Maureen Kritzer-Lange, MSW, LCSW

03/13/2026

EP 115. RE-BROADCAST of Am I Going Crazy?
!! Did you ever feel like you were going crazy??? !!

Did you ever feel like things in your life were falling apart and you couldn't quite put your finger on it you couldn't figure out exactly why? Did you ever feel like you couldn't make sense of why you felt like you were going crazy? What does craziness actually feel like? As you will see in this episode, my perspective as I was a sophomore in college at Syracuse University, on the outside things looked “normal” yet they didn't feel right on the inside. Join me to see if you can relate to… “Going Crazy”.

Maureen’s life mission is to help women be all that they can be – by improving self esteem,help them find their voice and find freedom from shame, guilt and negativity.

“I change women’s lives by empowering them to trust THEMSELVES not the mirror.”

FULL EPISODE:
https://shorturl.at/6uu61

My Secret Life With An Eating Disorder · Episode

03/12/2026

‼️ DON’T JUDGE ME! OR MY THIGHS!‼️
A “lesson” From Carrie and S*x and the City

There’s a moment in S*x and the City that most people laugh at.
But if you listen closely… it reveals something painfully real.
Charlotte says:
---------------
“Then why was that woman in the steam room looking at me like my thighs were too big?”
---------------
And Samantha replies with her usual confidence.
But the real story isn’t about Samantha’s confidence.
It’s about Charlotte’s fear.

The fear that someone is judging her body.
The fear that someone is silently measuring her.
The fear that she’s not good enough physically.

Here’s the truth most people don’t realize:
Charlotte didn’t actually know what that woman in the steam room was thinking.
She projected the judgment onto herself.
And that’s exactly how body dysmorphia and body shame often begin.

A glance.
A moment.
A look that may not even mean anything.

But the mind fills in the story.
And suddenly the mirror becomes the judge.
This is the core idea behind Don’t Trust the Mirror, the philosophy developed by psychoanalyst Maureen Kritzer-Lange.

The mirror doesn’t create the criticism.
The inner critic does.
And that critic is often built from years of comparison, cultural expectations, and the belief that our worth is somehow tied to our appearance.

Charlotte had a beautiful body.
But in that moment… she couldn’t see it.
Because when the mind believes something negative about the body,
the mirror simply confirms the lie.

‼️ Question for You
Be honest:

Have you ever assumed someone was judging your body… even though they probably weren’t?
Or worse…
Have you ever judged yourself harder than anyone else ever would?

👇 Share your thoughts below.
Your experience might help someone else feel less alone.

The mirror reflects your body.
But your mind decides what it means.
And sometimes the healthiest thing you can do…

Trust Yourself... Don’t Trust The Mirror. ✨

*xAndTheCity

03/11/2026

“What’s one Moment when you Realized Everyone Was Judging your Body.”
‼️ One headline. One photo. And suddenly the whole world is judging you.

Remember this moment from S*x and the City?
Carrie walks past a newsstand and suddenly sees herself on the cover of a magazine.
The headline reads:
“Single & Fabulous?”
That question mark hits like a punch.
Suddenly it doesn’t feel flattering.
It feels like judgment.
Because the truth is — the media doesn’t just report on women.
It labels them.

Single.
Too thin.
Too big.
Too old.
Too something.

And once those labels are out there…
we start repeating them in our own heads.
Carrie’s reaction is something millions of women experience every day.

She asks the question so many people ask when they feel exposed or evaluated:
“Why did I suddenly feel like I was being judged?”
Because when culture puts a label on you…
the mirror starts repeating it.
And that’s when the real damage begins.

The truth is:
The mirror isn’t the problem.
The story you’ve been taught to believe about yourself is.
Be honest:
Have you ever seen a photo of yourself and suddenly felt judged… even if no one said anything?
Or worse…

Has a label ever made you question your worth?

👇 Tell us below.
*xAndTheCity

03/05/2026

‼️ HOW THIN DO I NEED TO BE? < -----
For decades, Barbie represented the idea of perfection.
In this clip from the MOVIE: BARBIE we see America Ferrera's Iconic Barbie Speech

Perfect body.
Perfect smile.
Perfect life.

But here’s the truth most people don’t talk about.
When girls grow up believing perfection is the goal, they often learn something dangerous:
that their value is tied to how they look.

As a therapist who has spent over 25 years working with eating disorders, I’ve seen how quietly this belief can shape someone’s relationship with food, their body, and their self-worth.

It starts small.
A comparison.
A comment.
A moment in front of the mirror.
And suddenly the body becomes a project to fix.
The tragedy is this:
Your body was never the problem.

