What if recovery isn’t about a finish line but about finding meaning in the messy middle? In this episode of Dr. Marianne-Land: An Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast, Dr. Marianne Miller welcomes journalist, professor, and author Mallary Tenore Tarpley to talk about her groundbreaking new book, Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery.

Mallary shares her powerful story of developing anorexia at age 12 after her mother’s death, navigating years of treatment, and later facing a decade-long cycle of bingeing and restricting. She describes how she reframed her experience through the concept of “The Middle Place,” which is a space between acute illness and full recovery where slips are not failures but opportunities for growth.

Through her lens as a journalist and storyteller, Mallary highlights the importance of expanding the language of recovery. Instead of labeling experiences as “quasi-recovery” or “pseudo-recovery,” she offers a more compassionate and nuanced perspective...one that validates ongoing struggles while still holding space for progress and hope.

💡 If you’re looking for real conversations about eating disorder recovery, this episode offers hope and honesty. Mallary Tenore Tarpley shares her lived experience with anorexia recovery, binge eating recovery, and navigating the ups and downs of healing. Listeners will learn why the idea of the middle place in eating disorder recovery resonates with so many people and how reframing “slips” as stepping stones can support long-term healing. Whether you are in recovery yourself, supporting a loved one, or seeking insights as a clinician, this episode highlights the importance of compassionate eating disorder treatment, nuanced recovery language, and ongoing self-reflection.

Listeners will hear about:

Why “slips” can be stepping stones in the recovery process.

How perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking can keep people stuck.

The importance of nuance, grace, and self-compassion in recovery.

Mallary’s research process, which included interviewing 175 people and surveying over 700 individuals worldwide with diverse lived experiences.

How storytelling, whether through journalism, memoir, or simply pen and paper, can be a lifeline and invitation for connection.

This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, including anorexia, binge eating, relapse, hospitalization, and recovery. Listeners may hear mentions of grief, loss of a parent, and treatment experiences. Please take care while listening and step away if you need to.

Mallary is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of Slip. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, and more. She publishes a weekly Substack newsletter on personal writing at mallary.substack.com and shares openly on Instagram at @mallarytenoretarpley.

📖 Slip is available wherever books are sold. Support your local bookstore, or find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If you’re struggling with restriction, food obsession, or atypical anorexia and are seeking affirming, experienced support, Dr. Marianne offers therapy in California, Texas, and Washington, D.C. Her approach is weight-inclusive, neurodivergent-affirming, and trauma-informed.

Get started here: 👉 https://www.drmariannemiller.com