Fly To Freedom: The anorexia recovery podcast

After nearly 150 episodes of Fly to Freedom, I’ve been reflecting on the conversations that have genuinely shifted people forward in eating disorder recovery — and this one comes up again and again. This is a re-release of my December 2024 chat with Chris Sandel (Real Health Radio), and it’s one of the most listened-to episodes for a reason.

Chris and I talk about full recovery from an eating disorder (yes, full), why “consuming information” can become a way to stall, and why action is what changes the brain — even when anxiety is loud. We also explore how eating disorders function like anxiety disorders (avoidance, fear, and the nervous system), why tiny “safe” changes often keep the eating disorder in charge, and what it actually looks like to rebuild a life with identity, freedom, and joy.

If eating disorder recovery has felt like Groundhog Day — the same rules, the same prison, the same fear — this conversation will help you see a clearer path out.

• Why full recovery is possible (and why “settling for less” keeps people stuck) Buzzsprout+1

• The most common recovery trap: learning everything… and changing nothing beefound.agency+1

• Why meaningful recovery changes must be big enough to shift physiology (not negotiated down)

• Eating disorders as anxiety disorders: avoidance, fear of consequences, and exposure Cue Podcasts+1

• How to work with thoughts without getting trapped in analysing them (ACT-style approach)

• Identity after an eating disorder: filling the “void” with life, connection, and purpose

• A practical “start today” framework: support, one clear goal, one coping tool, then action

Chris Sandel is a nutritionist and coach, founder of Seven Health, and host of Real Health Radio. He specialises in helping people move beyond harm reduction and into lasting, full eating disorder recovery.

If this episode helps, a five-star rating genuinely helps Fly to Freedom reach more people who need recovery support

Chris Sandel / Seven Health: https://seven-health.com

Chris’s podcast (Real Health Radio): https://seven-health.com/podcast/

Welcome to Fly to Freedom, and a gentle Happy New Year.
This first episode of 2026 explores perfectionism in eating disorder recovery through a nervous system lens, focusing on the constant pressure to be doing things right.
This episode may resonate if recovery feels structured, controlled, or driven by self-pressure, even when motivation and care are present.

This episode speaks to the quiet, ongoing pressure many people feel to stay on track, stay capable, and keep doing things properly. A sense that effort needs to continue. That vigilance needs to remain. That doing things right somehow keeps everything steady.

Many notice this pressure not as a thought, but as a bodily state. A leaning forward. A readiness. An internal monitoring that rarely switches off. The feeling that effort is required to remain safe, acceptable, or okay.

These patterns develop because they once created structure and predictability. When being organised, prepared, or impressive reduced risk or increased belonging, the nervous system learned to stay alert. Over time, doing things right began to feel essential rather than optional.

In this episode, I explore how this pressure shows up across everyday life and recovery. In productivity that feels regulating. In difficulty resting. In managing time carefully. In control around food that appears disciplined or generous. In recovery itself becoming something to perform well. These responses emerge because the nervous system is adapting to uncertainty.

Perfectionism and eating disorders often reinforce one another because both offer clarity and structure. Rules reduce ambiguity. Control brings temporary relief. As recovery unfolds and old frameworks soften, the pressure to do things right often relocates rather than disappearing.

Change unfolds through experience rather than insight alone. Each moment of resting while things remain unfinished allows the nervous system to register safety. Each experience of being accepted while imperfect reshapes threat responses. Gradually, the body learns that safety exists without constant effort.

Growth rarely follows a straight line. Calm and fear frequently coexist. Softening unfolds alongside vigilance. Movement forward arrives at a pace the nervous system can absorb.

Inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, these experiences are held with shared language, nervous system awareness, and support from people who recognise the realities of recovery. The perfectionism workshop connected to this episode is available within the circle and offers space to practise safety, embodiment, and gentler ways of being.

This episode offers an orientation rather than a task.
When the pressure to do things right appears, curiosity can soften the moment.
A quiet question may arise: What feels at risk if effort eases?

Thank you for being here, and for beginning this new year with yourself.

That workshop: Visit this web page

My website: https://www.juliatrehane.com/

The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle

Welcome to this episode of Fly To Freedom — a Q and A session filled with real, honest questions from inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle. If recovery has felt confusing, scary, messy, or strangely “too much”… this episode will help you feel understood, and steady again.

