Fly To Freedom: The anorexia recovery podcast

This is the episode I’ve never fully shared before – not the neat, summarised version of my story, but the raw, unfiltered truth of my eating disorder recovery.

I take you with me from the very darkest place I have ever been – when I truly believed my family would be better off without me – through the messy, painful, beautiful journey that led me to full and lasting freedom.

You’ll hear about the moments that broke me open, the boundaries I had to set, the inner child work that changed everything, the terrifying physical symptoms, the cravings, the shame, and the unexpected rediscovery of connection, pleasure, and love for life itself.

This isn’t a “five tips to recover” kind of episode. It’s my lived experience – the truth of anorexia recovery and eating disorder recovery as I walked it – with all the fear, hope, setbacks, and breakthroughs along the way.

If you’re in the middle of it right now, or standing at the edge wondering if recovery is even possible for you, I hope my story shows you that no matter how far gone you feel, you are never beyond hope. Freedom is possible, and it’s worth every tear, every bite, every beginning again.

💛 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, here with you every step of the way.

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

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

In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I’m joined by Sydney, a former client whose journey through anorexia recovery is nothing short of inspiring. When we first met, Sydney was lost in the eating disorder – afraid of food, disconnected from her friends and family, and trapped in a cycle of rules, restriction, and fear.

Through coaching, Sydney learned to challenge those thoughts, reconnect with herself, and rebuild her relationship with food, her body, and her life. She shares the hardest parts of recovery, the breakthroughs that made the biggest difference, and the moments where she surprised herself with what she could achieve – from enjoying dessert again to embracing movement for joy rather than punishment.

Sydney also opens up about the contrast between traditional treatment and coaching, how the Eating Disorder Recovery Circle supports her daily, and why freedom is about so much more than weight restoration. Her story is a powerful reminder that full recovery is possible – and that life beyond the eating disorder can be filled with connection, confidence, and joy.

💛 If you’re ready for real support from people who’ve been there and truly get it, including Sydney! The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle is here for you

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, walking alongside you every step of the way. You don’t have to do this alone.

In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I'm sharing the kind of self-love we don’t often talk about — the kind that doesn’t feel soft or sweet at first, but changes everything.

This isn’t about face masks or bubble baths. This is about choosing freedom over comfort. It’s about acting like you matter, even when every voice in your head is telling you that you don’t.

We explore what it means to practice self-love as a behaviour — not a mood, not a vibe, and definitely not something you wait to feel. We’ll talk about what rewiring the brain really looks like, why things feel fake before they feel real, and how your inner dialogue either builds or breaks down your self-belief.

If you've ever thought:
🌀 “I’m not ready.”
🌀 “This feels fake.”
🌀 “It’s easier to stay where I am.”
Then this episode is a wake-up call rooted in compassion, neuroscience, and truth.

You’ll learn:

• Why self-love starts with action, not belief

• How to rewire your brain through small, consistent choices

• What ‘limbic friction’ is and why it makes new behaviours feel wrong

• How to speak to yourself in ways that calm your nervous system and support recovery

• What happens when you stop waiting to feel ready and start acting like you're already enough

And I’ll also share the real behind-the-scenes of my own visibility journey — how I had to rewire the belief that it’s safer not to be seen, and how showing up became an act of love, not fear.

💛 If you're feeling stuck in perfectionism, control, or self-abandonment… this is for you.

Inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, we do this work — not just talk about it.

🌿 Monthly live coaching with me
🌿 On-demand courses and recovery tools
🌿 The Feelings Navigator to help you understand and process intense emotions
🌿 Weekly recovery challenges
🌿 A private, supportive chat space to connect with others who get it
🌿 And the kind of truth, compassion and structure that helps you finally move forward

Come be part of something real.
You don’t have to do this alone.

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

Ready for support that actually changes things?

This is a special joint Q&A episode with my brilliant friend Victoria from The Body Love Binge, where we answer real recovery questions from our communities. We’re covering so much in this conversation — from getting your period back, to setting boundaries with family, understanding set point theory, challenging intuitive eating rules, and what recovery fatigue really means.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing recovery “right”, feared that eating without hunger will mean endless weight gain, or just needed to hear two people who’ve been through it talk honestly — this one’s for you.

