The final chapter of our America's Next Top Model deep dive is here. 

In Part 3, Ash peels back the curtain on the production tactics used to control contestants and shape the stories we all watched unfold. We dive into the Netflix lawsuit, unpack the lasting impact ANTM had on an entire generation's relationship with bodies, beauty, and what it takes to succeed to 'be on top', and explore how the show's legacy has shifted from cultural phenomenon to cultural reckoning.

 And because Ash clearly wasn't finished unpacking twenty years of Top Model baggage, she closes the series with a few parting words she thinks Tyra Banks needs to hear. 

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of anti-fatness, sexual assault, eating disorders, coercive control, and emotional abuse. Please listen at your own discretion.

🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
🙌 Support us at Buy Me A Coffee.

🎬Tyra Banks ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood 2025 Full Speech
📓Assessing the Impact of a Reality TV Fashion Model Contest on Women's State Body Dissatisfaction, Affect, and Self-Esteem. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2025

Sources: (full source list on our website)
You wanna be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America's Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne
Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV by Jennifer Pozner
“The Curse of America’s Next Top Model” by iHeart Podcasts and Glass Podcasts
Luxeria
elle literacy
Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model - Netflix
Dark Side of Reality TV: America's Next Top Model - VICE
Dirty Rotten Scandals: America's Next Top Model Part 1 & 2 - E! Network

🔗LINKS

🌐 Website: therecoveryfeed.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
📷 Instagram: @therecoveryfeedpod
📱 TikTok: @therecoveryfeedpod
🎥 YouTube: @therecoveryfeedpod

Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support

🔍 RESOURCES:
Australia:
InsideOut Institute
InsideOut eClinic: FREE eating disorder treatments
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/funky-diesel
License code: 1UKI9PYWRHWIORHL 

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

Brace yourself, friends; the America's Next Top Model deep dive continues, and things only get messier from here.

In Part 2, Ash dives into the show's treatment of "plus-size" contestants, the impossible standards they were expected to meet (no off days allowed), and the way REAL eating disorders were turned into reality TV storylines. From tokenism and body shaming to some of the most uncomfortable moments in ANTM history, we unpack how a show that promised empowerment often delivered the exact opposite.

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of anti-fatness, body shaming, eating disorders, and eating disorder behaviours. Please listen at your own discretion. 

🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
🙌 Support us at Buy Me A Coffee.

Sources: (full source list on our website)
You wanna be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America's Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne
Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV by Jennifer Pozner
“The Curse of America’s Next Top Model” by iHeart Podcasts and Glass Podcasts
Luxeria
elle literacy
Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model - Netflix
Dark Side of Reality TV: America's Next Top Model - VICE
Dirty Rotten Scandals: America's Next Top Model Part 1 & 2 - E! Network

🔗LINKS

🌐 Website: therecoveryfeed.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
📷 Instagram: @therecoveryfeedpod
📱 TikTok: @therecoveryfeedpod
🎥 YouTube: @therecoveryfeedpod

Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support

🔍 RESOURCES:
Australia:
InsideOut Institute
InsideOut eClinic: FREE eating disorder treatments
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/funky-diesel
License code: 1UKI9PYWRHWIORHL 

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

You wanna be on top? Buckle up kiddies, because Ash is taking a ginormous swan dive into the depths of America's Next Top Model.

In Part 1 of this series, we explore the woman behind one of the most influential reality shows of the 2000s: Tyra Banks. From her early life and modelling career to the creation of ANTM, we unpack the vision behind the franchise and the contradictions that would come to define it.

How did a show created to empower young women become one so often criticised for body shaming, exploitation, and turning vulnerability into entertainment?

If you, too, feel personally victimised by ANTM, join us for this wild ride.

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of anti-fatness, body shaming, eating disorders, and eating disorder behaviours. Please listen at your own discretion. 

🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
🙌 Support us at Buy Me A Coffee.

Sources: (full source list on our website)
You wanna be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America's Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne
Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV by Jennifer Pozner
“The Curse of America’s Next Top Model” by iHeart Podcasts and Glass Podcasts
Luxeria
elle literacy
Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model - Netflix
Dark Side of Reality TV: America's Next Top Model - VICE
Dirty Rotten Scandals: America's Next Top Model Part 1 & 2 - E! Network

🔗LINKS

🌐 Website: therecoveryfeed.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
📷 Instagram: @therecoveryfeedpod
📱 TikTok: @therecoveryfeedpod
🎥 YouTube: @therecoveryfeedpod

Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support

🔍 RESOURCES:
Australia:
InsideOut Institute
InsideOut eClinic: FREE eating disorder treatments 
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/funky-diesel
License code: 1UKI9PYWRHWIORHL 

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

Welcome to the Lived Experience era — where we discuss the good, the bad, and the horrendously unregulated sides to recovery coaching. 

In this episode of the Recovery Feed, Ash and Callie unravel the complex world of lived experience advocacy; why it's important, its immense potential, and the pitfalls to watch out for. 

While these roles can provide personalised, flexible support outside traditional treatment, the lack of regulation invites serious risks...and unqualified grifters. This is why we can't have nice things. 

Link to The Guardian article

🙌 Support us at Buy Me A Coffee.