We talk about the moment recovery starts to feel terrifying rather than freeing — when the eating disorder has been a familiar “safety structure” for so long that choosing freedom can feel disorienting. You’ll hear why that wobble often means the brain is rewiring, why belief grows through action, and how to keep moving forwards even when certainty feels far away.

This episode also covers some of the most searched (and most misunderstood) parts of eating disorder recovery and anorexia recovery: extreme hunger, constant thoughts about food, panic when hunger hits, fears about “healthy eating” turning into new rules, worries about set point and balance, and the wave of physical symptoms that can arrive during weight restoration.

• Why recovery can feel unreal and frightening even when you’re doing the “right” things

• What to do with old photos from the lowest point of the eating disorder (and what it means when sadness shows up)

• Recovery with a busy life: kids, work, studying, dogs, and chaos — and still choosing freedom

• Guilt about wanting recovery: why it appears, and how to meet it with courage

• “All in” as a mindset (not a rigid protocol) — and how to stay committed without turning it into another set of rules

• Perfectionism, cleaning, hypervigilance, and anxiety: how these patterns link to the same root system as an eating disorder

• Eating disorder behaviours that start in adulthood: why inner child work still matters, and what it’s really about

• The moment restriction starts feeling “impossible”: why biology can begin protecting you (and why that’s a win)

• “Healthy” rules like five a day or “clean eating”: how to spot restriction dressed up as wellness

• Constant food thoughts even at a stable weight: why weight is not a measure of mental recovery, and what food preoccupation often signals

• Hunger panic and urgency: why it can feel extreme, and how proactive nourishment rebuilds trust

• Extreme hunger in the evenings: why it happens, how long it can last, and what consistency teaches the body

• Itchy, sensitive skin and hair changes during weight restoration (including telogen effluvium) and gentle ways to support your body

• The longing for “balance” and the fear of being too much: rebuilding an inner compass based on values, not shame

• Recovery belief grows through repetition and action. Each recovered choice teaches the brain what safety really is.

• Food obsession often eases through permission and consistency. The brain quiets when it truly trusts that food is allowed and available.

• Freedom includes flexibility. Nourishment supports health, and a rigid rulebook keeps the eating disorder alive in disguise.

• A busy life can still hold real recovery. Freedom gets built in real-time moments, right in the middle of everything.

• Finding Your WHY (inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle) — a powerful anchor for staying committed when fear gets loud

• Feelings Navigator — support for processing emotions and building safety from the inside out

If this episode resonated, daily support like this exists inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle — with community chat, Q and A sessions, group coaching calls, workshops, on-demand courses, and the Feelings Navigator.

Join here: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/join

Christmas can be a beautiful time of year — and it can also feel incredibly overwhelming.

There’s often pressure to keep going, keep smiling, keep showing up, even when your body and mind are quietly asking for rest. For anyone navigating eating disorder recovery, this season can amplify anxiety, exhaustion, and emotional overload.

This Christmas meditation is an invitation to pause.

In this episode of Fly To Freedom, I gently guide you into a short, supportive meditation designed to help you slow down, soften the nervous system, and reconnect with yourself when everything feels like too much. There is no fixing, no pushing, and nothing you need to achieve — just space to breathe and be.

This meditation is especially for you if:

• You’re feeling overwhelmed by Christmas expectations or social demands

• You’re carrying emotional or physical exhaustion

• You’re in eating disorder recovery and finding this time of year particularly challenging

• You need permission to take time out without guilt

We focus on self-care that is simple and human, reminding you that rest is not something you have to earn. Taking time for yourself is part of recovery, not a distraction from it.

You are allowed to step back. You are allowed to slow down. You are allowed to choose yourself — even at Christmas.

You can return to this meditation whenever you need grounding, reassurance, or a few quiet moments just for you.

💛 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 also 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.

Come be part of something that actually helps. You don’t have to do this alone.

