Shownotes
Episode 005
The Heart of FEAST: A Conversation with Judy Krasna
In this episode of The Other Side of the Plate, hosts Jenni and Laura sit down with a very special guest: Judy Krasna, the Executive Director of FEAST. Judy shares her powerful personal journey from finding FEAST as a parent in Israel to leading FEAST as a global organization. She discusses the core mission of FEAST—parents helping parents—and what makes its community so unique.
The episode covers the vital role of volunteers, key resources for new families like 'FEAST 30 Days' and the 'Caregiver Skills Toolkit,' and a message of hope that recovery is possible and parents are not to blame.
00:10 Introduction to the Podcast
01:02 Welcoming Judy Krasna, Executive Director of FEAST
01:41 Judy's Personal Journey: From Parent to Executive Director
03:42 The Mission and Values of FEAST: Parents Helping Parents
05:23 What Makes the FEAST Community Special?
07:05 Clarifying Misconceptions about FEAST: All Ages and Treatment Types
08:53 The Heart and Soul of FEAST: The Volunteers
11:10 Where to Start: FEAST 30 Days & The Caregiver Skills Toolkit
15:07 Judy's Biggest Hope for Families: Feeling Less Alone
16:44 Key Advice for New Parents: A Marathon, Not a Sprint
19:13 Common Threads: The Universal Caregiver Experience
22:34 The Reality of Caregiver Self-Care
25:25 The Future of FEAST: Opportunities and Challenges
28:31 How Listeners Can Support FEAST's Mission
30:44 A Personal Story Illustrating the Heart of the Community
33:35 Final Message: Hope, Recovery, and You Are Not to Blame
35:53 Conclusion and How to Get Involved
BIO - JUDY KRASNA
Judy Krasna has been involved in the eating disorders space as a parent advocate and an expert by experience for over 15 years. She was an active volunteer in the Academy for Eating Disorders and is a staunch advocate for incorporating lived experience into research and treatment. After serving on the F.E.A.S.T. Board of Directors and taking on multiple volunteer roles within the organization, Judy stepped into the position of F.E.A.S.T. Executive Director in early 2021. Judy is passionate about helping families of people with eating disorders, especially after her daughter Gavriella took her own life after a fierce and prolonged battle with anorexia.
SUPPORT & RESOURCES
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FEAST website:
FEAST flyer:
https://feast-ed.org/programs-and-services/
Resources:
FEAST Caregiver Skills Toolkit
Around the Dinner Table-Facebook group
Transcripts
Episode 005 -The Heart of FEAST: A Conversation with Judy Krasna
A conversation with Jenni Gaines, Laura Cohen, and Judy Krasna from FEAST
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Host:
Welcome to The Other Side of the Plate, brought to you by FEAST—Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders… Together we'll share personal insights, connect you with professionals, and point you toward helpful resources. And as we say at FEAST: We're here because we've been there.
NOTE:
The content contained in this podcast is not a substitute
for professional or medical treatment, and it may not represent
the views and beliefs of FEAST. Always consult a medical
professional for medical advice and treatment recommendations.
Jenni:
Welcome, everyone. I'm Jenni, and I'm here with my co-host, Laura. Today, we're honored to welcome Judy Krasna, the Executive Director of FEAST. We're looking forward to talking to Judy and learning more about her role at FEAST and to hear about what FEAST does to support families who have loved ones with eating disorders. Thank you so much for being here today, Judy.
Judy:
Thank you so much for inviting me.
Laura:
Yeah, I know Jenni and I have been talking about it, and I'm really excited to have this conversation. Judy has been such an important part of FEAST's journey and its growth as a global nonprofit serving parents and caregivers.
Jenni:
Judy, let's start at the beginning. Tell us a little bit about your involvement with FEAST, how you got started, what your original role was, and how you became the executive director.
Judy:
I found FEAST when my daughter was 14 and developed an eating disorder. I live in Israel, and I was having a really hard time finding information about her illness. So I started scouring the internet like every other parent does, and I came across this amazing forum called Around the Dinner Table from this organization called FEAST. It basically answered all my questions, but it was more than that.
