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

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

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

Phoebe and Asha, friends who are both in eating disorder recovery, join Opal Co-Founders Lexi Giblin, PhD and Kara Bazzi, LMFT in studio for some self-inquiry action. It is Phoebe's last day in higher level of care and she wonders about her guilt related to nostalgia for her time in eating disorder treatment. Phoebe says treatment has been one of the "most connecting experiences of my life" and opens to exploration about her longing for her treatment days. Asha feels embarrassed for the high anxiety she experiences after a difficult dinner and gets curious about how her vulnerable emotions came to be a place of shame. Listen in and enter our on-air challenge network as we help Phoebe and Asha learn from their unwanted emotions.

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

"Even within the male-centric model, women have accomplished incredible feats of athleticism, smashing long-held beliefs about what women can or cannot achieve. Imagine what would happen if everyone had access to better information and guidance.” These are the words of Christine Yu, in the introduction of her book “Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes”. In this episode of The Appetite, Opal’s Director of Exercise+Sport and Co Founder, Kara Bazzi, LMFT talks with Christine about her reflections on the intersection of sport and gender through the lens of her work as a journalist and author. Christine is working to disseminate much needed information (and highlighting the work that is still needed) to better understand gender differences in sport in an effort to support all athletes in their similar and differing experiences.

Links:

Up to Speed

The Price She Pays

Christine's Instagram

Christine’s newsletter

Alyssa's instagram

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