Parentheses with Penny Greening. Episode 4 - Oona Hanson

Описание: In Parentheses with Penny, Episode 4, Penny speaks with Oona Hanson — a nationally recognized writer, educator, and parent coach who supports families navigating diet culture and eating disorders.

In this episode, recorded on January 15, 2026, Oona discusses how diet culture permeates everyday family life, often masking disordered eating as “healthy” behaviours such as food restriction, cutting out food groups, or excessive exercise. She explains why puberty is a particularly vulnerable period, as normal and necessary weight gain is frequently stigmatized, and emphasizes that eating disorders affect children of all genders, with rapidly rising rates among boys and young men. Oona highlights common early warning signs parents and educators overlook, stresses that weight or lab results cannot rule out an eating disorder, and encourages parents to trust their instincts and intervene early.

A regular contributor to CNN, Oona and her work have been featured widely, including in People, USA Today, US News & World Report, Today, PopSugar, Grown & Flown, Your Teen, and The Washington Post. She is a frequent podcast guest and has appeared on television programs, including Good Morning America and Good Day LA. She and her family reside in Los Angeles.

WHERE TO FIND OONA
https://www.oonahanson.com
  / oona_hanson  
https://substack.com/@oonahanson

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Episode 4 — Penny & Oona Hanson
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Parentheses
01:00 Disclaimer and Who to Call in Canada
01:28 Backgrounder on Oona
03:37 Oona chimes in
04:20 Penny asks "What led you from the field of education towards parent coaching around eating disorders?"
07:58 Oona's "Parenting without Diet Culture" theory
09:57 Some of the earlier overlooked warning signs that parents and teachers should know about
12:00 Pay attention to the changes your kids is making. Mood changes in adolescence are expected
13:16 Growing out, before you grow up... body changes in puberty
14:42 Obesity messaging that can lead to eating disorders
15:24 There are billions, maybe trillions of dollars to be made in making people want to shrink themselves
19:40 How to balance urgency with hope when talking with families
23:18 Secrecy, shame and stigma. Eating disorders aren't "a Casserole Illness"
25:12 There's hope for parents if they catch it early
26:24 How "Diet Culture" shows up in families today
28:50 Oona proposes going back to your adult child today, if necessary, to say, "Hey, I want to, I want to say I'm sorry. I could have supported you better when you were having body image struggles."
30:21 Penny asks, "What are some of the things that you have learned about control or anxiety or perfectionism?"
32:09 Oona summarizes the "save the brain, save the bones" foundation and order of operations for eating disorders therapy
34:23 Parent-child co-regulation, and stress or anxiety around eating
37:32 Superman and the last 20 years of disordered eating in men and boys
39:53 Oona confirms that 75% of middle school boys don't like their bodies
42:39 One in seven males and one in four females will have an eating disorder by age 40
43:21 The first thing a parent should do if they suspect their child is struggling
47:38 The "monster" in control, in the mind of a suffering child
50:30 How to have more self-compassion, as a parent
53:16 Oona's book, Parenting Without Diet Culture, comes out in 2027