It empowered me to understand that my daughter's treatment was the wrong treatment, and it empowered me to advocate for my daughter and to educate myself about what eating disorders are so that I could help her find the right treatment. I credit FEAST with being a port in the storm and a lighthouse during really dark times in my life. And I've always appreciated that.
€”I don't even remember when,:At some point at the end of 2020, I was asked to become the executive director. I was a little hesitant because it is such a huge job and very daunting, but I'm really glad that I said yes.
Jenni:
Oh, we're so glad.
Laura:
So much of that resonated, Judy, because I know both of us found FEAST at the time of our daughter struggling. I remember when you became the executive director, and I was like, oh, this is amazing. But for the listeners, why don't we take it back a step? Because some people may not even know what FEAST is. Can you take us a step back and describe the organization's mission and its values?
Judy:
FEAST is an organization of parents and by parents of people with eating disorders. It can also be other caregivers, but generally our community is made up of parents. FEAST knows when your kid develops an eating disorder, it's very isolating, it's very scary, it's very daunting, it's very challenging, and parents need a lot of support and a lot of education. FEAST provides both of those to our parent community. It's about parents helping parents, and it's about the community and the connection between these parents. It's also about paying it forward.
I found FEAST at a time when I needed the support and the education the most, and I benefited from it. So then I became a volunteer to pay it forward so that I could help other parents. That's the journey of our FEAST community—parents using their lived experience, using their collective wisdom to guide the community, to guide individual parents at the time when they need us the most.
Our mission is to walk alongside families as they battle their loved ones' eating disorder. We provide transformative support. Sorry, that was a hard word to say. And I love the word transformative because it is transformative. The support and the education and the empowerment and the resources that we provide—they transform parents' journeys. They change outcomes. They save lives. And I'm proud of what we do at FEAST.
Jenni:
Judy, you probably already sort of answered this, but I'm just wondering—as someone who turned to FEAST myself when my daughter was ill, and also as a volunteer and now someone who works for FEAST, it doesn't feel like any other organization that I've ever been a part of. From your perspective, what makes FEAST special to you? And is there something about FEAST that you would want everyone to know that they might not already know based on what you've told us?
Judy:
That's a really good question. On a practical level, FEAST is the only international parents helping parents peer support organization out there. We deliver sibling support, peer-led, which is exceptional. No one else does that. So I think we do things that no one else does. But I always liken it to mountain climbing. You're climbing up a mountain and it is fraught with all these falling rocks and you can't get your footing and you're struggling and you're challenged and you're exerting yourself and you're exhausted and you finally make it to the top.
Now, any normal sane person would coast down, right? You want to just get yourself as far away from the exhaustion and the exertion and the trauma of having that experience of having to climb this really difficult mountain. But the community of FEAST, they don't run away. They turn around and they extend their hand to help other parents climb up that mountain. And I think that's what makes us so exceptional—the hands. It's literally parents extending hands, extending hugs, extending warmth and compassion and understanding. And I think that's what makes us so different—we have such a heart and a soul.
I can't explain it, but I think that's what sets us apart. And as to the second part of your question, I think FEAST is a little misunderstood sometimes. People think that FEAST is only for parents of children. Now, we use the term children because they are our children. My oldest kids are 32 and I still consider them children. However, we have parents in our community that have six year olds and parents that have 56 year olds. We have 70 and 80 year old parents in our community that have been struggling with their child's eating disorder for many years.
So FEAST is not only for parents of adolescents, it's for everyone at every stage of their journey. And I think also people sometimes think that FEAST is only for families who do FBT, which is family based treatment. And that's also not the case. Family based treatment is the number one treatment for adolescents. It has the highest efficacy rate. It has evidence to prove that it works. And that being said, there are other treatments out there that work better for other families.
So I think it's important to know that we are open, regardless of what treatment your person is getting, or even if they're getting any treatment. We're here to support you.
