#224: Hormone Therapy and Psychopharmacology in Eating Disorder Treatment During Perimenopause and Menopause with Robyn Kievit

A nurse practitioner and registered dietitian with more than 25 years of experience, Robyn Kievit specializes in supporting women through perimenopause and menopause using hormone therapy, medical science, and psychopharmacology. She has particular expertise working with women who struggle or have struggled with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image disturbances during these midlife transitions.  Robyn led the industry as the first dietitian to become a nurse practitioner. She attained her FNP with a BSN and MSN in nursing, and earned a BS in Dietetics. Robyn is also a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals and a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner through The Menopause Society. She has appeared live on both television and radio and been quoted in Boston Magazine, National Geographic, Apple News+, Fitness Magazine, Fox News, Oxygen Magazine, The Boston Herald &The Boston Globe We discuss topics including Hormone therapy through the Menopause Society as being a practitioner  Not everyone can tolerate hormone therapy Stay very attuned to your symptoms Understanding what are your symptoms Look at the whole person (cardiovascular disease history, bone health ect)   SHOW NOTES: www.thenprd.com www.menopause.org ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Brian Dunphey MS JD  LMFT is a psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles, CA. Brian uses Experiential Therapy (Internal Family Systems, Gestalt Therapy) in his work with clients, using a somatic focus. Earlier in his career, Brian was a therapist and clinical director for residential treatment centers focused on clients with Addiction Interaction Disorders (substance use, eating disorders, problem sex behavior) including Ocean Recovery (Newport Beach, CA) and Blue Tiger Recovery (Palm Springs, CA). Brian continues to primarily serve people living with & recovering from eating disorders, substance addictions and problem sexual behaviors. Brian has studied extensively with Dr Allen Berger for Gestalt Experiential training, and Mary Kruger, Cece Sykes, Kay Gardner & Susan McConnell in IFS & Somatic IFS. He is Level 2 trained via IFS Institute. Brian is licensed in California & Washington State.  We discuss topics including: Understanding IFS IFS helps to sit with the parts that are protected or relieved The eating disorder serves that behavior Using Gestalt Therapy Name and talk about the parts of me "that will be different"   SHOW NOTES: https://brian-dunphey.clientsecure.me/ https://www.amazon.com/Self-Therapy-Step-Step-Cutting-Edge-Psychotherapy/dp/0578395940  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ifs-talks/id1481000501?i=1000450715549 ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Paula has been in the mental health field for 30 years and has been a licensed clinical professional counselor since 2006.  With 20 years as a therapeutic placement specialist and parent coach, she is committed to helping parents make the most well-informed decisions for their families. She works with families with young adults and adolescents and she has had the enormous privilege to help families identify the best treatment options available nationally to address their complex needs and to join families on their healing journeys through outpatient and residential treatment.  She is committed to positively impacting the lives of anyone exploring treatment interventions for themselves or a loved one. Paula has toured hundreds of residential treatment programs nationally and followed her clients and families through the entire process. Her passionate interests includes healing from trauma, supporting neurodiversity, complex learning differences, and helping parents to adopt the strategies and approaches to help their children thrive into independent adulthood. We discuss topics including: The importance of gathering information about a client Exploring different treatment options Parent coaching side and how parents can help and not harm  How to stay current on treatment centers Looking at the big picture of treatment   SHOW NOTES: https://www.havenfamilysolutions.com/ Therapeutic Consulting Association: https://www.therapeuticconsulting.org/ The Parallel Process, Krissy Pozatek: https://www.parallel-process.com/ ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Rachelle Heinemann is a speaker, author, eating disorder educator, and psychotherapist. She is the host of the podcast Understanding Disordered Eating. Rachelle is the author of the book "Brave on Purpose," an interactive book about building confidence. Rachelle is a licensed mental health counselor (NY),  licensed professional counselor (NJ), and certified eating disorder specialist (CEDS) in private practice. Rachelle is part of executive leadership, outgoing treasurer and incoming VP, at IAEDP NY (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals).   We discuss topics including: What does confidence mean to you? The complexities of being brave The state of being at your "core inner strength" How do you bring authenticity into your life? Doing something over and over    SHOW NOTES: Brave on Purpose (use code PODCAST) Website/Podcast instagram.com/rachelleheinemann ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Janelle Smith, MS, RDN, CSDH, CEDS is a registered dietitian nutritionist who is a Certified Specialist in Digestive Health and a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist. She works outpatient with UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases to treat disordered eating patterns in patients with chronic health conditions and also has a private practice Janelle Smith Nutrition. She is co-founder of the EDGI Training Project whose goal is to train other clinicians to treat these overlapping disorders, and published the textbook Comprehensive Nutrition Therapy for Co-Occurring Gastrointestinal and Eating Disorders, available for purchase at EDGItraining.com    We discuss topics including: What Janelle sees inpatient and outpatient with patients taking GLP1's The pros and cons of GLP1's with clients The multisystemic results of malnutrition The downsides of losing muscle mass, bone density and low estrogen levels Dehydration and the changes of bone marrow in the body due to calorie and fluid restriction. Altered gut brain   SHOW NOTES: www.janellesmithnutrition.com www.edgitraining.com ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Ethan Hansen Pearson, AMFT, is an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist serving clients across Los Angeles and California with a focus on LGBTQ2PIA+ teens, adults, and families. Ethan practices under the supervision of Isabella Laughlin, LMFT, CEDS, ATR-BC at a South Bay-based private practice specializing in eating disorders. His clinical work centers on the intersection of gender identity, body image, and trauma, with particular expertise supporting transgender and gender-expansive clients navigating complex relationships with food, embodiment, and self-compassion. In addition to his clinical work, Ethan co-founded California