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Explore every episode of the podcast The Full of Beans Podcast

Dive into the complete episode list for The Full of Beans Podcast. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
Holding Two Truths: When Eating Disorder Care Both Helps and Harms with Dr Tanya Frances06 Jul 202600:46:29

Have you ever sat in a treatment room and felt like the real you was completely invisible, like the system was so focused on your weight, your behaviours, your diagnosis, that it forgot there was a whole person underneath? This episode is for you.

This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Tanya Francis, a research psychologist, lecturer at the Open University, and psychotherapist in private practice, who also brings her own lived experience of an eating disorder to this conversation.

Tanya's background is in domestic violence research and gender-based violence, and the more she looked at how systems respond when someone is harmed, the more she saw uncomfortable parallels with eating disorder care.

In this episode, we explore:

  • What iatrogenic harm means and why care systems can sometimes cause harm
  • The role of BMI and weight in treatment,
  • How rigid care centralising numbers can reinforce eating disorder logic
  • How weight stigma in healthcare shuts people out before they've even begun
  • The culture of mistrust around eating disorders and the damage it does
  • Why people pleasing in treatment can look like recovery but lead straight back to relapse
  • Moral injury and what happens when clinicians can't act on their own values
  • Tanya's own experience of not being believed in her body during inpatient care
  • Why truly humanising care is both simpler and more complex than it sounds
  • How two things can be true at once, e.g. a broken system and incredible people working within it

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⚠️ Content Note: This episode contains discussions of eating disorder treatment, inpatient care, and iatrogenic harm. Please take care of yourself while listening.

People Pleasing and Finding Commitment in Eating Disorder Recovery with Sarah Parker29 Jun 202600:40:28

Have you ever found yourself trying to balance the needs of your eating disorder, your treatment team, your family, and somewhere in the middle of all of that, completely losing sight of yourself? This episode is for you.

This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Sarah Parker, a psychotherapist based in West Yorkshire, who brings both professional expertise in eating disorder therapy and her own lived experience of fifteen years of anorexia.

Sarah knows firsthand how people pleasing can keep you stuck in recovery, doing all the right things, saying all the right things, but doing it for everyone else rather than for yourself. That can be motivating to start with, but after time, motivation can fade and a true commitment to recovery is required.

In this episode, we explore:

  • Sarah's own experience of anorexia and what kept her stuck for so long
  • Sarah's experience of detainment, tube feeding, and how collaboration changed this
  • How people pleasing shaped Sarah's experience of treatment
  • Why bringing out the rebel can be more supportive than praising compliance in recovery
  • The difference between motivation and commitment in eating disorder recovery
  • Why commitment helps long-term recovery more than motivation
  • How to keep going on the days when every part of you is telling you not to
  • Why anger can actually be a sign that recovery is working
  • The role of compassion in recovery

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⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anorexia, detainment and tube feeding. Please take care while listening.

Challenging What We Know About OSFED and UFED with Dr Ruth Cruickshank22 Jun 202600:43:19

Have you ever felt like your eating disorder didn't have a name, or that what you were going through just didn't quite fit? This episode is for you.

This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Dr Ruth Cruickshank, Associate Professor at Royal Holloway, University of London. Ruth has a background in French literature, but has carved out a truly unique space in eating disorder research, using her expertise in critical reading, food studies and her own lived experience of OSFED to ask the questions that others simply aren't asking.

Ruth is the only academic in the humanities working on OSFED, and she is doing extraordinary work to challenge why the most common eating disorder diagnosis remains so systemically overlooked.

In this episode, we explore:

  • How Ruth's career took her from French literature and advertising to eating disorder research
  • How representations of food in fiction carry deeper psychological and cultural meanings
  • What OSFED is and why it matters that so many people have never heard of it
  • Why OSFED and UFED remain under-researched despite being the most common eating disorder diagnoses
  • The danger of diagnostic criteria focused on weight and behaviour rather than distress and daily impact
  • Why not having a name for your experience can be so isolating and why that validation matters
  • The "not sick enough" narrative and how diagnostic language can keep people stuck
  • Whether a truly person-centred approach to eating disorder treatment could change everything
  • What Ruth wants anyone to know if they've never been able to name their experience

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⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of OSFED, anorexia, bulimia, and the difficulty of language in eating disorder treatment. Please take care while listening.

Eating Disorders, Relationships and Finding Your Way Back to Each Other with Charlotte Jefferson15 Jun 202600:38:42

When an eating disorder enters a relationship, it doesn’t just affect one person; it changes the space between you. This episode explores how.

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, I’m joined by Charlotte Jefferson, psychotherapist and founder of CRJ Therapy, to explore how eating disorders impact relationships, communication, intimacy, and trust.

In this conversation, Charlotte brings a relational lens to eating disorders, something that can quietly shape connection, closeness, and the way we show up with one another. We explore what happens when fear takes over in relationships, how communication can begin to break down, and why connection can feel so hard to hold onto during recovery.

Because eating disorders don’t just affect the individual, they affect the relationship, too.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • How eating disorders impact romantic relationships, families, and friendships
  • Why food is deeply tied to connection, culture, and social life
  • The role of fear, silence, and “getting it wrong” in relationships
  • How partners and parents can slip into caring roles
  • Why communication can break down during eating disorder recovery
  • The impact on intimacy, closeness, and trust
  • The importance of curiosity and honesty in difficult conversations
  • Why wider support networks matter when supporting someone with an eating disorder
  • What relationship disconnection can look like
  • Gentle ways to begin rebuilding connection and trust

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⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, relationship challenges, and emotional distress. Please take care while listening.

Finding Your Way Through Social Media, Fitness Culture and Plant-Based Eating in Recovery with Sophie Macfie08 Jun 202600:50:28

Have you ever found yourself struggling to navigate social media in recovery, comparing, doom scrolling, and falling into patterns you thought you'd left behind? This episode is for you.

This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Sophie Macfie, founder of Soph's Plant Kitchen, cookbook author, and personal trainer, who shares her own experience of disordered eating and how she's built a life that genuinely nourishes her in every sense of the word.

We also talk about the complicated relationship between wellness culture, the fitness industry, and recovery, and why it can be so hard to tell the difference between what's helping and what isn't.

In this episode, we explore:

  • Sophie's own experience of disordered eating and what helped her turn a corner
  • Why social media can feel so triggering in eating disorder recovery
  • How plant-based eating can be a genuine expression of values, and when it isn't
  • The fitness industry, body ideals and why aesthetics can be a trap
  • The "strong not skinny" movement, where it lands and where it falls short
  • Why what you're drawn to on social media can signal where you are in your recovery
  • Responsibility for harmful content online: the person posting or the person scrolling?
  • Why defining yourself by one thing, however healthy it looks, can keep you stuck
  • The importance of rest and slowing down in eating disorder recovery

Please note that everyone's recovery journey is completely individual. The topics we discuss in this episode may not be appropriate for everyone and should always be explored as part of your own personalised recovery journey, ideally alongside your treatment team. We are all at different stages, and that is something to be honoured, not rushed.

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⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, plant-based eating and exercise. Please take care while listening.

Hope, Belief, Freedom and Forever After 40 years of Anorexia with Andrea Stroud01 Jun 202601:00:28

Have you ever thought you've spent too long ill with an eating disorder, that there's just no way you can recover from an eating disorder? If that's you, this episode is for you.

This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Andrea Stroud, mum to Joshua, Jacob and Tommy who has lived with anorexia, in secret, for over 40 years. Andrea hopes that by sharing her story and the reality of living with an eating disorder and its impact on family life, she can give others hope that it’s never too late to recover.

We also talk about years of missed red flags from medical professionals, the moment Andrea said "I am actually quite unwell," and what has made eating disorder recovery feel different this time around.

In this episode, we explore:

  • How growing up in a weight-focused family left Andrea feeling different from everyone around her
  • How gymnastics, dance and athletics brought an early focus on appearance and comparison
  • The missed red flags across years of medical appointments, from gynaecology to gastroenterology
  • How dismissal by healthcare professionals reinforced the belief of not being sick enough
  • The study day that finally gave Andrea permission to say she was actually quite unwell
  • How Andrea opened up to her son Josh after 40 years of silent struggles
  • Going back into treatment, and why this time felt different
  • Why rigid meal plans can work against the very thing eating disorder recovery needs
  • What mental hunger is and how it can be misunderstood in treatment
  • Opposite actions as a practical tool for challenging eating disorder thoughts
  • Why food is about more than fuel, it is connection, presence and belonging
  • Why Andrea's word for long-term anorexia recovery is connection

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anorexia and disordered eating. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The Intersectionality of Eating Disorders, Neurodivergence & LGBTQIA+ with Dr Lauren Lovegood25 May 202600:44:44

Have you ever felt like you’re constantly trying to "fit into a box" that just wasn't made for you?

This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, Han is joined by Dr. Lauren Lovegood, a psychologist who specialises in the intersection of Eating Disorders, Neurodiversity (ADHD/Autism), and the LGBTQ+ community.

We talk about the "internal sense of difference" that so many of us feel growing up and how, sometimes, an eating disorder can sneak in as a way to find control, "mask" our true selves, or even seek out that much-needed dopamine.

In this episode, we explore:

  • The Treatment Spectrum: Why anorexia is actually a much smaller piece of the ED puzzle than society thinks.
  • Identity & Belonging: The unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community and how gender-affirming care can coexist with a healthy body image.
  • The Neurodivergent Brain: Why "Executive Function" makes university transitions so tricky and why your "fidgety brain" might be driving your food behaviours.
  • Gender Affirming Care: We discuss the desire to align our physical bodies with our internal identity.
  • The Glorification of Weight Loss: Exploring the challenges of restrictive behaviours in the queer community to cause a more "feminine" or "masculine" look.
  • Identity Roles & Stereotypes: How to find where we belong without fuelling obsession with our appearance.
  • ARFID & Sensory Safety: Understanding why "beige foods" feel safe and how to branch out without the fear and force gently.
  • The Low Self-Esteem Trap: How external pressure to be "disciplined" can fuel the eating disorder voice.

