Episode 50: When Sugar Feels Like Oxygen

The crew normalizes why sugar becomes the go-to “tool” for anxiety, boredom, and stress—and offers harm-reduction pathways that build capacity without shame. You’ll hear personal recovery pivots (like treating your recovery as seriously as your addiction), crowd-out strategies, micro-delays for cravings, and how to use community even if you don’t feel like it. This is practical hope: tiny, doable steps that add up.

What We Cover

• You’re not hopeless—you’re human: Brains repeat what works for relief. That’s learning, not moral failure.

• Add before you subtract: “Crowd out” by adding protein, fiber, and structure before trying to remove sugar.

• Environment tweaks (not ultimatums): Out of sight storage, partner hides, garage stashes, plating treats at the table vs. eating from the bag.

• Micro-delays for cravings: 10–20–60 seconds → a few minutes → an hour. Build the “wait” muscle.

• Choose your hard, but choose support: We rarely recover alone; groups, meetings, lives, or any community can be anchors.

• Treat recovery like it’s as big as the addiction: Boundaries around meal times, bedtime eating, social plans, and high-risk settings.

• Compassionate curiosity: If you do eat it, slow down, plate it, and notice what it’s solving—then find other ways to meet that need.

Practical Try-This List

• Protein + Produce First: Keep easy protein (rotisserie chicken, eggs, edamame) and a “default veg” ready three ways this week.

• Plate & Pause: If you’re having the thing, put it on a plate, sit at the table, and take 3 slow breaths first.

• 10-Second Ladder: Delay 10s → 30s → 2m. Text a friend while you wait.

• Out-of-Sight Ops: Ask a partner/roomie to store trigger foods out of view (garage, trunk, top shelf bin).

• One Boundary This Week: Pick a single non-negotiable (e.g., “no eating after 7pm” or “no eating in the car”).

• One Connection Anchor: Pick one community touchpoint (a meeting, live, or accountability check-in) and show up.

Host Insights

• Molly C.: “My recovery only started working when I treated it like the serious condition it was—my recovery had to be as big as my addiction.”

• Clarissa: “I didn’t have the skills yet, so I built a ‘home treatment’ season—invited people over when I didn’t want to, because it kept me safe.”

• Molly P.: “Years of tool-building mattered. Curiosity over shame lets you add supports first and make removal feel possible later.”

Key Takeaways

1. Hope is a skill you practice, not a feeling you wait for.

2. Add supportive structure before subtracting the substance.

3. Micro-wins compound. Ten seconds today can become an hour next month.

4. Community is medicine. You don’t have to like it to benefit from it.

Share your question or topic

Email: AskTheShrinks@FoodShrinks.com

If this episode helped, please follow, rate, and review—it helps others find the show and keeps these conversations going. 💜

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 49: Traveling in Recovery

In this episode of Food Shrinks, Molly Carmel, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab sit down to unpack what it really takes to live—and thrive—in recovery while on the move. From European conferences to beach vacations, cross-country trips, and jam-packed social calendars, the Shrinks share how they balance life on the road with staying grounded in their recovery.

What We Talk About

• Recovery on the road: Why prioritizing recovery has to come first when routines and environments shift.

• Yellow light behaviors: How subtle slips (like bites, licks, and tastes) can creep in while traveling—and what to do about it.

• Food flexibility: The challenges of different food cultures, time zones, and access, and how to adapt without abandoning your plan.

• Practical tools: From stocking Airbnbs with groceries, packing Tupperware, and bringing along a fan for sleep, to scheduling meetings and workouts strategically.

• Emotional honesty: Jet lag, depression, comparison, and the courage it takes to honor vulnerability instead of pushing through.

• Takeaways: Why self-care, boundaries, and compassion matter as much as meal planning and meetings.

Key Insights

• Recovery is the priority—if it slips, everything else does too.

• Flexibility grows with time: What feels unsafe in early recovery may become manageable years later.

• Comparison kills: Everyone’s recovery looks different—what matters is meeting your own needs, not matching someone else’s.

• Future-you needs present-you’s support: From meal prep to scheduling downtime, small acts of foresight pay off big.