⏱️ Listener Questions & Timestamps:

[03:01] “What can I do to get my period back?”
Georgia asked about restoring her period after 10 years. I share why rest, nervous system regulation and patience are key, and how you don’t need to force-feed yourself — your body already knows how to heal.

[10:30] “How do I deal with body comments or judgments from my elderly parents?”
We talk about the emotional impact of family comments, how to set boundaries with consequences, and why healing the inner child matters so much in these moments.

[19:34] “Is intuitive eating secretly diet culture? Why does it feel so contradictory?”
We unpack the truth about intuitive eating — how it can become another rulebook, and why real food freedom means trusting yourself, not following guidelines.

[28:46] “Will I keep gaining weight if I eat when I’m not hungry?”
I share my own experience with set point theory, why trying to stay at the low end of your ‘range’ backfires, and how eating freely will always stabilise when you're truly at peace with food.

[37:10] “Why are some people in very large bodies? Doesn’t that mean they eat too much?”
This one gets to the heart of weight stigma. We talk about trauma, shame, emotional coping, bingeing vs restriction, and why body size isn’t a simple equation of input and output.

[46:30] “Why am I so exhausted now that I’m finally eating?”
I’ve lived this one — the deep, bone-tired fatigue that hits when the eating disorder lets go. I explain why it’s part of recovery, what’s happening in the body, and why it's not something to fight against.

[51:15] “Can binge eating become a bad habit after recovery?”
Victoria answers beautifully here — the difference between bingeing and emotional eating, how habits aren’t bad unless shame is involved, and why full permission is what leads to true choice.

[59:01] “What challenges do you still face in life after recovery?”
We both open up about the things we’re navigating now — from motherhood and visibility to self-expression and the ongoing journey of growth beyond recovery.

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:

• Monthly coaching calls with opportunities for 1:1 support

• The Feelings Navigator to guide you through tough emotions

• Live workshops and expert-led courses

• Dozens of how-to recovery guides (like how to eat at a buffet or go to a restaurant without fear)

• On-demand recovery resources, including Overcoming the Fear of Weight Gain

👉 Come join us: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/join

🎤 Want to submit a question?

If you're in the Circle, you can drop your question right inside — I always prioritise those first.
You can also find a question box on my Instagram Story highlights.
And if you’re in Victoria’s free group, she takes questions there for our joint episodes too.

If this episode helped you, please take a moment to rate, review and share it — you never know who might need to hear this today.

💛 You don’t have to do this alone.

In this powerful and tender episode of Fly to Freedom, I’m opening up about something that so many people in eating disorder recovery experience but rarely speak about: intimacy.

When your body is changing and you’re learning to feel again, sex and closeness can stir up shame, fear, and deep vulnerability. You might question your worth, wonder how to be seen in your new body, or feel overwhelmed by returning desire. You might even feel numb, disconnected, or unsure how to let someone close when you’re still trying to come home to yourself.

This conversation was inspired by a beautiful message I received from someone in recovery—and from my own experience. If you’re struggling with intimacy, please know: you are not broken, and you are not alone.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why intimacy often felt performative or disconnected during the eating disorder

• How disconnection, people-pleasing and body shame show up in sex

• What it means when your sex drive disappears… and when it comes rushing back

• The nervous system truth behind sudden desire (and why it can feel like extreme hunger)

• How to stop performing and start feeling again—on your own terms

• Rebuilding safety in your body through small, gentle steps

• Communicating with your partner when you feel too exposed, too emotional, or not enough

• Letting intimacy evolve into something real, raw, and deeply healing

This episode is a love letter to anyone who feels confused or overwhelmed by intimacy in recovery. It’s not about getting it perfect—it’s about allowing yourself to be present, vulnerable, and loved just as you are.

If you’re feeling messy, unsure or alone in this part of recovery, this is for you.

Resources & Support
🌿 Join the Eating Disorder Recovery Circle – a private, supportive community where we talk honestly about every part of recovery, including intimacy
🌿 Looking for more personal support? Apply for 1:1 coaching with me
🌿 Explore the Feelings Navigator to support yourself through discomfort: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/how-are-you-feeling

In this powerful episode of Fly to Freedom, I’m joined by someone whose story and work I deeply admire—Dr Rachel Evans. Rachel is a chartered psychologist, hypnotherapist, and podcast host with her own lived experience of bulimia recovery. Known for her compassionate and trauma-informed approach, she supports individuals who feel trapped in cycles of food obsession, body hatred, purging, and compulsive exercise.