In this heartfelt episode of Fly to Freedom, I have the privilege of speaking with Di Archer, the CEO and co-founder of tastelife UK. Di shares her personal journey into the world of eating disorders, detailing how her family's experience led to the creation of tastelife UK—a charity dedicated to providing support, education, and recovery tools for those affected by eating disorders. We delve into the challenges faced by families, the importance of understanding eating disorders beyond the surface, and the transformative power of community support in the recovery process.

Key Takeaways:

• Personal Journey: Di discusses her family's initial lack of understanding about eating disorders and how a personal crisis led to the founding of tastelife UK.

• Founding of tastelife UK: Established in 2014, tastelife UK offers an 8-session Community Recovery Course designed for individuals and families affected by eating disorders.

• Community Support: The charity emphasizes the importance of community in recovery, providing a safe space for individuals and families to share experiences and support each other.

• Prevention and Education: Tastelife UK focuses on prevention by offering resources for young people in schools and youth groups, aiming to equip them with the knowledge to avoid developing eating disorders.

• Recovery Tools: The Community Recovery Course is non-threatening, educational, and encourages a self-help approach, helping individuals and families break free from eating disorders.

• Accreditation and Training: Tastelife UK provides accredited training for leaders to run recovery courses, ensuring quality support for those affected.

Listen to the full episode here:

About Di Archer:

Di is a trainer, writer, and speaker with a theological background. Family experience led to her co-founding and now heading up tastelife. She loves working with the gifted tastelife team and volunteers, and is delighted that together they offer such innovative and effective resources for those affected by eating disorders. Di and her husband Graham have three grown-up children, an assortment of gorgeous grandchildren... and a hot tub. The latter for medicinal purposes, of course! (tastelifeuk.org)

Connect with Di Archer and tastelife UK:

• Website: (tastelifeuk.org)

• Email: [email protected]

• Social Media:

  • Facebook: tastelife UK

  • Twitter: @tastelifeuk

  • Instagram: @tastelifeuk

In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I sit down with the wonderful George Mycock, a lived experience PhD researcher at the University of Worcester whose work is reshaping how we understand eating disorders in men.

George specialises in men’s access to healthcare for eating, exercise, and body image psychopathology, bringing both academic expertise and deeply personal experience to this conversation. He’s also the founder of MyoMinds and host of the MyoMinds Podcast — a mental health organisation dedicated to improving understanding of exerciser mental health through research, education, and powerful lived-experience storytelling.

Through MyoMinds, George collaborates on a range of national projects, contributes to media across podcasts, radio and TV, and holds influential roles such as serving on the Mental Health and Movement Alliance at Mind and the steering board for the National Audit of Eating Disorders at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. His insight is both academically rich and profoundly human.

In our conversation, we explore the hidden landscape of eating disorders in men — an area still surrounded by silence, shame and misunderstanding. Together we talk about:

✨ George’s lived experience of muscularity-driven disordered eating and compulsive exercise
✨ The intense cultural pressure on men to appear “strong” and emotionless
✨ How emotional suppression, identity, and masculinity norms shape men’s mental health
✨ Why so many men feel unwelcome or unseen within eating disorder treatment services
✨ What George’s research reveals about gender bias in public-facing information
✨ The critical need for more inclusive, diverse, and representative research
✨ Alexithymia, emotional literacy, and why so many people with eating disorders struggle to name what they feel
✨ How we can each help dismantle stigma and make space for men to access support
✨ Why commenting on someone’s body — even positively — can reinforce shame
✨ How recovery becomes possible when we stop being who we think the world expects us to be

This is an important, compassionate, and eye-opening conversation — especially if you’ve ever believed that eating disorders only affect certain types of people. They don’t. Eating disorders do not discriminate, and George’s work is a vital step toward making support truly accessible for all.

💛 Connect with George:
Website: https://myominds.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myo_minds/

💛 Join us inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle:
https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/join
It’s a supportive community grounded in lived experience, where you’ll find the Feelings Navigator, expert workshops, recovery courses, monthly coaching calls, and a place where you never have to face recovery alone.

Thank you for listening, and for being here with me. I’ll be back next week.

The festive season is meant to feel joyful, but what if instead it feels like you’re behind frosted glass? You can see the lights, hear the laughter, even play the part — but inside you feel numb, separate and alone.