Travel can be a gift of recovery—but only if you protect it. Tune in for candid stories, practical hacks, and heartfelt reflections on making recovery work wherever life takes you.

👉 Got a question or topic idea for the Shrinks? Email us at AskTheShrinks@FoodShrinks.com

If you enjoyed today’s episode, please subscribe, leave a rating, and drop a review—it helps others find the show and supports our growing community.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 48: Triggers, Envy & Growth in Recovery

In this candid Food Shrinks conversation, Molly Carmel, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab explore why being in community—whether recovery groups, professional networks, or even family—can sometimes feel activating instead of supportive. From comparing recoveries to feeling others’ pain too deeply, the shrinks share personal stories and professional insights on how envy, shame, and frustration show up in groups.

They talk about:
• Why community can trigger old wounds and trauma responses
• How to hold onto your energy without shutting down
• Seeing comparison and envy as growth opportunities
• The importance of role modeling and contributing instead of withdrawing
• Building tolerance for discomfort as part of recovery
With humor, honesty, and a lot of real talk, this episode reminds us that community is often where the hardest work—and the deepest healing—happens.

Key Takeaways
• Keep the focus on yourself. Triggers often point to what still needs healing within.
• Envy can guide growth. It shows us what we want and where we’re being called to expand.
• Your energy matters. What you bring to community is just as important as what you take from it.
• Discomfort is not danger. Learning to stay present with uncomfortable feelings is part of recovery.

Call to Action
Have a question, concern, or topic you want us to dive into? Email us at asktheshrinks@foodtrinks.com.

If you enjoyed today’s show, help us grow by subscribing, leaving a rating, and sharing this episode with a friend.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 47: Breaking Free from “Day One”

In this episode of Food Shrinks, Molly Carmel, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab unpack the obsession with “Day One” in recovery. Why do so many of us cling to Mondays, fresh starts, and counting days—only to feel devastated when we “slip”? The shrinks share their personal stories, professional perspectives, and hard-won insights on why chasing Day One can become its own addictive cycle.

They explore:
• Why we get stuck in “starting over” mode
• The hidden comfort (and dopamine hit) of planning a restart
• How perfectionism and diet culture feed the Day One trap
• Finding motivation beyond counting days
• Shifting from dogma to data: measuring recovery in more meaningful ways

Through humor, honesty, and real talk, this conversation reframes relapse, accountability, and motivation in a way that frees you from shame and helps you keep moving forward.

Key Takeaways
• Counting days isn’t the only measure of recovery. Progress can also be found in mood, clarity, relationships, and consistency.
• Day One can become addictive. Starting over offers a false sense of safety and dopamine, but it doesn’t build lasting self-esteem.
• Recovery is messy. Perfection isn’t the goal—showing up and continuing forward is.
• Dogma vs. data. Instead of rigid rules, ask: What’s working for me? What does my lived experience show?

Call to Action
Do you have a question you’d like the Shrinks to tackle? Email us at asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com.

If you loved today’s episode, help us grow: subscribe, leave a review, and share this conversation with a friend.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 46: Kids, Food, and Family Fears

In this episode of Food Shrinks, Molly Carmel, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab tackle two heartfelt listener emails about food, weight, and grandchildren. The questions: How do I navigate my fear that my grandkids will inherit my struggles with food addiction? And how do I talk to my grandkids about food without shaming or harming them?

💬 Topics we cover:
• Why “hands off the body” is one of the most powerful family rules
• The difference between offering food with love versus testing or shaming kids
• How weight stigma—not weight itself—can harm children’s confidence and eating patterns
• Bliss point, ultra-processed foods, and what early exposure really means
• Why codependency, fear, and our own unresolved wounds often shape how we parent and grandparent
• Practical tools: keeping the focus on yourself, checking your nervous system, and modeling healthy boundaries

✨ Takeaways:
• Love is complicated, and fear often shows up as overprotection or control.
• Children need to be loved and accepted—not monitored or managed around every bite.
• Your relationship with your own body and food is the most powerful influence you bring to the table.
• Noticing when your concern is really about your own history can help you heal and protect the next generation.
If you’ve ever worried about your children or grandchildren’s relationship with food—or struggled to know when to step in and when to let go—this episode offers compassionate, honest insight from three therapists who have been there.

