Originally released in 2018, we felt this interview was worth repeating! At a time where sports and athletics are turned upside down due to the pandemic, a silver lining is that it's creating new time and space for both athletes and coaches to learn and become more centered in what is most important and enduring in athletics. In this conversation about the influential position a coach has on an athlete's life and performance, Opal Co-Founder Kara Bazzi LMFT, CEDS and Carter Umhau, LMHCA intervie...
Dec 15, 2020•51 min•Season 1Ep. 107
How does being marginalized impact a person’s health and physiology? Dr. Lindo Bacon, who has spent their career advocating for social justice at the intersection of weight and health, joins this episode to share about their newest book, Radical Belonging: How to Survive and Thrive in an Unjust World (While Transforming it for the Better). In conversation with Opal Co-Founder Julie Church and host and therapist Carter Umhau, Lindo shares how their experience of being other-ed for their gender id...
Nov 12, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Welcome to the first ever episode of The Appetite. Clinicians from Opal: Food+Body Wisdom, an eating disorder treatment center in Seattle, Washington, will meet every week to discuss all things body, food, movement, and mental health. Today you will meet the three women who founded Opal: Psychologist Dr. Lexi Giblin, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Julie Church, and Family Therapist Kara Bazzi. Today’s discussion and future conversations will be facilitated by host and Opal therapist Carter Um...
Nov 05, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 1
What does it look like to center narrative in racial identity work? Aiko Bethea is the principal and founder of Rare Coaching and Consulting, which offers executive coaching to leaders on their diversity, equity, and inclusion journey. She joins host Carter Umhau and Opal Co-Founders Lexi Giblin and Julie Church today in a tender and empowering conversation around what diversity and inclusion work can look like when narrative and shame resilience are part of the process. Aiko has been working wi...
Oct 27, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 104
How do you know when it’s time to let go? On this more reflective and personal episode of The Appetite, Opal Co-Founder’s Lexi Giblin, Kara Bazzi, and Julie Church join host Carter Umhau to explore themes around loss, grief, accepting change, and letting go. Inspired by an announcement from Carter about her departure from the podcast, the crew reflects on where The Appetite has been and where we’re headed next! Links: Stay in touch with Carter Umhau, LMHC via www.carterumhau.com and www.pithther...
Oct 09, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 103
How has whiteness in the running world contributed to the toxicity around sport culture? Runner Alison Mariella Désir joins host and therapist Carter Umhau and Opal Co-Founder and Head of the Exercise + Sport Program, Kara Bazzi, to talk about the intersection of race and running, and why representation and mental health support in running—and the athletic world at large—matters. Alison Mariella Désir is a runner, mental health advocate, activist, speaker, and mother. She is the founder of the H...
Sep 18, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Has your relationship to food changed since the pandemic began? Whether you’re snacking more, eating a different variety of food, or finding yourself restricting or bingeing due to high emotions, we imagine a lot could have shifted. While a mainstream perspective might tell you to use this “opportunity” to “take control of your diet,” we have a very different perspective. Opal Co-Founder and Nutrition Director Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD and host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC are sharing t...
May 29, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Who are you outside of the identity of your job? Over the last year, Opal: Food + Body Wisdom’s Co-Founders (Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD, and Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS) each took a month away from Opal in order to rest and recharge. They’ll be sharing how they spent their free time, the questions of identity that arose, how their perspectives changed around work and life, and how they brought these changes back into their work lives upon returning to Opal. This conversati...
May 22, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Why does delight matter? We believe that, during the coronavirus pandemic, delight offers an opportunity for mindfulness, connectedness, and a boost to your mental health. Inspired by a This American Life episode called, “The Show of Delights,” Opal Co-Founders Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS, and Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD are talking with host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC about what delight is, and how we can distinguish it from joy and pleasure. They’ll also be shar...
May 15, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Did you tune into Netflix’s docuseries, Cheer ? What did you think of the Navarro team culture portrayed? In light of all the tv-watching that’s been happening while sheltering in place, we decided to keep it casual for this episode and chat about our perspective on this inspiring and intense show that follows the Navarro College cheer squad as they train for competitive cheerleading championships in Daytona, Florida. Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS is one of Opal’s Co-Founders, head of the Exercise + Sp...
