The Eating Disorder Diaries

In the Season 2 finale of The Eating Disorder Diaries, Amy looks back on the 10 monthly goals we set together in 2025 and reflects on how they shaped her own ongoing recovery journey. She shares what she learned from each guest expert: from reclaiming joy, healing your relationship with movement, setting social media boundaries, noticing body signals, and using style as a tool for embodiment.

Amy also opens up about her third-trimester life update as she goes through her first pregnancy, and to close out the season offers a grounding reminder of why goal setting works, not just in eating disorder recovery, but in any chapter of growth.

Thank you for listening, for being here, and for being part of this global recovery community.

Connect with me!

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @theeatingdisorderdiaries

In the final goal we're setting in 2025, we're using style as a tool in eating disorder recovery.

We're joined by Nicole Garfunkel, founder of Styling Confidential, to discuss how clothing and personal expression can become powerful parts of healing. Together, Amy & Nicole they dive into what it means to take up space again after years of hiding, and how getting dressed can shift from a daily task into a meaningful, grounding ritual.

If you’ve been following along this year, you know Amy loves exploring all the different tools that can support recovery - not just journaling or therapy, but creativity, connection, and embodiment. This conversation is a reminder that healing can show up in so many forms, even in the simple act of putting on clothes that make you feel like you.

In This Episode:

• Nicole’s journey from disordered eating to using fashion as a healing tool
• Why style and clothing matter in recovery
• How getting dressed can become a grounding ritual
• Navigating body changes with compassion and curiosity
• Reconnecting with self-expression after years of hiding
• Managing triggers while shopping or trying on clothes
• Encouragement for anyone who still feels disconnected from their body

Connect with Nicole:
Website: Styling Confidential
Insta: @styling_confidential

Connect with Amy & the podcast:
Insta: @theeatingdisorderdiaries

Email: [email protected]

This month, our recovery goal is to notice one body signal each day: hunger, fullness, fatigue, or energy - without judgement. It may sound simple, but it’s actually a transformative practice. By gently tuning into these signals, we can start rebuilding trust with our bodies, describe our experiences more clearly to providers, and open the door to healing.

To explore this theme, I sat down with Hui Yang, a physician-scientist and psychiatry resident at Yale. Hui studies the brain circuitry behind eating disorders and brings a rare perspective by combining cutting-edge research with her own lived experiences. She grew up in China, came to the U.S. at 18, and now works at the intersection of neuroscience and compassionate clinical care.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Why body signals feel so dysregulated in eating disorders, and why they’re not “broken.”
• Practical grounding tools Hui recommends to reconnect with hunger, fullness, and energy.
• The three phases of eating (appetitive, consummatory, satiety) and what happens when they’re disrupted.
• The two studies Hui participated in at Acute in Denver, one of the country’s highest-acuity inpatient centers:
  • Understanding the urge to move or exercise in eating disorders.
  • Testing whether nutrient balance during refeeding can improve recovery outcomes.
• Why treatment, though hard, is truly lifesaving and why Hui has hope for the future of eating disorder care.

Connect with Hui:

• Instagram: @let_the_land_lie_fallow
  
  
• Yale Profile: https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/hui-yang-hy439/
  
  
• Email: [email protected]

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @theeatingdisorderdiaries

This month’s recovery goal is all about movement - specifically, moving away from punishment and control and toward joy, choice, and rest in eating disorder recovery.

In this episode, Amy sits down with Kait Moresi, host of the Bite by Bite podcast, to discuss: 

• Kait’s story of eating disorder recovery and movement
• What turning points helped her redefine her relationship with her body
• The subtle signs of ED that can go unnoticed - even by ourselves
• How the desire to control (through running, Peloton, or other exercise) can show up as the ED voice
• What to do if you’ve felt solid in recovery but find yourself retriggered
• What her relationship with movement looks like today
• What listeners can expect from her podcast

If you’re working on building a kinder, more flexible relationship with exercise, or just need the reminder that rest is valid, this episode is for you.

Follow Kait on Instagram: @kaitmoresi

Check out her podcast Bite by Bite: @bitebybiterecovery

Welcome to this month's recovery goal...all about reevaluating your relationship with social media.

Amy opens up about her own recent struggles with doomscrolling (especially since becoming pregnant) and how the constant stream of anxiety-inducing content has impacted her mental health and recovery. From pregnancy fears to subtle body comparison traps, she reflects on how quickly social media can shift from entertaining to harmful.

