Meeting a client where they are at is vital to truly creating safety in their eating disorder recovery journey. It is really helpful when the professional you work with has lived experience with their own recovery such as Kathryn Smith, who is passionate about helping individuals improve body image, stop disordered eating behaviours, find peace from emotional eating, and process the negative impact of trauma on weight related challenges. With training in areas such as DBT, Yoga, The Gottman Method, Somatic and Attachment Focused (SAFE) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and  the Health at Every Size® (HAES®) and Intuitive Eating curriculum she brings a wealth of knowledge into the realm of disordered eating recovery. In this episode she shares her personal journey with recovery from an eating disorder and what helped her choose the path of helping others through her work. We also chat about the importance of holistically viewing an eating disorder client as recovery is not a one-size-fits-all formula. We talk about some very real concerns for those living in smaller / rural areas and the challenges they have accessing necessary treatment and help in their recovery as well as looking at the role that trauma plays in eating disorder development. You can find her website here: https://www.kathrynlpc.com/ Follow her on Instagram @kathrynlpc And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KathrynLPC If you have liked this or any other episodes on this podcast, I would really appreciate you showing your support by following my account and sharing it with others! You can find me at www.kirstenhunneyball.co.za and Kirsten Hunneyball Peer Eating Disorder Recovery Coachhttps://www.facebook.com/KathrynLPC

In honour of Eating Disorder Awareness Week this year, and in alignment with BEAT’s desire to spread awareness around men in the recovery world, I spoke to Alex Rodriguez, an accredited practicing dietitian and recovery mentor at River Oak Health in Brisbane, Australia. It is not often that we see men in the recovery space and so it was really great to get his perspective and hear about the journey of finding his reasons to recover from anorexia. So often men are overlooked when it comes to disordered eating. There is societal pressure for a man to look a certain way, and we need to create more awareness around the fact that many men struggle in silence because of this. In this episode we talk about how important it is to find your identity outside of your physical appearance, relearning how to have a healthy relationship to food and your body, and finding balance in exercise. We also touch on the RAVES model developed by Shane Jeffreys, and what Alex’s role as a Peer Mentor, Ambassador, and Dietician is within his workplace at River Oak and within the Butterfly Foundation. Alex aims to use his lived experience, passion and empathy to help others pursue their recovery, and is a great inspiration to men out there who need healthy male role models to look up to in their recovery journey. You can find him on Instagram at @arod_dietician where he shares his passion about breaking down eating disorder stigma and stereotypes, and spreading awareness about nutrition misinformation online.

If you have ever struggled with poor body image, low self-esteem, disordered eating behaviors, or feelings of being powerless and out of control, there is a strong possibility that you may unknowingly pass these same struggles on to your children. In today’s episode I chat to Dr Christina Stai, Psy. D. about how to navigate yourself and your child through every stage of childhood development – starting with pregnancy, so that this doesn’t happen. Dr Stai is a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner of Holistic Resources LLC in SE Iowa, where she provides therapy and neuropsychological assessments for children, teens, & young adults. Dr. Stai enjoys working in areas of neurodivergence (ADHD, Autism, etc.), trauma and abuse, foster care & adoption, disordered eating, developmental delays, and behavioural and emotional concerns. We chat about and celebrate the 1 year anniversary of her book called “Don’t Pass it On – You Can Break the Cycle” which is designed to empower and equip all you mamas and soon-to-be mamas to break that cycle. Don't Pass It On will help you identify, understand, and navigate your past and present challenges with confidence. It will give you practical tools to better ensure that you don't accidentally perpetuate these same thought patterns in your children. We also explore potential things to look out for when it comes to telling the difference between potentially disordered eating, neurodivergence, or simply “normal kid” stuff when it comes to food and eating in children. You can find out more about Dr Stai and her work through the following links: Self-Published: Holistic Publishing, LLC Where to buy: https://amazon.com/author/dr.christina.stai or https://holistic-publishing.com/ Available as: Paperback, eBook, audiobook—free for those with Kindle Unlimited  To celebrate the one year anniversary of Don’t Pass It On, Dr. Stai and Holistic Publishing are running a sweepstakes to give away 5 FREE copies of the audiobook version! Send a DM on Instagram to @dr.christina.stai or @holisticpublishingllc if you are interested in entering! Facebook & Instagram: @holisticpublishingllc Practice: Holistic Resources, LLC Website: https://holisticresourcesclinic.com/ Facebook: @holisticresources Instagram: @holisticresourcesclinic Personal: Dr. Christina Stai, Psy.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist in IA and CA Instagram: @dr.christina.stai