📩 Got a question for us? Email asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com.

⭐ Love the show? Subscribe, leave us a five-star rating, and share this episode with a friend who cares about breaking cycles in their family.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 45: Overwhelm, Fawning, and Boundaries

In this episode of Food Shrinks, Molly Carmel, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab open up about the everyday struggles of saying no, setting boundaries, and navigating the fawn response. With humor, honesty, and lived experience, the trio explores how people-pleasing, guilt, and self-abandonment show up in both personal and professional spaces—and how these patterns often connect to food, stress, and recovery.

💬 Topics we cover:
• Why setting boundaries feels so uncomfortable (and why “no” rarely feels like enough)
• The fawn response and how it fuels overwhelm, resentment, and food use
• Codependency, trauma responses, and the Karpman drama triangle (rescuer, persecutor, victim)
• The link between guilt, self-abandonment, and eating as regulation
• Real stories of how boundaries get tested between friends, family, and colleagues
• Why practicing boundaries is messy but essential for recovery and well-being

✨ Takeaways:
• Boundaries are a daily practice, not a one-time skill.
• Guilt doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong—it often means you’re breaking old patterns of self-abandonment.
• Observing your reactions and slowing down can create space for wise mind choices.
• Progress matters more than perfection—each “no” is a step toward self-respect and self-care.
If you’ve ever found yourself saying yes when you meant no, or using food to soothe the stress of people-pleasing, this conversation is for you.

📩 Got a question you’d like us to answer on the podcast? Email us at asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com.

⭐ Love the show? Subscribe, give us a five-star rating, and share this episode with a friend who needs it!

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 44: Unpacking the Shame- Recovery, Laxative Abuse, and Grace in Healing

In this raw and courageous conversation, Molly C, Molly P, and Clarissa shine a light on one of the most hidden and stigmatized struggles in eating disorder recovery: laxative abuse. What begins as a listener request turns into a deeply personal and honest discussion about secrecy, shame, and the painful realities of this often-overlooked behavior. Clarissa shares her lived experience of recovery—what it took to stop, how her body responded, and the emotional toll of trying to heal without compassionate support. Together, the Food Shrinks explore the intersections of addiction, distress tolerance, body image, and the grace-filled moments that can spark change. This episode dismantles stigma, validates lived experience, and reminds listeners that they are not alone. Recovery is possible, even when it feels messy, uncomfortable, or overwhelming. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Key Themes:
• Why laxative abuse is rarely discussed—and why it must be.
• How secrecy, shame, and medical misunderstanding keep people trapped.
• The brutal reality of recovery: water retention, discomfort, and the patience it requires.
• Grace as a catalyst for change—and how to act on those fleeting moments.
• The power of telling the “uncomfortable” stories and finding compassion in the shadows.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Takeaways:
• You’re not alone: Many people struggle in silence with behaviors that feel too shameful to name. • Recovery is worth it: While challenging, the body and spirit can heal with time, support, and persistence.
• Grace is real: Sometimes the smallest, quietest voice inside us says “enough”—and that moment can be life-saving.
• Hard conversations matter: Talking about the dark, messy realities creates space for healing and connection.
👉 Have a question or a topic you’d like the Food Shrinks to discuss? Email us at asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 43: Sick, Guilty, and Learning to Rest - Choosing Self-Compassion in Recovery

What happens when getting sick stirs up shame, fear, and old recovery patterns? In this vulnerable and heartfelt episode, Molly, Molly, and Clarissa open up about how illness collides with productivity, worthiness, and the deep-seated belief that saying “no” makes us unlovable. From midnight panic at a friend’s house to pushing through vacations with fevers, the Food Shrinks get honest about how hard it is to prioritize rest—and how powerful it is when we finally give ourselves permission.

Through personal stories and raw reflection, they explore:
• Why illness can feel so personal and shameful, even years into recovery.
• The tug-of-war between people-pleasing and self-care.
• How childhood invalidation around sickness echoes into adulthood.
• Practical ways to practice grace, compassion, and trust when your body demands rest.

This episode is equal parts funny, relatable, and deeply validating for anyone who’s ever felt guilty about slowing down. Spoiler: your worth is not tied to productivity, and you are lovable—even in bed with the flu.

