Kids have an undeniable creative spark. 

Drawing, painting, singing, dancing, building, acting (aka playing pretend)—creative pursuits come naturally to most kids, and I'll bet they felt pretty joyful to you in childhood, too. 

But as we get older and life challenges start to accumulate, we tend to lose that spark. 

Diet culture and other forms of oppression sap our creative energy.

Instead of expressing ourselves freely, we learn to self-judge and self-silence.

Instead of moving our bodies joyfully, we learn to police how they look. 

Instead of making art, we're pressured to conform to an impossible beauty standard.

But here's the thing: That creative potential is never lost. It's still within all of us, ready to be reignited—and it's actually a huge key to our liberation from the confines of diet culture. 

That's what this week's episode of Food Psych is all about. My guest, Maggie Ritnour, is an art therapist and multi-talented artist who knows the power of creativity in helping people heal from disordered eating. 

She shares how she descended into disordered eating in college, how reconnecting with her love of art helped her transform her relationship with food, how different art forms can reveal different things about our inner lives, what it means to find your voice and share it with the world (imperfections and all), and lots more. 

I love this conversation and am so excited to share it with you. Here's to opening up to your creativity, whatever form it may take!