Good therapy goes beyond simply teaching skills or delivering a cookie-cutter intervention. Halina Brooke is a licensed associate counselor and marriage and family therapist in Arizona who works with those who have felt like “outsiders” or who conventional therapy hasn’t quite gelled for, and with those who are often pushed aside from healthcare because of the complexity of their recovery process. Whether a person is struggling with autism, neurodivergence, minority groups or more, it can make recovery from disordered eating even more challenging to navigate. Halina is here to bring awareness to the fact that there is help for you, even if you feel excluded, even if you have had traumatic or unhelpful therapists in the past. You are not alone. In this episode we explore topics such as healing from “bad therapy”, affirming neurodiversity, inclusivity, brining play into the therapy space, managing panic attacks, and the importance of reaching out in times of distress. She also is passionate about creating community and support for clinicians who also feel like they don’t really “fit the mould” of conventional therapists. You can find her at www.recoursecounseling.com and https://halinabrooke.medium.com/ PS please excuse the poor audio quality on this episode. We had trouble with my usual recording system.

After this year's festive season (2022) I found myself in quite a slump. I was really struggling emotionally and could feel eating disordered elements start to creep their way back into my life as a way to try avoid or cope with things that I was suppressing. I know that every person with an eating disorder will, at some point face the same struggles. So, my aim for this episode is firstly to help you understand that you are not alone. Even professionals have slumps or bad days (or weeks), and that it is only when we stop paying attention to our internal state and try to push ourselves down or into a corner, that we lose sight of the bigger vision of our recovery journey. In this episode I highlight 3 important questions you can use to create presence, check in with yourself, and move into recovery solutions. Where am I, How am I, Who am I? Listen to the episode to dive deeper into the meaning and layers each question holds, and why answering them can help you move toward peace (via action and decision making) in your daily life.

Dr Heather Finley is a Registered Dietician and Gut Health Specialist who has helped hundreds of women find relief from digestive issues whilst moving away from restrictive dieting and toward long-lasting relief and balance. In this episode she talks to us about gut health and we look at it from the lens of recovery from disordered eating. She explains a bit about the science behind why restrictive diets don’t work in restoring gut health and how a combination of low secretory IGA, stress and disordered eating can cause food sensitivities and other gut issues. She encourages food adequacy and variety as an essential parts of the gut healing process. We look at the energy equation in gut functioning as a possible factor in feeling really full or uncomfortable when starting to eat adequately and why lowering stress and eating in a calm manner is critical in teaching the gut how to digest food properly again after disordered eating. We also explore other tips for managing lasting relief from chronic gut issues, eating for gut health vs. Orthorexic food obsession and identifying the true source of gut issues. Heather also tells us about her 6 month Gut Together program for people wanting to heal gut issues as well as information about her new book, launching on the 20th of December 2022, called The Happy, healthy Gut Cookbook. Find it here: https://www.guttogetherprogram.com/healthy-happy-gut-cookbook/ You can find out more about her program and new book on her website or find her hanging out on Instagram at @drheatherfinley

In this episode I speak with Holly Farrar, MS,LPC - owner of Dedicated Recovery, a unique health and mental wellness organization that specializes in helping athletes with many health and mental issues. We explore what it means to create a life for yourself after exercise addiction and how to challenge your relationship to movement and exercise. Holly has her bachelor’s of science in kinesiology (aka exercise science). At 23years old she began her doctorate in physical therapy in California, but opted to step out of the program after six months of battling an upper respiratory infection. Thinking her life was over, Holly moved back to Arizona, an began working in the gym industry as a personal trainer. She began running into people’s disordered behaviors with food and exercise; having a large interest in mental wellness Holly applied to Grand Canyon University for her master’s of science in professional counseling. Holly graduated in 2018 with her master’s. As an intern Holly worked in an outpatient private practice for eating disorders. Holly began working for The Meadows Ranch in Wickenburg, AZ in 2019. The Meadows Ranch is a residential treatment center for eating disorders. Holly worked on the adolescent unit for three years providing individual, family and group therapy. You can find her at www.dedicatedrecovery.net

