What happens when you live with a severe eating disorder in a larger body yet the medical system refuses to see it? In this powerful conversation, Sharon Maxwell (she/they) shares her story of surviving anorexia in a fat body, advocating for herself inside medical systems that consistently denied her care, and reclaiming joy, autonomy, and embodiment after years of harm.

Sharon is an educator, speaker, and fat activist who dedicates her work to dismantling anti fat bias and eradicating weight stigma in healthcare and society. Their story and activism have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, The Tamron Hall Show, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, 60 Minutes, and more.

Together, we explore the realities of receiving medical care while fat, why compassionate providers save lives, how weight stigma shaped Sharon’s early life and nearly cost her her life, and why reclaiming joy becomes an act of resistance.

This episode holds so much wisdom, solidarity, and truth telling for anyone in eating disorder recovery, anyone harmed by medical weight stigma, and anyone committed to building a safer world for people in larger bodies.

Sharon shares a surprising fun fact about being a lifelong pianist and how taking jazz lessons helped them reclaim creativity after growing up in a restrictive religious cult that controlled every aspect of music, expression, and embodied joy. They describe how jazz has become part of their healing and identity reconstruction.

Sharon lived in a fat body their entire life and struggled with anorexia for nineteen years. They went undiagnosed because medical providers only saw their body size. When Sharon arrived with obvious symptoms of an eating disorder, providers dismissed the symptoms and blamed their body. They describe how weight stigma prevented treatment and reinforced eating disorder patterns.

Sharon describes the first doctor who recognized the eating disorder and offered real compassion. That moment shifted the trajectory of their life. We discuss how rare this experience is and why truly compassionate medical care can be lifesaving for people living in larger bodies.

Sharon shares painful stories about:

Being denied necessary medical procedures because of body size.

Experiencing trauma at gynecological appointments.

Nearly dying from untreated tonsillitis because providers assumed weight was the cause rather than treating the actual condition.

The emotional and financial toll of weight stigma across childhood and adulthood.

We discuss how the healthcare system misattributes the financial cost of weight stigma to the O-word and how this distorts public health narratives and patient care.

Sharon explains how anti fat bias prevents providers from seeing eating disorders in fat patients. They highlight how common anorexia is in larger bodies and how life threatening it becomes when medical systems refuse to diagnose or treat it.

Sharon and I talk about how dismantling anti fat bias supports every person in eating disorder recovery. Recovery requires divesting from anti fat bias, reconnecting with the body, and understanding how these biases shape thoughts and behaviors across all sizes.

We explore how harms escalate for people with multiple marginalized identities, including Black patients, Indigenous patients, trans patients, and fat patients who also face racism, transphobia, or medical gatekeeping.

Sharon shares concrete strategies for preparing for medical appointments, including:

Bringing notes to stay grounded when hyperarousal hits.

Recording appointments for recall and safety.

Bringing a support person.

Taking intentional rest time afterward.

Establishing boundaries and walking out when providers violate consent.

We discuss how exhausting it is to prepare for appointments that should be safe and how necessary these strategies become for survival.

After nearly dying because of weight stigma, Sharon left the classroom to educate clinicians, providers, and communities about anti fat bias. They now work with medical systems and general audiences to deconstruct bias, build safer care practices, and illuminate the threads of anti fat culture that harm everyone.

Sharon answers the signature Dr. Marianne Land question. Their ideal world includes accessible spaces for play, joy, rest, and creativity for all bodies. It includes medical care rooted in compassion, humanity, and dignity, and it includes ice cream for everyone with options for all bodies and needs.

This episode supports:

People in fat bodies who have experienced medical trauma.

Listeners who lived with eating disorders in larger bodies without diagnosis or care.

Providers wanting to unlearn weight stigma and offer safer treatment.

Clinicians seeking to understand the intersection of eating disorders and anti fat bias.

Anyone navigating healthcare systems that dismiss or harm them.

People exploring intersectionality, fat liberation, and neurodivergent affirming care.

Eating disorders in larger bodies are real, severe, and often missed.

Anti fat bias in healthcare prevents accurate diagnosis and lifesaving treatment.

Medical trauma compounds over years and affects every modality of care.

Compassionate providers save lives.

Medical self advocacy is necessary but exhausting.

Intersectionality affects both access to and quality of care.

Joy and play become powerful acts of resistance.

People in larger bodies deserve safety, dignity, and accurate medical treatment.

Follow Sharon on Instagram and all social platforms at @heysharonmaxwell.

For therapy, courses, and resources on eating disorders, ARFID, binge eating, and neurodivergent affirming care, visit my website at drmariannemiller.com and explore support options inside my binge eating recovery membership and ARFID programs.