Takeaways:
• Small choices (like saying “no” to plans while sick) can be huge wins in recovery.
• Self-compassion often means taking the advice you’d give a friend.
• Old stories about being “too much” or “a burden” may resurface when we’re ill—and that’s where healing work lives.
• Rest isn’t weakness; it’s resistance to burnout and a radical act of self-love.

👉 Have a question or topic you’d like the Food Shrinks to tackle? Email us at asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 42: When “Help” Hurts

In this raw, unfiltered episode of Food Shrinks, Molly Carmel, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab dive deep into the experience of chronic invalidation—how it shapes us in childhood, follows us into adulthood, and can even show up in professional settings where we expect safety and support.

The conversation starts with a reflection on how easy it is to compare our insides to others’ outsides when we’re struggling, then moves into a powerful exploration of what chronic invalidation really is: having your emotions minimized, dismissed, or shut down repeatedly until you learn to hide them for safety. The trio unpacks how this often leads to people-pleasing, disconnection from feelings, and even attracting relationships that repeat those early patterns.

Molly P. shares a deeply personal and recent story of seeking medical treatment for depression and anxiety—only to be met with invalidating, oversimplified advice from a provider. Together, the hosts dissect why such “just love yourself” and “befriend your depression” comments can be not only unhelpful but harmful, especially for people with trauma histories. They discuss the power dynamics at play, the nervous system’s response to speaking up, and the difference between spiritual bypassing and genuine therapeutic support.

Listeners will walk away with:

• A clear understanding of what chronic invalidation is and how to spot it.

• Why “always” and “never” statements are red flags.

• How invalidation can masquerade as help, even from professionals.

• The importance of repair in relationships and why healing doesn’t happen in isolation.

• The reminder that you’re not broken—you just need support to live life on life’s terms.

If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation or appointment feeling unseen, minimized, or “made the problem,” this episode will help you name that experience and begin reclaiming your voice.

📧 Have a question or topic idea? Email: asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 41: Am I Addicted to Dieting… or to Food?

In this powerful listener-inspired episode, Molly Carmel, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab dive deep into one of the most confusing questions in recovery: Is it food addiction, or am I just addicted to dieting? This compassionate and nuanced conversation explores how perfectionism, purity culture, trauma, and diet dogma can cloud our recovery journey—and how to find the middle way that truly supports freedom and healing.

In This Episode:

🧠A heartfelt listener email sparks a raw discussion on chronic relapse, self-doubt,
and quasi-recovery

🧠The difference between being addicted to dieting vs. addicted to ultra-processed
food

🧠How shame, perfectionism, and moral purity culture sneak into recovery

🧠Why self-determined recovery looks different for everyone—and why that’s a
good thing

🧠The danger of idealizing helpers and the importance of working with
professionals who’ve done their own shadow work

🧠Practical tools for navigating all-or-nothing thinking, “doing it right” pressure, and
bouncing between restriction and chaos

🧠The unexpected freedom of letting go of outcomes and being your own scientist

Key Takeaways:
💜Recovery is not one-size-fits-all. What works for someone else may not work for
you—and that’s okay.
💜Both food addiction and diet addiction can be true—and may need to be treated
together.
💜You are not broken. Your body and brain are trying to cope in a chaotic world.
💜Healing doesn’t come from perfection—it comes from curiosity, compassion, and
community.

Submit Your Questions:

💌Have a question, insight, or topic you’d love us to cover? Email us at
asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com — we love hearing from you!

Support the Show:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen. It helps more than you know—and we love you for it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 40: Family Systems, Cinnamon Buns, and the Art of Self-Care: A Mid-Summer Reckoning

In this raw and revealing episode, the Shrinks dive deep into the complexities of family dynamics, emotional regression, and how recovery shows up when you're trapped on a cruise ship with people who know your buttons—and how to press them. From boundary-setting in the Yukon to confronting childhood roles that no longer fit, this conversation touches on grief, growth, and the power of self-care in triggering environments. It’s honest, funny, deeply human, and a reminder that healing isn’t linear—but connection helps.