In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I talk about the hidden loneliness and emotional disconnection that can show up during Christmas and how eating disorder recovery can amplify these feelings. I’ll share why your nervous system creates this “glass box,” how numbness is a form of protection rather than failure, and why people-pleasing and perfectionism often feel louder at this time of year.

You’ll also learn how to spot the unspoken “rules” you’ve absorbed about how to show up, how to begin gently rewriting them, and what real self-compassion looks like in the moments you feel most disconnected.

This episode is a gentle reminder that you are not broken, you are not failing, and you are not alone.

✨ Inside you’ll hear:

• Why numbness is a protective response, not a personal flaw.

• The role of perfectionism and performance in festive stress.

• How to dismantle the hidden “rules” that keep you stuck.

• Simple, honest ways to reconnect with yourself and others.

• A practice of self-compassion that helps you feel safe in your own body.

💛 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 also 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.

Come be part of something that actually helps. You don’t have to do this alone: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/join

n this episode of Fly to Freedom, I’m back with Victoria for another honest Q&A on the realities of eating disorder and anorexia recovery – from parenting a toddler in the city to grieving a soul dog, coping with extreme hunger, and facing fear foods.

We explore:

• Walking vs compensation when you’re a mum
  Can you still walk everywhere with a toddler when you’ve quit compulsive running? We talk about honestly checking your motivation, using public transport where you can, and why “perfect recovery” (never moving) isn’t real life – especially with a small child.

• The ‘fat and frumpy’ phase & lost motivation
  How calling yourself “fat and frumpy” keeps you stuck, the difference between preference and moral judgement about body size, and why motivation is unreliable. We look at choosing freedom over thinness, dressing the body you have now, and remembering that weight gain is a sign of healing, not failure.

• Triggers: avoid them or sit through them?
  We explain comfort, stretch and panic zones and how to push yourself without re-traumatising yourself. Diet talk, social events and other triggers become teachers, as you practise boundaries and still move forwards.

• Who am I without my eating disorder?
  When the ED has been your main coping mechanism, it’s normal to feel like you don’t know how to “be you.” We talk about inner child work, self-compassion, trusting that your authentic self emerges as you remove coping behaviours, and allowing curiosity instead of perfection.

• Extreme hunger, hypermetabolism & “eating crazy amounts”
  We normalise huge appetite early in recovery, talk about hypermetabolism, and why fast weight gain can actually shorten the most agonising part of the process. Your biology is trying to save your life – not sabotage you.

• “Is it okay to just eat snacks?”
  Is it genuine preference or avoidance of meals and fullness? We suggest experimenting with both meals and snacks, following the fear, and noticing whether your choices are driven by freedom or control.

• Fear you’ll never be happy in a weight-restored body
  Both of us share how we once believed happiness depended on staying small, and how we’re now the happiest we’ve ever been in bodies we wouldn’t necessarily choose aesthetically. We reframe the goal from constant happiness to deep contentment and encourage collecting daily “glimmers” of joy.

• Grieving a soul dog & the ED pull
  We discuss why big emotional pain wakes up old ED pathways, and how this is also your chance to rewire them: mechanical eating when appetite vanishes, huge compassion, and letting grief be proof of love.

• The moment you freeze before a scary recovery action
  We share practical tools for the exact second you want to back out: predicting and writing down what your ED will say, using humour and anger to separate from the ED voice, and adopting a “feel the fear and do it anyway” approach.

• This episode is for you if:

  • You’re in eating disorder or anorexia recovery and trying to live real life (kids, work, city living) without falling back into compensation.

  • You’re stuck in the “fat and frumpy” stage and wondering how on earth to keep going.

  • You’re afraid of triggers, grief, or big emotions pulling you back into old behaviours.

  • You’re terrified you’ll never be happy in a weight-restored body.

  • You want lived-experience, straight-talking reassurance that you are not doing recovery “wrong.”

  Resources mentioned

  • Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers

  • The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle – my online community with courses, workshops, Q&As, the Feelings Navigator and daily support for every stage of recovery: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/join

  
  

Hello lovely, and welcome back to Fly to Freedom.

In this episode, I’m opening up about one of the hardest, most confusing, and least-talked-about parts of eating disorder recovery: oedema (fluid retention).