May 08, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 97
How have you been doing lately? Mental health is of utmost importance during the coronavirus pandemic. In this mini episode, we’re offering you a Loving Kindness meditation, led by Opal Co-Founder, Executive Director and Radically Open DBT expert Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS. Lexi will walk you through this externally-focused meditation which will ask you to connect to your heart’s center and offer love, warmth, and kindness to others. Allow yourself the time to pause, breathe deeply, and send lov...
May 01, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 96
How have social distancing and sheltering-in-place impacted your relationship to exercise? There is loss of all kinds during this time—there are relational and fiscal losses, losses of routine and identity, and of course, loss of life. However, as an embodied people, there is a lot freedom our bodies have lost—including when it comes to movement and exercise. Opal: Food + Body Wisdom Co-Founder and head of the Exercise + Sport Program, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS offers a way to understand your relat...
Apr 23, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 95
How have you experienced unwanted energy and emotion during the coronavirus pandemic? The Appetite crew is getting vulnerable and answering this question, using the Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT) skill of self-inquiry. Opal Co-Founder and RO DBT expert Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS shares how the skill of self-inquiry can be used during this time to move toward emotion in a compassionate, curious, and containing way. Lexi, along with Opal’s other two Co-Founders—Kara Bazzi, LM...
Apr 16, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 94
How has the global pandemic impacted your relationship to food? As restaurants close, grocery shelves are emptied, and anxiety levels go up, you deserve compassion when it comes to the way your body is responding to this global pandemic. For those struggling with disordered eating or eating disorder recovery, we’re here to help with guided meal support. Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD—Opal: Food+Body Wisdom’s Co-Founder and Nutrition Director—sits down with host Carter Umhau, LMHC to walk listene...
Apr 10, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 93
What might it be like to be a professional athlete—the symbol of health and strength in our culture—and to have a gut instinct that something is not well in your body? This was the case for elite runner and marathoner Tina Muir, when after nine years without a period she decided to stop running altogether, recover from amenorrhea, and try to get pregnant. Now the author of Overcoming Amenorrhea: Get Your Period Back. Get Your Life Back ., podcast host of Running for Real, and voice of inspiratio...
Apr 03, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 92
How can we best prepare for the psychological impacts of social distancing during the age of Coronavirus? In this episode, host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC shares her experience with self-isolating a couple weeks ahead of the curve in Seattle, a city already ahead of the curve in shelter-in-place mandates than most other US cities. Opal: Food + Body Wisdom’s Co-Founders, Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, and Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD, ask Carter the questions, exploring t...
Mar 27, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 91
As the pandemic is rapidly removing what we’ve come to rely on in our day-to-day lives, it is becoming clear that we are not only in a health and economic crisis, but also a crisis of mental health. Opal’s Co-Founders Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, and Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS sit down with host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC to offer an inspiring call to self-care and grace during an unprecedented time. Listen in to hear what Opal has to say about how to take care o...
Mar 21, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 90
“Leaning out” and manipulating body weight have been widely accepted modes of performance preparation for elite athletes. But as the sports world wakes up to the harm that the emphasis on weight manipulation can have on athletes’ mental and physical health (like in runner Mary Cain’s story), this question should be front and center: Is it ever appropriate to manipulate weight and body composition to enhance sport performance? What about using instrumental eating strategies to enhance performance...
Mar 12, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Does design impact mental health? Inspired by Opal’s recent remodel, Opal Co-Founder, Executive Director, and design-enthusiast Dr. Lexi Giblin PhD, CEDS sits down with host Carter Umhau, LMHC to talk about the psychology behind Opal’s interior design. Lexi will describe how even the smallest details at Opal were chosen to reflect Opal’s mission of offering transformative healing to our clients. She also addresses how—even while the process of eating disorder recovery seeks to deemphasize appear...
Mar 06, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 88
What should you do if a medical provider is offering a treatment recommendation based on your BMI? In the second of a two-part series, Opal Co-Founder and Nutrition Director Julie Church RDN, CEDRD-S, CD is answering this listener question (and others!) about the Body Mass Index. In conversation with host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC we’re diving into even more about the racist and unscientific measurement that a Belgian astronomer created without the intention of it becoming our main measur...