🔗LINKS

🌐 Website: therecoveryfeed.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
📷 Instagram: @therecoveryfeedpod
📱 TikTok: @therecoveryfeedpod
🎥 YouTube: @therecoveryfeedpod

Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support

Join the Holistic Understanding study here.
Access FREE eating disorder treatments at the InsideOut eClinic.

🔍 RESOURCES:
Australia:
InsideOut Institute
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/funky-diesel
License code: 1UKI9PYWRHWIORHL

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

Sorry for the clickbait title...but it's true. Paved With Gold is no more. Good news is we're not going anywhere. We're back with a shiny new rebrand, and ooft, do we have a lot to catch up on.

Join us to find out where we've been, why things look a little different, and why Callie won't stop talking about Heated Rivalry.

🙌 Support us at Buy Me A Coffee.

🔗LINKS
Join the Holistic Understanding study here.
Access FREE eating disorder treatments at the InsideOut eClinic.

🌐 Website: therecoveryfeed.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
📷 Instagram: @therecoveryfeedpod
📱 TikTok: @therecoveryfeedpod
🎥 YouTube: @therecoveryfeedpod

Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support

🔍 RESOURCES:
Australia:
InsideOut Institute
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/21-on-the-block/funky-diesel
License code: 1UKI9PYWRHWIORHL

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

We have opinions, and as usual, we're not afraid to share them. On what will probably be the first of a series, Ash and Callie are ranting about some of the things that really grind their gears. Under fire in this episode are Mum groups that make you feel bad about yourself, why an omelette is not a pizza and why not having children is perfectly ok, especially when you have a history of an eating disorder.

To join the EDGI 2 Australia study, click here.
To find out more about the EDGI 2 Australia study, click here.

To join the LivED study, click here.

To find out more and for more resources visit our website pavedwithgoldpodcast.com
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram at @pavedwithgoldpod

Purchase Callie's Trauma Immediate Response Plan here!
Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support and at @ca.support

RESOURCES:

Australia:
InsideOut Institute
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

Feeding your children can be hard enough before you even consider the impact our words and actions can have on growing brains. On this episode of Paved with Gold, we're joined by the incredible Dr Kyla who tells us how to raise anti-diet kids and foster healthy relationships with food from the very beginning. When we talk about eating disorder prevention, it all starts here. This one is a must-listen for parents.

Follow Dr Kyla on Instagram @dr_kyla
Visit Dr Kyla's website for her Mealtimes courses.
Visit Dr Kyla's shop here.

To find out more and for more resources visit our website pavedwithgoldpodcast.com
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram at @pavedwithgoldpod

Purchase Callie's Trauma Immediate Response Plan here!
Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support and at @ca.support

RESOURCES:

Australia:
InsideOut Institute
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

We talk AT LENGTH about the way eating disorders are treated, what is not working and what changes we want to see. In this episode of Paved with Gold, we are joined by Emma Bryant (she/her), someone who is actively working to change the way eating disorders are defined and treated. 

She talks to us about her PhD, the important role research plays in informing new treatments of eating disorders and how her lived experience shapes her research.

Read more about Emma here.

To find out more and for more resources visit our website pavedwithgoldpodcast.com
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram at @pavedwithgoldpod

Purchase Callie's Trauma Immediate Response Plan here!
Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support and at @ca.support

RESOURCES:

Australia:
InsideOut Institute
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

We know that eating disorders don't just affect those who live with them and on this episode of Paved with Gold, it's very much a family affair. We are joined by Callie's brothers Daniel, Todd and Josh to discuss their individual experiences of what it was like watching their sister live with and recover from a severe and enduring eating disorder. 

Trigger warning: there is a reference to suicide in this episode so please listen at your discretion.

To find out more and for more resources visit our website pavedwithgoldpodcast.com
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram at @pavedwithgoldpod

Purchase Callie's Trauma Immediate Response Plan here!
Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support and at @ca.support

RESOURCES:

Australia:
InsideOut Institute
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.

How many ADHD-ers does it take to change a lightbulb? We don't know because all three of us went on a tangent to talk about eating disorders and ADHD. On this episode of Paved with Gold, we are joined by psychologist, ADHD coach, and host of ADHD Her Way, Johanna Badenhorst (she/her). We talk about neuroaffirming care, why eating disorders are so prevalent in those with ADHD and how you can manage your ADHD.

Follow Johanna @adhdwithjohannab
Listen to her podcast ADHD Her Way
Visit her website here for coaching, courses and more.

Access the information sheets from Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia here

To find out more and for more resources visit our website pavedwithgoldpodcast.com
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram at @pavedwithgoldpod

Purchase Callie's Trauma Immediate Response Plan here!
Follow Callie on Instagram @calsann.support and at @ca.support

RESOURCES:

Australia:
InsideOut Institute
The Butterfly Foundation or call 1800 334 673
National Eating Disorder Collaboration
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation

UK:
TalkED
Beat Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders

North America:
Alliance for Eating Disorders
Project Heal
Eating Disorder Hope
Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) - Canada
National Eating Disorder Association

Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)

For more links and resources, check out our website. 

Disclaimer: This podcast is general in nature and has not taken your personal circumstances or medical history into account. We are here to share our own experiences and the things we have found helpful throughout our personal recovery journeys. Please remember that each person's journey and circumstances are different, and not all of the information contained in this podcast may be relatable to you. It's important you consult your own GP or recovery team to seek out tailored advice before making any important decisions relating to your own health and recovery process.