Episode 41: Breaking Cycles — Recovery, Reflection, and Raising Resilient Kids with Dawn Smith-Theodore
Release Date: 11/11/2025
Episode 47: Co-Parenting Through an Eating Disorder: What to Do When You’re Not Aligned
Plateful Parenting Podcast
In Episode 47, Christine and Chanel dive into one of the most emotionally charged—and incredibly common—realities families face during eating disorder treatment: what happens when parents (or co-parents) don’t agree on what the child needs, what “serious” looks like, or how to move forward. This episode is honest, grounded, and deeply validating—especially for the parent who feels like they’re carrying the weight of appointments, decisions, advocacy, and fear… while also trying to keep the home calm for a child who’s already struggling. Together, Christine and Chanel explore:...
info_outline
Episode 46: New Year, Same Me: Choosing Compassion Over Control
Plateful Parenting Podcast
In Episode 46, Christine and Chanel dive into the cultural noise of “New Year, New You” and why this pressure-filled mindset doesn’t support real well-being—especially for parents raising kids in recovery or trying to model a healthy relationship with food, movement, and self-worth. Instead, they offer a grounded, uplifting alternative: New Year, Same Me — with more intention, gentleness, and gratitude. Through personal stories, humor, and evidence-based insight, they unpack: ✨ Why extreme resolutions don’t last—and what actually does ✨ How perfectionism, “willpower,” and...
info_outline
Episode 45: Culture, Body Image & Belonging with Jane Lee
Plateful Parenting Podcast
In Episode 45, Christine sits down for a deeply personal and moving conversation with Jane Lee — community leader, advocate, and proud Korean American — to explore how culture, identity, and family dynamics shape our earliest experiences with food and body image. Jane shares powerful reflections from her childhood as a Korean immigrant growing up in the Midwest, navigating the contrast between traditional Korean food culture and American diet messaging, and how comments about her size, appetite, and appearance influenced her relationship with her body throughout adolescence and adulthood....
info_outline
Episode 44: Raising Plant-Forward Kids (Without Food Rules) featuring Plant-Based Juniors
Plateful Parenting Podcast
In Episode 44, Christine and Chanel sit down with Alex Caspero, RD of Plant-Based Juniors — one of the most trusted, evidence-based resources for parents who want to raise plant-forward kids without shame, rigidity, or overwhelm. Alex brings a deeply practical, accessible, non-dogmatic approach to feeding kids more plants — and this conversation is packed with tools for calm mealtimes, picky eating, body neutrality, and supporting kids in eating disorder recovery. We explore: ✨ What “predominantly plant-based” really means (hint: it doesn’t mean vegan or restrictive) ✨ How to...
info_outline
Episode 43: Food, Body, and Parenting with Dr. Alexis Conason
Plateful Parenting Podcast
In Episode 43, Christine and Chanel sit down with Dr. Alexis Conason—clinical psychologist, eating disorder specialist, and author of The Diet-Free Revolution—for a powerful, compassionate conversation about breaking generational cycles of food and body shame. Together, we explore: ✨ How to raise kids with body trust while you’re still healing your own ✨ What to say when your teen says, “I feel fat” ✨ How to manage parent anxiety when a child says they’re “full” after just a few bites ✨ Mindful eating vs. intuitive eating—what’s the real difference? ✨ The...
info_outline
Episode 42 — GLP-1s, Body Autonomy & the Intuitive Eating Legacy with Evelyn Tribole
Plateful Parenting Podcast
🎙 Episode 42 — GLP-1s, Body Autonomy & the Intuitive Eating Legacy with Evelyn Tribole In this powerful follow-up conversation, Chanel is joined once again by Intuitive Eating co-founder and trailblazer Evelyn Tribole. Together, they unpack the current wave of GLP-1 medications—including Ozempic and Wegovy—and explore how these drugs intersect with body image, nutrition culture, and the core tenets of intuitive eating. This episode isn't just a hot take on a trend. It's a deep dive into bodily autonomy, health equity, and what it means to reclaim trust in your body in a world that...
