Listen in to this one-of-a-kind episode of The Appetite as Opal's co-founders, Lexi Giblin, PhD, and Kara Bazzi, LMFT, sit down with Opal client Koa to explore her experience receiving in-person care at Opal. With honesty and vulnerability, Koa shares how her relationships with fellow clients and Opal staff became a pivotal part of her recovery, ultimately leading to profound and transformative change.

Whether you're considering a higher level of care, currently in treatment, or hoping to better understand a loved one on their recovery journey, this episode offers meaningful insight and connection. Koa bravely invites listeners into an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at what in-person, intensive treatment can offer someone who is truly suffering.

Connect with Opal:

www.opalfoodandbody.com

@opalfoodandbody

@Opal.Movement

Thank you to our team...

Editing by David Bazzi

Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/

Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios

How does your story with food from childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood impact your current relationship with food? Opal Co-Founder, Julie Church, RDN interviews Jessica Setnick, RDN the creator of the "Healing Your Inner Eater" workshop and workbook which invites individuals to look back in order to move forward in one's relationship with food. Listen in to Jessica's passionate story telling to learn about the three parts of your inner eater and how learning about your eating legacy could help heal your current eating concerns. This episode is like a buffet– there is something in it for everyone!

Connect with Jessica:

www.jessicasetnick.com

Healing the Inner Eater Workbook – coupon code "podcast"

Connect with Opal:

www.opalfoodandbody.com

@opalfoodandbody

@Opal.Movement

Thank you to our team...

Editing by David Bazzi

Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/

Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios

Want to hear a secret? In this episode, Opal Co-Founders Julie Church, RDN, and Lexi Giblin, PhD, reveal Opal's unique approach to therapeutic meal support. Tune in to learn how the Opal team stepped beyond traditional meal support methods and embraced radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RODBT) to guide their work. This innovative approach has helped create a supportive community where eating becomes an experience of connection, curiosity, and courage—less about rigid rules and more about trust, play, and the belief that recovery is possible.

To learn more about RODBT go here.

or listen to some of our self-inquiry series podcasts, like:

The Appetite episode 134 or The Appetite episode 124

Connect with Opal:

www.opalfoodandbody.com

@opalfoodandbody

@Opal.Movement

Thank you to our team...

Editing by David Bazzi

Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/

Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios

Join Lexi Giblin, PhD (Opal Co-Founder) for a heartfelt conversation with mother-daughter duo Kara Bazzi, LMFT (Opal Co-Founder and Director of Opal's Exercise+Sport Program) and Sophia, a soon-to-be collegiate athlete. Together, they walk down memory lane to explore the stand out intersections of parenting and running in Sophia's high school career. With honesty and vulnerability, Kara and Sophia reflect on the joys and tensions of sharing a passion for the same sport, the challenges of navigating high-performance environments, and the influence of Kara's own eating disorder recovery on her parenting.

Connect with Opal:

www.opalfoodandbody.com

@opalfoodandbody

@Opal.Movement

Thank you to our team...

Editing by David Bazzi

Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/

Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios

Eating disorders don't exist in isolation—they are deeply connected to relationships. From the "why" behind disordered eating and movement patterns to the healing process, relationships have the power to either support or harm recovery.

In today's episode of The Appetite, Opal's Co-Founder & Clinical Director, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, sits down with therapist Nikki Wolf, LMHCA, to explore the role of relationship therapy in eating disorder treatment. They dive into what support people should (and shouldn't) do when walking alongside a loved one struggling with food, body, and movement concerns.

Learn more about Opal's Family+Relationship Therapy, including our curated list of resources for family and loved ones of those struggling with eating disorders.

To reach Nikki Wolf you can find her at Opal and at Wolf Heart Counseling, which gives details about her Family + Relationship Support Group - for loved ones of people with eating disorders.

F.E.A.S.T. --Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders

Connect with Opal:

www.opalfoodandbody.com

@opalfoodandbody

@Opal.Movement

Thank you to our team...

Editing by David Bazzi

Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/

Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios

In this episode, Delancey and Makaila wrestle with the gaze of others as their bodies change in eating disorder recovery. Off the mark, well-intentioned comments from others leave them flooded with shame and confusion. Delancey wishes others would not perceive her while Makaila is in conflict, on one hand desiring to be "fetishized" and on the other hand, not wanting to be objectified at all. Opal Co-Founders, Lexi Giblin, PhD and Kara Bazzi, LMFT, join Delancey and Makaila in drumming up the most provocative self-inquiry questions they can muster. Tune in to see which of these questions land with Delancey and Makaila while noticing what their work elicits in you.

To learn more about Self Inquiry listen to : Self Inquiry Overview episode

Connect with Opal:

www.opalfoodandbody.com

@opalfoodandbody

@Opal.Movement

Thank you to our team...

Editing by David Bazzi

Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/

Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios

Join us for a trip down psychedelic lane! Temple Morris, LCSW-C and Dr. Brian Pilecki, PhD throw down their expertise in conversation with Opal Co-Founders, Kara Bazzi, LMFT and Dr. Lexi Giblin, PhD. Temple and Brian put to words what is often experienced as "beyond language" and help us understand the potential therapeutic value of psychedelics in "clarifying what matters" and fostering psychological flexibility. To name just a few of the topics we cover, we touch on qualities of the psychedelic experience, the importance of integration work, risks of psychedelic use, and, of course, how psychedelics may treat eating disorders and body image.

For more information on Temple and Brian:

Perspective Retreats

True North

Entropia

Brian Pilecki's email: pilecki@gmail.com

Connect with Opal:

www.opalfoodandbody.com

@opalfoodandbody

@Opal.Movement

Thank you to our team...

Editing by David Bazzi

Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/

Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios

Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and Mary Cain all share something powerful in common: they've bravely opened up about their mental health journeys, using their platforms as elite athletes to advocate for change. Their courage is paving the way for a healthier, more supportive sports environment—especially for those facing mental health challenges.

On today's episode of The Appetite, Kara Bazzi, LMFT—co-founder and Clinical Director of Opal's Exercise+Sport program—chats with Katie Steele, former Division I runner at the University of Oregon and now a mental health therapist and co-author of The Price She Pays. Together, they dive into Katie's new book and the critical conversation about athlete mistreatment and mental health.

Links:

Katie's book: The Price She Pays

Connect with Opal:

www.opalfoodandbody.com

@opalfoodandbody

@Opal.Movement

Thank you to our team...

Editing by David Bazzi

Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/

Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios