Be Yourself. Happy. Healthy. Hopeful.

It’s Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) 2023! On this episode, BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn chats with Canadian mental health blogger, writer and speaker Chloë Grande. Chloë Grande (she/her) is a communications specialist turned eating disorder recovery writer, speaker, and blogger. After an anorexia relapse at the start of the pandemic, she began blogging about her eating disorder recovery to help create a sense of community for other eating disorder survivors. The blog has...

On this episode, BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn chats with Registered Social Worker, Juliana Simon (she/her), from Trans Wellness Ontario (TWO). TWO is a community mental health organization within Windsor-Essex whose mission is to enhance and sustain the health and wellness of Transgender, Genderqueer, Two-Spirit, Non-Binary, Queer and Questioning communities and their families. Juliana is a social worker at TWO and conducts assessments for new clients, facilitates health outreach...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn chats with Registered Dietitian, Nicole Boulanger. Stephani and Nicole are also joined Erin McMahon, who is a University of Michigan School of Public Health student who is currently completing her internship at BANA. Nicole, Erin and Stephani discuss what working as a dietitian in the field of eating disorders is like, how Nicole found herself in this area of work, working with a Health at Every Size approach, what is intuitive eating and how to...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn connects with psychology professor, TEDx speaker, and former school psychologist, Dr. Andrea Dinardo. Dr. Andrea Dinardo is a psychology professor, TEDx speaker, and former school psychologist who applies positive psychology to facilitate personal growth and transformational change. Her psychology blog and TEDx Talk (both called Thriving Under Pressure) were created in response to rising levels of student stress and anxiety. The purpose of both is to...

Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) runs annually each February from the 1st to the 7th. EDAW has been commemorated across Canada since 1988 by established eating disorder organizations, education and public health institutions, and concerned members of the public. It draws attention to the causes, prevalence and impact of eating disorders. Traditionally, organizations around the country host local events, light notable landmarks in the colour purple, and engage in public education...

In this episode, BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn, sends holiday wishes to all of our listeners. She updates you on what we have in store for our next episode which will be released the week of February 1st-7th for Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2021. Stephani is also joined for a short episode by her fellow health educator at BANA, Marisa Casey. They provide some considerations and tips to help one manage an eating disorder during the holiday season. To stay up to date with what we...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn connects with former CFL footballer and mental health advocate, Frank Renaud. Frank Renaud speaks very openly and candidly about how he has been dealing with mental health struggles throughout his whole life. He was first diagnosed with anxiety and depression in high school, and then after a manic episode in 2018, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Frank describes himself as a journey man and now views his mental health diagnoses as a gift. Frank...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn chats with Registered Social Worker, and clinician at BANA, Sara Dalrymple. Sara and Stephani discuss what working as a social worker in the field of eating disorders is like, who is on BANA’s clinical team, how assessment and diagnosis work at BANA, what type of therapy is used in treatment for our clients, the complexities of trauma, and more specifics about eating disorder treatment. To learn more about eating disorder treatment in the Windsor...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn chats with anti-diet Registered Holistic Nutritionist® and Certified Intuitive Eating (IE) Counsellor, Sarah Berneche. Sarah and Stephani discuss what intuitive eating is and how it can help heal one’s relationship with food, misconceptions of IE, how this concept is used with clients, what weight stigma is and the role of the health professional in recognizing signs of disordered eating and eating disorders. Stephani also learns more about Sara’s new...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn chats with Registered Nurse and Team Canada Track and Field Olympian, Noelle Montcalm. Noelle and Stephani discuss her time as a student athlete competing as a Lancer on the University of Windsor’s Track and Field team, what drew her to becoming a nurse, the surreal experience and emotions associated with being a part of the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, why supportive mentors and communities are important, her own relationship with food as an athlete,...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with local yoga teacher, reflexologist and reiki practitioner, Carly Deslippe. Carly and Stephani discuss making your self-care a non-negotiable, the importance of inclusivity and diversity in yoga, why meditation can be beneficial to our mental health, the evolution of her own relationship with her body and food while working in the fitness industry, and alternative health care practices, like reiki, that you can add to your own tool-kit....

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with local content creator and podcaster, Sierra Parr from Lemon Soul Studios. Together, they discuss Sierra’s vision for her online platform which place an emphasis on authenticity and being a ‘lemon soul’ by embracing the sour parts of life. Sierra discusses how she aims to demonstrate that emotional lows are a normal part of being a human, how she has come to embrace failure, as well as, her strategies for moving through fear and living...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with mental health educator from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Windsor-Essex Branch, Jenny-Lee Almeida. Together, they discuss the challenges that COVDID-19 isolation places on our mental health, accessing services in Windsor during COVID-19, mental health month & reducing stigma associated with mental illness, the benefits of slowing down and being mindful, how no loss right now is too little and the importance of...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with positive influencer to youth, community disability and mental health worker, pole dancing teacher and Veg Out business owner, Mackenzie Kovaliv. Together, they discuss how she developed her vegan meal company, work she’s done with underprivileged youth in Windsor, the importance of being authentic on social media, diet fads that exists, body based bullying and her own relationship with her body, food and physical activity. You can...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with physical education teacher, guidance counsellor, coach and mother, Christine Hamel-Fuerth. Christine attended BANA’s Being a Positive Influencer On and Offline workshop back in October of 2019. Together, they discuss how social media has altered the lives of high school students, being a mentor and building confidence in young girls, how sport can play a role in building a positive body image and boundaries around social media use in...

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with former Canadian Football League player, Chris Rwabukamba. Chris is currently an entrepreneur, coach at Bridge The Gap Football, and co-creator of Change the Game, a sport and self-esteem building program where he plays holds the important role of positive influencer. They discuss what it is to be a leader, the presence of disordered eating in sports, masculinity and gender roles in our society and how athletics can contribute to building...

Episode #3: Promoting Positive Body Image In Our Community BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with fellow health promoter and mom of twins, Marisa Casey. Together, they discuss the work they do in the community in promoting mental health, positive body image and self-esteem. They touch upon disordered eating, mental health services, their own relationships with food and their bodies and external pressures put upon young people in our society.

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with author, activist and inclusive yoga instructor, Dianne Bondy. They discuss creating inclusive yoga spaces, the evolution her own body image and utilizing social media in a positive way. Learn more about Dianne at @diannebondyyoga and www.diannebondyyoga.com

BANA Health Educator, Stephani Fenkanyn sits down with University of Windsor Ph.D student, Sara Santarossa to discuss the finding of her research as it relates to the mother and daughter social media relationships, and how it affects their body image and self-esteem.