MyoMinds Podcast

Disclaimer - In this episode we talk about disordered relationships with eating, exercise and body image.

This episode is the beginning of a new series on the MyoMinds Podcast that we are calling "MyoMinds Stories" (as an ode to the Stories on our website). These episodes focus on our guest's story, how they want to tell it and what led them to the point where they wanted to tell it here on the pod!

Our first guest is Stu Graham. Stu is a health coach and podcaster who helps people feel more energised, confident and fulfilled by looking at health as a whole and using it as vehicle to make meaningful change. Stu believes that health should add to peoples lives and facilitate them to live a life they love, on their terms.

Stu and George end up talking about all sorts during this episode. We hope you enjoy!

You can follow Stu through the info below:

Instagram: @stu.graham.s25

Website: https://www.s25coaching.co.uk/

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.

Hello all! I have something a bit different to the usual podcasts today.

I am at the Appearance Matters Conference 2024 (June 11-13) presenting a poster about my first PhD study titled: Men's Formal Help-Seeking for Eating and/or Body Image Pathology: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators. - (Catchy, right?)

A link to this podcast is in a QR code on the poster so we should be joined by some academics from the conference (welcome!) who can learn a bit more about the study here if they didn't get the chance to ask me at the conference or just wanted to hear more.

I have also done my best to make this interesting for the regular MyoMinds listeners so I hope you enjoy too!

Here are some timestamps for those interested in particular sections:

Rational, aims, and defining terms: 03:15

Methods: 10:03

Results: 14:47

Findings and Recommendations: 23:03

Outro with thanks: 33:21

I would love to hear your thoughts on the study and any questions about it! Feel free to contact me via MyoMinds social media or via the MyoMinds website (MyoMinds.com).

Disclaimer - In this episode we talk about disordered eating, exercise, and body image issues. We also talk about general mental health struggles.

In this episode of the MyoMinds Podcast, George speaks with Matt Davis. Matt is a Registered Associate Nutritionist and the creator of The Flourishing Athlete; aiming to help athletes and fitness enthusiasts develop a positive relationship with food, body and self. Matt has struggled with his relationship with food and body image in the past and is passionate about helping athletes approach food and their body in a healthy way which supports performance, fitness and wellbeing. Having played elite level sport, been a fitness enthusiast and worked as a personal trainer and nutritionist, Matt promotes a predominantly non-diet, body neutral approach towards sports nutrition, fitness and performance. He believes that this education and support is needed in the sport and fitness space to reduce the prevalence of disordered eating, body image concerns and other risk factors for poor mental wellbeing in this population.

Listen to the episode to hear us discuss:

• What the Flourishing Athlete is.
• Why Matt decided to set it up.
• Some of Matt's history with disordered eating, exercise and body image issues.
• How identity plays a role in the negative sides of fitness.

Devils advocate question: Sure, some athletes will end up feeling down when behaving in these ways, but don’t you think that’s just part of the risk of striving for greatness?

You can find Matt here:

Instagram/Threads: @theflourishingathlete

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.

Disclaimer: In this episode I talk about my own experiences with suicidality, disordered eating, and body image issues.

In this episode of the MyoMinds Podcast, I am going solo. November 19th 2023 is International mens day and the theme this year is "zero male suicide", so I am talking about that!

What to expect:

• My story in regards to suicidality
• A lot of rambling and forgetting what I was going to say
• A delve into the research around muscle dysmorphia and suicide
• Some discussion around masculinity and suicide

I hope you enjoy! (I've decided to leave the link out, for those avid listeners. Please leave a review instead!)

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.

Disclaimer: In this episode, we talk about anabolic steroid use, supplement use, body image issues, and other related things. If you think these conversations may be difficult for you, please take care in deciding whether to listen.

In this episode of the MyoMinds Podcast, I speak with Dr. Kyle Ganson. Kyle T. Ganson, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. His research focuses on eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia, and muscle-building behaviours among adolescents and young adults, particularly boys and young men. Dr. Ganson has published over 100 peer-reviewed academic papers in leading adolescent health, eating disorder, body image, and substance use journals. His research has been featured on the CBC, CTV News, U.S. News and World Report, Healthline, Fatherly, and Runner's World, among others. Dr. Ganson has over 8 years of direct clinical social work practice experience and teaches clinical social work courses to MSW students.