✨ What We Talk About:

• Navigating old family roles while trying to live your recovery

• The challenge of being around alcohol and food triggers on vacation

• Self-care rituals as acts of rebellion and protection

• Emotional regression and why it still catches us off guard

• Clarissa’s cruise survival toolkit (walks, steam rooms, and solitude)

• Molly’s reflections on feeling “othered” in her blended family

• The tension between belonging and authenticity

• Practicing “mindful lying” and graceful boundary setting

• Grief, compassion, and the desire to build your own chosen family

• How we hold ourselves through the hard days without over-pathologizing

📝 Takeaways:

• Just because you’ve done “all the work” doesn’t mean you won’t feel pain

• Self-compassion is essential when navigating old family systems

• Sometimes the most healing thing we can do is acknowledge: “Today was hard.”

• You’re not alone if you feel like the black sheep—there’s power in embracing it

📬 Have a question, comment, or topic request?
Email us at: asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com

❤️ If you love the podcast, help us out by subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing with your people. We’re obsessed with you, and your support helps us keep going.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 39: Let’s Talk About Weight Loss—For Real This Time

In this honest, heart-centered conversation, Molly P and Molly C tackle one of the most sensitive and frequently tiptoed-around topics in recovery spaces: weight loss. After receiving an email from a listener asking why they don’t speak more directly about it, the Mollys dive in—with nuance, humility, and a whole lot of truth.

Together, they explore:

• The difference between structure and restriction

• How to discern whether a desire to lose weight is rooted in recovery or disordered thinking

• The role of spiritual alignment, shadow work, and trusted counsel

• Why urgency is a red flag

• How diet culture’s hamster wheel keeps us chasing “not enoughness”

They share personal experiences, reflect on the trap of perfectionism in recovery, and offer thoughtful questions for listeners to journal about:

• Why is who I am right now not enough?

• What am I hoping weight loss will fix?

• Would I recommend this method to someone I love?

The Mollys don’t shy away from the complexities of this issue—especially for those who are earlier in their recovery or navigating significant body changes. Instead, they invite listeners to reflect honestly, act lovingly, and build a sustainable relationship with food and self that feels like home.

💌 Call to Action:

This is a conversation meant to continue, not conclude. If you have thoughts, questions, or respectful pushback—we want to hear it.

📩 Email us at asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com
👍 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share—your support helps us keep these conversations going.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 38: Telling a New Story- Our First Conversation on Spirituality in Recovery

In this soulful and vulnerable episode of Food Shrinks, Molly C and Molly P sit down for a heartfelt conversation about spirituality, what it means, how it manifests in recovery, and why it has become the cornerstone of their healing. With Clarissa off on vacation (an Alaska cruise, anyone?), the Mollys dive deep into how spirituality is not about finding answers, but about the willingness to see life differently.

They share personal stories, therapeutic insights, and unexpected turning points, from early resistance to mindset shifts, to dreamcatchers in correctional facilities, to how trauma, addiction, and spiritual transformation are intricately linked. Whether you’re just starting your journey or questioning the next step, this episode invites you to gently open the door to something greater than pain. and maybe even greater than you.

In this episode, we discuss:
🩷Why spirituality in recovery isn’t about religion (and how it often starts with pain)
🩷The “evil filter,” cognitive distortions, and how therapy and neurofeedback helped Molly P shift her lens
🩷What it means to wear different “glasses” and let life in fully—ugly, beautiful, and everything in between
🩷The connection between trauma, control, addiction, and our resistance to trust
🩷Spirituality as both armor and surrender
🩷Why belief is just a thought you keep thinking—and how we can learn to tell a new story

Listener takeaways:
🩷You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin a spiritual path
🩷Resistance doesn’t mean you’re broken—it might just mean you need a new way in
🩷You are allowed to believe something new about yourself and your life
🩷There are infinite ways to reconnect with something bigger than your wound

Quotes we love:
🩷“Pain is usually the only way we get to a spiritual life—because it’s the moment we realize this isn’t working anymore.”
🩷“Spirituality has become a kind of armor between me and life on life’s terms—it helps me reframe the story.”
🩷“The voice of trauma and addiction comes in the same ringtone—it takes time to know which part of you is speaking.”