Laura:
I love that, Judy, and I think that explains so many different things that people don't understand. And I'm so glad you pointed that out, especially that FEAST will help caregivers when their loved ones are at all different ages. And I think that's such an important call out, as well as hearing you say that we are not just about FBT, because I know we hear this in the forums all the time, and it's not always the right fit for people. I know I've worked with many families that FBT just isn't the right fit. It may be great and it may be the best thing, and it doesn't always work for people's families. So I think that's such an important call out. Let's talk about FEAST has a small staff, but so many generous volunteers.
And I know that all three of us—I'm still a volunteer—but all three of us started as volunteers. Can you tell us a little bit about your awesome, amazing volunteers, and some of the roles that they play?
Judy:
I could talk about them all day. I love them. The volunteers are the heart and soul of FEAST. They're from all over the world, and they have kids in different stages of recovery. We know having a kid with an eating disorder is a horrific experience, and it brings so much pain and suffering to the family. Our volunteers are parents who want to use the wisdom and the insight and the knowledge that they gained when their kid was on this difficult eating disorder journey. And they just want to help others.
They want to make sure that others don't fall in the same traps and pitfalls that they did. They want to pay it forward, as I said earlier, and help other parents just the way other parents helped them. They've walked a mile in other parents' shoes. And I think that's so special—they understand. The tagline of FEAST is "We're here because we've been there." And that's it. You go to any of our support groups, any of our forums, any of our support platforms, and it's just filled with these wise, caring, empathetic volunteers and community members side by side. And I think that also makes FEAST special—even people who aren't officially volunteers can be ambassadors for FEAST.
They can be people who represent us, who represent what our mission is and what we believe in. Our volunteers all do this because they want to help parents get to a better place. And also, you go through an experience that's so painful and you want to find meaning in it and you want to make it significant and you want to honor the journey that your family went on. And I think that our volunteers, that's part of the reason why they do what they do.
Laura:
I love it.
Jenni:
Yes, Judy, that resonates with me. I am always so amazed at the generosity of our volunteers and just their ability to take their lived experience and reach out and help other people. The people that turn to FEAST are looking for, like you said earlier, some kind of port in the storm. And I think our volunteers provide that so well. If someone today is listening and feeling overwhelmed, caring for their child or their loved one with an eating disorder, where would you encourage them to start with FEAST resources?
Judy:
I think FEAST 30 Days is probably the best place to start. It is a unique 30-day program delivered by email. You sign up, it's totally free of charge, and each day you get a different email related to a topic about eating disorders. What's so amazing about FEAST 30 Days is when your child develops an eating disorder, there's a huge learning curve that we as parents have to try to get ahead of.
This program enables parents to get ahead of the learning curve quickly and effectively and learn about so many things connected to eating disorders. My favorite day—I think it's eight, but don't quote me on that 'cause it could be something totally different—is what to expect when your child has an eating disorder. Because I think parents just don't know what to expect. And I think that's such an important day to give parents the psychoeducation that they need in order to be able to help their child recover. The other program that I would suggest starting with is our Caregiver Skills Toolkit.
What I love about that program—FEAST 30 Days came before I came into FEAST, so I can only claim credit for the upgrades we've made on it. But the original idea for FEAST 30 Days belongs to my predecessor, Lauren Collins, and it's a beautiful program. The Caregiver Skills Program was actually my brainchild because I realized that you can tell parents information about eating disorders. You can explain what they are. You can explain how they affect your kid. But what you need are skills because you can tell parents food is medicine and they can understand food is medicine.
And they can understand that they have to supervise their child. But if they don't know how to supervise that screaming child who is absolutely refusing to eat—without those skills, without the mealtime skills—they're not going to succeed. So I think these two programs go hand in hand. FEAST 30 Days gives the information and the psychoeducation that parents need, and the Caregiver Skills Toolkit program gives them the skills and the resources to be able to implement the information and to be a part of treatment.
Laura:
I love that. I think about someone saying, oh, they're going to go run a marathon, and you're like, great, they're going to go run, but they don't know how to do it.