Listen to the pod to hear us discuss:

• The prevalence rates of steroid and supplement use
• The risks and benefits of steroids and supplements
• The need to reframe how we view those taking steroids
• Kyle's ideas on how we can move forward

You can follow Kyle on Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/kyletganson

You can find some of Kyle's work here:

Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors: https://socialwork.utoronto.ca/canadian-study-of-adolescent-health-behaviors/

Muscle-building supplement Canadian policy analysis: https://socialwork.utoronto.ca/news/video-dietary-supplements-for-muscle-building-and-weight-loss-addressing-knowledge-and-policy-gaps/

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.

Disclaimer: In this episode, we talk about different eating disorders thoughts and behaviours, depression, and other negative mental health experiences.

In this episode of the MyoMinds Podcast I speak to Lilia Bogoeva.

Lilia Bogoeva is a somatic practitioner, musician, and powerlifter who knows what it's like to give it your all for success, but to struggle with anorexia, bulimia, substance addiction, and depression. As a coach and professional speaker, Lilia helps young people with addictive tendencies to overcome damaging spirals and channel their natural intensity into passion and achievement.

Her signature "Inner Demon Crusher Cycle" is a combination of somatic (mind-body) healing, functional fitness, music therapy, and vocal training to help her clients tap into personal authenticity and align physical, mental, and spiritual health. She is also the singer-guitarist of metal band Karkaza, based out of Alabama, USA.

Her work draws from personal and professional experience in competitive gymnastics, dance, music, and entrepreneurship. Her mission is to take the negative stigma away from trauma healing and addictive personalities, and inspire people to channel their naturally intense drive into healthy and fulfilling pathways. She inspires everyone to master being themselves!

Listen to the full pod to hear us cover:

• Lilia's experience with different mental health struggles
• How faith and religion has help Lilia in recovery
• How Lilia's coaching works
• What 'trauma informed' means to Lilia

This week's Devils Advocate Question: "Athletes and performers need to be tough, they must push through adversity on a regular occurrence. Don’t you think focusing on their trauma will just lead to them feeling sorry for themselves?"

If you would like to follow Lilia or contact her, use the links below:

Website:

www.MyobeatAthletics.com

Tiktok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@lilia_bogoeva

Podcast:

podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lilia-bogoeva

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/MyobeatAthletics

Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/@myobeat

Lilia's metal band site:

www.Karkaza.com

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.

Disclaimer: Within this podcast we speak about disordered relationships with exercise, food and body image.

In this episode of the MyoMinds Podcast I speak with Graham, a firefighter, yoga instructor, and fan of the pod! Graham and I have been in contact for over a year now and have spoken on the phone many times about general life as well as our shared experiences with mental health concerns. We thought it was about time we brought one of those conversations to you all!

This conversation is also aptly timed as in November 2022 the 'Independent Culture Review of the London Fire Brigade' was released and spoke about some concerns regarding mental health within the workforce. We discuss this and more in the pod.

Take a listen to hear us discuss:

• body dysmorphia and mental health
• Graham's story of mental health
• How yoga has affected Graham's mental health
• Graham's experiences in the fire brigade
• Graham's experience of the 'Walk and Talk 999' group

We skipped the devil's advocate question in this episode, as we touched on so many topics that we didn't feel we needed to!

If you would like to follow Graham on socials you can find him here:

Instagram: Gfunkyogi

Facebook: Gfunkyogi

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.

Disclaimer: Within this podcast we speak about disordered relationships with exercise, food and body image. We also talk about the potential negative impacts of the bodybuilding lifestyle, including ignoring your needs and amenorrhea.

In this episode of the MyoMinds Podcast I talk to two exercise psychologists, Dr Paula Watson and Clara Swedlund.

