Just Eat Normally: Eating Disorder Recovery

I'm super excited to be speaking with Dr Jennifer Gaudiani, who's book "Sick Enough" I frequently recommend.

We cover:

• Why purging is medically dangerous and how the body reacts
• The hidden complications many people overlook
• How to stop purging more safely - whether you want a “cold‑turkey” detox or a harm‑reduction plan
• Medication options that can smooth the transition
• Practical everyday tips for families, clinicians, and anyone supporting recovery

Connect with Rachel

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery.

Rigid rules can make eating disorder recovery feel impossible when you're living with the overwhelming fear that worst will happen.

In this solo episode Dr Rachel Evans explores a fairly simple practice designed to gently loosen all-or-nothing thinking without involving food, weight, or body image.

You’ll hear:

• Why breaking a rule can feel threatening (even the times when you “know” it isn’t)
• A small daily experiment that builds flexibility and tolerance for discomfort
• Why practising “safe discomfort” can reduce the power of eating disorder rules over time
• How to choose changes that stretch you without overwhelming you

This episode is for you if:

• You feel controlled by food rules or routines
• Breaking a rule triggers loud, critical thoughts
• You fear that one change will lead to stricter rules, out of control bingeing or dangerous compensatory behaviours
• You want recovery to feel more spacious, not more punishing

Resources mentioned:

In this solo episode, Dr. Rachel Evans – chartered psychologist and hypnotherapist specialising in eating disorder recovery – shares two key themes from recent client conversations that offer valuable insights for anyone navigating recovery.

Rethinking Control in Eating Disorders
Rachel explores the often-cited belief that restrictive eating provides a sense of control. She encourages listeners to reflect on what control really means to them, suggesting that genuine control might actually lie in having choices around food, not in following rigid rules.

Challenging Absolute Beliefs or “Truths”
From the famous Kate Moss quote to the idea that “nothing hits like a binge,” Rachel discusses how certain ingrained beliefs may feel true but might be worth questioning – especially when they come with negative consequences. She invites listeners to explore the origins of these beliefs and whether they truly serve them.

🎧 Listen if you're looking for:

• Gentle, thought-provoking ways to shift your mindset in recovery

• Validation and real talk about common challenges

• Encouragement to explore your own version of a nourished life

  
  

Please remember that this podcast shares opinions and information, it isn’t for the diagnosis or treatment of an eating disorder, mental or physical health issues.

Connect with Rachel

In this episode of Just Eat Normally, host Dr. Rachel Evans speaks with Becky Grace Irwin,  a BABCP-accredited CBT & EMDR therapist, mental health nurse, and specialist in neurodiversity, complex trauma, eating disorders, and ARFID. Becky brings a mix of clinical expertise and lived experience as she shares how childhood environment, sensory processing, autonomy, and developmental factors shape someone’s relationship with food.

Together we explore:

• What ARFID actually is (and what it isn’t)

• Sensory sensitivities, fear of adverse consequences, and low-interest presentations

• Misconceptions about “picky eating”

• Why some people rely heavily on “safe foods” and predictable food brands

• Links between ARFID, neurodiversity (especially ADHD & autism), and interception

• How shame, pressure, and family dynamics impact eating behaviours

• The importance of understanding individual differences rather than pigeonholing people

• Ways adults with ARFID can navigate relationships, social eating, and recovery

Connect with Rachel

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery.

Important bits:

I am running a GIVEAWAY on instagram (10th-12thDecember)  and have another Giveaway planned before Christmas .                

In this deeply honest and inspiring episode, I speak with Kait Moresi – an eating disorder survivor, behaviour analyst, and host of the Bite by Bite podcast. Kait shares her journey through a decade-long struggle with anorexia, her pathto recovery, and how talking openly about her experience helped her heal and support others.

We discussed:              

• How Kait's eating disorder went unnoticed for years due to high academic and career performance.
• A Google search that changed everything  and Kait’s shift from a moment of realisation that something was wrong to seeking treatment.
• Kait’s 3 biggest recovery mistakes (or things she wished she did differently)
• Creative recovery tools that worked and why – from writing a personal behaviour contract toself-dialogue exercises
• Starting a Podcast in recovery and advice for others who want to speak out.

P.S. If you enjoyed this conversation then find me speaking to Kait in episode 19 of the Bite by Bite podcast.

Connect with Rachel

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery.

Hold on because this episode covers A LOT!

We're talking about 90s diet culture, GLP-1s, secret eating in your car, semi-starvation responses, nervous system regulation and normal eating.

Nic shares her journey through binge eating in her car, to baratric surgery and more bingeing, to training as a therapist, being her own guinea pig and founding Binge Free Bestie.

Want to know more about what triggers binge eating and how you can handle them, then this episode is for you!

Connect with Rachel

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery.

