About BodyKind Vail
BodyKind Vail was founded on lived experience—born from the recognition of what it feels like to struggle with an eating disorder and have nowhere to turn. The organization emerged from real need: the need for community, for compassion, and for spaces where open, honest conversations about food, body image, and mental health can exist without shame.
What began as a small, local education event quickly opened the door to honest conversations. Community members who have been impacted by eating disorders expressed a clear need for a safe, understanding space to turn to. BodyKind Vail was created to meet that need—and to build a supportive community rooted in compassion and connection.
Today, BodyKind Vail offers nonclinical, peer-led programs including recovery support meetings, group meal support, and creative healing workshops. Each offering is rooted in the belief that community care can play a powerful role in recovery. These programs aim to reduce isolation, foster empowerment, and support individuals wherever they are in their healing journey.
Prevention is equally central to our mission. Research shows that body image awareness can begin as early as age five. In a town where outdoor activity and competitive sports are woven into daily life, messages about how bodies “should” look or perform begin early and run deep. That’s why BodyKind Vail partners with schools, youth sports programs, and families to deliver education that promotes body acceptance, emotional well-being, and self-worth that goes far beyond appearance or athletic achievement.
At BodyKind Vail, we believe recovery is possible—and that no one should have to navigate an eating disorder alone. By centering compassion, lived experience, and rural realities, we’re working toward a more informed, inclusive, and supportive future for all bodies.
We asked community members: What words or thoughts come to mind when you hear “eating disorders”?
“Mental illness and struggle.”
“The time I spent depriving myself and hurting myself for years trying to avoid the inevitable shape that my body was genetically meant to be. I was diagnosed with anorexia athletica and bulimia nervosa starting when I was a high school athlete. These issues persisted for years until I decided to get help for them.”
“Instability.”
“Lots of friends, family, myself, and young adults.”
“It stresses me out honestly and brings up a lot of emotions because I’ve been dealing with this my whole life.”
“Someone is using food or the lack thereof to soothe horrible thoughts.”
“People who struggle with their relationship with food.”
Meet the Team
Our staff and board bring BodyKind Vail to life. Their lived experiences, leadership, and love for this work are what make our mission possible.
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Founder and Executive Director
Alex Kandalaft is a Vail Valley resident, originally from New Mexico, with a background in early childhood education, having worked as a kindergarten teacher here in the valley. Over the past year, she has become deeply involved with multiple local nonprofits, including working in fundraising for a community organization, driven by her strong commitment to making the valley a better place.
Following college graduation, Alex battled anorexia and bulimia. During that difficult time, she found no local resources or community support to turn to, which only deepened her sense of isolation. This struggle ultimately led her to seek inpatient treatment at the Eating Recovery Center in Denver.
Now firmly committed to her recovery, Alex has reflected on her experience and decided—enough is enough. She is passionate about creating the resources and programs in the valley that she wished had been available during her illness. As she began speaking with others across the community, the responses were heartbreaking: no one should feel their self-worth depends on their body size, yet every person she talked to felt exactly that. No child should lose their adolescence to the grip of an eating disorder, yet many do.
As founder of BodyKind Vail, Alex is dedicated to ending the stigma surrounding eating disorders and breaking generational narratives that tie self-worth to body size. Her mission is to ensure no child is counting calories and that every individual in the community feels valued beyond appearance.
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Board Member
Brenda Saucedo was born and raised in the Vail Valley, where she grew up as a proud woman of color in a traditional Mexican household. In a culture where questioning generational norms was often discouraged, she learned to stay silent—even as she struggled with internal battles around food, body image, and identity. As a child growing up in the backlands of Maloit Park in Minturn, Brenda often found solace in the woods, escaping briefly to catch her breath before returning to the responsibilities of her home and family.
From a young age, Brenda had deep questions about eating and body image—questions that went unanswered. The silence she was taught to maintain followed her into her teenage years, where her unspoken trauma around food and self-worth grew. At a time when conversations about mental health and eating disorders were virtually nonexistent in the Latinx community, Brenda carried this burden alone.
Now, as a mother to a strong and curious 10-year-old daughter, Brenda is finding her voice. Through her journey in recovery and sobriety, she is unlearning harmful narratives and creating space for healing. Her mission is clear: to break generational cycles of shame, silence, and unrealistic standards around appearance. She is committed to teaching her daughter—and the wider Hispanic community—that our value is not measured by our bodies, and that it’s okay to talk about the hard things.
Brenda’s own recovery from an eating disorder has ignited a powerful passion to educate and advocate. She believes that healing is possible with time, support, and open dialogue. As a board member, she is committed to being a voice for others who may still feel unseen and unheard—especially within Hispanic communities where these conversations are long overdue.
Professionally, Brenda has spent over 13 years in Early Childhood Education, dedicating her work to supporting under-resourced families in Eagle County. She currently serves as a Family Service Coordinator for the Head Start Program at Eagle County Schools. As someone who once attended these same schools and now walks the halls as both a professional and a parent, Brenda sees firsthand how much opportunity there is to create change. She strongly believes that early education, mental health support, and culturally responsive care are the foundation for generational healing.
Brenda is honored to serve as a founding board member of this new nonprofit, and looks forward to helping build a community where stories like hers are not only shared—but supported, respected, and transformed.
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Board Member
Chase McNair is a Human Resource Recruiter at Christy Sports, where she specializes in connecting people with meaningful opportunities in the outdoor industry. With a background in Outdoor Recreation Management from Georgia Southern University, Chase brings a deep appreciation for community, wellness, and purposeful work to everything she does.
Originally from Georgia, Chase has always been drawn to people-first environments- whether that’s supporting candidates in finding careers that align with their passions or contributing to causes that promote mental and physical well-being. Her passion for health advocacy is rooted in a belief that everyone deserves access to support, understanding, and the resources needed to thrive.
As a board member for BodyKind Vail, Chase is honored to support the mission of eating disorder recovery and prevention through compassionate leadership and strategic insight. She is especially passionate about breaking down stigma and ensuring that individuals feel seen, heard, and valued as they navigate their recovery journeys.