How does anxiety fuel an eating disorder — and why do the usual fixes never seem to work?

In this powerful episode of Fly to Freedom, I sit down with Dr Russell Kennedy — physician, neuroscientist, developmental psychology expert, and bestselling author of Anxiety Rx. Known worldwide as The Anxiety MD, Russell brings both deep science and lived experience, having spent decades overcoming his own battle with crippling anxiety.

We explore:

• How anxiety lives in the body as an alarm state, not just in the mind.

• How childhood trauma and sensitivity shape the coping strategies we turn to.

• How eating disorders, worry, and other patterns seem to help at first, but only keep the alarm alive underneath.

• How inner child healing and compassion create lasting recovery, not just temporary relief.

• How to start finding the alarm in your body and soothing it safely.

This is not a surface-level conversation. It’s about understanding how anxiety drives the cycle of restriction, control, and fear — and how reconnecting with the body and the younger self underneath the pain is the real key to healing.

💛 Dr Russell Kennedy’s groundbreaking work blends medicine, neuroscience, yoga, and mindfulness into practical healing. His bestselling book Anxiety Rx, his Anxiety Rx Podcast, and his transformational MBRX programme are empowering people worldwide to permanently heal anxiety and embrace calm. You can connect with him at theanxietymd.com or on Instagram @theanxietymd.

💛 And if you’re looking for real support from people who’ve been there and truly get it, The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle is here for you. It’s a unique community of people at all stages of recovery, supporting each other through the mess, the milestones, and everything in between. Inside, you’ll find the Feelings Navigator to guide you through hard emotions, monthly coaching calls, live workshops, on-demand recovery courses, and of course—me, Julia, here with you every step of the way. Join us here.

💛 For those wanting to go further, my 1:1 coaching offers close support to work on the root causes of the eating disorder with personalised guidance. You’ll never feel so supported to recover. Learn more at juliatrehane.com.

You are not broken. How anxiety has shaped you is not how your story has to end. There is a way to move through the alarm, find peace in your body, and reclaim your life.