The Hunger Trap Podcast
My co-host and friend Diana Bowman and I started The Hunger Trap Podcast in 2020 because we wanted to serve up the very serious issues of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and the culture that spoon-feeds these destructive conditions to us with a dash of irreverence. We both have lived experiences with anorexia and, although there are several expert-led podcasts about eating disorders that lend an important authoritative voice, we felt like what was lacking from podcasts about this topic was the human element.
We created and hosted 75 episodes of The Hunger Trap Podcast, one of the only eating disorders podcasts of its kind that interviews people with lived eating disorder experiences, leading eating disorders experts, and published authors.
We:
** Researched thought leaders in this field and booked them ourselves
** Edited all footage (First on GarageBand and then on Audacity)
** Advertised and marketed the podcast across social media channels
** Grew our podcast within a niche community of listeners and eating disorder patients
I am proud of all of our episodes — which can be found on Apple or Spotify. Here are four episodes that are among my favorites.
Comorbid ADHD and ED With Dr. Roberto Olivardia
In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Roberto Olivardia about the connection between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and eating disorders, and the unique implications for treatment that result from having this double diagnosis. Dr. Olivardia also shares his personal experiences about what it is like to have ADHD and work with it to lead a fulfilling and productive life.
A Pyramid Scheme: Evolution of the U.S. Food Pyramid Throughout History
In this episode, we interviewed Dr. Jessica Mudry, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the School of Professional Communication at Ryerson University, about why the U.S. government got involved in people’s food choices, how everything from German capitalism to wars changed food guidelines and got us counting calories and macros, and how food lobbyists made us believe “milk it does a body good.”
Perimenopause and Menopause: This Is Not Your Gramma's Problem
We chat in this episode with fitness expert Amanda Thebe about her book Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too to demystify perimenopause and menopause. We touch on the physiological and psycho-emotional aspects, chat about the link between eating disorders and change, and get tips on how to thrive during this time. Also, ye listeners that have a 2 and 3 at the start of your age who think you can skip this one? Don’t — the more you know now, the more you'll flourish!
Sex, Anorexia, and Rock ’n’ Roll: One Man’s Eating Disorder Story
Writer and Boston Globe Music Critic Ken Capobianco opens up to us on this funny and thought-provoking episode about how decades of anorexia led to a stroke in his forties, an awakening, and a second chance at life. We touch on everything from how skinny male rock stars like Prince and Mick Jagger contributed to Ken’s body desires to the ways in which the medical community misunderstands and fails men and young boys with eating disorders.