Jenni:
Right.
Laura:
And I think that eating disorder recovery treatment, it is like a marathon. It's not short, it's not a 5K, it's not something short. So you need to have those steps and that toolkit gives the skills of how do you train and how do you do all this and what happens when this happens and all the pitfalls. So I love that call out.
Such truly amazing programs. And one pro tip was that I tell families when they go through the 30 days—because I think we can all appreciate how busy everyone is during that time, and they may ignore emails, they may not get to them—I always tell families to make an email folder. So when you get that email every day, just throw it in that folder because something may not—day two may not be something that's applicable to you right then, but a month down the road, two months down the road, that's important. So keeping all of those in a folder is super important.
Judy:
That is a great tip. And I also truly believe that parents who know better can do better. And education is the key to being able to help your kid recover. So that's why these are the two programs that come to mind instantly when you ask about where do people start with FEAST. We have an amazing website that has so much great information on many different topics, but the programs are special and can help, exactly as you said, Laura. And I love the pro tip because I think it's very natural to be overwhelmed and not to be able to handle all the information coming at you at one time. It's not always going to be that overwhelming.
And so when you are able to face it, having everything consolidated in one place is a great idea.
Laura:
Absolutely. So we know how deeply you care about the families who turn to FEAST. What's your biggest hope for them when they connect to the community?
Judy:
My biggest hope is that they feel less alone. I know what it's like to feel alone. And I also know what it's like to be on this difficult journey. And I hate to think that there are parents out there who are doing it by themselves and who don't have support. So my biggest goal is to make sure that families have a safe haven, a place where they can be heard and seen and understood, because so many times we can't be understood anywhere else. And this is a godsend. It's a lifesaver.
It's a life raft. People have said we were drowning and then we found FEAST and FEAST saved our sanity and saved our family. Every time I get an email like that, it just makes me feel so good about the work that we do. And I always share it with the volunteers because it's their work. This is a joint endeavor and also the community members. This is just a joint endeavor with so many different people. But when people are able to find the resources that can guide their child's recovery, that to me is just the biggest win.
My passion is to help parents—as many parents as we can—and to make sure the parents can find us. So I ask everyone out there that's listening: spread the word about FEAST, talk about FEAST to whoever you're comfortable with, especially if you think that somebody can benefit from our services, because that's how we get out there to the families who are alone so that nobody walks unguided.
Jenni:
Judy, you talked about your passion. It comes through so strongly just listening to you talk and also just knowing you like I do and how dedicated you are to helping these families. For me, FEAST was a lifeline. And had I not found it, I don't know if I would have had the confidence to keep moving forward. I knew nothing about eating disorders. I didn't know what was ahead of me. And I'm grateful to FEAST for lighting the way. But I'm just wondering something most parents and caregivers, they might be similar to me, not know much of anything in the beginning—but something they don't know when they begin this journey that plugging into the FEAST educational resources could help them with.
Judy:
I'm actually going to go back to the day of FEAST 30 Days that I referenced about setting expectations. I think that's the absolute basic. Parents need to know that this is a marathon and not a sprint. Because so many times, it's a perfectly understandable misconception—if your child has appendicitis, they go to the hospital and they have an operation and they recover and they come home and they're cured. And so when we send our children to the hospital or to an inpatient facility, we expect them to come home cured. We expect them to come home fine.
And that's not the way eating disorders work. Also, eating disorders is probably one of the only illnesses where parents have to be partners in treatment, where the work for recovery gets done in the home. And that has to be understood by parents from the outset.
You can't outsource it. Your kid's treatment team is only going to take you so far. You have to be a partner in your child's treatment. So I think what we do to help to set expectations is the basis for parent success, because when they know what's ahead of them—and I also think that you have to understand that you can't expend all your energy in the first month or two or three because this could be a long ride. And a long ride is okay because eventually your child's gonna get to recovery. But some people just take longer than others, and parents have to know when you know what to expect, then you can mete out your energy in a way that saves it for when you're gonna need it later on. So that expectations piece to me is a huge piece of what we provide at FEAST to parents that helps them on their journey.