For 18 months, I experienced painful swelling in my legs, belly, hands, and face – and not a single professional warned me it could happen. It was frightening, uncomfortable, and made me feel like I was somehow doing recovery “wrong.”

If you’ve been there too, you’ll know the shame and panic that can come with not recognising your own body in the mirror. But I want you to know this: oedema is not failure. It’s healing.

In this episode, I share:

• What edema actually is and why it happens in recovery

• The physical and emotional symptoms nobody tells you about

• Why some people get it severely and others don’t

• How rest, nourishment, and trust are essential to support your body through it

• Why fighting swelling often makes it worse

• How edema can help with the fear of weight gain by forcing you to face change

• Why fluid retention is a sign of your body’s deep intelligence and protection

Edema might feel overwhelming, but it’s your body repairing, rebuilding, and reclaiming its health. You are not broken – you are healing.

💛 If you’re struggling with edema or the fear of weight gain right now, please know you don’t have to go through it alone. Inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, we talk about the real, messy, confronting parts of recovery together. You’ll find support, understanding, and tools to help you through every stage.

And if you want even deeper, personalised guidance, you can also explore 1:1 coaching with me, where we’ll walk step by step through recovery without shame, judgment, or pressure to rush.

Your body is protecting you. Your healing is unfolding. And you are not alone.

Q&A from The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle: Exercise Compulsion, Setbacks, Safe Foods and Coping with Diet Culture

This episode of Fly To Freedom is something very special — a real glimpse into the kinds of questions asked inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, my private membership community.

These are raw, honest questions from women right in the heart of recovery — navigating fear, confusion, and moments of hope — and the answers come straight from my heart and experience. We cover everything from exercise compulsion and energy deficit, to those nights when you can’t stop eating cereal, to the sting of hearing “you look well” when recovery feels terrifying.

If you’ve ever wondered whether full recovery is truly possible, how to cope when everyone around you is dieting, or whether your wobble means you’ve failed — this conversation will help you see that you are not alone, and that healing is absolutely possible.

00:00 – Q1: Is exercise compulsion an addiction to energy deficit – and if so, how is recovery possible if we can’t avoid movement forever?
Understanding the difference between addiction and compulsion, how the body becomes hooked on energy deficit, and why rest is essential to rewire the brain.

08:25 – Q2: You’ve said recovery isn’t linear — does it ever fully settle down, or will I have to work on this forever?
How recovery unfolds in layers, why it becomes easier over time, and what life feels like once freedom is your new normal.

11:40 – Q3: How do I know if something is a small setback or a full relapse?
How to stop catastrophising, understand what your response really means, and learn to meet slip-ups with compassion instead of shame.

15:15 – Q4: Why do I latch onto specific safe foods like cereal, especially at night?
Exploring why the brain fixates on predictable foods in recovery and how to gently widen food variety without triggering fear or restriction.

20:00 – Q5: How do I cope when I’m gaining weight and everyone around me is dieting and being praised?
Reframing internal language, stepping away from comparison, and learning to see recovery as an act of courage in a diet-obsessed world.

24:20 – Q6: If I’ve stopped compulsive movement, do everyday activities like walking with my family ‘break’ recovery? And what if I feel full and stop eating — is that okay?
Understanding intention behind movement, spontaneity versus compulsion, and rebuilding body trust without fear.

27:40 – Q7: I restrict all day, then use alcohol in the evening to relax and eat more — but feel shame the next day. How can I break this cycle?
Why alcohol can act as false permission to eat, how the restrict-drink-shame loop forms, and how to create safety without needing alcohol to silence the eating disorder voice.

33:40 – Q8: People keep saying I ‘look well’ and I can see I’m gaining weight — do I still need to keep increasing my intake?
Explaining metabolic healing, why early weight gain doesn’t mean you’re fully nourished, and how continuing to eat more helps you move from survival to freedom.

💛 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 me — Julia — with you every step of the way.

Come be part of something that actually helps. You don’t have to do this alone.
👉 Join The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle

eating disorder recovery, anorexia recovery, overcoming exercise compulsion, fear of weight gain, body image, recovery setbacks, food freedom, diet culture, metabolic healing, The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, Fly To Freedom podcast