The Eating Disorder Therapist

It's Never Too Late to Recover from an Eating Disorder, with Caroline Drummond-Smith

Today I’m talking to Caroline Drummond-Smith; business owner and coach at Zest Health Coaching and also a mother of three. Caroline helps people to have a healthy relationship with food and their body; to enjoy life; work on habits and change; take responsibility and become their fullest selves.

Caroline spent many years suffering from an eating disorder, maintaining an unhealthy weight and strictly controlling her food. Sadly, in this time, she caused damage to her body and missed out on so much. She was also terrified about who she would be without the eating disorder, as it had become so much of an integral part of her identity.

Today, Caroline has fully recovered and works as a coach, using her experience in a such a positive way to support others, having a deep understanding of people’s struggles and the battles they are facing. Caroline has done some vital recovery work on making herself a priority rather than an optional extra. She now values her body in a completely different way and acknowledges all the wonderful things it can do. She has learned to nourish her body and treat it with love and kindness, after years of abuse.

This is a story that inspires incredible hope and possibility for recovery. Caroline shares her journey through the depths of anorexia, her long recovery journey, and the path to working as a health coach today. I hope that you enjoy this conversation.

To find out more about Caroline: -

Website: https://www.zesthealthcoaching.co.uk/

Instagram: @zesthealthcoaching

 

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.

Eating Disorder Recovery and the Incredible Work of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness

Today I’m talking to Joanna Kandel, CEO and Founder of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness. Based in the USA, The Alliance is a national non-profit organisation dedicated to the outreach, education, early intervention, support, and advocacy for all eating disorders.

After recovering from a ten-year-long battle with various eating disorders, Johanna founded the alliance in 2000. In addition, she runs free weekly support groups, mentors individuals with eating disorders and their families, and helps thousands of people gain information and find the help they need. As a passionate advocate for mental health and eating disorders legislation, Johanna has spent a lot of time meeting with numerous members of Congress and was part of the first-ever Eating Disorder Roundtable at the White House. She is a proud member of numerous Eating Disorder Committees and has received many awards for her ongoing outreach and advocacy work, as well as appearing on national television and in magazines. Johanna’s book, Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder, was released by Harlequin Nonfiction in September 2010.

In this episode, Johanna shares her recovery story; her journey to forming the Alliance and talks about the worldwide support it offers today. Johanna’s incredible passion shines through, offering hope, inspiration and encouragement about recovery. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

How to find out more: -

Website: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/

Twitter: @AllianceforEDA

Instagram: - @allianceforeda and @johannakandel

 

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.

 

How to Feel Good Enough and Heal Yourself with Marisa Peer

Today I’m talking to Marisa Peer - internationally award-winning hypnotherapist and Creator of the Multi-award winning Rapid Transformational Therapy ® (RTT®)’. Marisa is the founder of iamenough.com; international best-selling author; motivational speaker; personal development expert and leading celebrity therapist. She is a major contributor to the press and has appeared on numerous TV shows and media outlets.

In this episode, Marisa shares her story in becoming a therapist, starting out with Jane Fonda, as a personal trainer and how many of these clients had underlying eating disorders. She talks about the common negative beliefs we hold and how to overcome them, as well as trigger events and delving into the unconscious to bring about lasting change. Marisa also offers inspiration on improving your relationship with food and your body in a sustainable way. I’m hugely grateful to Marisa for sharing her wonderful insights and expertise. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

To find out more about Marisa Peer:

www.marisapeer.com

www.rtt.com

www.iamenough.com

twitter.com/MarisaPeer

Instagram: @marisapeertherapy

linkedin.com/in/marisa-peer/

https://www.facebook.com/marisa.peer.therapy/

Eating Disorder Recovery with Angela Rawlinson

Today, I’m talking to Angela Rawlinson – mother of six children, married and lives in Gloucester. Angela is here today to speak about her incredible story in her eating disorder recovery, alongside other mental health struggles.

Angela is truly an inspiration, as only in lockdown last year, she was in the depths of an eating disorder, being underweight, struggling with numerous eating disorder behaviours, and feeling very hopeless and trapped.

Just over a year later, Angela is in a very different place; having worked on underlying trauma, overhauling her lifestyle and relationships significantly and investing wholeheartedly in eating disorder recovery. And she has six children!

You might know Angela from Instagram - @surviving_six_ ; she is also a mental health blogger, and is clearly a passionate advocate for spreading messages about eating disorder awareness and support.

It's an inspiring and uplifting conversation that will give you an insight into the tools and daily practices that are a vital part of recovery. I hope that you enjoy the episode. 

To find out more about Angela: -

Instagram: @surviving_six_

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.

It's Not About Food, it's About Feelings

This week, I’m talking about food and feelings. I explore how our early relationship with food develops, the emotional environment at home and how this all intertwines to influence the food and feelings connection. I explain how you can begin to tune into your emotions and find healthier ways of coping, rather than restricting or overeating. I hope that you enjoy this episode.