In this episode I speak with eating disorder therapist and coach, Cherie Miller, owner of Food Freedom Therapy™. Cherie loves to speak on topics related to food and body freedom, which we explore at different levels in our chat. We take a look at different modalities such as CBT, DBT, ACT, and taking a gentle approach to recovery from an eating disorder. We look at what “food freedom” looks like for Cherie specifically and how you could apply these thoughts into your own life, acknowledging that diet culture tells us that our bodies can’t be trusted, but this is not the case. Emotions are always teaching us things about ourselves, and when we can be okay with not being okay and learn to manage uncomfortable or negative thoughts and feelings, we can gently move into a space of freedom from self-punishment for perceived “imperfections”. We also touch on the fact that spirituality has been shown to be incredibly helpful in recovery from disordered eating, body image issues, stigma around eating disorders being perceived as a mode of “vanity”, and being open in our relationships as a powerful recovery tool. Cherie is running an Anti-Diet retreat in 2023, which will help you explore the fact that your body is not the problem, therefore dieting is not the answer! Find out more information on her website here: www.foodfreedomtherapy.com You can also get her free intuitive eating jump start guide here: https://foodfreedomtherapy.com/intuitive-eating-jump-start-guide/ Follow her on Instagram @foodfreedomtherapist

Spirituality may be a really hard thing to navigate and explore in recovery from an eating disorder or any other addiction. Trust me, it wasn't always easy for me. I had very set views of the idea of a non-existent "God". After all - why would God put me through such pain? Fortunately, I was blessed to have started my recovery journey in a 12 Step Program, which allowed me to explore what God may or may not mean for me, in whichever way I saw fit. This was key to my spiritual journey, because I was never told my beliefs or views were wrong - I had the freedom and space to explore what a spiritual relationship meant to me. Fast forward a few years and I can tell you, spirituality has been the core of my recovery. Without it, I don't think I would be here. I encourage you to listen with an open mind, and put whatever word you feel comfortable using in place of the word "God" if that's what resonates with you. This is by no means an attempt to inflict my opinions on you. A great part of this spiritual journey has been the act of contemplation - an open space of infinite possibility and learning. In this episode I teach you how I spend time in contemplation in order to process any area of my life, whether its eating disorder related or not. Contemplation doesn't even have to be spiritual if that doesn't work for you - it can simply be a space of deep thinking, reflection and openness to change. Try it for yourself, and see what happens. Please feel free to share your experience with me on any of my social platforms!

In this episode I speak with Dr Joy Zelikovsky, clinical psychologist and National Health Service Psychologist in New Haven, CT. She is also the founder of Nourish The Heart Counseling in New Haven, Connecticut. I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion on the importance of having representation in the treatment process. So often we are riddled with the stigma around disordered eating - that it is a white, thin, female illness. This may be true in some cases, but not all! The problem is that there are so many treatment teams (for whatever reason) who comprise of exactly this description. This is not to say that there is an issue with white, thin females helping those in eating disorder recovery, but rather that it often spreads the message to those in larger bodies, of different cultures or gender identifications that recovery has to "look" a certain way. They often don't feel that they can relate to the people caring for them. As Dr Joy quotes: ""We know representation is important. So when you don't see healthy models of fat people in recovery, it feels like that's not a possibility." She speaks into topics such as her personal experience as an eating disorder clinician in a larger body, diet culture, intuitive eating and inclusive recovery. You can find her at: https://www.drjoyzee.com/ or @nourishtheheartcounseling on IG.