The real issue is the belief that you had to become something “perfect” in order to be worthy.
Real self-esteem doesn’t come from shrinking yourself.
It comes from learning to see yourself with compassion instead of criticism.

That’s why I call my work Don’t Trust the Mirror.
Because sometimes the mirror reflects the world’s expectations — not your truth.

And healing begins the moment you stop measuring your worth against impossible standards.

Maureen Kritzer-Lange, MSW, LCSW
The Queen of Self-Esteem 👑
-------------------------------------
🩷 What body or weight comments do you hear most often in everyday conversations? Let’s name them so we can start changing them.

02/26/2026

🎙️ REBROADCAST: This Conversation Matters More Now Than Ever

We’re living in a world of filters, perfection culture, comparison, and silent suffering.

This episode isn’t just a podcast.
It’s a mirror check.

In a time when anxiety is rising, body image struggles are younger and louder, and self-worth is being measured in likes and algorithms — this conversation cuts through the noise.

If you’ve ever:
• Felt “not enough”
• Questioned your reflection
• Struggled with food, control, or perfection
• Smiled publicly while hurting privately

This one is for you.

Healing doesn’t start with changing your body.
It starts with changing the story.

🎧 Listen. Reflect. Share it with someone who needs it.
https://shorturl.at/kjJME
Because in today’s world, self-esteem isn’t optional. It’s survival.

My Secret Life With An Eating Disorder · Episode

02/20/2026

We live in a culture that praises shrinking.
That equates discipline with deprivation.
That calls self-punishment “wellness.”

Meanwhile, 30 million Americans will struggle with an eating disorder in their lifetime.
Every 52 minutes, someone dies as a direct result.

This isn’t about vanity.
It’s a mental health crisis hiding in plain sight.

Awareness isn’t enough.
Culture must change.
Conversations must deepen.
Lives depend on it.

BodyImageHealing PublicHealthCrisis

02/13/2026

💔 Her Eating Disorder Roller Coaster: Denial, ER Visits & Grit

FULL EPISODE on iHeartRadio https://shorturl.at/WpIul

In this episode, Maureen shares the heartbreaking and powerful story of Emilee — and the season that changed their family forever.

After an initial leave from work, their daughter went back — determined, capable, and trying so hard to prove she was okay. But as Maureen explains, what looked like strength was also denial. She threw herself into work for six more months until around Memorial Day 2011, when she simply couldn’t keep going.

Linda and Jack truly believed that stepping away again would finally be the turning point. This time, they thought, she would get the help she needed. This time would be the gift.

Instead, the roller coaster intensified.

From Memorial Day to Thanksgiving that year, the family endured 13 emergency room visits. Seven hospital admissions. A treatment center in the middle of it all. It was relentless. Tumultuous. Nothing like they had ever imagined — especially for a daughter who had always been so grounded, centered, and strong.

Maureen reflects on the unimaginable powerlessness Linda and Jack felt as parents. They stayed close. They supported her. They fought for her. But as she shares in the interview, loving someone deeply doesn’t automatically silence the voice of an eating disorder. That voice had tightened its grip.

And yet, woven through the chaos was grit. Their daughter kept trying. The family kept showing up. Even when the system felt overwhelming. Even when hope rose and fell with every hospital visit.

This episode captures the denial, the ER visits, the fear — but also the resilience of a family who refused to let go.

Because behind every eating disorder is not just one person struggling — but an entire family riding a roller coaster they never asked to board.

The Emilee Connection Inc.

02/12/2026

💔 Doctors Failed Us: Our Daughter’s Devastating Health Journey | Linda & Jack Mazur

When your child is sick and you take them to a doctor, especially when they’re little, you trust they’re going to help. You believe they’ll get the care they need. That’s what we believed from the very beginning.

But as the months went on and she remained sick, something changed. The longer she struggled, the more quickly she seemed to be written off. There was no real comprehensive care. Pieces of support existed — her therapist was wonderful, her eating disorder specialists tried to help — and we are grateful for the good along the way. But no one stepped back to see the whole picture. No one truly coordinated the care she so desperately needed.

The eating disorder robbed her of everything. It stole her confidence, her light, her sense of self. What followed was tumultuous and heartbreaking — an unimaginable journey no family ever expects to walk.

We reached out for help more times than I can count. We advocated. We pushed. She tried — she truly tried her best. But in the end, the system failed her. And that is a weight no parent should ever have to carry.

This is why we speak. Because children deserve comprehensive, compassionate, coordinated care. Families deserve to be heard. And no one should be written off when they are fighting for their life.