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, body image, neurodiversity, gender and sexuality. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Navigating Exercise During Eating Disorder Recovery with Dr Amit Mistry18 May 202600:35:31

We often view exercise as the "golden ticket" for mental health, but for those navigating eating disorders, the line between movement and compulsion is incredibly thin.

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, Han is joined by Dr. Amit Mistry, a Consultant Sports Psychiatrist at the Nightingale Hospital. Amit brings a unique dual perspective to the table, advocating for the robust mental health benefits of physical activity while managing the high-stakes clinical risks of over-exercise in inpatient eating disorder settings.

We explore why exercise shouldn't be a "black or white" conversation and how we can reintroduce movement without falling back into the trap of rigidity.

In this episode, we talk about:

  • The Biopsychosocial Model: How sport serves as "fertiliser for the brain" while providing self-mastery and social connection.
  • The Social Media Myth: Why we need to challenge the "exercise is all you need" narrative and replace it with a multi-pronged approach to mental health.
  • Inpatient Realities: The difficult balance of prioritising physical stability (cardiovascular status and refeeding) while introducing social exercises like yoga or swimming.
  • Exercise as a Spectrum: Identifying when recreational movement crosses the line into a systemic, "drug-like" addiction that impacts bone health and fertility.
  • Red-S vs. Depression: The clinical challenge of distinguishing between relative energy deficiency in sport and primary low mood.
  • The "Elite" Trap: Why 99% of us aren't elite athletes and shouldn't be following the regimented, high-intake/high-output diets we see in our feeds.
  • Diagnostic Switching: Understanding the shift into Orthorexia and why being "high functioning" doesn't mean you aren't in distress.

Something that really stayed with me from this conversation was the idea of Identity vs. Performance. When we strip away the sports and the training, who are we? Recovery isn't about stopping forever; it’s about regaining the autonomy to choose rest without guilt.

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anxiety, restrictive eating and medical trauma. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Thank you to Nightingale Hospital for sponsoring Full of Beans.

New Research: The Suicide Risk Nobody Talks About in Eating Disorders with Dr Una Foye11 May 202600:45:53

Anecdotally, we know there is a correlation between eating disorders and suicide, yet until now, there has been no published research to show that.

This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, Han is joined by Dr Una Foye, a Research Fellow at King's College London, who is leading the qualitative arm of an MQ-funded study exploring why people with eating disorders are at higher risk of suicide and self-harm.

We talk about the groundbreaking, and long overdue, research that finally puts lived experience voices at the centre of this conversation, why the data has always been harder to read than it should be, and what the findings mean for the way we think about treatment, recovery, and care.

In this episode, we explore:

  • The research gap: Why there has been almost no qualitative work asking people with lived experience about the link between eating disorders and suicidality, until now.
  • The hidden statistics: Why deaths connected to eating disorders and suicide are so often recorded under other causes, and what stigma and the historic criminalisation of suicide have to do with it.
  • The complexity of risk: How the eating disorder itself, identity loss, social isolation, and the function it serves can increase suicidal thoughts.
  • Recovery as a risky period: How the removal of support at the point of weight restoration can leave people more vulnerable, not less.
  • Intersectionality and invisibility: How being male, from a minoritised ethnic background, living in a larger body, or being autistic or neurodivergent can compound the risk, and the silence.
  • Siloed services: Why being told "you can't be treated here if you're also self-harming" misses the point entirely, and what holistic, joined-up care could look like instead.
  • Asking the question: Why clinicians are often frightened to ask about suicidality, and why not asking is far more dangerous than asking.
  • Hope in small things: The realisation that support doesn't need to be dramatic - but simple changes and communication can help.
  • Lived experience at the centre: Why Una is so passionate about lived experience and how it is the thing which shapes everything she does.

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, self-harm and suicide. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The Overlap No One Explains Between ADHD, Eating Disorders, and Hypermobility with Dr Jessica Eccles04 May 202600:48:06

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, I’m joined by Dr Jessica Eccles, an award-winning researcher and neurodevelopmental psychiatrist specialising in the links between brain and body, particularly as they relate to hypermobility.

Jessica is an Associate Professor in Brain-Body Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Also, she works in the Sussex NHS Neurodevelopmental Service, where she and colleagues have set up the world’s first Neurodivergent Brain Body Clinic. She has been exploring the intersection between hypermobility, neurodivergence, and mental health since 2009, and is passionate about challenging stereotypes and encouraging curiosity.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • What hypermobility actually is, and why it is about more than being “bendy”
  • The links between ADHD, autism, hypermobility, anxiety, and eating disorders
  • How gut issues, autonomic dysfunction, and interoception may play a role
  • Why body sensations can sometimes be misread as anxiety
  • The connection between proprioception, body awareness, and emotion regulation
  • Why neurodivergent people may be more vulnerable to restrictive eating patterns
  • The importance of looking at the full picture, rather than separating the brain and body

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anxiety, restrictive eating and medical trauma. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

ED Prevention in Schools: Inside the Parliamentary Roundtable with Dr. Hannah Lewis27 Apr 202600:45:53

In this week's episode of Full of Beans, we are joined by Dr. Hannah Lewis, a Postdoctoral Researcher at Queen Mary University of London. Hannah’s work sits at the vital intersection of eating disorder prevention and school-based body image interventions.

We step inside the halls of Westminster to discuss a recent Eating Disorder & Education Roundtable convened by the APPG on Eating Disorders and the Dump the Scales campaign.

Key Discussion Points

  • Inside Parliament: What actually happens at an APPG roundtable? We break down the meeting between researchers, MPs, and stakeholders to push for better school resources.
  • The Evidence is Ready: We have over 20 years of research supporting cognitive dissonance-based interventions (such as the Body Project), yet they are still not standard in the UK curriculum.
  • What the Science Says: A look at why "media literacy" alone isn’t enough to prevent eating disorders and why we need more active, group-based challenges to appearance ideals.
  • Prevention vs. Treatment: Clarifying that prevention isn't about asking teachers to "treat" disorders; it’s about addressing risk factors like body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and appearance anxiety.
  • The 2017 Training Gap: Why a major hurdle remains the lack of specific body image and eating disorder training for Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) during their qualification.
  • The "Sick Enough" Threshold: Discussing how clinical barriers are moving into schools, often preventing young people from getting help until they reach a crisis point.
  • Diversity & Intersectionality: Why "standard" interventions can fail marginalised groups. We discuss the Brown is Beautiful project and the need to adapt the Body Project for South Asian girls.
  • Current School Programmes: Routine weighing in PE lessons, calorie counting as a maths exercise, the policing of "high sugary foods" in lunchboxes and weight loss adverts at school are policies we can change.
  • Neurodiversity & ARFID: Acknowledging that not all eating disorders are driven by body image. We explore the link between Autism, ADHD, and sensory-based eating struggles.
  • The Future: Moving toward an open letter to Parliament and ensuring the outcome of these discussions leads to tangible policy action.

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorder prevention, body dissatisfaction, and mental health policy. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

You Can Eat That: What Growing Up Around Anorexia Taught Me About Food with Joshua Hills22 Apr 202600:48:06

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, I’m joined by Joshua Hills, a nutritionist, sports therapist, and author of You Can Eat That, whose work challenges diet culture and helps people feel calmer, more flexible, and more themselves around food.

Joshua shares how growing up alongside his mum’s experience of anorexia shaped the way he understands food, connection, and recovery.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Joshua’s experience of growing up with a parent with anorexia
  • How his mum’s relationship with food shaped his interest in nutrition
  • Why food is about more than nutrients, and also about connection and enjoyment
  • The difference between helpful nutrition habits and more disordered patterns
  • Why the same behaviour can feel supportive for one person, but unhelpful for another
  • Emotional eating, and why it is not always something to fear
  • Building an “emotional toolbox” rather than relying on one coping strategy
  • How to start making changes around food without going all-or-nothing
  • Why balance looks different for everyone
  • Joshua’s new book, You Can Eat That

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anorexia and disordered eating. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Are Eating Disorders a Form of Addiction? with Jacqui Russon13 Apr 202600:38:47

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, I’m joined by Jacqui Russon, an occupational therapist and accredited DBT therapist, to explore the overlap between eating disorders and addiction.

We talk about the obsessive thinking, shame, rigidity, and emotional pain that can sit beneath both, and what this means for recovery.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The similarities and differences between eating disorders and addiction
  • Why neither are simply a “choice”
  • Obsessive thoughts, rigidity, and compensatory behaviours
  • The role of shame, guilt, and emotional avoidance
  • Why understanding the function of behaviours matters
  • Developing safer, more supportive coping strategies
  • Anger, boundaries, and finding your voice in recovery
  • What occupational therapy actually is (and why it matters)
  • Why recovery needs to involve real-life practice, not just talking

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, addiction and trauma. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Why Blaming Parents Is Hurting Eating Disorder Recovery with Judy Krasna06 Apr 202600:43:15

In this episode, Hannah is joined by Judy Krasna, Executive Director of F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment for Eating Disorders). Judy is a writer and eating disorder advocate based in Israel, and after volunteering for F.E.A.S.T. in multiple capacities, she became the organisation's Executive Director in February 2021.

Judy joins Hannah for a deeply moving and insightful conversation about what it means to be a parent supporting a child through an eating disorder: the isolation, the guilt, the exhaustion, and the incredible power of love and community. Judy also shares her own personal journey, including the tragic loss of her daughter Gavriella, who passed away in 2020 after a 13-year battle with anorexia nervosa.

This one is raw, honest, and so important. We hope it brings comfort and clarity to any parent or loved one who needs it.