Laura:
I think having that roadmap is so important and acknowledging that it's a long roadmap. It's not a short little trip to the store. But through your work, you've met countless caregivers facing really challenging and difficult situations. What would you say would be the common thread if you had to have them? I know there's a bunch of common threads, but maybe one or two common threads that families, caregivers would have in this journey. And also while you're thinking about it, what differences do you see across family experiences?
That's a big question.
Judy:
So I meet with providers a lot to talk about FEAST so that they know what we offer and then they can pass that on to the families who they treat. And one of the things that I always say is the fact that FEAST is international and we're currently helping an estimated 15,000 families right now—that's how many families we're helping. And they're from easily over a hundred different countries. So I think we have a pretty good world view of what families of people with eating disorders are like. And what amazes me is the commonality and those common threads because a mother is a mother, whether she's in the UK or in China or in Mexico or in the US or in Australia. A mother is a mother and a father is a father. And that has always amazed me. And I think that's why our community is so well held together and so bonded—because we're parents of people with the same illness. And that is our secret sauce, I think—that common ground and those common bonds and the ability to connect with parents of different religions and races and cultures.
But what holds you together is far more than what divides you. And that's the biggest strength, I think, of our community—that parent bond. So I haven't seen that many differences. I see so much more of the commonalities.
Laura:
I so agree with that. I always say parents, caregivers truly want the best for their child. And I think that's just universal. We don't wanna see our children hurting or struggling at all. So I totally agree with that. And the one thing I could think about differences is since we are a global community, sometimes the differences in healthcare—of what you get in different countries.
Judy:
Definitely. That definitely is different. But those to me are superficial differences. Definitely. Not that they're superficial because they're not. Healthcare systems, navigating them is extremely difficult and complicated and frustrating. And every country has their challenges.
I used to think that because I was from Israel, oh my God, if I only lived in the States, if I hadn't moved, then my life would be so different. And then I hear people, parents in the middle of New York City, where there are many amazing treatment options, but they can't access them. So I definitely learned a lot about the US healthcare system and the UK healthcare system through my travels. And that definitely is a difference. But it doesn't guarantee that just because you're in a place with good accessible healthcare doesn't mean you're going to have access. And that is the worst thing to me because you would think, okay, you're set up, you're positioned to succeed, and you're not always.
Jenni:
Yeah, that's just reminding me of all of the difficulties that come with having a loved one with an eating disorder. It's such a hard journey. And we all know and we hear about, you need to take care of yourself as the caregiver to make sure you're able to take care of your child. So not to pour from an empty cup. So you hear that self-care recommended, but it can feel so impossible when you're in the crisis of an eating disorder. What strategies do you suggest for caregivers to prioritize their own well-being while they're supporting their child through an eating disorder?
Judy:
I think in every family, self-care is going to look different. I can tell you that for us, we did something that our child's treatment team thought was actually very selfish. My husband and I, every few months, we went away just for a weekend, just the two of us, to just recharge our batteries, to recharge our marriage, to recharge our relationship, and to just be in a different environment where there was no eating disorder for 48 hours. To do that required hiring and training someone to come in for two days and to be in our home for meals. It also meant sometimes understanding that things weren't going to be done exactly the way they would be done if we were here, but prioritizing ourselves—not every day, not even every week or even every month. But you have to prioritize yourself sometimes, and it feels selfish.
And sometimes your treatment team can make you think like it's selfish. And it's not—it's self-preservation. So there are days when you can only go for the little thing, right? The five minutes. Whether it's a song—I used to just put on headphones and listen to music for five minutes, and that was enough to recharge me. So everyone has—I don't know, stop by Starbucks and get yourself a good coffee. Whatever is just gonna make you feel human in the moment, make you feel like yourself. Because I think so many times we just don't feel like ourselves anymore, and our whole identity is caught up in being the parent of a child with an eating disorder.