Pathways to Practice, a training symposium for early-career clinicians, and has presented on topics involving navigating higher levels of care in clinical practice. His professional mission is to support clients in reclaiming agency, reducing shame, and building lives rooted in authenticity, safety, and embodiment. We discuss topics including: The need to have body image and eating disorder support in the LGBTQ2PIA+ community How online apps harm body image the community Discovering true identity and being able to live life as you truly are Exploring what safety truly looks like Help clients build autonomy, confidence and self reliance   SHOW NOTES https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ethan-hansen-pearson-redondo-beach-ca/1659593 https://www.isabellalaughlin.com/ethan https://nomoregatekeeping.org  ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Signe Darpinian, LMFT, CEDS, is a public speaker and therapist who specializes in eating disorders and body image across the lifespan. Her books include No Weigh!, Raising Body Positive Teens, and A Woman's Guide to Menopause, Body Image and Emotional Well-Being at Midlife We discuss topics including: The "menopause goldrush" What happens when women's body change during menopause CBT therapy practiced in the menopause space Understanding that the body is trying to help us out Reeducate what a woman's body should like as we age Exploring what a woman values as this stage of life   SHOW NOTES: Website: http://www.signedarpinian.com Book: A Woman's Guide to Menopause, Body Image, and Emotional Well-being at Midlife IG: @noweighguide  ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Dr. LaNail R. Plummer is a visionary mental health expert, educator, speaker, and author dedicated to redefining how minorities are seen, supported, and healed in clinical spaces. Her book, The Essential Guide for Counseling Black Women (Jan 2026, Norton & Co), is her first of three serving as both a professional resource for educators and mental health providers, and an accessible guide for Black women looking to heal. For Dr. Plummer, the book is more than theory but a response to a gap witnessed in her entire career; the need for healthcare (especially within mental health) that affirms and reflects the real lived experiences of Black women. Dr. Plummer brings two decades of clinical expertise and lived experience to inform her work. In 2013, she founded Onyx Therapy Group, a mental health organization with a team of 40+ BIPOC counselors and consultants serving Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Louisiana, with an international footprint in South Africa. Onyx's work spans across culturally responsive mental health care, consultation for local and government agencies, executive coaching, mentorship, and even prison reform work. We discuss topics including: Black women can have clinicians that understand how to work with black women Understanding that we are not all the same as our perspectives are different Exploring the stereotypes with black women The importance for black women to be seen and heard Reviewing the messages that you have been taught about black women Countertransference makes every black woman not enjoy the experience of therapy or be willing to give another therapist a chance   SHOW NOTES:   Website: www.onyxtherapy.com Book: The Essential Guide for Counseling Black Women IG: @Mahoganysunshine IG: @onyxtherapygroup ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Mallary Tenore Tarpley is an assistant professor of practice at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches journalism classes in the Moody College of Communication and writing classes at the McCombs School of Business. Her debut nonfiction book, SLIP: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery, which was published by Simon & Schuster's Simon Element imprint in August 2025, explores the under-discussed complexities of eating disorders and recovery from them. The book is equal parts memoir and journalism, and it weaves together Mallary's own narrative with perspectives from clinicians, researchers, and others with lived experience. In 2023, Mallary received a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support the science-related reporting in the book, specifically around the neurobiological and genetic aspects of eating disorders. Mallary's articles and personal essays about eating disorders have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, TIME Magazine, and Teen Vogue, among other publications We discuss topics including: What it means to live life in the "in between" Recovery is possible but imperfect Slips do not have to be failures they can be an opportunity for growth Reframe your thinking about "full recovery" Being authentic with yourself while being open to experiment with food instead of always sticking with "safe foods"   SHOW NOTES: www.mallarytenoretarpley.com Book: Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery IG: www.instagram.com/mallarytenoretarpley ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS-C, FAED, is the founder and medical director of the Gaudiani Clinic.  Dr. Gaudiani served as the medical director for a highly specialized inpatient medical stabilization program for adults with anorexia nervosa prior to founding the Gaudiani Clinic in 2016. The Gaudiani Clinic offers specialized, trauma-informed outpatient medical care to individuals seeking support for eating disorders, undernourishment related to complex medical issues, and weight-inclusive primary care. The Clinic is based in Colorado is licensed to practice in almost every US state via telemedicine.  Dr. Gaudiani has lectured nationally and internationally, has been featured on numerous podcasts, and is widely published in the scientific literature. The second edition of Dr. Gaudiani's popular book, Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders and Undernutrition was published in November 2025.    We discuss topics including: What led Dr. G to include "undernutrition" in her book? Older patients can direct the way that their treatment goes The importance of removing physical impediments towards older patients Misdiagnosed girls and women with ADHT POTS, SIBO, MAST Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Neurodiversity Other updates to her revised book   SHOW NOTES: www.gaudianiclinic.com instagram.com/gaudianiclinic ____________________________________________ If you have any questions regarding the topics discussed on this podcast, please reach out to Robyn directly via email: [email protected] You can also connect with Robyn on social media by following her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and subscribe. Visit Robyn's private practice website where you can subscribe to her free monthly insight newsletter, and receive your FREE GUIDE "Maximizing Your Time with Those Struggling with an Eating Disorder". Your Recovery Resource, Robyn's new online course for navigating your loved one's eating disorder, is available now! For more information on Robyn's book "The Eating Disorder Trap", please visit the Official "The Eating Disorder Trap" Website. "The Eating Disorder Trap" is also available for purchase on Amazon.