In this episode, we talk about:

  • What F.E.A.S.T. is and how it supports families across the world
  • Why eating disorders can be so isolating for parents and carers
  • The damaging impact of parent blame in treatment
  • Why families should be seen as part of the solution, not the problem
  • The long-term impact of trauma on parents supporting a loved one
  • How eating disorders can distort trust, self-trust, and family relationships
  • Why support systems are so important in recovery
  • The challenge of balancing protection with independence
  • What Judy wants parents at breaking point to know
  • Judy's incredibly honest reflections on losing her daughter, Gavriella

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders and suicide. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Bulimia, Compulsive Exercise & Late Neurodivergence Diagnosis with Mel Nelson30 Mar 202600:39:11

In this episode, I'm joined by Mel Nelson, a qualified counsellor, Senior Counsellor at an eating disorder charity (SWEDA), and autism-informed practitioner, to discuss the intersection of undiagnosed neurodiversity, compulsive exercise, and eating disorder behaviours.

Mel spent over 25 years working in the dance and fitness industry before retraining as a counsellor, and she brings together a really rare combination of lived experience and professional expertise. We got into some really honest territory in this one, and I think so many of you are going to hear yourselves in this conversation.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why bulimia stays hidden for so long (and the shame that keeps it that way)
  • The "fitting in" feeling and why it can make an eating disorder so hard to spot
  • How neurodivergence and eating disorders can look so similar from the outside
  • Why routine isn't always just a neurodivergent thing (and how to tell the difference)
  • What compulsive exercise and purging have more in common than people realise
  • The late diagnosis that changed everything, and why it's never too late
  • Why recovery sometimes has to start with the smallest of changes

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, compulsive exercise, bulimia, depression, and neurodivergence. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Understanding the Eating Disorder Voice and Your Values for Recovery with Holly Marsh23 Mar 202600:51:34

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by Holly Marsh, a psychotherapeutic counsellor who specialises in eating disorders in private practice, and someone who also brings her own lived experience of recovery into the room.

Holly shares how, during her own recovery, she often found parts of treatment confusing… especially when they seemed to echo the very voice she was trying to challenge of not being "sick enough". That experience has really shaped how she now thinks about recovery, both personally and professionally.

What We Cover in This Episode

  • What the “eating disorder voice” actually is (and why it can feel confusing)
  • How the eating disorder can shape-shift and mimic your own thoughts
  • The “superpower” feeling and why it can be so hard to let go
  • Why recovery can feel worse before it feels better
  • The role of values in guiding recovery
  • How to start separating your thoughts from the eating disorder
  • The short-term “payoff” that keeps people stuck
  • Navigating relationships and rebuilding trust with loved ones
  • Honesty, identity, and the role of lived experience in recovery and professional work

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anorexia and recovery. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Could Low-Dose Oral Ketamine Support People with Anorexia and Depression? with Professor Hubertus Himmerich16 Mar 202600:35:13

In this episode of the Full of Beans Podcast, I’m joined by Professor Hubertus Himmerich, Consultant Psychiatrist and Reader in Eating Disorders at King’s College London, and the principal investigator of the EDEN study.

The EDEN study is the first study of its kind exploring whether low-dose oral ketamine, compared with placebo, could support people living with both anorexia nervosa and major depressive disorder.

Depression affects around 50% of people with anorexia, and when low mood, anxiety and hopelessness are present, it can make recovery feel incredibly difficult. Traditional antidepressants often don’t work well for people with anorexia, which is why researchers are exploring new approaches.

What We Cover in This Episode

  • Why is depression so common in anorexia nervosa
  • Why SSRIs often don’t work well in this population
  • The science behind ketamine and how it affects brain plasticity
  • Why the EDEN study focuses on improving mood rather than weight
  • How depression can reduce hope and motivation in recovery
  • The difference between medical ketamine treatment and recreational ketamine use
  • How the study has been shaped by people with lived experience
  • Why new treatment approaches needed in the eating disorder field

If you're interested in taking part in the EDEN study, the team are currently recruiting participants! Please email eden@kcl.ac.uk to find out more!

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, depression, ketamine use and mental health treatment.. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Anti-Fat Bias and Weight Inclusive Eating Disorder Treatment with Mel Ciavucco09 Mar 202600:40:43

In this episode of the Full of Beans Podcast, I’m joined by Mel Ciavucco, an integrative counsellor, writer and trainer, to talk about weight stigma and the impact it has on eating disorder treatment and recovery.

This conversation explores something that often sits at the heart of eating disorders but is still too often left unspoken: the fear of weight gain, the internalised beliefs people hold about larger bodies, and the ways those beliefs can show up in therapy, treatment, and recovery.

In this episode, we explore:

  • What weight stigma is and why it matters in eating disorder work
  • Why fear of fatness is often central to eating disorder distress
  • How diet culture and anti-fat bias shape treatment and recovery
  • Why people in larger bodies are often overlooked or misunderstood in services
  • The harm caused by focusing on weight loss instead of relationship with food
  • Why “don’t worry, we won’t let you get fat” is so problematic in treatment
  • The importance of curiosity over reassurance when exploring fear of weight gain
  • How therapists’ own internalised biases can affect ethical practice
  • Why body acceptance and safety are crucial for recovery
  • How self-worth, anger, compassion, and social justice can all play a role in healing

This is such an important conversation about compassion, nuance, and creating a world where recovery feels safer for everybody.

Connect with Us:

Content warning: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, body image, weight stigma, fatphobia, and disordered eating.

Supporting Girls in a Pressured World with Body Image, Puberty & Social Media with Dr Charlotte Markey05 Mar 202600:45:28

Today I’m joined by Dr Charlotte Markey, Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University and a world-leading expert in body image research with over 25 years of research into body image and eating behaviours.

Girls today are facing growing pressures around appearance, and with the rise of social media and the lasting impact of the pandemic, it’s becoming even harder for young people to feel confident and comfortable in their bodies.

Charlotte’s updated book, The Body Image Book for Girls, is designed for ages 9–15 and gives practical, evidence-based tools to help girls understand puberty, navigate social media, challenge body image myths, and build a healthier relationship with their bodies.

If you’re a parent, teacher, clinician, or someone who cares about the pressures young people are growing up with today, this conversation is for you.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why Charlotte released an updated edition, and what’s changed in recent years
  • How shame keeps body image struggles hidden, and why open conversations matter
  • The different body pressures facing girls and boys today
  • Why body image concerns often linger, even in eating disorder recovery
  • Social media as a risk factor and how to make your feed safer
  • Why puberty can be a particularly vulnerable time for girls’ body image
  • How parents and educators can respond: validate first, ask questions, and seek support early

Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Introduction and Charlotte’s background
  • 03:40: Why the book exists and the importance of early support
  • 12:20: Clinical insights: body image and eating disorder recovery
  • 21:35: Social media, algorithms, and taking breaks
  • 30:10: Puberty and body changes
  • 38:35: Supporting young people: what adults can do

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, weight and appearance pressures, puberty, and social media. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Turning Hope Into Action Through Community and Collaboration with Vanessa Longley05 Mar 202600:49:33

In this week's episode of Full of Beans, Han is joined by Vanessa Longley, CEO of BEAT, the UK’s eating disorder charity. Vanessa is also a mum to a 21-year-old who is in recovery, and she brings a deeply compassionate perspective on what it’s really like to support someone you love through an eating disorder.

This conversation was recorded during Eating Disorder Awareness Week, where the theme is community, and it really sits at the heart of this conversation. From the fear carers often carry in silence, to the power of ordinary conversations and shared moments, Vanessa shares what helps people keep going through the hardest days.

If you’re supporting someone with an eating disorder and feeling overwhelmed… if you’re in recovery and rebuilding trust with the people around you… or if you care about improving eating disorder support and services, this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why community can be a powerful protective factor in recovery
  • What carers often carry behind the scenes, and why they need support too
  • The instinct to “rescue” and how to support without letting fear lead
  • Why you don’t need to be an expert in food, you need to be yourself
  • The importance of ordinary conversations and shared interests
  • How modelling a future, a life beyond the illness, supports recovery
  • Why collaboration between charities, clinicians, researchers and lived experience matters
  • How BEAT supports people with eating disorders and those who care about them
  • Vanessa’s message: recovery is possible, and asking for help is the first step

Timestamps:

  • 00:00: Introduction and Vanessa’s role at BEAT
  • 04:30: Vanessa’s personal journey and experience as a parent
  • 10:30: Supporting carers and managing fear
  • 19:30: The role of community and finding support
  • 26:00: Supporting someone day-to-day and staying connected
  • 32:00: Collaboration, research, and improving services
  • 44:00: BEAT resources and where to get help

Resources & Links

  • Visit Beat's Website to find information, phone, webchat, and email support and the helpfinder for eating disorder support in your local area

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, relapse, inpatient care, food restriction, carer stress/anxiety, and mortality risk. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The GLP-1 Conversation: Why Nuance and Psychological Support Matter with Dr Courtney Raspin 16 Feb 202600:39:22

Today I'm joined by Dr Courtney Raspin, a Chartered Counselling Psychologist and Clinical Director of Altum Health, a specialist eating disorders and mental health clinic in London. Courtney has over 25 years of clinical experience, including a decade in one of the NHS's largest eating disorder services.

She's just co-authored a book called The Weight Loss Prescription with psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton (available 26th Feb!) - a book about the psychology of GLP-1 weight loss medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro. Given her background in eating disorders, Courtney has a nuanced perspective on weight loss medications, which I think is really important to hear.

If you’re in eating disorder recovery and feeling unsettled by the rise of GLP-1 medications… if you’ve noticed feelings of jealousy, confusion or fear around them… or if you’re trying to understand where health support ends and diet culture begins, this conversation is for you.

