Eating Disorders in Discussion, Wednesday's Child

Flying solo for this episode, Debbie Watson refreshes our audience on what led to Wednesday’s Child being created.

She also shares some key pointers on motivators for recovery success.

Debbie talks about the need to focus on improved physical health, nurtured emotional health, genuinely gaining control, building and sustaining relationships, and having focus on dreams and ambitions.

Please do feel free to get in touch after listening to this conversation.

We value hearing your stories and experiences, and learning of people who might wish to provide an expert insight on our platform.

[email protected]

It’s been sometime since we caught up with the wonderful Sarah Parker, specialist eating disorder therapist.

Under the name Well Of Being, her business helps many individuals and families to navigate their recovery.

Here, she chats with Debbie about what you should look for in a therapy relationship, while also giving her thoughts on the current landscape of eating disorder support.

You can find Sarah at https://wellofbeing.co.uk/

We welcome therapists as guests on our podcast, as well as those who want to talk about their journey of recovery.

Email [email protected]

After another (far too long) pause in recording of the Wednesday’s Child podcast, Sarah and Debbie are back to help you find focus and kickstart your recovery in 2024.

In this episode, we talk about our own learnings of navigating recovery from an eating disorder, and share tips for how you might gain motivation, commitment and positivity in the year ahead.

We also share our advice for those of you who are living with, loving or supporting someone in a challenging journey with an eating disorder.

Please do follow up this episode by dropping us an email with your questions, recovery stories or suggestions for our podcast.

You’ll hear far more from Wednesday’s Child in 2024, and we’re delighted to be with you.

Reach out at [email protected]

Are you in the process of recovering and still drawn toward particular behaviours?

Do you find yourself witnessing a loved one slip back into specific unhealthy eating disorder behaviours?

In this episode, Sarah and Debbie reflect on how they dealt with particular behaviours in their eating disorder recovery journey.

They cover tactics around removing yourself from the situation momentarily, asking for help, and layering positive steps of change.

We’d love to know how this episode resonates with you, and what your experiences might be.

Email [email protected]

What’s it like to develop an eating disorder when you’re away from home for the first time, embarking on life as a university student?

Perhaps you’ve had eating behaviours in the past, been concerned about your body image, or had an addiction to movement and exercise – do these factors make it more challenging to even consider a move to university?

Here, as we prepare for the period in which many thousands of young people will head to university, we chat to Rachel, as she shares her own personal experiences with an eating disorder.

Rachel talks candidly and courageously about what she encountered as a student, what she had to do to get help, and what she’s learned along the way.

If you’d like to comment on this episode, or share your thoughts and applause for Rachel, please email [email protected]

After a rather long pause in recording, Sarah and Debbie are back in the seat, talking all things eating disorders on the Wednesday’s Child podcast.

In this episode, our hosts discuss the importance of checking in with yourself and asking what your recovery path needs most in life right now.

They share their own experiences of choosing university, of learning to be less ‘externally validated’, and of managing the unexpected.

You’ll also hear Sarah and Debbie talk about the need for those attending or involved in education, to consider the route to support, and how teaching and pastoral professionals can gain greater insight about eating disorders.

If you’d like to message us, please email [email protected]

In this episode, we follow up on a mailbox request, which sought answers about how best to look after yourself in eating disorder recovery, while at the same time being a parent.

How do you prioritise yourself, but equally take care of your children and the demands of family life?

How do you navigate a child’s desire for family foodie outings, or tackle a youngster’s issues around body image, when you yourself are in the thick of recovery?

Sarah and Debbie take a deep look at these questions, while bringing in Sarah’s own personal insight, as someone who was recovering from an eating disorder while a mum to a school-aged daughter.

In this episode, we welcome back our wonderful Perinatal Lead here at Wednesday’s Child, Abi Reynolds

She’s joined in her conversation with Debbie, by Chantelle Ecob, who is a trainee clinical psychologist and is keen to gain more insights into the experiences of women who relapse into, or first suffer from, an eating disorder in pregnancy or soon afterwards.

We’ll be keeping in regular contact with Chantelle throughout this research, but if you’re minded to take part in investigations (all of which will be fully confidential), you can email Chantelle on [email protected]

This episode sees the return of our duo Debbie and Sarah. Here, they chat at the close of Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and use the opportunity to reinforce the need to always ‘turn talk into action’. Throughout this episode, you’ll hear a number of lived experience reflections about what it takes to keep pivoting from hinge behaviours, and to continually challenge the eating disorder’s unhelpful voice.

If you have a perspective on this chat, or would like to contribute to a future episode, please email [email protected]

In this episode, Debbie references her ‘Sofa Guest’ conversation. Should you wish to listen, you’ll find it on BBC Sounds from Friday 3rd March at 330pm.

In this episode, we catch up with our lovely therapist Sarah Smetham (Sarah Parker, until her recent nuptials!), where she and Debbie discuss how relationships change as we transition through our eating disorder recovery.

Sarah reveals how her own relational needs changed in her progress beyond an eating disorder, and, as a practitioner, she gives guidance on being aware of our own needs and recognition as we learn to build the tribe which is right for the life we have.

You can find out more about Sarah’s work here: https://wellofbeing.co.uk/about-sarah/

If you’re interested in hearing more about topics like this, and attending a webinar with Sarah and Debbie, please email us. Send a message to [email protected] marked ‘relationship insights’.

We always welcome your own personal stories too, so don’t hesitate to share with us if you feel so inclined.