Anything that you can do to just disconnect from that identity, even for brief periods of time, is gonna help that self care.
I hate when people say, oh, take a bubble bath. Who takes a bubble bath? That is like the most ridiculous advice. And I've seen it and heard it, and I always comment to whoever it is who's giving that advice. I'm like, please, that's insulting. Don't tell a busy mom or dad to take a bubble bath. No one has time for that. But you have to, and by the way, you're not going to have time. You have to find the time. You have to make the time. And you have to be okay with it. You have to let yourself be selfish. And as moms and dads, especially when your kid is sick, it doesn't feel right all the time, but you need to do it anyway.
Laura:
I love that. People always talk about self care and they think of going to the spa and they're like, it's so not that. That would be amazing, but yeah, no—the five minute beautiful cup of coffee is so much better. I'm gonna switch gears for a second. Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest opportunities or challenges for FEAST in just the next few years? And I'm excited to hear about this answer from you as well.
Judy:
The opportunities are exciting to me. I love the development piece of my job. I like most of it. I can't say that I love all of it. Fundraising is not my favorite thing to do. But the development piece, developing new educational programs, developing new support services—that to me is the most exciting piece. And that's where I find the most enjoyment in my job.
€”we have things coming up in:My other concern is financial. We try to offer all of our programs and services for free because we want to make sure that no one is ever denied access to anything because they can't afford it. And we do. No one can ever say that they couldn't access a program. Our FEAST of Knowledge conference, we do charge for it, but we also offer scholarships to anyone in need. So the idea is to raise enough resources so that we can continue to function and still enable people to get our services for free. And in order to do that, we need funding from the community.
So those, I think, are the biggest challenges. But the biggest excitement is seeing the community grow. Part of me finds it very sad because it just means there's more need. And I watch our numbers grow and it hurts in my heart because I'm like, oh my God, I can't believe it. Our growth over the past year was probably 50%. It's huge. My math is bad, so don't hold me to that, but I'm pretty sure that's 50%. And that's huge. And we're still not reaching so many families. So the goal is to scale up our services to meet the demand and the growing need, and also to reach all those families in all the corners of the earth who don't know about FEAST, who are walking this journey alone. The biggest goal is to reach those families and bring them into FEAST so they're part of our community. So it's the growing of our programs and services and also the growing of our community so that everyone can be supported.
Jenni:
You took us right into the next area that I wanted to talk about, Judy, and that was just what you already said—that FEAST relies on the generosity of volunteers and donors to keep its programs and services going. More specifically, beyond what you've already described, how can listeners get involved to support FEAST's Mission?
Judy:
If listeners are at a place in their eating disorder journey where they would like to volunteer on one of our support platforms, you have to be at least two years into your journey to apply. And I like to say that we professionalize volunteerism. Our volunteers are all trained and supervised by Jenni, and I think they are the most professional volunteers out there, hands down. And I think that's also part of what makes FEAST so special—how well we prepare our volunteers to do this work. So if you would like to work with an amazing group of volunteers and give back to FEAST, we would love to have you as a volunteer. So that's one way. Another way, obviously, is to donate.
We get our funding mostly from our community, and we rely on the generosity of the community to fund FEAST. So if you have benefited from FEAST and you'd like to give back, we would appreciate a donation. You can share our posts on social media. It's such a little thing to do, but it makes such a big difference because the more people share our posts, the more we reach people, and the more people will find out about our programs and services, especially those who need it. So that's another way. So those are just some basic ideas of how people can help, but also just to be an ambassador for FEAST.
If you're running to your doctor's office, take a—we have flyers. I think we have flyers on our website; if we don't, contact me. But talk about FEAST a little bit so that your child's provider knows if a family comes in with an eating disorder, they could refer them to FEAST right away so they can get help and support right away. Just talking about FEAST does help our mission. So in any way that you can be an ambassador for FEAST, we would appreciate it.