Together, we explore a part of eating disorders that often lives in the shadows—purging behaviours. Whether it’s vomiting, laxatives, or over-exercising, these actions often feel impossible to stop. Rachel opens up about her personal journey through restriction, bingeing, and purging, revealing the emotional layers, life pressures, and deep-rooted fears that fed her eating disorder.

We discuss:

• How control, perfectionism, and fear of rejection can fuel purging behaviours

• Why purging often becomes a coping mechanism beyond just ‘getting rid of food’

• The physical and emotional impact of purging on the body and mind

• The turning point that made Rachel say “enough” and begin true healing

• How to begin understanding your own urges to purge with curiosity, not shame

• The role of identity, academic pressure, and self-worth in recovery

• Why awareness and self-compassion are the first steps to lasting change

Rachel’s story is a testament to what’s possible when we stop fighting symptoms and start listening to what they’re trying to tell us. Whether you’re struggling with purging yourself or supporting someone who is, this episode offers validation, insight, and hope.

You can find Rachel on Instagram at @rachel.evans.phd or visit her website at eatingdisordertherapist.co.uk to explore her work and book a free consultation.

Julia will also be appearing on Rachel’s podcast soon—so stay tuned!

Julia Trehane is a specialist anorexia recovery coach who blends lived experience with compassionate, practical tools to help others achieve full freedom from eating disorders. To access workshops, courses, community support and 24/7 recovery tools, join The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle today: www.edrecoverycircle.com/join

Keywords: bulimia recovery, purging behaviours, compulsive exercise, binge purge cycle, eating disorder recovery, emotional healing, trauma-informed, body image, laxative abuse, stop purging, overcome bulimia, eating disorder therapist

This episode of Fly to Freedom is a heartfelt answer to a listener question that echoes what so many people feel in eating disorder recovery: How do I find the willpower to recover when it feels like I love both anorexia and recovery?

If you’ve ever felt torn—like you're standing between two lives, both calling your name—this episode is for you.

I’m sitting down with you, heart to heart, to explore the unbearable split that can happen in recovery. When one part of you is desperate for peace and freedom, and another part is still clinging to the eating disorder, it can feel like choosing between two identities, two versions of love, or two paths that both feel vital.

But what if it’s not willpower that you need?
What if it’s clarity?

In this episode, I share:

• Why it’s not weakness to feel torn between recovery and anorexia

• What’s really going on in your brain, body, and nervous system that keeps you attached to the eating disorder

• Why anorexia often feels like love, but is actually a trauma bond disguised as safety

• How to begin choosing recovery even when you don’t feel ready

• A powerful journaling practice and practical steps to take when you feel stuck

• The difference between survival mode and fully living—and why you deserve so much more than just surviving

Whether you’re at the very start of recovery or deep in the messy middle, this episode is a loving invitation to see things more clearly, to stop waiting for courage to arrive, and to begin choosing yourself again and again.

You don’t need more willpower.
You need support. You need truth. You need love.
And you’re allowed to take the next step—even if your hands are shaking.

Resources & Support
🌱 Come and be held in the Eating Disorder Recovery Circle — our private, compassionate recovery community filled with people who truly get it.

💬 If this episode brought something up for you, feel free to reach out on Instagram or email me your thoughts or questions — I love hearing from you.

🎧 And if you're ready for deeper, personalised support, I currently have a few 1:1 coaching spaces available.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. You never did.
And you were always enough—just as you are.

This month, Victoria and I sat down for another open-hearted Q&A, where we answered your beautiful, brave, and deeply honest questions about recovery.

From the fear of weight gain to exercising in a free body… from feeling lost in free time to wondering whether you’ve truly reached your set point weight… we covered so much of what recovery really looks and feels like – the messy, the magical, and everything in between.

Whether you’re in the thick of fear or starting to sense your own strength coming through, I promise you’ll find something here that speaks to your heart.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🔸 How I gave myself permission to let go of control – and how you can too

• 🔸 Why fear of judgment is part of the process – and how to stop letting it define you

• 🔸 My honest experience of movement after recovery (and why I quit CrossFit… again)

• 🔸 What to do when you feel like you’re rebelling against recovery

• 🔸 How I support my clients navigating recovery and motherhood

• 🔸 The truth about fear of weight gain – and how I finally stopped letting it control my life

• 🔸 How to know if you’ve reached your set point weight

• 🔸 Recognising subtle food and exercise rules – even when you think you don’t have any

• 🔸 Mindset tools I use with clients before meals (and still use myself!)

