Ai Pono Hawaii

09/27/2026

09/25/2026

“There should be a center for this.”

They said it once. Then again. And again.

Until, as Dr. Anita Johnston remembers it, after about the fifth time, the answer became:

“I guess that’s us.”

Anita began working with eating disorders in the early 1980s, when the field itself was still trying to understand what eating disorders were, how they developed, and what meaningful treatment could look like.

In Hawaiʻi, she connected with other women who were seeing the same thing she was: people were struggling, and there simply were not enough places equipped to help them.

So they created one.

That work would eventually evolve into ‘Ai Pono, carrying forward a philosophy that has shaped Anita’s work for decades: eating disorder behaviors are not meaningless problems to simply eliminate. They tell a story. And healing asks us to become curious about the person underneath them.

More than four decades later, we are still listening. Still learning. Still asking what each person needs in order to find their way back to themselves.

Learn more about our approach to eating disorder treatment at aipono.com.

09/24/2026

Find Healing in Maui 🌴

Eating disorder recovery asks a lot of you. Where you do that work matters.

At ‘Ai Pono Hawaii, clients receive specialized residential eating disorder treatment in Maui in a small, supportive environment designed to make space for real healing.

Our experienced team of clinicians, therapists, and dietitians provides individualized care for anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and other eating disorders. Treatment brings together evidence-based clinical care, nutrition support, behavioral therapy, and the restorative environment of Maui.

Recovery is about more than changing what happens at the table. It is about rebuilding trust with your body, reconnecting with yourself and others, and creating a life that is no longer organized around an eating disorder.

If you or someone you love is struggling, you do not have to figure out the next step alone. Our team is here to answer questions, talk through treatment options, and help you determine whether ‘Ai Pono may be the right fit.

09/24/2026

Interest in nutrition, sourcing quality ingredients, and paying attention to physical well-being are common pursuits. Yet a quiet boundary exists where deliberate dietary choices shift into an all-consuming psychological demand. Orthorexia nervosa describes an obsession with food purity and ingredient quality, where the primary focus centers on the perceived cleanliness of what is consumed. Read more on our blog.

Is clean eating ruining your life? Here is a 8-step self assessment for orthorexia, so you can determine if food purity concerns are concerning

09/19/2026

Roughly five percent of U.S. adults—representing millions of individuals—have used a GLP-1 medication for weight loss, marking a significant rise in pharmaceutical weight management. This surge has reshaped broader cultural messages around body size, reversing years of progress toward size acceptance and the celebration of body diversity. Read more on our blog.

Let's examine the full risk picture of GLP-1s: eating disorders, medical complications, and the cultural fallout

09/16/2026

Most people who step through the doors at ‘Ai Pono are just as unsure, uncertain or afraid of recovery as you might be.

The difference? They come anyway.

They come scared. They come unsure. They come without knowing whether recovery will work for them. They just know they’re ready for something to change.

You don’t have to be fearless to choose recovery. You just have to be willing to show up.

Maybe today is the day you do. 🌺

Learn more at aipono.com.

09/07/2026

Going to treatment is a big leap of faith. Especially when treatment hasn’t always felt healing before.

Dr. Ray Baskerville, Lead Therapist at ‘Ai Pono, wants you to know that we understand how vulnerable that decision can be.

Here, we’re not only asking how do we stop the eating disorder behaviors?

We’re asking what’s underneath them?

Because lasting recovery isn’t just about changing what you do. It’s about understanding the whole person who learned to need those behaviors in the first place.

You can be afraid and still take the next step. 🌺

If you’re wondering what it might feel like to be cared for differently, come see what we mean. Learn more about residential eating disorder treatment at aipono.com⁠.