💌 Questions? Comments? Want more episodes like this?
Write us at AskTheShrinks@FoodShrinks.com

🎧 Listen, Subscribe, and Share:
If this episode resonated with you, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with someone who might need a spiritual reframe today. Every comment, like, and share helps us reach others in recovery.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 37: Self-Compassion Isn't Woo - Finding Your Voice After Shame, Trauma, and Diet Culture

The Food Shrinks open up about their personal journeys with self-compassion—from eye rolls and resistance to finding voices that finally felt true. They explore how trauma, neurodivergence, addiction, and childhood conditioning make self-compassion feel foreign, even threatening. With humor, honesty, and lived experience, they share how they’ve begun to chip away at old patterns of self-hate and embrace compassion as a lifelong practice, not a magical fix. This episode is real talk for real people who are tired of shaming themselves into change and are ready to try something gentler.

🧠 Key Topics Covered:

• Why self-compassion feels so uncomfortable (and sometimes impossible) at first

• How neurodivergence and ADHD impact the ability to receive compassion

• The difference between self-pity, self-permission, and true compassion

• The myth of "spiritual bypassing" and the danger of pretending to be okay

• How to develop your own compassionate inner voice that actually sounds like you

• Using somatic tools and nervous system regulation as a bridge to self-kindness

• Faith, spirituality, and the higher self as sources of compassionate guidance

• How modeling compassion for others often helps us practice it for ourselves

• When receiving love feels like too much—and why that’s okay

• Tiny ways to start practicing, even when it feels awkward or fake

💡 Favorite Quotes:

“No one has ever shamed themselves into wellness—but that didn’t stop me from trying.”

“You can’t just throw affirmations at yourself like spaghetti and hope they stick.”

“Whatever voice you're listening to—if it's not loving, it's not your higher self.”

“Self-compassion isn't the finish line. It's the practice that lets you stay in the race.”

💬 Call to Action:

Love this episode? Want more on self-compassion, trauma healing, or navigating recovery as a neurodivergent person?

📧 Write to us at AskTheShrinks@foodshrinks.com with your thoughts and questions!

And hey, besties, if this show gave you something, will you do us a little favor?

💖 Subscribe, rate, review, and share. We read every comment, and your support means the world.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 36: Knowing Better Isn’t Doing Better - Ambivalence, Ego, and Compassionate Change

In this heartfelt and hilarious episode, the Shrinks dive into one of the most relatable recovery challenges: the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Whether it’s flossing your teeth, sticking to a food plan, or showing up for yourself with compassion, the struggle is real—and it’s not about laziness or failure. It’s about nervous system responses, shame scripts, feelings phobia, and learning to be with our shadows. Join Molly C, Clarissa, and Molly P as they explore ambivalence, ego death, and what it means to change from the inside out, without shame.

What We Talk About:

• Why “knowing better” doesn’t always lead to “doing better”

• The myth of compliance and what the data actually says

• Personal stories of avoidance, resistance, and showing up anyway

• Ambivalence as a source of wisdom and transformation

• Nervous system dysregulation and safety as the missing link

• How shadow work, compassion, and ego humility fuel real change

• Type 2 fun, Iceland waterfall revelations, and hiking metaphors that hit deep

• Learning to celebrate what is working, not just what isn’t

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Compliance data on glaucoma and pediatric prescriptions

• Sweet Sobriety community insights

• Our mantra of the day: “I am loved and accepted exactly as I am.”

Listener Homework:
If this episode stirred something in you, try this:

• Name one thing you know you “should” do—but don’t.

• Now list three compassionate reasons why that might be hard.

• Bonus: What are you already doing that supports your well-being?

Call to Action:
✨ Liked this episode? Help us spread the word!
🎧 Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
🌟 Rate & review if you’re feelin’ generous
📤 Share it with a friend who needs to know they’re not alone

💌 Got a question or topic idea? Email us at: asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 35: The Fourth Week - Patience, Pain, and the Miracle That Follows

In this raw and reflective episode, Molly C, Clarissa, and Molly P dive into the messy, beautiful work of staying with the hard stuff, especially when it would feel easier to bolt. Inspired by Molly C’s bougie pup Danny and his enforced recovery rest, the team explores the emotional equivalent of “week four”: the moment when things feel better, but the healing isn’t finished, and the temptation to return to old habits is loudest.