Dreams may seem like a random string of symbols and situations that make no sense, but they are a way to connect with the deeper self. Our dreams are messengers that help us see ourselves clearer, process emotions or understand our fears or obstacles. They can be seen as a tool to access that which our waking mind struggles to connect with. In this episode I take you through my personal experience with dreams and how they have played a role in my recovery from disordered eating. I look at some studies that were conducted in the 90’s that revealed common themes in anorexic and bulimic patients as well as help you get curious about dream symbolism. I also provide you with some tools that you can start using to play with and explore your dreams. I encourage you to work with your dreams as a tool in your recovery and in whatever life situation you are facing. You will be amazed at what comes up for you. Feel free to post about your dreams in the comments!

In this episode I speak with Tracy Brown, RD, LD/N who is a somatic nutrition therapist, registered dietitian, attuned eating coach, and embodiment teacher.  We explore the topic of attuned eating, taking a special look at the significance of trauma responses in eating disorders. Tracy also shares some of her personal story around disordered eating and how she came to be a dietician. Since 2006, she has guided people in healing from disordered eating and chronic dieting, many of which have PCOS and other stress-related conditions. Tracy will walk you through not only how to stop dieting, binging and hating your body, but also teach you how to be compassionate with yourself through the process of living more fully, even when things are tough. You can find Tracy here: https://www.tracybrownrd.com/about/

Being a dietician for eating disorders comes along with a load of challenges. How do you best help clients? What challenges do you face on a daily basis? What are some dieticians getting wrong? How do you promote health in an anti-diet way? How do you manage your own mental and physical health? How do you handle crushing diet culture while not feeling like the food police? In this episode I talk to Taylor and Jessi who are registered dieticians and co-founders of LK Nutrition LLC in Ohio. LK Nutrition LLC seeks to provide evidence based and inclusive nutrition counselling & education to clients and nutrition professionals. They strive to enhance the lives of clients through helping them heal their relationships with food and their bodies. They seek to train other health care professionals to equip them with the tools needed to confidently treat clients with disordered eating. So, if you are an eating disorder dietician wanting to educate themselves on how best to help ed clients, or if you are simply curious about the role an anti-diet dietician can play in your own eating disorder recovery journey, this episode is for you! You can find Taylor and Jessi online at www.lknutritionohio.com or follow them on Instagram @lknutritionohio

This episode forms part one of a two-part series with Dr Susan Perkins who earned her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Hardin-Simmons University (2003) and her Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia Tech (2010). She worked at Carolina House, a residential treatment facility for 17-year-olds and older, in a gender inclusive space for a year and a half doing family therapy. In her time there, and within her own private practise, she has been witness to many misunderstandings, frustrations, and challenges that both the suffering eating disordered individual and their families undergo. In this episode we explore what some of those are and how she approaches them in a professional sense. So, if you or a loved one are struggling with an eating disorder, this episode aims to help you gain insight into common hurdles faced, things to do/avoid, etc. and what role the family plays in eating disorder treatment. In part two, we will take a super deep and vulnerable dive into my (Kirsten’s) personal story with an eating disorder and the role my family played. You can find Dr Perkins at http://www.cardinalpointstherapy.com/ Keep a look out for her psycho-ed program she is developing with resources for family members so that they can better understand and equip themselves for the treatment process.

Music has always been a huge part of my life and undoubtedly has played an important role in my recovery from disordered eating. In this episode I take you through a little story about my personal history with music and why it has been so significant for me, and then I get curious about some of the science behind why music is so healing. I look at the different brain states and how binaural beats can help regulate the nervous system and reduce anxiety, how music has been shown to affect cortisol levels as well as how learning the guitar kept me from binging and purging in early recovery. The science of music is fascinating and I really encourage you to see how it might fit into your recovery too. Whether it's listening to your favourite song or meditative frequencies, learning a new instrument, dancing to music or even getting Safe and Sound Protocol therapy - music can work wonders and when used effectively can help reduce and or deter your mind away from mental obsession around urges to binge and purge if you are a bulimic or binge eater.  Its important to look at your recovery holistically though - we need to nourish the soul (which music can do), and we need to rewire the brain (which music can do as well) but we also need to nourish the body - this is something music can't do, BUT it can help you feel calmer and safer when needing to eat properly. So give it a try! Some of the Youtube channels I listen to: Sleeptube, Medatative Minds, Magnetic Minds, Lovemotives. Plus, at the end you will get a little treat from me - a song I wrote about forgiveness in recovery, and the lightness that can come with letting go and forgiving your past. The song is called Bright Smile and it was recorded with my band "Apparently Jak" in 2017. Thank you to Josh Devine, James Melon and Dustin Manson for your contributions and to Doppler Studios for your studio and recording work.