Feb 21, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Can you actually measure health? BMI— or Body Mass Index—has become a widely embraced measurement of health, but is actually based on an entirely unscientific and racist 19th century research project. In this first episode of two parts, Opal Co-Founder and Nutrition Director Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD sits down with host Carter Umhau, LMHC to talk about the history of the BMI, why it’s bogus, and what the implications of this reductionistic measurement are on our health. Links: The Bizarre a...
Feb 14, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Body Image can be a struggle at any time, but what about when you’ve had a baby? For the birthing person, one’s relationship to food and body can be vastly impacted by the perinatal experience. In a roundtable conversation, Opal: Food + Body Wisdom Co-Founders Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, and Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS are sharing their (quite varied) experiences of pregnancy and being postpartum. As eating disorder experts, their stories serve as a reminder that everyone’...
Feb 07, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 85
What assumptions do you think are made about pregnancy and the postpartum experience? Doula Davinah Simmons and postpartum-focused therapist Julie Davidson, LMHC join Carter Umhau, LMHC to explore the ways in which our society under-prepares the birthing person or mother for the “emotional infancy” that begins when baby arrives. They’ll explore how the perinatal experience brings about new body image concerns, can impact eating disorder recovery, and the identity crisis that can often ensue. Thi...
Jan 28, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Can we truly control our bodies in order to change the way we look? As talk of New Year’s “lifestyle changes,” diets, and new exercise regimens fill our feeds, we’re here to talk about a major function of the body impacted by unhealthy dieting and changes in exercise: METABOLISM. In this episode we’re exploring what it is, how it works, and whether or not the assumptions diet culture has made about our ability to control it are scientifically valid. (Spoiler alert: they aren’t.) In conversation ...
Jan 16, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 83
What makes a good coach? With no agreed upon definition of a "qualified coach," this is a question often ignored! Julie McCleery, PhD, of the Center for Leadership in Athletics at the University of Washington, joins us to talk about how the often toxic culture in sports could be transformed through better, more holistically-minded training for coaches. With Opal: Food+Body Wisdom's Exercise+Sport Director Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, and host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC, Julie discusses how alle...
Jan 09, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Are you sick of making New Year’s resolutions you don’t keep? Instead of goal setting, try commuting to self-exploration! As an alternative to resolutions, Lexi Giblin, PhD, CEDS leads The Appetite crew in the journaling process of “self-inquiry,” a Radically Open DBT concept in which you move toward discomfort for the sake of growth. Lexi, along with Opal Co-Founders Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS and Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD, and host Carter Umhau, LMHC share from their journals about the hopes ...
Jan 02, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 81
How do the holiday festivities impact your diet? For many—especially those already struggling with a disordered relationship to food and body—the holiday season can be chock-full of challenges. From holiday drinks with friends, to office parties, to busy schedules, and all of the special treats and seasonal foods, there’s a lot that’s both exciting and stressful! Opal Co-Founders Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS and Julie Church, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD and host and therapist Carter Umhau, LMHC talk about how to...
Dec 18, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Does sport culture need to change? We say, absolutely—and especially around weight! Mary Cain was the fastest high school distance runner in the world until she joined the best distance running program in the country, the Nike Oregon Project, coached by Alberto Salazar. From there, the abusive pressure to become thinner and thinner consumed her running career, leading her to disordered eating and suicidal thoughts, until she finally quit the team. In this episode of The Appetite , Opal Co-Founde...
Dec 12, 2019•41 min•Season 1Ep. 79
What does food and body wisdom look like? With the concept front and center in Opal’s name, we decided to poll the staff (dietitians, therapists, and beyond!) to hear what body wisdom means to them. From pursuing the wisdom of one’s appetite cues, attachment style, and experience of privilege, our awesome staff came at this topic from all sides, all while exemplifying the Opal spirit. Listen to this unique episode where we leave the studio and record within the walls of Opal. Links: Connect with...
Dec 05, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 78
How does your body carry emotion? Did you know that the answer to this question can serve as a window into understanding not only your relationship to food but your attachment style and personality as well? Opal’s Milieu Therapist Lead, Madeline Young, BS, RYT, LMT, joins host Carter Umhau, LMHC to discuss her work with somatic psychotherapy and Core Energetics. Carter and Madeline will discuss the connections between mind, body, and emotions and how this can be applied in eating disorder recove...
Nov 27, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 77