If sharing our story helps even one family feel less alone or pushes the system to do better, then her voice — and her struggle — matter more than ever.

The Emilee Connection Inc. Psychology Today Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of New Jersey

02/07/2026

❤️ EP 113 Anorexia Cut Her Life Short — But Her Story Lives On | In Conversation with Linda & Jack Mazur
A Family Honors Their Daughter by Helping Others Survive!
❤️
FULL EPISODE! iHeartRADIO
https://shorturl.at/zyr3q

In this deeply moving episode of My Secret Life with an Eating Disorder, Maureen Kritzer-Lange is joined by Linda Mazur and Jack Mazur, the parents of Emilee, whose life was tragically cut short by anorexia nervosa. Linda and Jack share Emilee’s story with honesty, courage, and love—revealing how a vibrant, compassionate young woman and her entire family were slowly overtaken by this devastating illness. They speak candidly about the failures of the healthcare system, the heartbreak of watching a child suffer, and Emilee’s final wish: that her journey would make a difference for someone else. This episode is not just a remembrance—it is a call to awareness, connection, and action for anyone touched by eating disorders.

www.theemileeconnection.com

This podcast is owned by "Don't Trust the Mirror.” Produced by: David Alan Kogut - Star Equity Group www.starequitygroup.com

Psychology Today Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of New Jersey The Emilee Connection Inc.

01/22/2026

EP 112 RE-BROADCAST of All Alone | Maureen Kritizer-Lange MSW, LCSW

FULL EPISODE on iHEARTradio
https://shorturl.at/WmYu9

Have you ever felt completely alone—??
even while surrounded by people?
Maybe you were in a crowded room… a packed restaurant… a busy street…
laughing, smiling, engaged in conversation—
yet inside, something felt hollow.
That quiet, sinking loneliness.
The kind no one else can see.

Maybe you looked put together. Graceful. Positive.
But inside, you felt sad, disconnected, and trapped.
If that resonates, this re-broadcast episode is for you.

Please join the Don’t Trust the Mirror Movement at
👉 ⁠http://www.donttrustthemirror.com⁠
Maureen Kritzer-Lange’s life mission is to help women become all that they are meant to be—
by strengthening self-esteem, finding their voice, and breaking free from shame, guilt, and self-doubt.
“I change women’s lives by empowering them to trust themselves, not the mirror.”
Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of New Jersey Psychology Today

I'm Maureen Kritzer-Lange a Psychoanalyst specializing in Eating Disorders (The Queen of Self Esteem & creator of the “Don't Trust the Mirror” Movement). This is my personal story of my struggles with an eating disorder. I thought it would take my life. I had nobody to talk to so I began journal...

01/08/2026

✨ Episode 111 (Rebroadcast): The Pursuit of Thinness ✨

Listen on iHeartRadio: https://shorturl.at/wN13l
Share to others!
We’re taking a step back in time to one of my most powerful and listened to early episodes. As we gear up for the release of my upcoming book later this year, My Secret Life with an Eating Disorder, we’re revisiting “TThe Pursuit of Thinness.” This conversation isn’t just a look back; it’s a reminder of why we started this journey—to shine a light on the silent battles so many face with eating disorders.

My personal journal entries and podcast reflections have evolved into a book that we hope will raise awareness and inspire action across the country. Let’s bring these crucial conversations to the forefront again. Tune in, reflect, and let’s keep this dialogue going.

I'm Maureen Kritzer-Lange a Psychoanalyst specializing in Eating Disorders (The Queen of Self Esteem & creator of the “Don't Trust the Mirror” Movement). This is my personal story of my struggles with an eating disorder. I thought it would take my life. I had nobody to talk to so I began journal...

01/07/2026

What’s the Connection Between Trusting the Mirror… and Trusting Others?

In this powerful and deeply reflective episode, Sanya Bari sits down with me for a conversation that cuts straight to the core of self-trust, relationships, and emotional awareness.

Together, we explore a simple but profound question: How do we know who—and what—to trust? And more importantly, what does our own reflection have to do with it?

I share insight on listening to your gut and your heart, and paying close attention to how interactions make you feel. Do you walk away from certain conversations doubting yourself, questioning your worth, or feeling “off”? Or do you leave feeling seen, lifted up, connected, and grounded?

This episode reminds us that trust isn’t just about others—it’s about how well we trust ourselves, our instincts, and our emotional signals. The way someone makes you feel may be one of the clearest indicators of whether they deserve a place in your life.

If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, relationship dynamics, or learning to honor your inner voice, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

🎧 Listen in. https://shorturl.at/nS9lY
🪞 Trust the mirror.
💬 And notice how connection really feels.
Sanya Bari