Leslie Bobo-Kiesel (she/her)

RD, LD

Hi, I’m Leslie! I’m a non-diet registered dietitian with a passion for helping others heal their relationship with food and their body.

I have experience working at PHP and IOP levels of care in eating disorder treatment. I have seen how harmful messages can impact eating habits, and I joined Courage to Nourish to work with clients to heal that relationship. I meet clients where they are at and support them on their journey. My values align with Health at Every Size and I am in the process of becoming a certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Above all else, I want my clients to be seen as humans and treated with inclusive care.

Lauren Comunale (she/her)

MS, RD, LD

Hi, I’m Lauren! I am a Health at Every Size aligned dietitian who is passionate about helping clients achieve food freedom.

I have experience working in hospitals and eating disorder treatment at the PHP and IOP levels of care. My unique experience allows me to provide expertise for individuals managing chronic illnesses and eating disorder recovery. I also enjoy working with adolescents and their families, college students, and anyone who is finding themselves stuck in a loop of diet culture and guilt around food. I joined Courage to Nourish so I can build more connection with my clients and continue to help them navigate recovery by providing a safe and inclusive space. I believe that everyone can achieve recovery from an eating disorder.

Julia Fulk (she/hers)

RD, LD

Hi I’m Julia! I am a weight-inclusive dietitian passionate about helping people heal their relationship with food and body.

I have previous experience working in residential level of care for eating disorder treatment and have worked with adults and
adolescents of all genders and eating disorder diagnoses. I joined Courage to Nourish because I love helping clients reconnect with their own internal body wisdom as they work towards healing their relationship with food, movement, and their body.

Rebecca Hart (she/her)

RD, LDN

Hi, I’m Rebecca! I am a Registered Dietitian that is passionate about helping people develop a positive relationship with food to reclaim their life from diet culture and disordered eating.

I have previous experience working at various levels of care, including outpatient for the past 5 years. I enjoy working with adults and adolescents (and their families). My approach is to meet you where you are at in recovery and support you as you take practical steps towards your goals and food freedom. I promise to be with you each step of the way in your recovery journey! I joined Courage to Nourish in April 2022 so that I can continue to provide a compassionate, safe, and non-judgmental space to those navigating recovery.

Lauren Hirschhorn-Tieu (she/her)

RD, LD

Hi! My name is Lauren and I am a Registered Dietitian who enjoys working with individuals on their recovery journey to finding food freedom and body peace.

My goal is to support individuals in feeling safe with the experiences of eating and movement. As a former employee in both the fashion and fitness industries, I witnessed first hand how there is an incredible amount of misinformation regarding nutrition and body image in society today. I believe Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size © are invaluable tools for recovery. I am overjoyed to be a part of Courage to Nourish and I look forward to supporting my clients as they develop fulfilling relationships with food and their bodies, so they can focus their time and energy on the extraordinary things life has to offer.

Shira Hochstadter (she/her)

RD, LDN

Hi, I’m Shira. I’m a weight inclusive dietitian with a desire to help people break free from diet culture and disordered eating. I strive to help clients move toward a healthier, more positive relationship with food and body.

I previously worked at an eating disorder treatment center and have experience in various levels of care including outpatient. I joined Courage to Nourish so I can pursue my passion of dismantling diet culture and reducing weight stigma. I enjoy working with all individuals and particularly enjoy working with
pregnant/postpartum clients and adults struggling to break free from bingeing, restricting or diet culture. I’m a great listener, patient, compassionate and aim to meet my clients where they’re at in recovery. I would love to work with you!

Kathryn Karukas (she/her)

MS, RD, LD

Hi, I’m Kathryn and I am a weight inclusive, anti-diet, Registered Dietitian with a passion for helping people break free from diet culture and make peace with food, movement, and their body.

I joined Courage to Nourish in August 2021 because I wanted to work alongside like minded dietitians while building deeper connections with clients as we work together to navigate their recovery. I believe that building rapport is an important part of the process; I want everyone to feel safe and heard as they work to cultivate a healthier relationship with food, movement and their body. Prior to working at Courage to Nourish, I worked in both college athletics and college health settings. I have a special place in my heart for working with college students, college athletes, and young adults as they navigate each unique phase of their life, and I’m excited to help them learn to do it without diet culture’s influence!

Sydney Richards (she/her)

RD, LD

Hi, my name is Sydney and I am an anti-diet Registered Dietitian who loves helping people cultivate food and body freedom so they can live a full life.

As a professional who used to work in a corporate setting, I have seen the negative, daily impact that diet culture has on people’s lives. This led me to discover intuitive eating and Health At Every Size ©. I joined Courage to Nourish spring of 2020 and I am able to use these approaches in eating disorder recovery.  I love helping clients find a way of nourishing, moving, and viewing their body that is satisfying and sustainable.

Leanne Smith (she/her)

RD, LD

Hi, I’m Leanne! I’m a weight-inclusive, and non-diet Registered Dietitian interested in helping my clients create positive, nourishing, and sustainable relationships with food.

I have experience working with eating disorders at the PHP and IOP levels of care. After working with clients during their recovery I can’t imagine doing anything else. I joined Courage to Nourish because I know how important it is to have help navigating diet culture in everyday life. I enjoy working with people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. My goal is to help my clients feel confident in their ability to eat in a way that feels good to them. I will provide a safe space where you can feel supported no matter where you are in your recovery. 

Jordan Young (she/her)

Client Care Coordinator

Hi! I’m Jordan Young and I am the client care coordinator at Courage to Nourish. I am currently a graduate student at the University of Rhode Island pursuing my MS in Nutrition. I received my BS in Nutrition Science from The George Washington University while also competing on the varsity women’s volleyball team.

After completing my MS, I would love to become a registered dietitian. From my experience in collegiate athletics, I understand the long term, detrimental effect that diet culture can have on
an athlete’s relationship with food and their body. I am passionate about learning more about eating disorder dietetics to change the narrative of eating and body image in athletics.

Outside of school, I enjoy being outside, running, cycling, reading, and traveling. My favorite book is The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I am hoping to do more traveling in the near future, but my favorite travel destination so far has been southern France.

Leslie Bredehoeft (she/her)

Intern

Hi! I’m Leslie Bredehoeft and I’m an intern at Courage to Nourish. I am currently an undergraduate student at the College of William & Mary, majoring in Kinesiology with a concentration in Human Nutrition and minoring in English.

After receiving my B.S. I plan to go to grad school to pursue an M.S. degree and become a registered dietitian. I, myself am in eating disorder recovery, which has not only opened my eyes to the pervasiveness of eating disorders, but also to the epidemic of nutrition misinformation within society. As a registered dietitian, I hope to educate my clients on the science of nutrition and help better their relationship with food.

Outside of class, I can usually be found reading a book (I’m currently reading Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City), drawing, exercising, or spending time with my friends. I’ve never been outside of the U.S., so my dream one day is to travel overseas.