Illuminating Anorexia & Eating Disorder Recovery

Illuminating Anorexia & Eating Disorder Recovery episodes:

• 09.11.2023

  The Father’s Love

  Understanding and experiencing the Love of the Father* has been one of the most profound and significant keys to helping me overcome the fear and striving at the heart of my anorexia. Sinking the roots of my being into this...

  
• 04.09.2023

  Your life is precious

  Late last year I had a dream that brought home to me in a powerful way the preciousness of each individual life, and fuelled within me a desire to let every individual to know how precious they are, how much...

  
• 11.12.2022

  My Journey into Freedom – Part 2

  Freedom is a journey that has no end because it is a state of the heart more than anything else - and we can always be growing in our sense of inner peace and security. I am many years recovered from the...

  
• 11.12.2022

  My Journey into Freedom – Part 1

  Freedom is a journey that has no end because it is a state of the heart more than anything else - and we can always be growing in our sense of inner peace and security. I am many years recovered...

  
• 03.27.2022

  Hope for the Hopeless

  Wherever you are, whatever space you find yourself in, may your heart be encouraged, you are not beyond hope, you are not beyond help. Nothing is impossible with the God who loves you. If you feel exhausted, defeated, hopeless or...

  
• 08.07.2021

  You can get free!

  No matter how long you’ve been struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, you can get free of the attitudes and behaviours that keep you feeling stuck, hopeless and despairing. You can get off the food and weight...

  
• 07.31.2021

  Recovery Conversation with Chelsea age 19 (Part 2 of 2)

  Chelsea, 19, struggled with anorexia in her mid teens followed by a period of binge-eating and purging, which is not an uncommon experience in the recovery process from anorexia. In this podcast she speaks with Michelle about recovery, finding her...

  
• 07.29.2021

  Recovery Conversation with Chelsea, age 19 (Pt 1 of 2)

  Chelsea, 19, struggled with anorexia in her mid teens followed by a period of binge-eating and purging, which is not an uncommon experience in the recovery process from anorexia. In this podcast she speaks with Michelle about recovery, finding her...

  
• 02.18.2021

  Recovery Conversation with Jeanne, age 51

  Jeanne, 51, has struggled with disordered eating for decades. In this podcast she talks with Michelle Sparkes about finding hope and freedom from behaviors she thought she would have to live with. You can watch a video of the interview...

  
• 01.31.2021

  Recovery Conversation with Freda, age 38

  Freda, 38, has struggled with anorexia and disordered eating for 19 years. In this podcast she talks about the process of finding freedom from the obsessive thoughts and rules that circumscribed her life until recently. You can watch a video...

  
• 12.27.2020

  Recovery conversation with Kate, age 42

  Kate is a 42 year old mother of two who struggled for decades with restrictive eating and over-exercise. In this podcast she talks with Michelle about discovering a sense of freedom that she says is “hard to put into words...

  
• 12.16.2020

  Spiritual Power – what to do when you feel driven by fear

  The fear that drives us down the scales and into the self-destructive behaviours characteristic of anorexia and other eating disorders can grow into a terror that is difficult to articulate. I believe there is a spiritual dimension to this fear,...

  
• 02.27.2020

  Spiritual Power

  I believe at the heart of an eating disorder lies a deep-seated hunger for acceptance and security. How we see our “self” and what we believe about our worth, value and entitlement (to life, nurture and good things) are critical...

  
• 01.06.2020

  Comfort, peace & hope

  Have you ever felt deeply distressed, inconsolable or highly anxious? Right now in my country we’re grappling with the devastating impact of catastrophic bushfires. Closer to home my dearly loved mum is suffering and in decline. It got me thinking...

  
• 04.09.2019

  Warning…danger ahead!

  I got caught in an ocean current on the weekend and it got me thinking how quickly we can go from being in control (“I’m okay”) to being out of control (“I’m in danger”). The slide from disordered or unhealthy...

  
• 03.15.2019

  What to do when you’re paralysed by fear

  Paralysing fear. Feeling stuck and terrified. Afraid to make a “wrong” decision; afraid to make any decision. Acute anxiety is a major feature of anorexia and something most of us will relate to in some measure. Even when you’re recovered...