Key Takeaways:

  • How Courtney’s work in eating disorders shaped her approach to weight management
  • The warning signs of high drive for thinness
  • Why weight loss doesn’t automatically improve body image
  • The difference between body neutrality and body positivity
  • Why GLP-1 medications aren’t inherently harmful
  • The risks of unregulated access, online prescribing, and counterfeit medication
  • The various causes of “food noise” and why GLP-1 medications may help
  • What psychological support in weight management actually involves
  • Courtney’s guidance on GLP-1s and eating disorder recovery

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 Courtney’s journey into weight management
  • 05:00 Body neutrality and realistic body image work
  • 08:30 Understanding GLP-1s: benefits, risks and misconceptions
  • 12:00 Food noise and why context matters
  • 16:00 The psychological work behind lasting change
  • 21:00 Health vs the thin ideal
  • 27:00 Tensions within the ED field and professional responses
  • 31:30 What to consider before starting GLP-1s
  • 34:30 Courtney’s book and final advice

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating), restriction, weight loss, GLP-1 medications, and body image. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

A Mother’s Story of Navigating Sensory Sensitivities, ARFID and Family Life with Jo Read09 Feb 202600:36:46

In this episode of Full of Beans, Han is joined by Jo Read, a mum to two daughters, ARFID advocate and 1/3 of 3 Mums 1 Mission ARFID. Jo's youngest daughter, Ethel, is diagnosed with ARFID and is awaiting an autism assessment. Since supporting Ethel through her sensory-based eating difficulties, Jo has poured her energy into raising awareness, because when you’re living it, ARFID can feel unbelievably isolating.

If you’re a parent or carer navigating food fears, sensory sensitivities, “helpful” comments that aren’t helpful, and the constant planning that comes with ARFID, this one is for you. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re responding to a very real, very complex need.

Key Takeaways:

  • The reality of ARFID as a genuine fear that can override hunger
  • Sensory sensitivities (texture, smell, predictability) are at the core of ARFID
  • Why consistency and familiarity make certain foods feel safer
  • The limits of BMI as a marker of health in children with arfid
  • How sensory overload at mealtimes can increase food avoidance
  • The impact of ARFID on family life, routines, siblings and social plans
  • Why “just stop feeding them” advice doesn’t work for ARFID
  • The value of community, advocacy and finding people who understand
  • How progress in ARID can look small but still be meaningful

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 Jo’s story and Ethel’s ARFID diagnosis
  • 02:20 Early Signs of ARFID
  • 05:30 BMI and Nutrition
  • 10:50 Safe foods, Predictability and Super Senses
  • 14:10 The Sensory Overload of Eating
  • 17:00 Family Impact: Days Out, Siblilngs, Friends
  • 20:20 Social Judgement and Support
  • 29:00 Looking Ahead and Slow Progress

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, ARFID. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

A Mother’s Story of Navigating ARFID, Anxiety and Autism with Sarah Woodruff02 Feb 202600:43:33

In this episode of Full of Beans, Hannah is joined by Sarah Woodruff, mum to Grace and 1/3 of the podcast 3Mums1MissionARFID. Sarah co-created the podcast after feeling deeply isolated navigating her daughter’s eating difficulties, wanting to create a space where parents could hear stories that reflected their own and feel less alone.

In this conversation, Sarah shares Grace’s journey in more depth, including the years of uncertainty, dismissal, escalation, and the ongoing reality of supporting a child with ARFID and autism.

This episode is for parents, carers, and SEN professionals who are feeling unheard or wondering whether they’re “overreacting.” It offers reassurance that you’re not imagining it, permission to trust your instincts, and comfort in knowing that others have walked a similar path. Above all, it’s a reminder that ARFID is complex, individual, and never a result of bad parenting.

Key takeaways:

  • What ARFID can look like beyond early childhood
  • Why the term “late-onset ARFID” deserves questioning.
  • How autism, sensory overwhelm and anxiety can affect eating
  • Why emetophobia (fear of vomiting) can make eating feel genuinely unsafe
  • How school stress and transitions can exacerbate ARFID in children
  • How ARFID differs from “fussy eating”
  • How food avoidance can lead to weight loss, distress, or social isolation
  • How lowering pressure around food can support ARFID recovery
  • The power of parental intuition, even when professionals dismiss concerns

Timestamps:

  • 02:50 Grace’s early eating and when things began to change
  • 07:40 Anxiety, school stress, and the escalation of food restriction
  • 10:10 ARFID, emetophobia, and reaching crisis point
  • 13:30 Hospital care, NG tube feeding, and diagnosis
  • 22:50 Autism, masking, and questioning “late-onset” ARFID
  • 29:00 What helped: reducing pressure and rebuilding safety
  • 36:20 A message for parents who are questioning themselves

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, ARFID, NG tube feeding. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

A Mother’s Story of Navigating ARFID, Choking Fears and PEG Feeding with Michelle Jacques26 Jan 202600:55:02

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Michelle Jacques. Michelle is a devoted mum of two who has lived with ARFID since her son started weaning. Through her own experience of supporting her son with ARFID, she has become a passionate advocate, working tirelessly to raise awareness and support others navigating life with this complex food intake disorder. She is the founder of @arfid_life_uk, where she raises awareness of ARFID by sharing her family's experience.

This episode holds space for the grief, the guilt, the fight, and also the hope, including the unexpected shift Michelle has seen as her son’s body becomes nourished again.

This week, we discuss:

  • What ARFID can look like and how it can go beyond “picky eating.”
  • How sensory differences, autistic eating, and ARFID can overlap
  • How illness can trigger choking fears and a trauma response that reinforces food avoidance
  • What it’s like when a child’s intake drops to just a couple of “safe” items
  • What a PEG (gastrostomy tube) is and how PEG feeding can support ARFID
  • The emotional impact of PEG decisions for parents, including grief andguilt
  • Why nutrition can change anxiety, rigidity, and capacity
  • The role of advocacy in ARFID awareness
  • How to document ARFID symptoms to report to a doctor

Timestamps:

  • 03:10 Sensory differences, autism, and how ARFID developed over time
  • 07:40 Illness, choking fears, and how trauma can collapse food intake
  • 09:15 Hospitalisation: constipation and appendix surgery
  • 18:30 What a PEG is (and what people often misunderstand about it)
  • 29:40 How PEG feeding can support ARFID
  • 41:30 Guilt, grief, and learning to let the feelings exist
  • 45:10 ARFID Advocacy work

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, ARFID, NG tube feeding. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Voices of Experience in Eating Disorders with Kel O'Neill19 Jan 202600:46:55

Kel O’Neill is a UK-based counsellor, educator, researcher, and lived-experience advocate specialising in eating disorders. She is the founder of Mental Health Bites, creator of The Eating Disorder Recovery Companion, and the curator of VOXED – Voices of Experience in Eating Disorders. Kel’s work focuses on ethical, trauma-informed practice, challenging stigma, and bridging the gap between lived experience and professional knowledge.

This week, we discuss:

  • What VoxED is and why Kel created it.
  • Why eating disorder education often feels inaccessible, and what VoxED is doing differently.
  • How VoxED broadens “lived experience” to include clinicians, carers, researchers and community voices.
  • Why lived experience shouldn’t be tokenistic, and how it can be valued as expertise.
  • Why the eating disorder field needs shared spaces for nuanced, difficult conversations.
  • How recovery goes beyond food and weight to identity, meaning and living.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00: What is VoxED?
  • 02:10 :Where did the idea began (EDAW 2021)
  • 05:10: Who's speaking at VoXED
  • 06:40: Moving beyond “tick-box” lived experience
  • 08:10: The purpose of VoxED: shared space + shared power
  • 14:40: Why change has been slow in eating disorders (and what’s missing)
  • 21:10: Recovery beyond food and weight: identity, meaning, and living
  • 42:10: VoxED details: date, access, recordings, and low-cost tickets

VoxED conference details:

  • Date: Friday 13th February
  • Format: Fully online (9:00–18:30, with breaks)
  • Tickets: self-select pricing options £20 / £37 / £50

Resources & Links

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

3 Mum’s 1 Mission ARFID (Part 1) with Michelle Jacques, Sarah Woodruff and Jo Read12 Jan 202600:53:03

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Michelle Jacques, Sarah Woodruff and Jo Read. Together, they are the hosts of 3Mums1MissionARFID, which is on a mission to raise awareness regarding ARFID as a result of their experience of navigating their own experience of supporting their children with ARFID.

This week, we discuss:

  • What ARFID is and how it differs from “fussy eating”
  • How sensory sensitivity, gag reflexes, and nervous system overload affect eating
  • How fear of choking and emetophobia (fear of vomiting) can drive food avoidance
  • How illness and medical trauma can cause sudden drops in food intake
  • What it feels like to parent a child with ARFID, including guilt, grief, and constant vigilance
  • How dismissal and judgment from professionals and others impact families
  • What an ARFID diagnosis can offer, and where support often still falls short
  • How NG and PEG feeding can become part of ARFID care and the complex emotions that come with it
  • How school stress, anxiety, and social pressures can contribute to late-onset ARFID
  • Why peer connection and lived-experience support are so powerful for parents

Timestamps:

  • 04:20 Why they started Three Mums One Mission: ARFID
  • 11:00 Jo: sensory sensitivity, gag reflex, and “typical” feeding advice that didn’t fit
  • 20:50 Michelle: illness triggers, supplements, and PEG feeding
  • 32:00 Sarah: late-onset ARFID, school anxiety, crisis point + hospital experience

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, ARFID, NG tube feeding. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

How Hypnotherapy Can Support Disordered Eating Recovery with Melanie Davies05 Jan 202600:40:02

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, Hannah is joined by Melanie Davies, a sleep and stress consultant and clinical hypnotherapist, to explore how hypnotherapy can support anxiety regulation, emotional overwhelm, and disordered eating patterns.

Together, Hannah and Melanie unpack what hypnotherapy actually involves, how it works with the emotional and unconscious mind, and why nervous-system-based approaches may help when behaviour-focused treatments feel limiting or incomplete.

