The Eating Disorder Therapist

Today I’m talking to Brooke Heberling, author of the bestselling novel Protecting Her Peace. Brooke is a teacher, advocate, and eating disorder survivor who wants to use her story of recovery to help others know, that there is hope in fighting for freedom from the disorders and addictions that hold us hostage.  Brooke worked with Jessica Flint and her team at Recovery Warriors from 2017-2020 as Ed...

Today I’m talking to Sabrina Magnan, a Food Freedom & Intuitive Eating Coach, based in Montreal, Canada. She helps chronic dieters heal their relationship with food & their bodies, and develop realistic and lasting health-promoting habits. Sabrina has been on her own food healing journey through her battle with orthorexia, disordered eating, body dysmorphia and yo-yo dieting. Having experienced th...

Today I’m talking to Brooke Carlson, an eating disorder therapist and Licensed Professional Clinical Counsellor, working primarily with adolescents and young adults and based in Minnesota, USA. Brooke has worked for a nationwide eating disorder treatment centre for three years called The Emily Program. Brooke was an outpatient therapist and partial hospitalisation program coordinator during that t...

Today I explore the challenges of healing your relationship with food, in the culture we live in. Diet culture is pervasive, toxic and sadly normalised. It drives you to focus predominantly on your body as a means of deriving worth. It leads to restriction, bingeing, other disordered eating behaviours and more. And it's incredibly challenging to win and feel wholeheartedly good about yourself, whe...

Today I’m talking to Joel Frost, an eating disorder survivor and health coach, training to specialise in working with clients with eating disorders. Just over a year ago, Joel fully recovered from an eating disorder that he’d been living with for the previous six years. This all started when Joel left secondary school, when he was teased about his weight. Joel then went onto college and felt as th...

Today, I’m talking to Shannon Western. Shannon is a nutritionist who specialises in nutrition counselling for disordered eating. She founded Ease Nutrition Therapy because she saw a huge need for compassionate, person-centred care to help people feel better around food. In this episode, Shannon talks about her approach in supporting clients in healing disordered eating. She is particularly passion...

In this episode, I’m going to talk about some of the subtleties that can keep binge eating going. You might have already made some substantial progress in addressing binge eating but you feel frustrated that you have moments of slipping back and wondering how on earth it happened! If you reasonate with what I’m saying, be proud of how far you have come. You’ve probably struggled with your relation...

This episode was first published in the summer of 2021 and has proved to be one of my most popular episodes! Apologies for a re-share - I hope that you enjoy it, either for a first listen or a great reminder of how to put self-love into practice. A new episode will be back next week. Something a bit different for you this week. 16 Ways to Actually Love Yourself (When you Have No Idea Where to Begi...

Today I talk more about the psychology of eating disorders and themes seen in the therapy room. I explore my observed differences between people who lean towards a restrictive eating disorder and those who swing between restriction and bingeing or overeating. I discuss the ego-syntonic nature of eating disorders and how this brings much ambivalence about change. I offer hope and encouragement for...

Today I’m talking to Ella Williams who is a 27-year-old eating disorder survivor and Assistant Clinical Psychologist supporting young people who have experienced trauma and attachment difficulties. Ella has battled with anorexia, starvation and bulimia for 12 years but thankfully, she is now well along the recovery path. After becoming extremely ill at dance college, Ella bravely took a new path a...

Today I’m talking to Tracy Brown, a somatic nutritional therapist, registered licensed dietitian and attuned eating coach. Tracy works in private practice in Florida, USA, providing in-person, phone and online counselling since 2006.  Tracy and her Team coach women, men, children and adolescents who are struggling with food obsessions and body discomfort to build healthy, joyful relationships with...

Today, I’m talking to Dr. Margherita Mascolo from the United States, who is the chief medical officer at Alsana, a nationwide centre that treats eating disorders. Alsana is an eating recovery community and treatment provider that helps adult clients of all genders achieve lasting eating disorder recovery and whole health. Alsana has in-person programmes in California, Alabama and Missouri and virt...