Dr Paula Watson is a HCPC-registered Practitioner Psychologist and BPS Chartered Psychologist with 18 years’ experience of developing and delivering health behaviour change interventions, including family-based intervention for children with obesity (GOALS), GP exercise referral, and promoting physical activity for adolescent girls. Until August 2022, Paula worked as a Reader in Exercise and Health Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University before leaving academia to run her independent exercise psychology company (https://madeuptomove.co.uk) where she offers 1-to-1 psychological support for individuals struggling with exercise or diet-related concerns. Paula is currently training for the London Marathon in aid of Mind charity (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mind-runner).

Clara Swedlund is a trainee exercise psychologist enrolled in the BPS' Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology training pathway. She has 6 years of experience working in the fitness industry as a coach, and 3 years of experience working both as a fitness coach and exercise psychologist. Her work is centred around bridging the gap between the fitness industry and applied exercise psychology, by helping people understand themselves, their relationship with exercise and health behaviours, and their wellbeing. Whilst she mainly works on a 1:1 basis with her clients, she also supports fitness coaches and coaching companies in making their practices more psychologically informed.

In this episode, we talk about a huge range of topics (we could have gone for 6+ hours I think). Some of these topics include:

• What is exercise psychology?
• Different problematic relationships with exercise and what a 'healthy relationship with exercise' looks like.
• The way trauma can affect our relationship with exercise.
• Bodybuilding and how it impacted mine and Clara's lives.

If you would like to get in contact with, or just follow the work of Paula or Clara you can find their information below:

Paula:

Twitter: @paula_watson

Instagram: @mind_runr

Website: https://madeuptomove.co.uk

Clara:

Twitter: @ceswedlund

Instgram: @the_Exerpsych

Website: www.theexerpsych.com

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.

Disclaimer - In this podcast we talk about disordered eating, body image, and issues with exercise. Please take care if choosing to listen.

In this episode of the MyoMinds Podcast I speak with Tessa Peters. Tessa is the Founder & CEO of the charity Been There. Been There supports people with body image issues by pairing them through an app with a vetted and trained Mentor who has relatable experience. Tessa set this up in response to her own battle with an eating disorder for 11 years. She desperately searched for help from someone who had gone through something similar and understood. After trying many different forms of professional help, she eventually found her Mentor, which was life changing for her. Being able to feel safe and speak freely without judgment enabled her to no longer feel so ashamed or alone. 

Tessa has worked on Superyachts as a Sous and Crew Chef for most of her career and managed a number of  large scale events including CarFest and Frieze Festival, before embarking upon creating Been There with the purposeful aim of supporting people struggling with their body image and related mental health issues that are so prevalent in today's society. 

Tessa’s mission is to encourage self-acceptance and self-worth in everyBODY;  Been There and its 1-to-1 mentoring service is bringing the solution to help those in need. Tessa wants no one to ever feel alone and encourages us all to help each other more.

Listen to the full episode to hear us discuss:

• Tessa's eating disorder journey
• How Been There works
• How mentoring can help with body image issues
• How you can get involved with Benn There.

Devil's Advocate Question: Couldn’t it be dangerous getting help from someone who has had similar issues? how do you make sure the mentors aren’t making things worse?

You can follow Tessa and Been There on:

Website: Beenthereapp.com

Instagram: @Beenthere.app

Facebook: Been There

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.

Disclaimer: In this episode, we speak about eating disorders, exercise addiction, and body dysmorphia. Please take care if choosing to listen to the podcast.

In this episode of the MyoMinds Podcast I speak with Dr Jason Nagata, who is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco and affiliated faculty with the Institute for Global Health Sciences and the Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health. Jason is one of the researchers spearheading research around muscularity-oriented disordered eating (Hence the title of this episode) and a personal research hero of mine!

Listen to this episode to hear about:

• What is muscularity oriented disordered eating? How does it differ from muscle dysmorphia/bigorexia?
• Who is most at risk of developing these issues and why?
• Are these conditions serious? What happens to people who experience this?
• Is help available and if so, where?
• and more!

The Devils Advocate Question: 'A lot of these people are just trying to build muscle, be the best they can be, and get healthier. Aren’t you just labeling muscle building behaviours as bad and discouraging healthy choices?'

You can Follow Jason and his work on Twitter: @jasonmnagata

Please remember that no episode of the MyoMinds Podcast can be used as a replacement for medical advice and/or care.