This week, we discuss:

  • What clinical hypnotherapy is and how it differs from stage hypnosis
  • Hypnosis as a naturally occurring state of focused attention
  • The role of the unconscious mind in habits, urges, and emotional eating
  • Anxiety, stress responses, and food-related coping behaviours
  • Emotional regulation as a foundation for sustainable habit change
  • Hypnotherapy as a complementary approach alongside existing treatment
  • Using imagination to support neural rewiring and behaviour change
  • Anchoring techniques to support self-soothing and nervous system calming
  • Evidence and emerging research in hypnotherapy, disordered eating, and IBS
  • Ethical practice, contraindications, and the importance of assessment

Timestamps

  • 02:10 – Why hypnosis isn’t “mind control” and what actually happens in session
  • 05:40 – Focused attention, suggestibility, and everyday hypnotic states
  • 09:10 – Emotional drivers of binge urges, restriction, and food noise
  • 13:30 – Individualised treatment and why one-size-fits-all approaches fall short
  • 16:50 – Reconnecting with bodily cues, fullness, and interoceptive awareness
  • 20:30 – Supporting long-term change: maintenance, self-hypnosis, and autonomy
  • 24:10 – Calming cortisol, anchors, and nervous system retraining
  • 27:50 – Clinical evidence: bulimia, impulsive eating, IBS and the gut-brain axis
  • 33:20 – Integration with medical care, ethics, and suitability
  • 36:00 – Accessing support and next steps

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, disordered eating behaviours, anxiety, and binge eating. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Zara’s Story & The APPG Report: Preventing Eating Disorder Deaths29 Dec 202500:40:59

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, Hannah is joined by Debs Taylor, mum to Zara Taylor, to talk about Zara’s life, her battle with anorexia, and the new APPG report on preventing deaths from eating disorders, which is dedicated to Zara.

Debs is the Operations and Project Manager at Dump the Scales CIC, bringing a unique blend of lived experience, organisational expertise, and campaign passion to the team. As a devoted parent and carer with over a decade supporting her daughter through an eating disorder, she has become a dedicated advocate for improved awareness, support, and systemic change. Debs also serves on the UK FEAST Executive team and represents FEAST within the Wales Eating Disorders Clinical Implementation Network.

This conversation is a tribute to Zara’s kindness, courage and determination to recover, and a call for urgent change in how eating disorders are understood and treated.

This week, we discuss:

  • Zara's experience of anorexia and her diagnosis journey
  • Zara's treatment experience of a decade of inpatient admissions
  • Why being labelled “complex” triggered a sense of hopelessness
  • Zara's motivation to recover and lack of clinical support
  • The preventable loss of Zara and the devastation for her family
  • A look Inside the APPG “Prevention of Deaths” report
  • Calls for a national strategy, proper training and real accountability

Timestamps

  • 05:00 – Zara’s early life, character, and dreams for the future
  • 10:00 – First signs of illness, delayed diagnosis and early admissions
  • 18:00 – Years in inpatient units: isolation, tube feeding and lack of continuity
  • 24:00 – “Complex cases”, blame, and the impact of hopeless language
  • 31:00 – Zara’s growing wish to recover and barriers to appropriate care
  • 36:00 – Zara’s death, the inquest, and why Debs believes it was preventable
  • 44:00 – Inside the APPG “Prevention of Deaths” report and its main asks
  • 52:00 – How listeners can support the campaign and honour Zara’s legacy

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here
  • Listen on YOUTUBE here

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders and suicide. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The New Maudsley Approach - Support Eating Disorder Carers with Jenny Langley 22 Dec 202500:46:35

In this week's episode, Hannah is joined by Jenny Langley, an advocate in the eating disorder community. After supporting her son through anorexia 20 years ago, Jenny has dedicated her life to making sure families feel informed, empowered, and never alone.

For over 15 years, Jenny has worked with the Eating Disorders Research team at the Institute of Psychiatry and is trained in the New Maudsley Model, where she now coaches carers, trains clinicians, and delivers practical skills workshops. She is co-author of the New Maudsley Skills-Based Training Manual and writer of Boys Get Anorexia Too, a book that has helped countless families feel seen.

This week, we discuss:

  • What it’s really like to support a child through anorexia as a parent
  • The shock, guilt, shame many carers describe
  • Early inpatient treatment, trauma, and learning on the job as a family
  • The New Maudsley approach for supporting family dynamics
  • The animal metaphors (rhino, kangaroo, jellyfish, terrier, ostrich, dolphins, St Bernard)
  • Why carers’ self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essential
  • The unique role of dads and male carers
  • Relapse, “safety behaviours” and why recovery often looks more like discovery

Carers matter. Families matter. And with the right support, they can be powerful allies in recovery – not by being perfect, but by staying, learning and loving through the mess.

Timestamps:

01:20 – Jenny’s Story

05:30 – Emotions Felt By Parents and Carers

11:00 – Externalising the eating disorder as “Rex”

16:40 –The New Maudsley Approach

28:20 – Animal Metaphors and Carer Styles

41:00 – Treatment Trauma, NG Feeding and Post-Discharge

55:10 – Dads, Male Carers and Keeping Communication Open

Resources & Links

  • Connect with Jenny visit her website

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here
  • Listen on YOUTUBE here

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Creating an Eating Disorder Recovery-Friendly Christmas with Alix Walker15 Dec 202500:37:54

In this week's episode, Hannah is joined by Alix Walker. Alix is an eating disorder counsellor and coach, and a wellbeing speaker, who works with clients to overcome eating and body image difficulties following on from her own personal experience.

This week's festive episode brings a real perspective of being in recovery at Christmas, with advice on how to navigate this season that isn't just a few quick tips that feel like they diminish the struggles of Christmas.

This week, we discuss:

  • Common challenges Alix supports her clients with during the festive period
  • The pressure and overwhelm caused by Christmas markets
  • Making recovery-focused decisions when challenging your eating disorder
  • Giving yourself permission to engage in what feels right to you
  • Finding compassion for others who are also stuck in diet culture thought patterns
  • Visiting home for Christmas and experiencing emotional triggers
  • Finding time for reflection or space during the festive season
  • Redefining what Christmas means to you and making it what you need
  • The impact of social media on your own Christmas experience

Timestamps:

  • 01:20: Common Eating Disorder Struggles at Christmas
  • 03:20: Christmas Markets and Knowing When to Challenge
  • 06:13: Managing Guilt After Social Events
  • 07:41: Navigating Work Parties
  • 10:47: Finding Balance and Compassion
  • 14:17: Navigating Diet Talk
  • 16:57: Handling Comments from Family Members
  • 23:05: Taking Responsibility for Triggers
  • 26:29: Finding Personal Space
  • 29:14: Redefining the Meaning of Christmas Away from Social Media

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here
  • Listen on YOUTUBE here

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

“Just 1 or 2 People” #DyingForTreatment with Ailidh Musgrave 08 Dec 202500:47:45

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, I’m joined by Ailidh Musgrave, an eating disorder campaigner, whose story spans years of misdiagnosis, medical trauma, and being repeatedly told she was “too complex” to treat.

Ailidh was diagnosed with anorexia at 13, and spent her teens and early adulthood in a cycle of nine inpatient admissions, severe depression, self-harm, sepsis, multiple surgeries and even temporary paralysis. Alongside her eating disorder, she lives with autism and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which went misunderstood or dismissed for years.

Now, two years out of hospital, back in education and moving in with her partner, Ailidh is using her experience to push for safer, more compassionate care and to challenge the Assisted Dying Bill through the #DyingForTreatment campaign.

In this conversation, Ailidh shares what it’s like to be rejected from over 20 hospitals, labelled “too complex”, and still find her way back to life – and why she believes no one with anorexia should ever be put on a palliative pathway.

This week, we discuss:

  • Misdiagnosis, gastrointestinal symptoms and the long road to an EDS diagnosis
  • The dramatic shift from CAMHS to adult services
  • How autism and neurodivergence were misunderstood in eating disorder treatment
  • Being turned away by over 20 hospitals and the “postcode lottery” of care
  • Why Ailidh is speaking out against the Assisted Dying Bill and the risk for people with anorexia
  • The power of time, trust and being truly listened to in recovery
  • How her mum held onto hope when she couldn’t – and why hope is the most important thing clinicians can offer

Lived experience and family perspectives are essential if we want eating disorder care to be truly compassionate, person-centred and safe. Ailidh’s story is a powerful reminder that no one is beyond help, no matter how long or how complex their journey has been.

Timestamps:

  • 01:20 – Ailidh's Experience of Inpatient Admissions
  • 05:50 – CAMHS vs Adult Inpatient Care
  • 09:40 – Autism and Misunderstanding
  • 14:10 – EDS Diagnosis and Medical Trauma
  • 18:30 – 9 Admissions in 13 Years
  • 24:20 – Community Aftercare and Service Gaps
  • 29:00 – Concerns About The Assisted Dying Bill
  • 36:40 – Finding Internal Motivation For Recovery
  • 43:10 – The Impact On Family

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here
  • Listen on YOUTUBE here

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

From Eating Disorder Patient to Peer Researcher with Anna Carnegie01 Dec 202500:50:11

In this week's episode, Hannah is joined by Anna Carnegie. Anna is a Research Fellow at KCL, where she coordinates the Eating Disorders Clinical Research Network (or "EDCRN") and lends support to the UK Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (or "EDGI UK").

Alongside her academic role, Anna brings her own lived experience of OCD, anorexia, and long-term recovery. She now uses that experience to shape research, advocate for better funding, and push for eating disorder studies that truly centre the people they’re supposed to help.

