This week on the podcast, I’m joined by filmmaker and advocate Mandi Kearns of Just Like You Films to discuss the upcoming food allergy docudrama, May Contain: My Life.

This conversation explores not only the making of the film, but the emotional realities behind it: parenting through food allergies, navigating fear and resilience, sibling experiences, emergency situations, advocacy, and the ways these experiences continue to live in our nervous systems long after reactions are over.

One of the things I appreciated most about this film is that it does not portray individuals with. food allergies as fragile or broken. Instead, it honestly captures the complexity of living with food allergies while still centering resilience, identity, connection, humor, and humanity.

This is an incredibly meaningful conversation for food allergy parents, adult patients, providers, advocates, and anyone wanting to better understand the lived experience of this community

In this special Allergy & Asthma Awareness Month episode, psychologist and food allergy advocate Manda Rene sits down with Kenny Mendez, President and CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), for a conversation about advocacy, policy change, and the future of support for the allergy and asthma community.

Together, they discuss the emotional and practical realities families face while navigating food allergies and asthma, the importance of community-driven advocacy, and the work AAFA has done to support meaningful legislative change, including California’s groundbreaking restaurant allergen labeling law, The ADDE Law.

Kenny also shares insight into stock epinephrine laws, how advocacy efforts move through legislation, and why community involvement matters more than people often realize.

This episode offers both hope and practical perspective for parents, patients, clinicians, and advocates looking to better understand how systemic change happens.

FPIES (Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome) is a type of food allergy that often goes unrecognized, leaving families confused, dismissed, and searching for answers.

In this episode, I’m joined by iFPIES founder Fallon Schultz, MSW, LCSW, to explore both the clinical and lived experience of FPIES. Fallon shares her personal story, the challenges of navigating a diagnosis that doesn’t fit the typical food allergy mold, and how that journey led her to create a vital resource for families.

We discuss what FPIES is, how it differs from IgE-mediated food allergies, the different types and presentations, and why more families may be encountering FPIES in the context of early food introduction guidelines.

We also talk about the social/emotional impact of navigating unpredictable reactions, and the importance of community, validation, and trauma-informed support.

Whether you’re a parent, provider, or advocate, this episode offers both clarity and compassion for a frequently misunderstood condition.

Connect with iFPIES at
fpies.org
@ifpies

Environmental allergies can significantly impact daily life, from chronic congestion and itchy eyes to sleep disruption and reduced quality of life. If daily medications aren't enough, there are longer-term treatment options available.

In this episode, pediatric allergist Dr. Manisha Relan joins us to break down two forms of allergen immunotherapy: SCIT (allergy shots) and SLIT (sublingual tablets or drops). We discuss how they work, who is a good candidate, the time commitment involved, safety considerations, and how patients and families can approach the decision thoughtfully.

My second guest for this special podcast season guiding listeners through the immunotherapy process welcomes back Dr. David Stukus, Director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and  President-Elect of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI).

Dr. Stukus shares his clinical approach to preparing patients for food allergy immunotherapy, including the role of diagnostic testing, oral food challenges, and threshold challenges in clarifying treatment decisions. The discussion also addresses the mental preparation required for immunotherapy, common fears and hesitations families experience, and what realistic benefits patients can expect during and "after" treatment.

Listeners will gain insight into:

• What medical tests and food challenges may be recommended and why

• How allergists assess readiness for immunotherapy

• The common “bumps in the road” during treatment

• What happens once maintenance is reached

• And how to think about long-term outcomes when treatment is considered “done”

This episode offers practical, evidence-based guidance for families seeking clarity before beginning food allergy treatment.

We are living in an exciting time in food allergy medicine with multiple treatment options to choose some and likely more on the way soon. But more options can also mean more overwhelm. I've invited some of the world's foremost experts in allergy to join me for this exciting season guiding us through these choices and decisions to lead us from overwhelm to confidence.

In this episode, Dr. Shahzad Mustafa joins us to talk about how shared decision making helps families make treatment decisions without panic or pressure. Dr. Mustafa gives us an overview of our options and explains how he guides patients through their decisions using a collaborative, values-based approach that balances medical evidence, risk tolerance, and individual goals. This conversation is about partnership, clarifying goals and needs, and making medical decisions through an informed and individualized lens.

This season we are discussing options in food allergies. This week's episode begins a deep dive into one of the most complex and emotional parts of living with food allergies: treatment options.

With more treatment options available than ever before, patients and families are facing decisions that are both hopeful and overwhelming. These choices are not just medical. They are deeply emotional, shaped by past experiences, anxiety, trauma, and the realities of individual characteristics and daily life.

In this solo episode, I share:

• Why more choices can sometimes make decisions harder 

• The psychological side of treatment decisions that often gets overlooked 

• What anxiety and past reactions can bring into the process 

• Our personal journey through multiple allergy treatments, including the challenges, pivots, unexpected outcomes, and my most treasured moments and surprises

I’m also sharing a big announcement about something I've created to take the work from this season even deeper for those making decisions or navigating treatment.

Whether you are considering treatment, currently in it, or choosing not to pursue it, this episode will help you feel less alone and more confident in your path.

In this episode, I'm joined by Scott Lyman, CEO and Co-Founder of Belhaven BioPharma, to discuss Nasdepi®, an investigational dry powder epinephrine nasal spray currently in development for the treatment of anaphylaxis.

Nasdepi® is designed as a needle-free alternative to traditional auto-injectors, with early clinical data suggesting rapid absorption and strong temperature stability.