Dr Kari Anderson has been an eating disorder therapist for over 30 years and has a history of binge eating disorder as a teen/young adult. Her career has been driven by her own recovery and research into what causes binge eating disorder and how can we best treat it. She has written two books on Binge Eating Disorder, her latest book is a memoir, “Food, Body, and Love, but the greatest of these is love.” In this episode we explore topics around binge eating disorder, looking at harm reduction, heart rate variance, faith-based practice and how to holistically approach flexibility and mindfulness in eating behaviours. Kari has an online course that follows the book content: Food, Body, and Love. A compassionate and science-based solution to Binge Eating, which you can get on her website www.myeatingdoctor.com - Use the coupon code: Hunneyball50 to get $50 off when you sign up for the course. You can also join her Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/308901044114453 #myeatingdoctor #bingeeatingdisorder #bingeeating #breakthebinge #onlinecourses #eatingdisorder #mindfuleating #spotifypodcast #recoverypodcast #eatingdisorderpodcast #recoverycoach #curiousaboutrecovery #getcurious #kirstenhunneyball #drkarianderson #foodaddiction #harmreduction

Change is an uncomfortable thing for most people, but it is ever so more in a person who struggles with mental illness such as an eating disorder. In this short episode, I get curious about why we might perceive change (in general) as far more terrifying than your average person, and that creating safety around changes in your life can really help you with facing this very real fear.  Have a listen if you're feeling afraid of changes in your life or in your recovery and would simply like to change your perspective to how you process change. Feel free to contact me if you are needing help navigating change in your eating disorder recovery.

Plant medicine is becoming an interesting topic in mental health treatment, and so I decided to get curious about how it might fit in with someone's eating disorder recovery. So I got chatting with the beautiful Francesca Rose from Cape Town, South Africa who, after navigating over 14 years of her own eating disorder recovery, found plant medicine to be an incredible support to her process.  The trouble with this modality is that it is often very misunderstood and used incorrectly without proper guidance. Francesca takes us through the importance of how to approach using this modality wisely and compassionatley.  She weaves embodied eating disorder recovery frameworks, sacred plant medicine teachings, trauma-informed integrative somatic coaching modalities, and her life experience into a compassionate approach to food and body recovery. If you are new to plant medicine, she is offering a 6-week online "Micro-dosing For Embodied Dietary Transformation Program" which starts on the 25th of October 2022. She also has some incredible reading material available for sale. You can find her at https://www.francescaeatsroses.com/

Relapse prevention is a part of the recovery process in eating disorders, which means there are certain things we need to manage to not fall back into old behaviour. However, eating disorders are non-linear and can feel quite challenging from time to time. You may even experience relapse. This can be a scary place, especially if you feel like it came out of nowhere. It may be the first and only time you relapse in your life, or perhaps this has happened a few times for you and you’re feeling lost and confused. Regardless of what got you here, the important thing is that you are here – simply by listening to this episode you are taking initiative to try come out of a potentially very dark place – I celebrate you for that. In this episode I take you through practical steps that have helped me in times of relapse, and that I teach the clients I work with as a peer recovery specialist coach. I hope that it helps you start taking steps in your recovery and that you can apply these tools. I guarantee that if you practice each one of these steps, you are going to significantly increase your chances of getting back on track. If you are struggling, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Merrit Elizabeth is a Carolyn Costin Institute Certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coach based in Dallas, Texas. I had the honour of speaking with her in this episode about her lived experience with disordered eating and how she helps adolescents and young adult women through their recovery. We chat about the fact that there can often be a lot of pressure for young girls at school and college, and that it's okay to reach out for help if you are struggling. We also explore how exactly a "Recovery Coach" can form a part of your treatment team and the importance of finding the right coach for your personal journey. Merrit takes us through the things that help her on a daily basis (as a recovered professional) keep herself in a mindful and recovered mindset. You can find Merrit Elizabeth on Instagram at @merritelizabethrecovery