  
• 12.21.2018

  Christmas reflection

  When we are locked in the self hatred of the eating disorder ‘cage’ we need to experience ourselves as seen, known, understood, worthwhile, valuable, loved. Even when and especially in the midst of our most acute struggles. For me the...

  
• 12.12.2018

  Communicating when it’s difficult

  When it comes to communicating around a difficult situation or personal challenge I find the following piece of wisdom most helpful: “He who seeks good finds goodwill (favour)” Proverbs 11:29 Attitude is everything. When we approach a difficult communication situation with the...

  
• 11.28.2018

  Help for Chronic and Enduring Anorexia

  What do you say to two brave women now both in their 40s, struggling to stay ‘well enough’ to stay out of hospital after a long journey with anorexia, both traumatised by previous hospital admissions and struggling to know who...

  
• 10.29.2018

  How not to revert to bad habits

  A listener requests help “not to revert back to old bad habits” and to learn to eat when hungry. Here are some thoughts.  Feel free to email your questions to: [email protected]

  
• 10.19.2018

  The importance of compassion when you’re fearful

  I recently asked people what their greatest challenge or concern was when it came to their struggle in the ED/DE landscape. One respondent asked how to combat her fear of gaining weight when she “knew she must.” It got me...

  
• 08.30.2018

  Getting beneath the binge 2

  When we explore what’s going on inside us in the lead up to a binge it helps makes ‘sense’ of our behaviour; our bingeing feels less mindless and out of control; we can view our situation with more curiosity and...

  
• 08.30.2018

  Getting beneath the binge 1

  Bingeing isn’t just (or even mostly) about physical hunger, although if we’re not giving our body sufficient food on a regular basis we will certainly binge. Bingeing is primarily about emotional hunger. Emotional hunger starts us on the journey of...

  
• 08.21.2018

  3 Pillars to Freedom

  There are a number of things to embody and embrace (skills to learn, knowledge to apply) to get free from disordered eating behaviours and beliefs but at the heart of it all, I believe there are 3 pillars that are...

  
• 08.14.2018

  Self and body esteem – how they connect

  If embodying value is the first pillar to freedom from disordered eating; experiencing your body as home (not object) is the second…and they are intimately connected…listen here for more.

  
• 08.13.2018

  What makes you valuable

  Here are three things that can help you value yourself in ways that are life-affirming and health promoting: * Understand your intrinsic worth and value * Reflect on what you value in others * Spend (more) time in the company of those people

  
• 08.01.2018

  Why we binge and what we can do about it

  We binge because we’re hungry –physically, emotionally, spiritually We binge because we’ve been restricting – possibly even starving ourselves – of nurture – physical and emotional We restrict because we believe we don’t deserve (more food, love, affection, belonging) – or that...

  
• 07.31.2018

  3 Keys for those who struggle

  If you struggle with disordered eating, self and body concerns 3 key things you will need to recover a life worth living are compassion, curiosity and support. Listen here for more…

  
• 07.29.2018

  3 Keys for Carers

  Dear Carer you are a lifeline to the one you love. I know it can be tremendously challenging to watch someone you love restricting, starving, bingeing, purging or punishing their body. You KNOW these behaviours do not produce health, well-being...

  
• 07.23.2018

  Keeping it simple – when labels don’t help

  If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or discouraged by an eating disorder ‘label’ or diagnosis this podcast will help you see that you are not alone, unusual or beyond help…and if you need more encouragement or ‘hard evidence’ get hold of...

  
• 01.29.2018

  A map (or model) to explain how eating disorders function

  When pain comes our way it is natural to protect against it. And a very understandable way to protect against pain directed at the self or experienced within the self, is to try and control it. Food/body/weight control in this...

  
• 01.27.2018

  Illuminating Eating Disorder Recovery

  Freedom from disordered eating comes as we cease food restrictions and nurture body and soul. The first step on our road to freedom requires that we SEE that our current disordered eating behaviours, although originally well-intentioned, will never take us where...

  
• 09.07.2017

  The Father’s Hug

  What happens when the drive for health becomes unhealthy? asks Jenny Brockie, host of SBS Insight, as she explores our nations “health obsession” with a roomful of people and three 20+ year olds struggling to recover from disordered eating and...

  
• 08.29.2017

  Exploring the spiritual dimension in mental health

  “Could it be that depression is not purely a physical sickness but a spiritual malaise?” asks Elizabeth Farrelly in her article, “Finding the black dog’s spiritual lead” (The Sydney Morning Herald, 26-27 August 2017 , p.30). “Perhaps we should see it...