We talk about:

• Why alternative delivery systems matter

• Needle fears and other real-world barriers to carrying epinephrine

• Human factor studies and ease of use in high-stress situations

• What “investigational” means and where the product stands in development

This episode is part of a broader series exploring epinephrine options beginning with episode 67. As always, this podcast does not promote any specific product, just information and education. 

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, board-certified allergist and food allergy mom, for a grounded and practical conversation about epinephrine confidence.

We talk about what it’s like to manage food allergies both personally and professionally, why so many families hesitate in emergencies, and how familiarity, not fear, is what truly helps in moments of anaphylaxis. Dr. Hernandez-Trujillo walks through how patients can build confidence using epinephrine, including discussion and demonstration of AUVI-Q.

This episode is not sponsored, and I am not promoting any single epinephrine device. My goal is to help families understand their options and feel more supported as new tools become available in the food allergy space.

🎥 The full video version of this episode, including the AUVI-Q demonstration, is available on YouTube: @dontfeedthefear 

This is the first guest episode in a season of the Don't Feed the Fear podcast dedicated to something many of us are feeling deeply right now: the excitement and overwhelm that comes with how quickly the food allergy landscape is changing.

With more options, devices, information, and opinions bombarding us, many feel unsure of what to trust, what actually matters, and how to make decisions that feel grounded rather than reactive.

My guest today is Dr. Farah Khan, a board-certified allergist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital who has become a trusted voice online in the food allergy community. Dr. Khan often says she’s not quite sure why her audience grew so quickly, but I think it's because she offers something many are craving in their uncertainty:  clear, direct, evidence-based answers.

In this conversation, Dr. Khan walks us through epinephrine myths and misinformation, the different devices available, and what matters most when choosing yours. We created this episode to help you feel more confident and less overwhelmed as you navigate your options.

For years, many food allergy families have been told that a little anxiety is necessary to stay safe. That fear keeps us vigilant. That without it, we might become careless.

In this episode, Dr. Whitehouse explores the difference between stress, overwhelm, anxiety, and trauma, and why those distinctions matter so much for food allergy families. She explains how the nervous system works during threat states, why anxiety can actually impair decision-making, and what truly supports safe, sustainable allergy management.

You’ll learn:

• Why anxiety and caution are not the same thing
• How nervous system regulation affects allergy decision-making
• Why fear is a poor filter for complex choices
• What actually keeps food allergy families safe
• How to shift from fear-driven vigilance to informed awareness

Lisa Cohen created the Kyah Rayne Foundation in honor of her daughter Kyah, who died following to an allergic reaction.

As we approach Kyah’s birthday on March 17, Lisa shares Kyah’s story and the mission behind the foundation, with a focus on food allergy education, epinephrine access, and the importance of knowing how to respond in an emergency.

Together, we discuss common misconceptions about epinephrine, why hesitation can be dangerous, and how education empowers individuals and communities to act with confidence. This emotional conversation honors Kyah’s life the best way her mother knows how: with life-saving insights for families, caregivers, educators, and anyone who wants to be better prepared.

https://www.kyahraynefoundation.org/

Food allergy care does not exist in a vacuum, and neither do the families managing it.

In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Linda Herbert and pediatric allergist Dr. Hemant Sharma from Children’s National Hospital join the conversation to explore how disparities in food allergy diagnosis, treatment access, and outcomes are shaped by psychosocial and systemic factors.

We discuss insights so far from the FORWARD study about how stress, culture, language, and resources impact allergy management in underserved communities, and what it means when families are underrepresented in oral immunotherapy research and access. Dr. Herbert also shares her work on the GAP study, which examines global access to psychological care for individuals and families managing food allergies.

This episode is a call to move beyond assumptions and toward allergy care that is culturally responsive, equitable, and grounded in real-world context.

Living with food allergies often creates distance between us and friends, family, schools, and communities that don’t fully understand what our safety requires. This episode compassionately addresses the growing sense of isolation many food allergy families experience and why advice like “just go no contact” or “let them” often misses the reality of chronic illness.

Isolation can feel protective but ultimately becomes unsustainable and unhealthy. This episode offers a more nuanced framework for boundaries, influence, and connection that balances safety and belonging.

What does food allergy safety look like when systems don’t work equally for everyone?

In this episode, I’m joined by Erin Malawer, founder of Allergy Strong, to explore how inequities in education, resources, and institutional support shape the lived experience of food allergy families. Erin’s work focuses on improving safety and access at the community level so that protection doesn’t depend on privilege or proximity.

Together, we discuss:

• How gaps in food allergy education and policy disproportionately impact certain families

• Why awareness alone isn’t enough without structural change

• The emotional toll of navigating systems that don’t reliably protect children with food allergies

This conversation invites listeners to move beyond individual responsibility and consider what it means to build food allergy care that is safer, fairer, and more inclusive for everyone.

In this episode, I’m joined by Renia Butler, founder of Black Allergy Mama, for an honest and powerful conversation about race, food allergy advocacy, and mental health.

Renia shares her personal journey navigating food allergies as a Black mother, the systemic gaps she witnessed firsthand, and how those experiences fueled her advocacy work. We explore the emotional labor families carry, the importance of representation and trust in medical care, and how food allergy spaces can—and must—become more inclusive and trauma-informed.

This episode is essential listening for parents, clinicians, advocates, and anyone who wants to better understand the full human experience behind food allergy care.

https://blackallergymama.com/
@blackallergymama