Laura:
Thank you so much, Judy. I always think about when I'm on Facebook and I'm in different groups and people are asking, "I think my daughter, my son, or my child have an eating disorder. What do I do?" And I always go right in there and FEAST is the first suggestion I give. I don't need to give them professional advice. I'm just plugging them in. So all those little things are so helpful to help us grow. So is there a story, I'm gonna pick your brain now, get creative—is there a story or a moment from your time at FEAST that stays with you? Maybe something that illustrates the heart of the FEAST community.
Judy:
There is, and unfortunately it's not a very happy story, but I'm gonna share it with you anyway because I think it's significant. I lost my daughter to an eating disorder five years ago. At the time, I was an active volunteer for FEAST. And after she died, I was contacted by the board of directors. I was a part of the board at the time, and they said, "We'd like to send you food. Can we have your address?" They contacted a caterer, and it's not so easy because we keep kosher.
I don't even know that there was another Jewish person on the board at the time, but they did their research and they found a kosher caterer who lived near me. And again, I live in Israel. It's not like I live around the corner from anyone. And they sent me in not just one meal, but several. And one of my daughters commented and said, "You always talk about FEAST as a community, but I never understood how that's possible until now." And so that was a very significant moment for me.
Another moment around that time was one of my fellow board members had sent me a box full of candy and snacks. There was a beautiful note in there. She said, "I went with my daughter"—her daughter who had had an eating disorder—"and went with my daughter and I said to my daughter, choose the foods that you feel would comfort other kids who are grieving and in pain." And she put everything in a box and she mailed it all the way to Israel. And we got it and it was such a surprise and it was such a meaningful gesture.
I think those things characterize who the FEAST community is because I always say that an online community, you would think it can't be a community, but it can. The online community of FEAST is a big family. And we're always looking for more members. So, if you're out there and you haven't joined our community, I encourage you to do so because we can help and because we're here.
Jenni:
Judy, thank you so much for sharing your personal story. And it's just amazing being a part of the FEAST community myself to see the generosity again of all of the people that are involved in our community.
We've all been through the trauma of having a child with an eating disorder, and I think that uniquely qualifies us to understand and just be in the moment, even if it brings stuff up for us that we went through, to be in the moment for the people who are going through it right now. It's just been amazing to hear you talk about your role at FEAST and to share so openly about everything that FEAST has to offer. If you could leave our listeners with one message of hope or encouragement, what would that be?
Judy:
The biggest message of hope that I think I would want to send to parents is that eating disorders are treatable. And I know sometimes it doesn't feel like that. And I particularly identify with the parents out there who have been in this for a long time. They're kind of my soul mates. They're my family. And I want to say that holding on to hope is so critically important. And I think that hope is the one thing that gets us through.
So I just want to tell parents to be hopeful. Your path may be long and challenging and complicated, but never lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. So that is the message that I would like to leave parents with. And the other thing, which is not exactly what you asked, but I also want to say is that parents are not to blame for their children's eating disorder. And the kids aren't to be blamed for having an eating disorder and the parents aren't to be blamed for causing an eating disorder. And I think it's so important to internalize that message.
y times in treatment, even in:Jenni:
How to do that.
Judy:
It is hard work, but your child can recover.
Laura:
I love that, Judy. I know so many times I'm always like, you didn't cause it and you can help them get to the other side, right? Like as simple as that. Not that it's simple at all. Judy, thank you so much for sharing your time, your insights, and most importantly, your heart that you always share with us.
Judy:
Thank you. Again, it was exciting for me to be invited. I'm so excited about this podcast and I'm so grateful that you guys are doing it. And being a guest on it made my day. So thank you so much.
Laura:
We're excited for it.
Jenni:
We can't imagine having a podcast without having you on Judy, as a guest. So thank you so much for being here. And thank you to everyone who's listening. If you want to learn more about FEAST, or get involved helping FEAST, please visit the FEAST website. We'll make sure that's included in the show notes along with the volunteer application and how to donate. And Laura and I want to thank you so much for listening and for being here today, and we hope you'll join us for our next episode.
