In this insightful episode, Béa joins the show to discuss her journey from primary care and functional medicine to focusing on the psychology and nervous system aspects of health. The conversation explores the deep connections between mind, body, trauma, and the development of codependency, perfectionism, and people-pleasing habits.

SHOW NOTES: Click here

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite

In this episode, Sheryl Lynn shares her personal journey from trauma, dysfunction, and searching for joy to founding Joyely, a lifestyle brand and community centered around the concept of joy intelligence. She discusses how joy is often misunderstood, the science behind it, and how it differs from happiness. Sheryl explains the core elements needed to prioritize joy—safety, presence, and joy itself—and introduces the concept of joy as a skill rather than just an emotion.

SHOW NOTES: Click here

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite

In this episode, therapist Becca shares her personal and professional journey from being immersed in diet culture to discovering intuitive eating and the Health at Every Size approach. She discusses the moment she realized she had an eating disorder, how working with a coach transformed her perspective, and her ongoing process of recovery. Becca and host Cristina explore the myths around eating disorder recovery, emphasizing that while triggers can reappear, long-term healing is possible. The conversation also delves into how personality frameworks like the Enneagram can help individuals understand their motivations and patterns related to disordered eating, offering additional tools for self-compassion and growth.

SHOW NOTES: Click here

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite

This episode features a deeply personal and candid conversation with Julia Trehane, an eating disorder recovery coach, podcast host, and speaker. Julia shares her journey through 40 years of battling anorexia nervosa, orthorexia, and exercise addiction, ultimately achieving full recovery and dedicating her life to helping others find freedom from eating disorders.

Julia recounts her earliest memories of body image struggles beginning at age three, exacerbated by childhood teasing and a difficult home environment. She describes how, at eight years old, she began restricting food as a coping mechanism to avoid negative emotions and attention. Her ability to hide her disorder continued through adolescence, until it was discovered by her school, leading to forced intervention.

SHOW NOTES: Click here

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite

In this heartfelt episode, Cristina Castagnini explores the complexities of body image and the pressures surrounding self-love and body positivity. She begins by expressing gratitude to listeners for choosing to invest in their healing and self-worth, acknowledging the effort it takes to engage with these important topics.

Cristina challenges the pervasive cultural messages that urge people to “just love yourself” or achieve constant body positivity. She explains that, while well-intentioned, these slogans can create a new kind of pressure-making people feel like they’re failing if they don’t always love how they look. Through a moving client story, Cristina illustrates how the expectation of unwavering self-love is simply another form of perfectionism.

SHOW NOTES: Click here

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite

In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Cristina Castagnini speaks with Ava Manuel, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Tribune and Mrs. Enterprise America 2025. They discuss how one conversation and one belief shift changed everything for Ava, reigniting a decades-old dream and launching her on the road to the Mrs. America stage. This episode explores reclaiming joy, breaking up with perfectionism, and finally saying yes to yourself at any age, size, and exactly as you are.

SHOW NOTES: Click here

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite

This episode of "Behind the Bite" explores the overlap between eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Dr. Cristina Castagnini interviews Allyson Ford, a therapist specializing in both disorders with personal experience. Ford shares her journey with orthorexia and anorexia as a teenager, which later led to the realization of underlying OCD tendencies. The discussion covers the similarities between OCD and eating disorders, such as intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, and emphasizes the importance of screening for OCD in eating disorder treatment. Ford and Castagnini delve into examples of OCD and eating disorder behaviors, the role of compulsions, core fears, and the amount of time these thoughts and behaviors consume. The episode aims to shed light on the often-overlooked connection between eating disorders and OCD, providing insights and potential "light bulb" moments for listeners who may be questioning whether their behaviors are crossing the line into something more serious.

SHOW NOTES: Click here

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite

In this episode of Behind the Bite, Dr. Cristina Castagnini is joined by Abbie Attwood, a weight-inclusive nutritionist and host of the Full Plate Podcast. Together, they explore the complexities of disordered eating, recovery, and the cultural forces that shape our relationships with food and body image. Abby shares her deeply personal journey through competitive running, chronic illness, and recovery from disordered eating, offering insights into how diet culture and societal norms perpetuate harmful behaviors.

SHOW NOTES: Click here

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_bite