Our Mission

Since 1988, Beyond Hunger has provided prevention, education & youth advocacy for freedom from the obsession with food and weight.

Beyond Hunger is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals overcome the obsession with food and weight and find a natural, loving, and peaceful relationship with their food, weight, and selves. Since 1988, we've evolved to focus on prevention through peer education, recognizing that early intervention and youth advocacy create lasting change in our community.

Our Program

Our Story

In 1988, Laurelee Roark, MA, CCHT, and Carol Normandi, MA, MFT, founded Beyond Hunger as a grassroots response to the growing epidemic of eating disorders in Marin County. Their innovative and groundbreaking approach, described in their books "It's Not About Food: Ending Your Obsession with Food and Weight" and "Over It: A Teen's Guide to Getting Beyond Obsessions with Food and Weight," has helped thousands overcome disordered eating.

While our organization previously offered a wider range of services, we've strategically focused our efforts on what we've found to be most impactful: peer education for prevention. This innovative program has successfully adapted to modern challenges, now addressing the unprecedented pressures young people face from social media and cultural messaging around food, exercise, and body image.

Are you a passionate professional committed to ending body hatred and disordered eating in our community? 

Apply to Become a Board Member

  • Laurelee Roark, MA, CCHT, Co-founder and Executive Director

    Laurelee leads Beyond Hunger's Peer Education Program, bringing over three decades of experience in eating disorder prevention and recovery. She is also the host of the "It's Not About Food" podcast, extending our message to a broader audience.

  • Carol Normandi, MS, LMFT, Co-Founder (Emeritus)

    Carol's expertise as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and co-author of Beyond Hunger's foundational books continues to influence our evidence-based approach to prevention and education.

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Program Recognition

Beyond Hunger's innovative approach and peer education program have been widely recognized and featured across various media outlets and news publications.

Beyond Hunger

  • Newsweek

  • CNN’s “Sonya Live”

  • KPX TV News

  • Marin Independent Journal

  • LA’s “Home Show”

  • “Maury Povich Show”

  • “Ann Fraizer Show” (KGO AM)

  • Marin County Board of Supervisors for commitment to eating disorder prevention in Marin County

Peer Education Program

Our Partnerships

Through our partnerships with schools and community youth organizations, we reach over 2,000 students annually with essential eating disorder prevention education. We're grateful for the educators who recognize the vital importance of peer-led prevention and welcome our program into their classrooms to create lasting change.

Current Partnerships

  • San Rafael High School

  • Terra Linda High School

  • Novato High School

Past Partnerships

  • Tamalpais High School

  • St Ignatius High School

  • Berkeley High School

  • Albany High School

  • Star Academy

  • Archie Williams High School

  • White Hill Middle

  • Larkspur Middle School

  • Lagunitas Middle School

  • Mill Valley Middle School

  • Country Day School

  • Casa Grande High School

  • Sonoma High School

  • Girls Club

  • Girls Marin County Juvenile Hall

  • Redwood High School

  • Point Reyes Middle School

  • Bolines Middle School

  • Marshall Middle School

  • Novato High School

  • San Domenico School

  • Brandeis Marin

  • Dominican College

  • College Of Marin

  • UC Berkeley

  • Marin Girls Conference

  • San Rafael Wellness Center

Would you like to invite Beyond Hunger to your school?

Support Our Mission

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Your support helps us reach more students with life-changing messages about body acceptance and healthy relationships with food. Through prevention and education, we can heal body hatred and create lasting change in our communities. Help us expand our impact:

For Schools

For Students

For Supporters