Today I’m talking with Cara Byrne – an integrative humanistic psychotherapist based in Ireland. She is the founder of Hike Psych – offering walking and talking therapy in nature for her clients, combining her love of nature and psychotherapy, and Cara also works online.   Cara has always been fascinated by other human beings and the experiences that shape them. As a child, she was the person that...

Something a bit different this week - I share some of my reflections of being a counsellor and a wounded healer. I started counselling training at the tender age of 24 years old, with all the youthful idealism and profound naivety of a truly wounder healer. I was emerging from the depths of an eating disorder, with an intense desire to save the world and prevent others from experiencing the pain a...

Today I’m talking to Victoria Kleinsman – a Brit living her best life in the Netherlands. Victoria is a food freedom & body love coach, inspirational speaker, podcast host, and writer. She is certified in psychology, spirituality and the science of nutrition and is also inspired greatly in her work, by her own personal experience and walking a tumultuous recovery journey herself. Victoria has over...

This episode is about binge eating - a behaviour that can be seen across all the eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and OSFED). I see a binge as an end point coping strategy, following a series of cumulative triggers, which are often out of awareness. The binge can offer relief, escape, numbing, fleeting euphoria and more. Of course, these impacts are short...

This episode explores how to support your loved one when they're struggling with an eating disorder. I talk through the New Maudsley Animal Model - the wonderful model created by the Maudsley Eating Disorder Service in London, UK. The model uses animal metaphors to educate and support carers in their communication with their loved one.   Being a carer is hugely challenging. With the best of intent...

In this episode, I reflect on my own healing journey from eating disorders. I talk about how I worked through past difficult experiences, to move to a place of freedom, healing and authenticity. It wasn't an easy ride with ups and downs along the way and no short cuts to forgiveness and acceptance. I talk about my early life and key influences. I reflect on key protective factors that have helped...

Today I’m talking to Rebecca Robinson, an eating disorder survivor from bulimia, binge eating and general disordered eating behaviours. Rebecca is also a content creator of the Instagram account @bingefreeandbeautiful, where she shares her recovery tips, and she is an advisor for BEAT (The UK’s National Association for Eating Disorders). Prior to becoming an advisor, she volunteered for them for s...

Today, I’m talking to Toni - The Binge Dietitian, a UK Registered Dietitian, who is based in Peru, and working with women all over the world who have binge eating behaviours. Previously, Toni worked within the UK National Health Service and has a range of experience with diabetes, weight management, learning disabilities and mental health. She now works online and is a weight inclusive and non-die...

Today I’m talking to Dr. Kelly Kessler, a licensed physical therapist, wellness coach, host of the podcast Rewiring Health, and the founder of Optimal You Health and Wellness, LLC. Kelly teaches women who have a history of an eating disorder how to regulate their nervous system to achieve relief from chronic pain through her signature method, Eating Disorder Pain Solutions. Inspired by her own jou...

The practice of regular eating is something that can be overlooked in recovery. I often think of it, as the monotonous, unsexy work that feels laborious and effortful. However, it can be an absolute game-changer in transforming your relationship with food; enhancing mood, self-care and overall well-being.   In this episode, I explore my definition of regular eating; how to go about it; the impact...

Today I’m talking to Berenice Mertens. Berenice is French, 30 years young, and a yoga therapist - specialising in eating disorders. In her studies to become a yoga therapist, she wrote her thesis on Yoga Therapy for eating disorders and she has also developed an 8 week yoga course for the treatment of ED. Berenice understood the incredible benefits of yoga to restore the brain chemicals, digestive...

Today, I’m talking to Elle Mace – Coach and Mentor, Intuitive Eating Coach and Nutrition and Weight Management Coach. Elle is also training with the National Centre for Eating Disorders gaining therapeutic skills to support people struggling with eating disorders and disordered eating. Previously, Elle has worked as a personal trainer and aerobics instructor, having a passion for health and fitnes...

Today I’m talking to Eva – an artist, intersectional feminist and a Parisian working mother of three teenagers. Eva is 41 years old and has been struggling with bulimia for 23 years, for most of her adult life. She has tried every possible method to seek recovery, from science-based approaches to the more obscure, but remained stuck for a very long time, in destructive cycles of bulimia. Around 18...