info_outline
Episode 41: Breaking Cycles — Recovery, Reflection, and Raising Resilient Kids with Dawn Smith-Theodore
Plateful Parenting Podcast
Season 2, Episode 6 of The Plateful Parenting Podcast With Christine Heller & Chanel Kenner, RD Guest: Dawn Smith-Theodore, LMFT | Author of Mother, Men & Me and Tutu Thin In this powerful continuation of our conversation with therapist, author, and former professional dancer Dawn Smith-Theodore, we explore how generational patterns, perfectionism, and secrecy shape our children’s relationships with food, body, and identity. Dawn opens up about her new memoir Mother, Men & Me: A Memoir of Anxiety, Anorexia, and Affairs—and the courage it took to revisit her past in order to...
info_outline
Episode 40: “What a Farmer Wants You to Know About Food” with Dennis Bulani
Plateful Parenting Podcast
In this episode of Plateful Parenting, Chanel Kenner, RD and Christine Heller sit down with Dennis Bulani, farmer and author of What a Farmer Wants You to Know About Food. Together, they unpack one of the most overlooked aspects of how families relate to food—where it actually comes from. From his boots-on-the-ground perspective, Dennis walks us through the disconnect between modern food marketing and real-life farming. We talk about: The myths about “big ag” and what terms like “organic,” “natural,” and “non-GMO” actually mean The rise of fear-based food messaging and...
info_outline
Episode 39 — Beyond Wellness: What Actually Builds Body Trust in Our Kids (Part 2)
Plateful Parenting Podcast
Episode 39 — Beyond Wellness: What Actually Builds Body Trust in Our Kids (Part 2) Hosts: Chanel Kenner, RD & Christine Heller 🎧 Season 2, Episode 3 In Part 2 of our deep dive into body trust, we unpack the modern “wellness” culture our kids are growing up in—because it’s no longer just about what’s said at the dinner table. From “clean eating” to weight-loss injectables to viral “SkinnyTok” trends, today’s kids are swimming in messages that make it harder to trust their bodies. We explore: 🔹 The rebranding of diet culture as wellness 🔹 The cultural messaging...
info_outline
Episode 38: Recovery, Rewriting, and Real Talk with Morgan Gallo
Plateful Parenting Podcast
Season 2, Episode 4 of The Plateful Parenting Podcast With Christine Heller & Chanel Kenner, RD Guest: Morgan Gallo, comedian, advocate & host of My Body, My Jokes What happens when recovery challenges your career, your identity, and everything you thought you wanted? In this powerful and honest conversation, Christine and Chanel sit down with Morgan Gallo—actor, dancer, and former touring comedian—to talk about her recovery from a 15-year eating disorder, the impact of growing up with body-shaming messaging, and how she's learning to prioritize peace over performance. From...
info_outlineSeason 2, Episode 6 of The Plateful Parenting Podcast
With Christine Heller & Chanel Kenner, RD
Guest: Dawn Smith-Theodore, LMFT | Author of Mother, Men & Me and Tutu Thin
In this powerful continuation of our conversation with therapist, author, and former professional dancer Dawn Smith-Theodore, we explore how generational patterns, perfectionism, and secrecy shape our children’s relationships with food, body, and identity.
Dawn opens up about her new memoir Mother, Men & Me: A Memoir of Anxiety, Anorexia, and Affairs—and the courage it took to revisit her past in order to break cycles of control and shame.
From the ballet studio to the therapy room, Dawn’s story offers a profound look at what recovery looks like across a lifetime—and what it means to parent with compassion even when you’re still healing yourself.
🩰 In this episode:
-
Family secrets, body image, and inherited anxiety
-
How Dawn’s lived experience as a dancer informs her therapy work today
-
The early cues parents can look for when perfectionism turns harmful
-
Body image pressures in dance, sports, and social media culture
-
Practical tools from Tutu Thin for raising confident, body-aware kids
-
How writing and storytelling can bring healing and closure
Whether you’re a parent navigating your child’s body image struggles—or confronting your own—this conversation is a reminder that it’s never too late to rewrite your family story.
🧠 Resources Mentioned:
-
📘 Mother, Men & Me by Dawn Smith-Theodore
-
📗 Tutu Thin: A Guide to Dancing Without an Eating Disorder
👋 Connect with Us:
-
Follow the podcast: @plateful.parenting.podcast
-
Follow Chanel: @chanel.kenner.nutrition
-
Email us your story: platefulparentingpod@gmail.com
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
💬 Share this episode to help break the silence—and the cycle.