  
• 08.23.2017

  Help for depression with Prof Ian Hickie AM

  More than just feeling down, clinical depression is a serious mental health condition that affects the way people feel, think, and react to general daily activities, such as eating, sleeping, or working. In Australia one-in-seven people will experience clinical depression in...

  
• 06.15.2017

  Hello Japan

  Great to be back in the podcasting seat! I’ve been offline piloting the 4×4 Freedom Express and really enjoying the face to face interaction involved.  I believe human connection is more needed now than ever to promote health and well...

  
• 05.25.2017

  Why I do what I do

  I traveled through an eating disorder in my teen and early adult years (as illustrated) and lost ~ 15 years of my life spinning my wheels on the eating disorder treadmill because I couldn’t SEE what I was dealing with...

  
• 04.25.2017

  Why and how hospital helped

  In the last episode I was saying that in my experience of anorexia prior to my hospital admission, I had become enmeshed, hyper-vigilant and ‘trigger-happy’ in my family environment. I was physically and emotionally starving but could not receive the...

  
• 04.22.2017

  Connections That Heal

  When you have fallen for, and are isolated by the lie that you are not worthy or good enough you need to reach out…to connections that can affirm, nurture, and encourage YOU. It’s important to say here that anorexia itself...

  
• 04.10.2017

  To the young person struggling to accept yourself

  Self and body acceptance go hand in glove. The message of EMBRACE may be a challenge for the young(er) person struggling with anorexia or ED because when we’re struggling in this space, our sense of self as “unacceptable” can go...

  
• 04.05.2017

  Embrace body diversity

  Embrace is a wonderful documentary (film) that celebrates body shape, size, and ethnic diversity. The brainchild of Taryn Brumfitt, a wife and mother of 3 who almost went under the knife in her quest to overcome body loathing, the message...

  
• 03.19.2017

  Coping with weight gain in anorexia 2

  Gaining weight from a low weight may be possible in an outpatient setting if a person is not critically unwell. If a person can make progress with the support of a doctor, dietician and therapist in an outpatient setting, fantastic....

  
• 03.17.2017

  Coping with weight gain in anorexia 1

  To recover from anorexia a person will need to confront their fear of food and eating; their fear of getting fat and losing control. It’s a huge challenge because the semi-starvation diet of an anorectic CREATES the food obsessions and...

  
• 03.14.2017

  Helping young people navigate porn culture

  “Pornified messages are bombarding our young people and giving them distorted ideas about their bodies, about relationships, and about sexuality,” says Melinda Tankard Reist, in this podcast interview, “According to global research, (this is) making our kids very unwell.” We are...

  
• 03.06.2017

  The problem with porn culture

  Grace, a podcast listener asks, “Do you have any insight on the impacts of not only the media, but porn as well. For the folks in relationships (I am married, second time around) is it such an issue for most...

  
• 02.28.2017

  Inspiring People: Kelly McJannett CEO Foodladder Eating Disorder Recovery Help

  This series is designed to inspire you and help you dream again; to recover the hopes and aspirations deep inside you that may have got lost in your battle with an ED. When your eyes are cast down, lost in...

  
• 02.25.2017

  Help to fight the ED voice

  When the ED voice (the bully in your head) is making it hard or impossible for you to take in the nurture you need to survive and thrive you need help.  You need other people to come alongside you and...

  
• 02.24.2017

  You deserve to eat Anorexia and Eating Disorder Help

  When you’re fighting anorexia, you become afraid to eat. The terror of losing control and getting fat is REAL and is created by the eating disorder itself.  I want to tell you, food is not your enemy; the fear of...

  
• 02.21.2017

  Love Food with Julie Duffy Dillon RD Eating Disorder Help

  A great chat with Julie Duffy Dillon RD, dietitian, writer, speaker and host of the popular Love Food podcast, covering everything from her approach in working with people affected by ED/DE, to problems larger bodies experience in getting timely diagnoses,...

  
• 02.17.2017

  Get off the beaten track & recover your life - Eating Disorder Recovery

  Have you ever found yourself on a backroad by mistake or design? It’s a great opportunity to discover things you would otherwise miss. When we come away from mainstream messages about our worth and value, we have the opportunity to...