This week, we discuss:

  • The huge funding gap in eating disorder research and why it matters
  • What EDCRN and EDGI UK are, and how they’re trying to answer basic questions about “what works”
  • Genetics, metabolism, and why there is no single “eating disorder gene”
  • The emotional burden and boundaries of working as a peer researcher
  • Anna’s journey through OCD, anorexia, and treatment in Ireland and the UK
  • How lived experience can shape research design, language, and priorities
  • The life-changing impact of an NHS admission that focused on life goals, not just weight
  • Why one-size-fits-all treatment doesn’t work and the need for truly individualised care

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 – Introducing Anna and her roles at King’s, EDCRN & EDGI UK
  • 04:00 – The reality of underfunding in eating disorder research
  • 08:30 – Lived experience, stigma, and language in research settings
  • 14:00 – Peer research, boundaries, and “naming the elephant in the room”
  • 20:00 – Anna’s story: OCD in childhood, anorexia in adolescence, and treatment in Dublin
  • 37:00 – What EDCRN does and why standardised outcome data is so important
  • 42:00 – Genetics, vulnerability, the “jar” analogy, and prevention
  • 46:00 – One-size-fits-all treatment, neurodiversity, and hopes for the future of ED care

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders and OCD. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Veganism, Pregnancy and the Pursuit of “Health”: The Reality Behind Orthorexia with Zoë Harwood24 Nov 202500:49:13

In this week's episode of Full of Beans, Han is joined by Zoë Harwood. Zoë is the founder of Light Minds Collective, a compassionate and soul-centred coaching space dedicated to helping individuals heal from low self-confidence, eating disorders, and poor body image.

With over 20 years of experience in mindset coaching within the dance industry and beyond, Zoë combines holistic and creative approaches to guide clients towards living with confidence, integrity, and purpose.

Drawing on her own lived experience of orthorexia, which complicated her pregnancy and led to hyperemesis and a difficult delivery, Zoë now uses her journey to raise awareness of eating disorders in pregnancy and beyond, and to empower others to find food freedom and authentic self-worth.

This week, we discuss:

  • How the pursuit of “health” can mask deep fear and anxiety
  • The overlap between orthorexia and OCD behaviours
  • The role of veganism and “clean eating” in fuelling obsessive food rules
  • Zoë's experience of hyperemesis and pregnancy while living with orthorexia
  • How shame, guilt, and self-blame show up in motherhood and recovery
  • The importance of curiosity and compassion when “healthy habits” become harmful

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 – Zoë's background in dance and early relationship with food
  • 04:00 – The fear of illness that fuelled her obsession with “health”
  • 08:00 – When veganism and clean eating became orthorexia
  • 12:00 – Understanding orthorexia as a form of OCD
  • 17:00 – Pregnancy, hyperemesis, and refusing medical treatment
  • 24:00 – Shame, guilt and the impact on motherhood
  • 31:00 – Finding recovery and redefining “healthy”
  • 38:00 – Advice for those struggling during pregnancy or with orthorexia

Resources & Links

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, orthorexia, pregnancy complications, and medical trauma. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The Importance of Shared Care for Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating with Dr Tomos Williams17 Nov 202500:39:55

In this week's episode of the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Dr Tomos Williams. Tom has worked in the CWP Eating Disorder Service since May 2022. He works across community and specialist inpatient settings. He is the Psychiatric lead in the regional Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating Clinic, the local MEED lead, and also works with patients with complex presentations, acting as a link person for local acute trusts. He is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatry Eating Disorder Faculty Executive Committee.

This week, we discuss:

  • What T1DE is, and why “diabulimia” is an outdated term
  • The life-threatening risks of insulin omission
  • How eating disorders and diabetes treatment often conflict
  • Why T1DE clinics are essential, but underfunded
  • The role of eating disorder and diabetes professionals
  • What joined-up, trauma-informed care looks like
  • The outcomes and success of T1DE pilots
  • The urgent need for political support to save these services

Timestamps:

  • 01:30 – What is Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating (T1DE)
  • 04:00 – Medical risks associated with insulin omission
  • 08:50 – Building the T1DE clinic & lack of national funding
  • 13:10 – The power of a multi-disciplinary team
  • 18:40 – Early signs of T1DE and what clinicians should look for
  • 22:10 – Impact of trauma & perfectionism in diabetes
  • 25:00 – Outcomes & HbA1c improvements
  • 29:00 – Barriers to insulin pump access
  • 33:20 – Can you recover from EDs while managing diabetes?

Resources & Links:

Want to help save T1DE services?

Write to your local MP and demand continued funding. Mention the NHS England pilot outcomes and the need for integrated care for patients with type 1 diabetes and eating disorders.

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses lived experiences of eating disorders, restrictive behaviours, and mentions of specific foods. Please take care when listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Is "Late Onset Eating Disorder" the Right Term? with Logan Strouther10 Nov 202500:44:47

In this week's episode of Full of Beans, Han is joined by Logan Strather, integrative psychotherapist, clinical lead at an eating disorder charity in Nottinghamshire, and co-founder of Garden Room Therapy.

Logan first explored late-onset eating disorders (LOED) during his undergraduate research and now works directly with clients experiencing these challenges first-hand.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Is “late-onset eating disorder” the right term?
  • What the research (or lack thereof) tells us about age and onset
  • Hormonal and neurological factors (e.g., menopause, oestrogen, impulse control)
  • How medical weight stigma contributes to missed diagnoses
  • Eating disorders in care homes and older adults
  • The emotional toll of shame, grief, and moral incongruence
  • Gendered assumptions and the underrepresentation of men
  • What needs to change in treatment models for older adults

Timestamps:

  • 01:30 – What does “late-onset ED” actually mean?
  • 05:00 – Hormones, menopause & appetite regulation
  • 08:00 – Weight stigma in healthcare
  • 12:00 – Life transitions & ED vulnerability in older age
  • 25:00 – Men and late-onset eating disorders
  • 30:00 – Neurodivergence and late diagnosis
  • 34:00 – Adapting treatment for older adults
  • 40:00 – What needs to change in research & services

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions around eating disorder behaviours, weight stigma, menopause and grief, and care homes. Please take care when listening.

Resources & Links:

  • @gardenroomtherapy on Instagram
  • Freed Recovery (Nottinghamshire charity service) – rebranding soon!

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The Role of Intention in Recovery with Eric Pothen03 Nov 202500:46:22

In this week's episode of Full of Beans, Han is joined by Eric Pothen. Eric is a Certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coach and an eating disorder advocate who serves on the Peer Council for the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and the Community Engagement Committee for the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). After struggling with an eating disorder for several years, Eric now uses his lived experience to raise awareness and support others on their recovery journeys, particularly around eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image, with a special focus on men.

Eric is currently pursuing a degree in Counselling at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, to become an eating disorder therapist, specialising in working with men and the LGBTQ+ community.

In this week's episode, we discuss:

  • Navigating shame, identity, and the onset of an eating disorder
  • Why recovery can feel messy
  • Reframing exercise and “food is fuel” in recovery
  • Recovery perfectionism vs. authentic recovery
  • Supporting individuals as people first, not by gender stereotypes
  • The hidden and under-discussed behaviour of chewing and spitting
  • The importance of intention and reframing in long-term recovery
  • Understanding the intersectionality of identity in ED support

Timestamps:

  • 03:00 – Eating disorder onset: identity, stress & sadness
  • 08:00 – Shame & internalised stigma for men
  • 12:00 – People pleasing and external validation
  • 18:00 – Compulsive exercise & social reinforcement
  • 22:00 – Recovery as rewiring: food, movement & intention
  • 27:00 – The messiness of recovery & doing it solo
  • 30:00 – Alcohol, chewing/spitting & hidden behaviours
  • 34:00 – Marathon training: helpful or harmful?
  • 40:00 – Intersectionality and seeing the person, not the gender

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains detailed discussions of eating disorder behaviours including anorexia, compulsive exercise, chewing and spitting, and alcohol use. Please take care whlist listening.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Check out our website here

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

50 Shades of Grey on Eating Disorder Myths with Anne Richardson27 Oct 202500:45:33

In this week's episode of Full of Beans Han is joined by Anne Richardson. Anne is a Registered Nutritional Therapist, lecturer and supervisor. She has been practising for more than ten years and exclusively works in the field of disordered eating. Anne suffered with anorexia in her teens and now draws from her lived experience to blend her knowledge of nutrition with her CBT skills. She works with people all over Europe to help them achieve food freedom. She is also invested in helping other practitioners work with disordered eaters as she recognises that general nutritional advice can be extremely damaging to disordered eaters. Anne is also a mum, a maker of all things and especially a keen baker.

This week, we discuss:

  • The truth about eating late at night and weight gain
  • Why your brain needs carbohydrates to sleep
  • The truth about pasta and couscous
  • How black-and-white thinking harms recovery
  • Mental vs. physical hunger: how restriction plays into cravings
  • Normalising emotional eating
  • Finding balanced nutrition in recovery

Timestamps:

  • 05:30 – What a nutritionist does in ED recovery
  • 14:00 – The “don’t eat after 6pm” myth
  • 21:00 – Mental vs physical hunger
  • 30:00 – The truth about fear foods like pasta
  • 39:00 – Why emotional eating isn’t bad
  • 43:00 – Finding balance in recovery

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses lived experiences of eating disorders, restrictive behaviors, and mentions of specific foods. Please take care when listening.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

A Son and Mother's Journey to Anorexia Recovery with Harry & Jacqui Nye20 Oct 202500:54:23

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Harry and his grateful mum, Jacqui, who are the hosts ‘Don't Weight to Change?’ which began following my personal 10+ year battle with anorexia.

By sharing their story, they aimed to help others struggling with mental health issues, especially young boys and men, creating a safe space for candid discussion and support.

Their story is one of honesty, compassion, and the power of connection between parent and child, showing how recovery is not only about healing the individual, but also about transforming relationships and finding hope together.

