social media trends and cultural messaging can trigger disordered eating patterns and offers practical strategies for maintaining a healthy relationship with your body during this challenging seasonal transition. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_...
Apr 10, 2025•21 min•Ep. 229
In this powerful episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini interviews Nicola Salmon about the pervasive weight bias in fertility healthcare. They explore how systemic discrimination impacts people in larger bodies seeking reproductive care, challenging harmful myths about fertility, pregnancy, and body size. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Apr 03, 2025•49 min•Ep. 228
In this episode of Behind the Bite, Dr. Cristina Castagnini interviews Oona Hanson, a parent educator and eating disorder advocate. Oona shares her journey from being an educator to focusing specifically on eating disorders and diet culture after her own child developed an eating disorder. The conversation covers crucial information for parents about recognizing warning signs, navigating treatment challenges, and creating a supportive environment for recovery. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on...
Mar 27, 2025•45 min•Ep. 227
In this powerful episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Mallory Page, a non-diet dietitian and founder of Live Unrestricted, to explore the complex world of diet culture, intuitive eating, and personal healing from disordered eating patterns. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Mar 20, 2025•47 min•Ep. 226
In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with journalist, professor, and author Harriet Brown to challenge deeply ingrained myths about weight, health, and body image. Brown shares her journey from diet culture adherent to myth-buster, exploring how society's obsession with thinness affects our well-being and self-perception. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Mar 13, 2025•45 min•Ep. 225
This episode explores how trauma-informed yoga can support eating disorder recovery, contrasting it with fitness-focused yoga that might trigger disordered behaviors. Jennifer shares her personal journey with eating disorders and how yoga became instrumental in her healing process. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Mar 06, 2025•45 min•Ep. 224
Dr. Cristina Castagnini interviews Julia Werth, a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders, particularly among athletes. They discuss the complexities of eating disorder treatment, recovery challenges for athletes, and how diet culture impacts both athletes and non-athletes. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Feb 27, 2025•53 min•Ep. 223
In this conversation, Virgie Tovar shares her personal journey with weight stigma and eating disorders, rooted in her family background. She discusses the societal implications of weight stigma, the rise of GLP-1 drugs, and their impact on body positivity. Virgie emphasizes the importance of creating weight-neutral environments in corporate settings and challenges the narrative surrounding weight loss drugs, advocating for a more compassionate understanding of body image and health. In this conv...
Feb 20, 2025•43 min•Ep. 222
In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini and registered dietitian Vincci Tsui take a deep dive into the often-overlooked consequences of bariatric surgery. They discuss the physical, emotional, and psychological impacts that extend far beyond the operating room, challenging the common perception of this weight-loss procedure. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Feb 13, 2025•54 min•Ep. 221
In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Dana Sturtevant, a registered dietitian, author, and co-founder of the Center for Body Trust, to explore why diets fail and how to develop a healthier relationship with food and body image. Dana discusses how to trust your body, the impact of social determinants on health, and why recovery from disordered eating requires more than just changing what we eat. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...
Feb 06, 2025•47 min•Ep. 220
In this enlightening episode of Behind the Bite, Dr. Cristina Castagnini interviews Deb Schachter, co-author of "Body Image Inside Out," exploring the complex and often misunderstood world of body image. The conversation delves deep into understanding body image as more than just physical appearance, revealing how emotional experiences, relationships, and personal transitions profoundly shape our perception of ourselves. Schachter shares insights from her professional and personal journey, offer...
Jan 30, 2025•46 min•Ep. 219
In this insightful episode, Dr. Debi Silber, a leading expert on betrayal trauma, shares her expertise on understanding, healing, and recovering from betrayal. Dr. Silber explains the unique nature of betrayal as a trauma, its symptoms, and the five stages of healing. She also discusses how time alone doesn't heal betrayal trauma and offers actionable tips for those on the path to recovery. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Jan 23, 2025•36 min•Ep. 218
In this episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini interviews Simi Botic, an attorney turned coach, intuitive eating counselor, and author of "Letting Go of Leo: How I Broke Up with Perfection." They discuss the deep connection between perfectionism, disordered eating, and exercise addiction, sharing their personal journeys of recovery and professional insights. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Jan 16, 2025•51 min•Ep. 217
Dr. Cristina Castagnini welcomes women's health expert Amanda Thieb to discuss the often-overlooked topic of menopause and perimenopause. Amanda shares her personal journey and expertise as the author of "Menopocalypse" and Canada's first menopause workplace educator. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Jan 09, 2025•42 min•Ep. 216
Host Dr. Cristina Castagnini welcomes Tanya Mark, a board-certified health and wellbeing coach, nutrition therapy practitioner, and former personal trainer, to discuss menopause, body image, and challenging diet culture myths. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite
Jan 02, 2025•47 min•Ep. 215
In this episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Toni Rudd, known as "the binge dietitian," to discuss breaking free from binge eating and toxic diet culture. Toni, a UK-trained dietitian now working online from Lima, Peru, shares her expertise on developing a healthier relationship with food. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Dec 26, 2024•48 min•Ep. 214
In this enlightening episode, host Dr. Cristina Castagnini speaks with Maria Baltazzi, a happiness advocate and author of "Take a Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct, and Produce the Life You Want," about finding true happiness and personal fulfillment. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite...
Dec 19, 2024•48 min•Ep. 213
In this compelling episode of Behind the Bite, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross, a physician, speaker, and consultant specializing in addictions, eating disorders, trauma, and intergenerational trauma. Dr. Ross shares her unique journey into the field of eating disorders, beginning as a medical director of a treatment center in San Diego and influenced by her family's experiences with eating disorders and mental health challenges. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on ...
Dec 12, 2024•36 min•Ep. 212
In this insightful episode of Behind the Bite, host Dr. Cristina Castagnini interviews Heidi Schauster, a nutrition and eating disorder specialist with over 30 years of experience. Schauster shares her personal journey of recovering from an eating disorder and discusses strategies for parents to help children develop healthy attitudes towards food and body image. SHOW NOTES: Click here Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite_podcast/...
Dec 05, 2024•52 min•Ep. 211
