Mental Note

Is exercise really as good as antidepressants—or is that headline missing the bigger picture? In this episode of Mental Note, we sit down with registered dietitian and eating disorder specialist Adee Levinstein to unpack the complex relationship between exercise and mental health. Together, we explore why one-size-fits-all fitness advice—like the 10,000 steps myth—often falls short, how diet culture shapes our beliefs about movemen...

Say It Brave On Campus, Episode 3

What if eating disorders aren't simply individual illnesses, but rational responses to disordered systems? In the third and final episode of our college-focused miniseries, Shannon Kopp speaks with Sophie Szew - mental health justice advocate, master's student at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and Forbes' 30 under 30 honoree - about how her lived experience o...

Say It Brave On Campus, Episode 2

In part two of our mini-series, Shannon Kopp sits down with neuroscientist and data analyst, Sam Funderburk, to talk about high-functioning depression, male mental health stigma, and the quiet pressure to keep pushing toward the next milestone. 

Sam shares his experience with anxiety, depression, and suicidality during college and graduate school — including how gender norms and emotional aloofness...

Say It Brave On Campus, Episode 1

We chose to honor this year's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week by trying something new - our first ever mini-series. The topic? Real stories from the intersection of college life, mental health, and eating disorders. So, for the next few days you'll see three back-to-back episodes appear in your feeds, each taking a different angle on these pivotal years. You'll ...

If you've ever stared at a simple task and felt an unexplainable, heavy resistance… you are definitely not alone - and you are not broken!

With the help of psychologist and clinical director Leslee Marcom, we'll unpack the topic of executive functioning and why struggles with organization, time management, procrastination, and task init...

For most of her life, science teacher and meteorologist Crystal Weidman was labeled a "picky eater." While friends and family fixated on her unique food rules, they completely missed the clues that something more serious was to blame. 

In this episode Crystal shares her story of navigating ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) along with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).  This conversation sheds light on what ARFID r...

In this episode of the Mental Note Podcast, psychiatrist Dr. Alyssa Lucker unpacks the complicated relationship between social media and mental health - especially for teens and young adults. 

We explore the challenges of researching social media effects, how it influences the developing brain, and where responsibility lies between parents and platforms. Dr. Luc...

Depression doesn't always look like staying in bed or losing motivation. For high-achieving people, it often hides behind packed schedules, perfectionism, and quiet exhaustion. In this episode, therapist Jenny Jacobsen unpacks how depression shows up differently in top performers, the overlap between burnout, boredom, anxiety, and depression, and the early warning signs you need to know.

She also shares ...

Should I Say This in Therapy?

Have you ever wondered what your therapist can and can't share outside the therapy room? Or when therapy confidentiality laws require them to break that trust?  

In this collaborative episode, Ellie Pike joins clinicians Maria Ortiz and Dr. Zoe Ross-Nash from the 'On the Mic with ED' podcast to unpack the often-misunderstood boundaries of confidentiality in therapy. 

Topics Covered:

• What informed ...

Intermittent fasting is everywhere—from influencer feeds to doctor's offices—but is this trending approach to eating really the wellness cure-all it claims to be? In this episode of Mental Note, registered dietitian Jennifer Vittitow joins host Ellie Pike to explore the hidden downsides of intermittent fasting, including its impact on mental health, disordered eating behaviors, and social connection. Together, they unpack the scien...

A dangerous secret lurked behind author Lara Jacobs' ambition: she relied on anorexia to focus her writing, blurring the line between artistic drive and self-destruction. 

In this episode, Lara shares how years of chasing a story across continents ultimately led her to eating disorder treatment and to rediscovering herself—both as a writer and as a person in re...

Supporting a loved one through eating disorder recovery can feel overwhelming—but you don't have to do it alone. In this special Q&A episode, we sit down with experienced parents Beth Ayn Stansfield and Amy Oberholtzer, who have navigated this journey with their own children and turned their experiences into advocacy. Beth Ayn, now the National Family Advocate for Eating Recovery Center, and Amy, founder of the nonprofit CATCH, sha...

In a world where mental health care is often seen as one-size-fits-all, Akiera Gilbert is on a mission to break down barriers and open the doors of eating disorder treatment to those often left behind.

As the CEO of Project Heal, Akiera leads an organization dedicated to transforming the system while offering immediate, life-saving support to those who face financial, cultural, and systemic obstacles to ...

As an eating disorder survivor turned eating disorder therapist, Carly Compton strives to be the person that she wishes she would have known when she was younger. 

That conviction led her on a rewarding journey to become a therapist, model, host of the Recover with Carly Podcast, and creator of an eating disorder curriculum for adolescents. In all these endeavors, Carly focuses on partnering with individuals to give up dieting, rec...

From Chaos to Creativity:

Storyteller and artist Landon Bryant explores his journey from struggling with life's basic challenges to finding success and support after an adult ADHD diagnosis. Landon shares how he navigated the difficulties of his condition, including years of trial and error with medications and strategies, and how he ultimately embraced the creative potential of ADHD. This conversation s...

GLP-1 weight loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have exploded in popularity due to their weight-loss potential. But what do they actually do? How do they function? And why are they the subject of so much controversy?

With insight from Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar, Regional Medical Director for the Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center, this episode will empower you to make an educated decision when it comes to ...

Growing up, Vik Chopra was not the kid most people assumed would end up serving a sentence in Federal prison. A student leader with straight A's and numerous volunteer hours, Vik secretly hid pain and shame beneath a shiny outward persona - with disastrous consequences. 

Now a filmmaker, actor, and writer who has embraced his queer and South Asian identities, Vik takes us on a transformational journey through addiction, incarcerati...

Welcome to part two of our Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Discussion with Leah Young where we focus on the proactive steps you can take to find recovery from a SUD.

Today's episode is all about what to do once you realize you have a problem with substances or addictive behaviors. We'll discuss topics like:

• Different strategies for ending destructive behaviors spanning from abstinence to harm reduction
• How to develop boundaries t...

In our next two episodes, we will explore a disorder affecting nearly one in five Americans - Substance Use Disorder (SUD). From knowing when your patterns are problematic, to building new neural pathways, to measuring success - we want to dig deep. And we've got the incredible expertise of Leah Young to show us why there's so much reason for hope when dealing with addictive behaviors and substances.

You can think of today's podcas...