In this week's episode of Full of Beans, we discuss:

  • Harry’s experience as the first male inpatient on a UK eating disorder ward
  • The impact of gender stereotypes on diagnosis, denial, and support
  • Harry's desire for male support and role models in recovery
  • How exercise addiction and perfectionism mask disordered behaviours
  • The role of family in recovery
  • The trauma and helplessness felt by parents and loved ones
  • Why the New Maudsley Method was a turning point in their recovery journey
  • How the Don’t Wait to Change podcast is helping other men feel seen and heard

Timestamps:

01:58 – Why they started their podcast, Don’t Wait to Change

03:10 – Early signs and unhelpful eating disorder treatment

06:46 – The lack of male-specific ED support

10:27 – Inpatient experience as the only male

15:01 – The role of exercise and compulsive behaviours

22:10 – The impact on family and how they coped

43:02 – How vulnerability strengthened family bonds

49:42 – Why weight doesn't equal wellness

📍 Trigger Warning: This episode discusses eating disorder behaviours, medical trauma, and suicidal ideation. Please take care when listening.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Supporting the Supporters in Eating Disorder Recovery with Harriet Parsons 13 Oct 202500:47:13

This week, I’m joined by the incredible Harriet Parsons, CEO of BodyWhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland.

Harriet is a qualified psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. Alongside her clinical background, she’s passionate about education, advocacy, and making services more accessible and compassionate for carers.

Harriet joins us to discuss how services can better support the families, partners, and carers of people living with eating disorders, and why helping “the system around the person” is just as important as direct treatment.

Together, we explore:

  • The Pillar Programme and how it builds carer resilience
  • How Maudsley Carer Skills can empower families to support recovery
  • The myth of the “perfect carer” and why presence > perfection
  • The importance of meeting carers where they are emotionally
  • Supporting professionals to better understand the carer experience
  • How carers can change their approach to support recovery

Timestamps:

  • 04:25 – Harriet’s pathway into ED work and psychotherapy
  • 08:10 – Understanding the unique needs of carers
  • 13:00 – Pillar Programme: what it is and how it works
  • 19:15 – Maudsley Carer Skills & emotional coaching
  • 24:45 – Why psychoeducation is game-changing
  • 30:40 – What Harriet wishes more professionals knew
  • 36:00 – Moving from “fixing” to “supporting”
  • 41:50 – Final reflections and words of encouragement

⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode discusses eating disorders and caregiving. Please take care while listening.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Making Eating Disorder Services More Inclusive for Men with George Mycock06 Oct 202500:59:14

This week, I’m joined by my dear friend George Mycock, a PhD candidate at the University of Worcester, who is studying men’s help-seeking and access to care for Eating and/or Body Image Psychopathology (EBIP)

George is also involved in several projects, including the Mental Health and Movement Alliance at the charity Mind, the steering group for the National Audit of Eating Disorders and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and co-led a project with the Consider Male Eating Disorders Team from the University of Nottingham and King's College London.

George joins us today to discuss his PhD research, focusing on how to make eating disorder services more accessible for men and his hope for future awareness.

Together, we explore:

  • The presence of imposter syndrome in academia and research
  • The barriers men face when seeking help for eating disorders
  • How services and resources often unintentionally “other” men
  • Muscle dysmorphia, body image pressures, and male experiences of disordered eating
  • George’s work on developing inclusive guidance for services
  • Why hope, awareness, and representation matter for men’s recovery

Timestamps:

  • 01:04 – George's PhD research on men and eating disorders
  • 10:00 – Why terminology matters (EBIP vs eating disorders)
  • 20:00 – Barriers men face in accessing services
  • 30:00 – Research on clinician bias and awareness
  • 40:00 – Developing inclusive guidance with lived experience
  • 55:00 – Why opening up these conversations matters

⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode discusses eating disorders, disordered eating behaviours, and body image concerns. Please listen with care and seek support if you are struggling.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Neurodiversity, Eating Disorder Recovery & Burnout with Remie Colledge 29 Sep 202500:44:58

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Remie Colledge. Remie is a neurodivergent public speaker, trainer and writer, with lived experience of recovery from anorexia. Remie discovered she was autistic many years after her struggle with anorexia began, and she received an even later ADHD diagnosis. Understanding and processing her experiences through a neuroaffirmative lens became a turning point, and a therapeutic part of her recovery journey. Remie is passionate about the value of sharing lived experience in an intentional way, along with working together with others to create a more neuro-inclusive world to live, work and belong, a world that really supports neurodivergent wellbeing.

This week, we discuss:

  • How undiagnosed neurodivergence shaped early eating difficulties
  • Why ED behaviours can become coping strategies for sensory overload
  • How autism & ADHD traits can get entangled with disordered eating
  • Letting go of “perfect recovery” and embracing the grey areas
  • What eating disorder burnout looks and feels like
  • Reconnecting with joy, identity, and special interests in recovery
  • Building a life that works with your neurodivergent brain, not against it

Timestamps:

  • 04:00 – School transitions, sensory overload & early food struggles
  • 12:00 – Control, masking, and the early roots of anorexia
  • 17:00 – Autism, perfectionism & the “myth” of linear recovery
  • 24:00 – Burnout: neurodivergent & ED-related
  • 30:00 – ADHD, hyper-focus, and the illusion of “doing it all”
  • 38:00 – Building a recovery that respects your neurotype
  • 43:00 – Connection, identity & life beyond the ED

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses anorexia, recovery relapse, diagnostic experiences, and burnout. Please take care while listening.

Links and Resources:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The Role of Late Autism Diagnosis in Eating Disorder Recovery and Social Support with James Downs and Marissa Adams23 Sep 202500:54:52

In this week's episode, Han is joined by James Downs and Marissa Adams to discuss their recent publication exploring the link between eating disorders, late-diagnosed autism and social connectedness.

James is a mental health campaigner, peer researcher and expert by experience in eating disorders. He works to develop collaboration across a range of professional and personal perspectives to improve mental health for all. He is also a musician, movement practitioner, and artist.

Together, James and Marissa recently published research exploring the link between eating disorders, late autism diagnosis, and social connectedness.

This week, we discuss:

  • How late autism diagnosis can reframe the story of an eating disorder
  • Why one-size-fits-all eating disorder treatment often fails autistic people
  • The role of masking, misdiagnosis, and co-occurring conditions in ED development
  • Why individualised, neurodiversity-affirming care is essential for recovery
  • How social connection looks different for autistic people (small circles, pets, nature)
  • The importance of creating safe, validating treatment spaces where people can “re-story” identity
  • Why embracing difference can unlock more flexible, compassionate recovery support for everyone

Timestamps:

  • 06:30 – Late diagnosis, masking, and misdiagnosis
  • 13:30 – Inpatient treatment, relapse, and the need for adaptation
  • 18:30 – Making sense of autism post diagnosis
  • 25:00 – Untangling autistic traits and eating disorder behaviours
  • 31:00 – Social connection, pets, and neurodivergent-friendly community in recovery
  • 38:00 – What flexible, individualised treatment can look like
  • 45:00 – Identity, acceptance, and embracing neurodivergence in recovery

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of anorexia, bulimia, relapse, inpatient treatment, and diagnostic experiences.

Read James and Marissa's recent paper [here].

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Exploring the Risks of Unregulated Weight Loss Medications with Rachel Egan15 Sep 202500:38:28

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Rachel Egan. Rachel is a mental health campaigner who has personal experience of anorexia, laxative use, depression and anxiety. Rachel is the Strategic Communications and Marketing Manager for Dump the Scales, a trainer and activist who delivers eating disorder training sessions and has appeared on Sky News, BBC News and has her own column on the Huffington Post, all to improve the understanding of eating disorders

This week, we discuss:

  • Rachel’s experience of anorexia and laxative misuse
  • Why laxative abuse felt like a form of self-punishment
  • The serious physical health risks associated with laxative misuse
  • Rachel’s concerns about GLP-1 weight-loss drugs being marketed to the general public
  • Why GLP-1s could be especially dangerous for people with eating disorders
  • The urgent need for regulation, education, and behavioural support alongside medication
  • How social media, body ideals, and fatphobia influence our health choices
  • Rachel’s optimism about Gen Z and their resistance to appearance pressures

Timestamps:

  • 01:00 – Rachel’s experience of anorexia and laxative misuse
  • 07:00 – The shame and secrecy around bingeing and purging
  • 09:30 – Physical and emotional toll of laxative misuse
  • 13:00 – Recovery journey and finding support
  • 16:30 – Concerns around GLP-1 weight-loss medications and eating disorders
  • 24:00 – The impact of weight stigma, fatphobia, and diet culture
  • 30:00 – The risk of normalising disordered behaviours through medication
  • 34:00 – Body image, steroids, and pressure on young people

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of anorexia, binge eating, laxative abuse and GLP-1 mediations.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Understanding ARFID Through the Lens of Emetophobia with Mollie Campbell08 Sep 202500:35:25

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Mollie Campbell is a lived experience advocate with a history of ARFID. After a misdiagnosis of anorexia and lack of treatment for ARFID, Mollie shares her story to increase awareness to help others who are struggling.