 

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.

 

 

When You’ve Overcome Symptoms but Eating Disorder Thoughts Linger, with Rachelle Heinemann

Today, I’m talking to Rachelle Heinemann, a licensed mental health counsellor based in NYC and Brooklyn. She specialises in the treatment of eating disorders and emotional eating as well as exercise addiction and body image struggles. She also works extensively with those challenged by depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties and career stress. Rachelle is trained as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She works with her clients to find meaning in their lives and attain long lasting results. In addition to her practice, Rachelle has taught courses in eating disorders and body image at undergraduate programs and high schools. She also provides consultation and education to members of the community. As a psychotherapist, Rachelle recognises that after many clients no longer use eating disorder symptoms, they don’t feel better. In fact, they can often feel worse. It is often because the work on the emotional component of recovery is missing. In this episode, Rachelle explores the connections between emotional experience and food related behaviours. It’s a fascinating insight into the unconscious coping of eating disorders and how to begin to work on this. I hope that you enjoy this conversation.

To find out more about Rachelle: -

Website: https://www.rachelleheinemann.com/

Instagram: @rheinemannlmhc

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.

Healing, Intuition and Barriers to Intuitive Eating with Ariana Rodriguez (Embody Health London)

Today I’m speaking with Ariana Rodriguez – Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor, Yoga Teacher and NLP Practitioner.  Ariana trained as a dietitian in Montreal, Canada and later moved to London, where with Cassie Barnard, she founded Embody Health London. Here, they have a team of experts working in eating disorders and body image. Their mission is to help women heal their relationship with food and their body and live a life of diet freedom, being supportive of an anti-diet approach and Intuitive Eating principles. You may have seen Ariana and Cassie on TikTok or Instagram reels with their uplifting dance routines, spreading messages of body acceptance and a healthy relationship with food. They have such a positive energy, with is infectious. I love the way that they combine a fun element, but clearly are absolute professionals with a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Outside of Ariana’s nutrition and yoga therapy work, you can find her traveling around the globe, dancing and singing in the kitchen, spending time in the outdoors, meditating and connecting with friends and family. She is a self-proclaimed wannabe chef, amateur photographer and loves to stick her nose into a juicy book! In this episode, Ariana shares how own story in overcoming struggles with food and the journey to founding Embody Health London, with Cassie. It’s a story of overcoming adversity, following intuition and wonderful friendship. I hope that you enjoy the episode. 


 

To find out more about Embody Health London:

Website: https://www.embodyhealthlondon.com/

Instagram: @embodyhealthlondon_

Instagram: @nutritionari

TikTok: @embodyhealthldn  

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.

 

 

Eating Disorders in Men and New Book 'Starvation' with Molly Fennig

Today, I’m talking to Molly Fennig, author and researcher. Molly self-published her first novel, InSomnus, at age 17 and has published numerous short stories in many literary presses. Her second novel, Starvation, was published by Immortal Works in November 2020 when she was 22. The book explores themes such as male eating disorders and mental health, and won a 2021 Independent Press Award.

​Born and raised in Minnesota, Molly got a degree in Neuroscience, with minors in English and Spanish, from Swarthmore College. She is currently pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology, with a specialisation in eating disorders, from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research has been published in multiple scientific journals. 

​Molly’s mini goldendoodle Peach is training to be a therapist, and specialises in eating. Molly is passionate about mental health, chocolate, and mentoring young writers.

In this episode, Molly talks about her wonderful new book and the important messages that she wishes to convey in this. We also explore common triggers for eating disorders and Molly’s research in this field. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

To find out more about Molly: -

Website: https://www.mollyfennig.com/

Instagram: @mollyfennig

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.

 

When you Don't Feel 'Enough' and 3 Tips to Change This

‘I’m boring’, ‘I’m not intelligent’, I’m unattractive. I’m too this or that……’; these are words heard frequently in the therapy room. And lying underneath these derogatory statements, is a fundamental belief of ‘I’m not good enough’. This inner feeling of unworthiness then permeates every area of life, through choice of relationships, work progress and social engagements. It’s like having a millstone around your neck, as you carry this heavy psychological baggage into every situation. Fundamentally, it causes lingering pain, which you then seek to avoid through eating or not eating, through alcohol, drugs, shopping or workaholism to name a few. The coping strategies bring temporary relief from the turmoil bubbling inside your head. 

In this episode, I talk about my own inner feelings of not feeling good enough, which were a root cause of my bulimia. I share 3 tips on how to change this and boost your self-esteem sustainably. Learning to feel enough can be a life-changer in recovery. I hope that you enjoy this episode.

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.

5 Things I Wish I'd Known Earlier in Eating Disorder Recovery

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, when reflecting on the recovery journey! In this episode, I talk about my own recovery blocks in overcoming bulimia. What I wish I'd known back then and the things I might do differently. Your journey will be unique but I hope this will inspire you to reflect on your own path. Enjoy!

If you'd like to support this podcast, please do enroll in my Patron.