Maureen Kritzer-Lange, MSW, LCSW

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

01/02/2026

What if the voice tearing you apart… was never meant to lead you?
🎧 If this hits even a little… the full conversation will hit deeper.
Listen to the full episode. Your inner voice has been waiting.
https://shorturl.at/nS9lY
I ask this all the time:
👉 Would you speak to your child the way you’re speaking to yourself right now?
👉 Would you say that to a friend who was hurting?
And then comes the real question—the one that stops people cold:
What do you actually need?
What do you truly want?
Not what you should do.
Not what you’ve been told to do.
Not what feels “acceptable.”
That word—should—keeps so many people trapped, disconnected from their own inner voice… the one they’ve been afraid to listen to, let alone express.
In this episode, we talk about:
• Why “should” is such a dangerous word
• How self-talk shapes emotional survival
• And how to reconnect with the voice inside you that already knows the answer.

12/18/2025

❤️ EP 110 The Love Clarity Method: The 4 Lies of Love | In Conversation with Sanya Bari
❤️
FULL EPISODE! iHeartRADIO
https://shorturl.at/G7vN1

In this powerful episode of My Secret Life with an Eating Disorder, I sit down with Sanya Bari—psychologist, spiritual psychology expert, and creator of The Love Clarity Method—for a conversation that could change the way you understand love forever.
Sanya shares her remarkable journey from childhood insight to profound heartbreak, betrayal, and a near-death moment that ultimately awakened her life's purpose: helping people love without losing themselves.

Together, they unpack the four "Love Lies" that quietly sabotage relationships—Guilt, Role-Playing, Over-Responsibility, and Transaction—and explore how to reclaim your voice, your boundaries, and your sense of self-worth.

If you've ever felt "not enough," stayed too long in a painful relationship, or struggled to understand why love hurts, this episode gives you the clarity you've been searching for.

12/17/2025

“I didn’t believe the diagnosis.”

12/16/2025

As an eating disorder therapist with over 25 years in practice, I want to be very clear about something conversations like this often miss.
https://www.eonline.com/news/1426096/kelly-osbourne-on-critics-body-shaming-comments

When Kelly Osbourne speaks about being body-shamed, the real story isn’t celebrity culture — it’s how public commentary trains the nervous system of millions of people watching.

Body-shaming doesn’t just hurt feelings.
It activates shame pathways, reinforces self-surveillance, and teaches people — especially young women — that their bodies are public property open for critique. Over time, this kind of exposure doesn’t create resilience; it creates disconnection from the body and a relentless inner critic.

I see this every day in my practice.
Not because someone wanted an eating disorder — but because they learned, over years, that their worth was conditional.

What’s especially dangerous is when people confuse “concern,” “honesty,” or “commentary” with care. There is nothing therapeutic about evaluating someone else’s body. There is nothing helpful about praise or criticism that centers appearance over humanity.

The takeaway isn’t to protect celebrities.
It’s to recognize how normalized body commentary becomes internalized — quietly, cumulatively, and often long before someone seeks help.

If you’re a parent, a partner, a coach, or a friend:
your words matter more than you think.
Silence can be safer than commentary.
Curiosity is healthier than judgment.

Body image is not a trend.
It is a mental health issue.

— Maureen Kritzer-Lange MSW LCSW
Psychoanalyst | Eating Disorder Specialist
Host of My Secret Life with an Eating Disorder
E! News Variety The Hollywood Reporter

Kelly Osbourne, whose dad Ozzy Osbourne died in July, slammed critics on social media over recent comments about her appearance: "What do expect from me?"

12/10/2025

⚠️ Parents Fight For Daughter's Life: Heartbreaking True Story

There are moments in this work that change you — permanently.
This podcast episode is one of them.

🎧 Listen to this episode.
It might be the episode that wakes up the world — one listener at a time.
https://shorturl.at/GDoJA

When Morgan and Mary shared the story of Linda and Jack, parents who did everything humanly possible to save their daughter from an eating disorder, the air in the room shifted. Their fight, their heartbreak, and the system that failed them is something every parent, provider, and policymaker needs to hear.

And then there is Morgan — her courage, her 200-page personal journal, and the unfiltered truth of what it feels like inside the mind of someone battling an eating disorder. That journal didn’t just move Mary… it propelled her into action. It’s the reason Before the Clock Stops Ticking exists. It’s the seed of a global documentary with the power to change how this illness is understood and how lives are saved.

This episode is not background listening.
It is essential.
It is eye-opening.
It is urgent.

If you have a child, a friend, a patient, a team, or a community — this conversation will change the way you see eating disorders forever. And honestly, that is the point.

My Secret Life with an Eating Disorder
Hosted by Maureen Kritzer-Lange
Featuring Morgan DiPrimo & Mary Miller
Creators of Before the Clock Stops Ticking
Psychology Today Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of New Jersey Morgan Taylor

12/09/2025

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/06/us/wicked-movie-body-image-cec
As an eating disorder therapist who has spent more than 25 years treating the pain behind the mirror, I’m not surprised by the conversations happening around Wicked and its impact on body image.
But I am deeply concerned.

The CNN article highlights something I see every single day in my practice:
Girls — younger and younger — absorbing the message that their worth is tied to how “small,” “perfect,” or “camera-ready” they appear. When a major film triggers comparisons, insecurity, or shame in young woman, it isn’t the film alone we should be looking at… it’s the culture that taught them to see themselves this way in the first place.

Eating disorders don’t emerge from one moment.
They grow from thousands of tiny messages:
✨ “Shrink.”
✨ “Fix this.”
✨ “Be like her.”
✨ “Your body is the problem.”

This is why conversations like this matter.
This is why prevention matters.
And this is why we must stop normalizing the belief that beauty and value are earned through self-erasure.

If your child expressed discomfort after seeing Wicked — or any film — don’t dismiss it.
Ask. Listen. Stay curious.
“What did you feel when you saw that?” is a powerful starting point.

Body image is not a vanity issue.
It is a mental health issue.
And the earlier we intervene, the more lives we protect.

— Maureen Kritzer-Lange, MSW,LCSW
Psychoanalyst, Eating Disorder Specialist
Host of My Secret Life with an Eating Disorder

“Wicked: For Good” has found itself at the center of a national conversation about weight loss, eating disorders and the endless pursuit of thinness.