💡 Topics We Explore:

• Why the hardest part of healing often comes right before the miracle

• Recovery drop-offs and the fear of facing distress

• Faith, impulsivity, and why divine timing is maddening (and necessary)

• Learning to tolerate emotional pain without numbing

• The spiritual act of doing it anyway—even when it’s not pretty

• Practicing patience and staying present, one breath or brick at a time

• Why community and connection are non-negotiable in recovery

💬 Favorite Hot Takes:

• “You don’t have to do it pretty. You just have to do it.”

• “The goal of distress tolerance isn’t to feel better. It’s to not feel worse.”

• “Maybe you’re not seeing the whole quilt—and maybe that’s okay.”

• “Feeling sad and not numbing it? That’s a miracle.”

🛠️ Practical Wisdom:

• Daily grounding for emotional overwhelm

• Using decision balance sheets in recovery

• Letting go of judgment to increase distress tolerance

• How to be someone’s Day 42 companion

💌 Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Love Letter, Molly C’s weekly newsletter

• Sweet Sobriety and the Foundations Program

• Recovery slogans that still hit (hello, “Don’t quit before the miracle”)

💖 Closing Reminder:
You are part of the quilt, even when it doesn’t make sense. Keep showing up. The miracle might be one breath away.

📬 Questions or feedback?
Email us anytime at asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com

🫶 Love the pod?
Subscribe, rate us 5 stars, share with your people, and stay for the magic.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 34: Body Talk - The Noise, The Anger, The Hope

Hey Food Shrinkies — it's Molly C, Clarissa, and Molly P, diving even deeper into the conversation we thought we wrapped up last week. Spoiler: We weren’t done. Not even close.

Last week, we cracked open the Pandora’s box of body image in recovery — and this week, we’re standing in the storm. Clarissa shares what surfaced for her after playing it “safe” last episode and comes back with fire, truth, and an angry love letter to the body image bullying that’s haunted her for decades. Molly joins with her own mix of sorrow and advocacy, and together, we ask: How do we live with our bodies when the world taught us to live against them?

In this unfiltered, fiercely honest follow-up, we talk about:

• The “body noise” that’s louder than the food noise

• Why anger — not sadness — is sometimes the real breakthrough

• Saunas, baths, and the quiet terror of being alone in your skin

• Body grief, eating disorder residue, and the illusion of “thin = loved”

• Releasing the fantasy of full freedom and embracing the messy middle

• Body serenity: is it real? is it possible? is it even the point?

• The shame of being a professional who still struggles

• How diet culture gaslights our worth and confuses our healing

• And the Buddhist practice of Tonglen — breathing in the collective pain, breathing out compassion

This isn’t a “how-to” episode. It’s a “me too” episode.

Because we don’t have to be done with this to be worthy. We don’t have to win the war to reclaim our skin. We just have to keep talking. Keep telling the truth. Keep holding each other in the struggle.

💌 Got a question or want to share your own body story? Email us at AskTheShrinks@FoodShrinks.com — we read every word.

✨ And if this episode moved you, please:

• Subscribe wherever you listen

• Rate & Review (it only takes 3 minutes!)

• Share it with someone who needs to know they’re not alone

Together, we breathe through the noise. Together, we reclaim the body as home.

We love you. We’re with you. Always.

#FoodShrinksPodcast #BodyImageRecovery #SweetSobriety #RecoveryIsMessy #BodyGrief #TraumaInformedHealing #EatingDisorderRecovery #SoberCurious #EmbodimentMatters

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 33: Are We Allowed to Care About Our Bodies? – A Candid Post-Game Chat on Body Image, Thinness, and Recovery

In this unfiltered, vulnerable episode of Food Shrinks, Molly, Clarissa, and MC hit record on what was meant to be a private post-game debrief—and ended up diving into one of the most tender, tangled topics in recovery: body image. Following last week's episode on the industry’s obsession with weight, this conversation becomes personal. Like, really personal.

From sharing fears about thinness and relapses into compulsive behaviors, to naming the grief, anger, and cultural betrayal that can come with inhabiting a body that doesn’t match the world’s expectations, the trio explores what it means to care about your body without being consumed by it.