• 🔸 My thoughts on DBT in recovery – and what I believe it misses

• 🔸 Why free time can feel scary – and how I learned to enjoy it again

I also shared some of my personal favourite recovery tools, including how I support my body after movement, how I help clients connect with their 'higher self' before meals, and why recording affirmations in your own voice can be so healing.

If you’re asking “How do I know if I’m really recovering?” or “Why does this still feel so hard?” – this episode is for you. And I hope it reminds you that you're never alone.

🔗 I mentioned:

• Join the Eating Disorder Recovery Circle to access tools like the Feelings Navigator, Finding Your WHY, recovery chat spaces, and every workshop I reference in this episode.

• Life Without Ed by Jenni Schaefer – a great read if you’re trying to separate your identity from the eating disorder.

💞 Ready for deeper support in your recovery?
Inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, you'll find 24/7 encouragement, courses, expert workshops, and the kind of community where you never have to explain what you're going through — because we already understand.

If you’re ready to move through fear, challenge old patterns, and build a life beyond the eating disorder, you’ll never feel so supported to recover.

Click here to join us – we’re waiting to welcome you in.

In this episode, I’m speaking to the part of you that’s exhausted — the part that’s wondering if recovery is really worth it.

Maybe you're eating more than you ever thought you could. You feel uncomfortable in your body. Your mind is loud, full of guilt and panic, and you're starting to ask... Why am I even doing this?

I asked myself that same question so many times. I lived most of my life stuck in survival mode, functioning but never really living. I thought control was safety. But recovery showed me that true freedom is possible — and that it's worth every hard, terrifying step.

In this episode, I’m sharing what recovery really gives you. Not just food freedom — but emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual freedom too. A life that feels full, joyful, and real. And I want you to know: you are not too far gone. You don’t have to be “sick enough” to deserve healing. You are allowed to want more.

And if you’re doing this alone right now, please know — you don’t have to.

Inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, I’ve created a place where you can find the support, guidance, and connection you need. You’ll get access to expert tools, lived experience coaching, loving community spaces, and courses to help you through every stage of recovery. It’s like being wrapped in support — even on your hardest days.

• The true cost of staying in the eating disorder, even when you’re “managing”

• Why perfection and people pleasing aren’t safety — they’re a cage

• The freedom recovery offers in your body, your emotions, and your relationships

• Why your healing isn’t selfish — it’s a ripple that touches every life around you

• How recovery reconnects you with your worth, your truth, and your joy

If you’ve been doubting whether this fight is worth it… let this be your reminder:
You were born to be free. Not perfect. Just fully, wonderfully you.

💛 Want support that actually gets it? Come join me inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle.

In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I'm joined by Dr Cristina Castagnini, a licensed psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist whose work focuses exclusively on helping women heal their relationship with food and their bodies. Cristina is also the host of the Behind the Bite podcast, where she dismantles harmful eating disorder myths and supports recovery with compassion and clarity.

We explore Cristina’s personal journey with a long-standing eating disorder, the shocking moment that sparked her full recovery, and the deeply ingrained societal beliefs that keep so many trapped in cycles of disordered eating. From early body shame to SlimFast diets, and the rise of "wellness" trends that mask restriction, this episode is an eye-opening and honest look at what it truly takes to heal.

Together, we discuss:

• Cristina’s personal story and what finally pushed her into real recovery

• How diet culture disguises itself as health

• The danger of BMI, especially for children and in clinical settings

• The power of curating your social media to support recovery

• Why commenting on appearance—even with good intentions—can be deeply harmful

• And why full recovery is not only possible… it is absolutely real

If you’ve ever felt discouraged by the idea that eating disorders are lifelong, or if you're struggling with fear around body image and food, this episode is here to remind you that full freedom is not just a hope—it’s a reality.

Connect with Dr Cristina Castagnini
🎧 Listen to her podcast: Behind the Bite
🌐 Website + Contact: www.behindthebitepodcast.com
📱Instagram and socials linked via website

Don't forget that my Eating Disorder Recovery Circle is here to support you!

More at https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/