Johanna Kandel

After recovering from a ten-year-long battle with various eating disorders, Johanna Kandel founded The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness. Since its inception in 2000, The Alliance has brought information and awareness about eating disorders to more than 300,000 individuals nationally and internationally. In addition, Kandel runs free weekly support groups, mentors individuals with eating disorders and their families, and helps thousands of people gain information and find the help they need. As a passionate advocate for mental health and eating disorders legislation, Kandel has spent a lot of time meeting with numerous members of Congress, and was part of the first-ever Eating Disorder Roundtable at the White House.

Kandel is the immediate Past President of the Board of Directors for the Eating Disorders Coalition, member of the Academy for Eating Disorders Advisory Board, and a member of the Eating Disorders Leadership Summit. She has received many awards including the Jefferson Award for Public Service© and Harlequin Enterprises’ More Than Words Award. Kandel has appeared on national television programs including NBC Nightly News and The Today Show, and profiled in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Glamour Magazine.

Kandel’s book, "Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder," was released by Harlequin Nonfiction in September 2010.