Molly drops a mic-worthy soliloquy that will stay with you long after the episode ends. This one is full of discomfort, truth-telling, and a whole lot of love.

💡 Themes We Explore:

• Can we ethically care about our weight in recovery?

• The myth of “body image” when real changes happen in the body

• Navigating shame, identity, and belonging in various-sized bodies

• Why the relentless pursuit of thinness is a trap—and what freedom looks like instead

• What’s adaptive vs. maladaptive care when it comes to our appearance?

📣 Call to Action:
This episode is a gift from our hearts—if it resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear they’re not alone. Hit subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Your support means the world.

💌 Email us! asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com

🔗https://www.sweetsobriety.ca/

🔗https://mollycarmel.com/

❤️ You're not crazy. You're not alone. You're on Food Shrinks—and we love you.

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 32: You Do Not Owe the World a Smaller Body

In this unapologetically honest and deeply validating conversation, the Food Shrinks crew dives into one of the hottest topics in food addiction recovery: weight as a false measure of success. Why do some professionals in the recovery field still equate smaller bodies with deeper healing? And what happens when people in larger bodies feel excluded—even when they're abstinent and thriving?

Molly, Clarissa, and MP break down the damaging impact of internalized weight stigma, explore why body size is not a clinical marker of recovery, and call out harmful assumptions that show up even in professional spaces. They share real stories from their Sweet Sobriety groups, challenge toxic cultural messaging, and reclaim the right to define recovery on your own terms.

Whether you're in a larger body, a smaller one, or still figuring things out—this episode is a must-listen.

💬 Topics We Cover:

• Why weight is not and has never been a reliable recovery metric

• The harmful myth of the “right-sized” recovery body

• How professionals perpetuate weight stigma (even unintentionally)

• What it means to define your own recovery

• The danger of unprompted weight commentary from practitioners

• Recovery at every size: nuance, metabolism, and lived experience

• Why shame, not weight, is often the real barrier to healing

• The difference between health at every size and health at a lot of sizes

• How to protect your recovery from body-based judgment

🧠 Mic Drop Moments:

“Judging recovery by weight loss is like judging a house fire victim by how quickly they redecorated.”

“You do not owe the world an aesthetically pleasing body.”

“One person doesn’t get to decide what recovery looks like for someone else.”

📬 Have a Question or Topic You Want Us to Cover?

Email us at asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com
We’d love to hear from you!

💖 Help Us Spread the Word:

If this episode spoke to you, please take 30 seconds to:

• Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube

• Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review

• Share it with a friend or recovery group

Every share supports our mission to bring truth without shame to the food addiction recovery world. Thank you!

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Episode 31: The Healing You’re Avoiding - Why Group Work Changes Everything

In this spontaneous and heart-forward episode, Molly C., Clarissa, and Molly P. crack open the resistance so many of us feel toward group work, and why that resistance might be precisely the sign we need more connection, not less.

Together, the trio explores why group healing matters, how co-regulation works, and what it means to feel seen, safe, and mirrored in community. From AA meetings to clinical groups to retreats full of “I-don’t-do-group” folks turned soul sisters, they share raw stories about belonging, shame, and the life-changing magic of not doing recovery alone.

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t do groups,” this one’s for you.

What We Talk About in This Episode:
🌀 Why so many people resist group work—and what’s underneath that
🧠 The neuroscience of co-regulation and how groups help our nervous systems
💔 The loneliness epidemic and why isolation fuels addiction
✨ The healing power of being seen, heard, and mirrored
🙅‍♀️ How “my problems aren’t that bad” is a symptom of chronic invalidation
🐀 Rat Park, connection, and the real root of addiction
💬 Group doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful

Resources & Links:
🔗 Learn more about Sweet Sobriety and upcoming groups: https://www.sweetsobriety.ca/
📬 Get updates and free resources: https://www.sweetsobriety.ca/ and https://mollycarmel.com/
📲 Rate, review, and share this episode—it helps more than you know!

Join the Conversation:
💌 Have a topic you want us to cover? Send us a note at asktheshrinks@foodshrinks.com

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.