Empowered Treatment

03/17/2026

The Empowered dream team continues 👇🤩

Meet Madeline!

Madeline Thomas (.eats) is a registered dietitian who earned her Bachelor’s degree from Texas State University and her Master’s degree from Texas Woman’s University. She has five years of experience working in mental health and eating disorder treatment. Her mission is to support clients as they rebuild trust with their bodies and develop a more peaceful relationship with food using a weight-neutral, HAES-aligned approach.

Madeline specializes in counseling and behavior change and has extensive experience working with clients navigating the intersections of nutrition, mental health, trauma, substance use, and socioeconomic stressors. She understands that these factors can make nutrition feel especially challenging and strives to meet clients with compassion, empathy, and practical support.

Madeline’s counseling style is relational, laid-back, supportive, and non-judgmental. She values building authentic connections with her clients and believes meaningful change grows from trust, collaboration, and the human need for connection.

Outside of work, Madeline enjoys weightlifting, cooking, traveling, attending concerts, and spending time with her husband and her dog.

Learn more about our entire team and program by giving us a call or visiting our website!

https://empoweredtreatment.com/

03/15/2026

Empowered officially opens its doors tomorrow ♥️

We are so excited to share a few photos that capture pieces of our locally-owned eating disorder treatment space.

What we couldn’t capture:

- the views out the picture windows (just trust us 🤌)
- our team’s passion for helping others
- how GOOD the space feels

If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, we can help. Call us today.

512.882.4599

https://empoweredtreatment.com

03/11/2026

We are thrilled to start introducing the Empowered team!

Meet Emily 👇

Emily (.nutrition) became a dietitian because she believes everyone deserves to eat well, to feel at peace with food and worthy in their body. With a Master’s in Nutrition Science from Texas State University, certification as an Intuitive Eating Counselor, and over nine years of clinical experience, she now specializes in supporting people through eating disorder recovery, disordered eating, and body image distress using a weight-inclusive, trauma-informed approach.

Emily’s work is shaped by a deep understanding of how our culture teaches us to distrust our bodies from a young age. We’re given harmful messages that the way our body adheres to societal expectations is more important than our minds and that if we just eat differently, everything will be better. Over time, self-worth becomes tangled up with weight, and food becomes a tool to cope, to numb, to control. Emily helps clients untangle these threads and reconnect with their bodies in a way that feels safe, honest, and sustainable.

Her approach is grounded in Health at Every Size® principles and the belief that eating disorders are wildly underdiagnosed and undertreated, particularly in marginalized bodies where symptoms are often missed due to weight, race, and gender bias. She’s committed to providing care that truly sees the whole person, not just their symptoms, and that honors the complex reasons we develop complicated relationships with food in the first place. She understands that healing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Our relationships with food are shaped by the systems we live within, the resources we have access to, and the messages we’ve absorbed since childhood.

Emily is known for her warmth, honesty, and ability to hold space for the hard feelings that come with healing. She believes recovery is possible for everyone, and that it looks different for each body. When she’s not working with clients, you can find her cooking delicious meals, exploring Austin’s food and music scenes, or seeking out time in nature.

Empowered Austin Eating Disorder Treatment is coming so soon. Give us a shout today to learn more!

512.882.4599

https://empoweredtreatment.com/

03/09/2026

Restriction → increased hunger and food thoughts → binge eating → guilt or shame → renewed dieting → repeat.

For many people, the urge to start a new diet often appears right after a binge. It can feel like the logical solution. You may find yourself thinking, “If I just have enough willpower this time, I can finally stop bingeing.”

But what many people don’t realize is that dieting itself is often a large part of what keeps binge eating going. In fact, it’s extremely difficult to address binge eating without also addressing the restriction that contributes to it. This pattern is commonly known as the binge–restrict cycle, and it can keep people feeling stuck for years.

Understanding how this cycle works can be an important step toward healing your relationship with food…

Learn more about the Binge-Restrict Cycle on our latest blog post 👇

For many people, the urge to start a new diet often appears right after a binge. It can feel like the logical solution. You may find yourself thinking, “If I just have enough willpower this time, I can finally stop bingeing.” But what many people don’t realize is that dieting itself is often a

03/06/2026

In the words of the late Tom Petty: The waiting is the hardest part.

We are SO excited to open our doors soon to the local Austin community, and to lend a helping hand and a safe place to those battling the grip of an eating disorder.

Our space may not quite be ready, but our phones certainly are. If you or someone you love is struggling, we are here to talk. Stay tuned!

512.882.4599
https://empoweredtreatment.com/

03/02/2026

The rate of co-occurrence between eating disorders and substance use disorders is substantial 👇

In fact, these two issues often feed off of eachother, making it even more difficult to break free from their control. Understanding the connection between these two disorders is imperative, as relapse in one can often contribute to relapse in the other.

If you or someone you love feels trapped in a cycle of eating disorder and SUD reliance and symptoms, help is available.

There is nothing we would love more than to talk with you about it.

512.882.4599

https://empoweredtreatment.com/

02/28/2026

Many men rely on eating disorders to navigate the world just like women do.

While it may be talked about less openly, this doesn’t make their disorders any less prevalent or problematic.

Let’s talk about what male eating disorders may look like and what help is available.

https://empoweredtreatment.com/

02/26/2026

Eating Disorder Awareness Week is about more than raising awareness. It’s also about sharing and ensuring that help is not only available, but also ready, effective, and passionate about providing that help.

Don’t wait to reach out. Call us today and we will get you or your loved one connected to the help you need.

512.882.4599

https://empoweredtreatment.com/

02/24/2026

Yes, eating disorders are extremely serious.
But they are also treatable, and what we know about healing from them is growing every day.

Oftentimes our behaviors around food are just the tip of the iceberg - in fact, they may feel like the “life raft” keeping us safe. While this raft may “work” temporarily, true freedom comes from addressing and healing the underlying factors these behaviors were created to manage.

The good news? You don’t have to do it alone.

Please never hesitate to reach out if you or someone you love is struggling.

https://empoweredtreatment.com/

02/23/2026

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and provide support for the many in our communities suffering from eating disorders.

Eating disorders don’t discriminate. They impact people of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, shapes, weights, and sizes.

Stay tuned throughout the week as we explore these often misunderstood disorders by busting myths and providing resources, as well as sharing more about our program that opens early next month.

You are not alone. Call us today if you need help.
512.882.4599

https://empoweredtreatment.com/

02/19/2026

Sneak peek ♥️

We’ve been busy making the Empowered “house” a home and can’t wait to share it with you all next month!

If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, we can help. We are currently opening our waitlist to new clients for our official opening in early March!

Stay tuned.

https://empoweredtreatment.com/

02/16/2026

Empowered Austin Eating Disorder IOP is officially building our waitlist for our opening in early March!

Boutique. Founder-led. Client-centered care.

If you or someone you love is seeking support, we’d love to connect to see how we can help.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at (512) 882-4599, or email our Director of Admissions at bpogue@empoweredtreatment.com.

https://empoweredtreatment.com/