This week, we discuss:

  • Mollie's experience (of lack there of) of ARFID treatment and her anorexia misdiagnosis
  • How emetophobia played a role in Mollie's ARFID
  • The common ARFID misunderstandings that need to be addressed to support ARFID recovery
  • Techniques Mollie has used to increase food variety in her diet
  • The support Mollie received from her GP
  • How Mollie's school helped her during her ARFID recovery

Timestamps:

  • [00:42] - Mollie’s introduction and early experiences with eating disorder services
  • [06:20] - Misdiagnosis of anorexia and why treatment fell short
  • [08:05] - How emetophobia (fear of sickness) played a role in her ARFID
  • [12:00] - Body image and ARFID
  • [23:36] - Helpful strategies: traffic light system & laddering exposure
  • [32:00] - The crucial role of her GP and how they advocated for her
  • [35:30] - Support from teachers and what made the difference
  • [43:33] - Mollie’s advice for young people with ARFID and those supporting them

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of ARFID, anorexia, self harm and suicide.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The Illusion of Healing Binge Eating Disorder with Weight Loss Medication with Marcelle Rose01 Sep 202500:34:47

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Marcelle Rose. Marcelle empowers women to overcome binge eating, emotional eating, and eating disorders, enabling them to reclaim their lives through a unique synergy of nutritional therapy, eating psychology, and mindset coaching. She is the author of the bestselling book The Binge Freedom Method™: Your Four Pillar Plan to Beat Emotional Eating for Good, and a BANT Registered Nutritionist and Coach with specialist training in eating disorders and behaviour change.

Marcelle works with clients across the UK and internationally, and also supports women through her free Facebook community, The Food Freedom Collective.

In this week's episode, we discuss:

  • The cycle of binge eating and how restriction drives it
  • Why structured eating and nourishment are essential tools for recovery
  • The emotional roots of binge eating and how to identify triggers
  • How to build self-awareness using food and emotion journaling
  • The importance of understanding hunger and satiety cues
  • Concerns about GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for people with disordered eating
  • How GLP-1s may increase vulnerability to eating disorders and body image issues
  • The physiological impact of GLP-1s and concerns we don't yet know about

Timestamps:

  • 01:00 – Introducing Marcelle and her work in nutrition, mindset & ED recovery
  • 05:00 – The binge-restrict cycle and the emotional aftermath
  • 10:30 – Structured eating, blood sugar regulation & empowerment through food
  • 17:00 – Emotional triggers, ED thoughts & journaling for self-awareness
  • 23:00 – Reconnecting with hunger and satiety cues
  • 27:30 – What GLP-1 medications are and how they affect satiety
  • 32:00 – The dangers of promoting GLP-1s as binge eating “solutions”
  • 38:00 – Media influence, weight stigma & fear of weight gain

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The Hidden Costs of Cosmetic Procedures in Body Dysmorphic Disorder with Brea Cannady26 Aug 202500:36:47

This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Brea Cannady. Brea is the founder of PREPÆRE™, a platform focused on integrating mental health safeguards into cosmetic care. Her work challenges the aesthetic industry to take emotional wellbeing seriously by creating tools and resources that support patients before treatment ever begins.

Through PREPÆRE™, she advocates for better standards, safer conversations, and responsible care pathways that protect both patients and practitioners. Her mission is rooted in lived experience, deep research, and a refusal to accept the status quo.

Together, we explore:

  • What Body Dysmorphic Disorder really is
  • The risks of using surgery as a solution to psychological distress
  • Why cosmetic procedures can worsen BDD symptoms
  • Healthy vs. harmful motivations for aesthetic treatments
  • How Prepaere empowers both clients and clinics for safe comestic treatments
  • The need for psychological safety and better regulation in aesthetic medicine

Timestamps:

  • 00:34 – Brea's personal experience with BDD
  • 03:18 – Brea's experience of cosmetic surgery
  • 10:05 – Misconceptions about BDD & body image
  • 14:30 – Can surgery ever be the solution?
  • 19:35 – Addiction to appearance-based control
  • 24:22 – When “self-care” becomes reliance
  • 31:00 – What should be the clinician’s role?
  • 35:40 – Introducing the Prepaere tool

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of body dysmorphic disorders, eating disorders and cosmetic surgery.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Raising the Profile of ARFID Through Clinical Insight with Dr. Stephen Linacre18 Aug 202500:32:30

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Dr. Stephen Linacre. Stephen is a Principal Clinical Psychologist in the NHS with extensive experience supporting individuals with eating disorders and neurodiversity. He’s published research, contributed to books, and chairs the trustee board of Freed Beaches, a Nottingham-based charity supporting people with eating disorders.

Having lived through an eating disorder himself, Stephen brings a powerful dual perspective to his clinical work and advocacy, particularly in raising awareness for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

This week, we discuss:

  • Stephen’s lived experience of anorexia nervosa
  • Navigating eating disorder recovery alongside Type 1 diabetes and cerebral palsy
  • How his personal eating disorder experience shaped his career in clinical psychology
  • Introduction to ARFID and the lack of recognition in services
  • Key differences between ARFID and anorexia
  • The role of neurodiversity and sensory sensitivities in ARFID
  • Why misdiagnoses like “fussy eating” are harmful
  • Practical advice for clinicians, parents, and carers supporting someone with ARFID

Timestamps:

  • 01:42 – Stephen's personal experience of anorexia as a teenage boy
  • 05:51 – Living with Type 1 diabetes and cerebral palsy
  • 12:00 – Stigma, recovery, and men with EDs
  • 16:40 – Introducing ARFID and why services fall short
  • 18:28 – ARFID vs. anorexia: why standard treatment may be harmful
  • 22:05 – Autism, sensory issues, and ARFID overlaps
  • 24:00 – Challenges with diagnosis, language, and access to care
  • 27:00 – Advice for parents, carers, and clinicians

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of anorexia, ARFID, chronic illness, and recovery. Please listen with care.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

The Realities of Living with Binge Eating Disorder with Zoe Hazel11 Aug 202500:37:49

This week, Han is joined by Zoe Hazel, a mental health advocate, campaigner, and public speaker with lived experience of binge eating disorder, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Zoe has shared her story at the Dump the Scales Summit & March, spoken in Parliament to push for Mental Health Act reform, and sits on the Rethink Mental Illness Lived Experience Advisory Board.

In this candid conversation, Zoe opens up about her journey with binge eating disorder, the lack of treatment available, and why we need to change the conversation and care pathways for people living with BED. We also discuss stigma, self-compassion in recovery, and what helps when support is hard to find.

This week, we discuss:

  • Zoe’s early experiences of binge eating disorder
  • The role of secrecy and shame reinforced her cycle of restriction and binge
  • Zoe's reality of BED stigmas that exist
  • The links between BED, bipolar disorder, and emotional regulation
  • The reality of navigating BED without treatment or local services
  • Why weight stigma in healthcare perpetuates harm
  • Practical strategies Zoe uses to interrupt urges to binge

Timestamps:

  • 3:07 – Zoe’s early experiences with binge eating disorder
  • 8:05 – Injury, mobility changes, and stigma in healthcare
  • 14:55 – Control, addiction, and the emotional cycle of BED
  • 20:07 – The absence of treatment services for BED
  • 26:36 – What treatment should look like for BED
  • 31:06 – Shame, secrecy, and the importance of talking about BED
  • 33:50 – Zoe’s practical coping tools

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of binge eating disorder, restriction and bipolar disorder.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Breaking the Cycle - How to Talk to Children About Food with Dr. Anna Colton04 Aug 202500:35:10

This week, we're joined by Dr. Anna Colton, a clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist passionate about helping families to prevent passing on food and body image struggles to the next generation. She's the author of How to Talk to Children About Food, recently featured in The Times and ITV’s This Morning.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating parenting, recovery, or both to learn how we can break the cycle of disordered eating by fostering healthier food narratives for the next generation.

Whether you're in recovery or supporting someone who is, this conversation is a powerful reminder that healing is possible and essential when raising children.

Key Takeaways:

  • How childhood messaging about food and body image influences long-term beliefs
  • Supporting recovery as a parent while protecting your children from harmful narratives
  • Why the “good vs. bad food” binary causes harm, especially in schools
  • How to navigate food talk with children if you're struggling yourself
  • How to create age-appropriate, inclusive, and curious conversations about nutrition
  • The reality of recovery: why motivation doesn’t always start with self
  • The cultural pressure of “clean eating,” GLP-1 medications, and the impact on children

Timestamps:

  • 02:00 – The story behind Anna's book
  • 05:30 – Where food beliefs begin in childhood
  • 11:10 – The harms of diet culture in schools
  • 17:20 – Healing when you’re still struggling yourself
  • 23:00 – Recovery as a form of parenting
  • 30:00 – Why disordered eating is often overlooked
  • 33:40 – The danger of unregulated weight loss meds

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of eating disorders, disordered eating, and weight loss medication, which may be triggering for some listeners.

Resources & Links:

Connect with Us:

  • Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
  • Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
  • Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

Exploring the Link Between Disordered Eating and Alcohol Misuse with Orlagh Reid28 Jul 202500:37:27

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Orlagh Reid. Orlagh is a qualified coach, accredited counsellor and psychotherapist with over 20 years' experience in complementary health, psychology and coaching. Orla specialises in women’s health, alcohol freedom, and clinical sexology.

Orlagh joins Han to discuss the often-overlooked relationship between alcohol use disorder and disordered eating, exploring the complexities and shared behaviours between the two.

This week, we discuss:

  • How alcohol is often used to self-soothe or replace food
  • The cultural normalisation of alcohol and how it affects recovery
  • The similarities between eating disorder and alcohol recovery journeys
  • How neurodivergence and menopause in alcohol misuse
  • The shift toward alcohol freedom, and what that truly means
  • The importance of curiosity and awareness in your relationship with alcohol and food

Timestamps:

  • 01:00 – The culture of alcohol in Ireland
  • 05:00 – How alcohol became part of Orlagh's work
  • 08:30 – The all-or-nothing mindset in both EDs and alcohol use
  • 13:40 – Neurodivergence, diet neglect, and alcohol patterns
  • 20:00 – Social pressures and the reward cycle
  • 26:00 – Alcohol and menopause
  • 32:00 – Orthorexia, wellness extremes & personal reflection

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses eating disorders, alcohol use disorder, and disordered eating. Please check in with yourself before listening. Support is available via charities such as Beat and First Steps.

Resources & Links:

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of eating disorders, alcohol use disorder, and disordered eating.

Connect with Us:

Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here

Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here

Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

If you loved this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit!

Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

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