To help unpack all of this, Amy is joined by Lily Thrope, a therapist and founder of Thrope Therapy who specializes in eating disorders, body image, and intuitive eating. Together, they explore:

• How social media reinforces disordered thinking and body surveillance
• The role of fatphobia online and how it affects people in recovery
• Tips for curating a safer, more supportive feed
• Why social media doesn’t have to be off-limits - but boundaries are essential
• Small, practical steps to begin taking control back from the algorithm

Follow along with the podcast each month for a new recovery goal and deeper conversations around healing, growth, and self-compassion.

Follow Lily on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thropetherapylcsw/

And check out her website: https://thropetherapy.com/

Follow the podcast: @theeatingdisorderdiaries

The title says it... I'm pregnant!

In this episode I’m talking about how this new experience has deeply tied into my eating disorder recovery. I wanted to share this part of my life with you because it’s been full of surprises (physically, emotionally, and mentally) and it’s brought up so many of the same themes I’ve worked through in recovery (control, trust, and body image).

Join me as I talk about TTC, my first trimester, and navigating body changes while honoring my recovery. Whether you’re trying to conceive, already pregnant, a mom, or just curious what pregnancy looks like through the lens of recovery, I hope this episode meets you where you are.

Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss tomorrow’s episode where I share a new monthly goal for August and for the rest of the months in 2025, and follow me on Instagram @theeatingdisorderdiaries 💛

This July we're setting a brand new monthly goal: to add daily joy and creativity into your life outside of your eating disorder. This month’s theme is all about reconnecting with identity, pleasure, and self-worth by doing something that truly lights you up.

Amy is joined by a very special guest: Rachel Evans, PhD, a UK-based chartered psychologist specializing in eating disorder recovery. Rachel brings a wealth of experience (both personal and professional) to this conversation about healing, creative expression, and the journey back to yourself.

Whether you’ve been feeling stuck in your routine or are ready to reconnect with parts of yourself you’ve lost to your eating disorder, this episode will leave you feeling inspired to make space for joy on your terms.

Connect with Rachel:

• Instagram: @rachel.evans.phd
• Website: https://eatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/
• Podcast: Just Eat Normally (available on all major platforms)

Follow The Eating Disorder Diaries on Instagram @theeatingdisorderdiaries

It’s been a minute and I’ve missed it here!! Life has been full lately (read: never being home for more than 2 weeks at a time..) but recovery is showing up in every corner of my days from little moments like making meals at home to bigger shifts in how I see my body, this season has been meaningful to me and I hope the same for you.

If you’ve been following along, you know each month this year we’ve been setting an intentional recovery goal. And this month we're pausing. June is a reflection month. No new goal, just space to look back and ask: What’s working? What’s not? What do I want to carry forward?

In today’s episode, I’m walking you through what recovery has looked like for me lately. The highs, the lows, the routines that are helping, and the shifts I didn’t expect. Let’s check in, reflect, and get grounded together.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @theeatingdisorderdiaries

May’s recovery goal is to create a simple, supportive morning routine, because the way we begin our day can shape everything that follows. In this solo episode, Amy shares why morning routines are one of her favorite tools for eating disorder recovery and how you can build one that actually sticks — without stress or perfectionism.

We discuss:

• Why mornings are a powerful time for brain and habit change
• The science behind how routines impact cortisol, anxiety, and mood
• Why chaos fuels eating disorders and how routines bring safety
• Recovery-friendly ideas for grounding your mornings (no 5 a.m. bootcamps here unless you really want to)
• Tips to start small and make your routine sustainable
• How a gentle rhythm can rebuild trust with your body and mind

Whether you're brand new to recovery or looking to deepen your healing, this episode will leave you inspired to start your day with more intention, peace, and self-compassion.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @theeatingdisorderdiaries for more daily recovery tips, reflections, and encouragement.

This month’s goal in eating disorder recovery is all about daily ED education - because knowledge is power in recovery. In this follow-up episode, Amy sits down with none other than Harriet Frew, host of The Eating Disorder Therapist podcast, a BACP-accredited counselor, educator, and someone who brings the unique combination of professional expertise and lived experience.

Harriet has personally recovered from bulimia nervosa, and her work now supports individuals across the globe who are healing from disordered eating, body image issues, and the deep-rooted challenges behind them. She offers 1-1 therapy, online recovery programs, and training for other professionals who want to support clients in this space.

In this episode, Amy and Harriet discuss:

• Harriet’s personal recovery story and how it shaped her career
• Recent impactful episodes from Harriet's podcast and key takeaways
• The emotional and psychological roots of bulimia
• What it really means to seek recovery at any age or stage of life
• Why daily education can be empowering for both those in recovery and those who love them

Connect with Harriet:

• Podcast: The Eating Disorder Therapist Podcast
• Website: THE EATING DISORDER THERAPIST - The Eating Disorder Therapist Harriet Frew
• Instagram: @theeatingdisordertherapist_
• Substack: Harriet Frew | Substack