In this episode, I reconnect with Gemma Bisphop, who I knew at university, when neither of us realised what was happening behind the scenes in terms of our relationship with food!

As a qualified teacher with an MSc in teaching and learning, Gemma Bishop has proved that you can function with anorexia. This all changed, though, after fifteen years of suffering and her finally requiring an inpatient admission. Following almost four months in the hospital, Gemma Bishop reconnected with writing. She has a passion for inspiring others and hopes the collection of poems within her book “Wonky Thoughts: An Insight into an Anorexic Journey” can encourage everyone to look deep within themselves and find just one thing that makes them smile, as you only get one chance at life, and it is better if you accept who you are.

Buy the poetry book: https://olympiapublishers.com/book/wonky-thoughts-an-insight-into-an-anorexic-journey

Connect with Rachel

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery.

A culturally sensitive approach to eating disorder treatment is sorely need for the often underdiagnosed, forgotten, and marginalized Black woman. Not only do they face barriers to treatment due to unjust healthcare systems, but the unique factors that contribute to the development of eating disorders in Black women, including racism and systemic oppression, are not broadly considered by eating disorder clinicians.

In this episode I speak with eating disorder experts Charlynn Small and Paula Edwards-Gayfield about their new book Black Women with Eating Disorders: Clinical Treatment Considerations .This episode is aimed at clinicians working with Black clients as-well-as individuals who are seeking support navigating an eating disorder and recovery.

In this powerful episode, I'm joined by Julia Trehane, an Eating Disorder Recovery Coach and host of The Fully Free Podcast. Julia speaks candidly about her 40-year battle with anorexia, orthorexia, and exercise addiction—and the moment that changed everything (trigger warning - suicide plans).

Now fully recovered, she supports others through 1:1 coaching, her online recovery community, and weekly podcast episodes that combine compassion, honesty, and lived experience.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Julia’s eating disorder began as a survival strategy in childhood and evolved over decades

• The moment in the woods that became her turning point

• Extreme hunger, what it means to go “all in” with recovery and why it doesn’t look the same for everyone

Connect with Rachel

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery.

In this empowering conversation, I am joined by Kaysha Thomas, a registered nutritional therapist and trauma-informed Pilates teacher, who shares her journey from restriction and body shame to food freedom and self-trust.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body or ashamed of your hunger, and you've tried every plan, cleanse, or “fix” and still felt stuck, then this episode will offer a new lens.

We discuss:

• How to start building a more inclusive, compassionate relationship with food and your body

• How diet culture disconnects us from our bodies and builds shame around food
• Kaysha’s personal story of healing from restriction and reclaiming intuitive eating
• Why information isn’t enough, and how language and safety are key to healing
• The importance of trauma-informed care in nutrition, movement and beyond

• What intuitive eating can really look like (hint: it’s not perfect)

If you're struggling with binge eating then check out the 4 day FREE online BREAK THE BINGE CYCLE SUMMIT - 27th April - 1st May- Get you tickets here

Dani, the founder of Bello Mind and Soul, specializes in Art Therapy and is dedicated to supporting individuals and groups through creative art-making and meditation. Her approach centres on creating therapeutic spaces where participants can process emotions through multimedia and sensory art, utilizing recycled and natural materials. Dani offers one-on-one and group sessions, corporate wellness workshops, and specialized community programs to empower participants to manage stress, explore emotions, and work towards their well-being goals in a safe environment.

In this episode be discuss

• How Dani’s relationship with food has been impacted by supporting her friend through treatment for anorexia as a teenager, her Jamaican heritage and experience of ADHD
• What is art therapy and how is it different to creating a piece of art at home?
• Navigating individual needs and trauma in art therapy

Please note: Spotify AI has created 'chapters' one of which is called "validating the medical system". In the podcast we have discussed how the medical system can be INVALIDATING to individuals experiences and how a more person-centre approach could be more beneficial.

Connect with Rachel

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery.

In this episode I'm joined by Ciandra Birnbaum a dedicated eating disorder recovery coach and nutritional advisor, driven by her own journey of overcoming an eating disorder.

We discuss

• Ciandra's relationship with food and her body while growing up.

• Her experiences of travelling and how it aided her recovery
• Potential benefits and challenges of travelling while struggling with an eating disorder and during recovery
• Our top tips for maintaining recovery while travelling and when returning home

Connect with Rachel.

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body.

In this episode I speak with Anne Richardson, a Registered Nutritional Therapist who has been practicing for more than ten years and who exclusively works in the field of disordered eating. She shares her experience of anorexia in her teens and path to recovery. Anne now draws from her lived experience to blend her knowledge of nutrition with her CBT skill

In this episode we discuss: 

• Perfectionism and anorexia 

• Impact of an eating disorder on your life

• Defining yourself as more than a body

• Using self-talk as a tool

• What is biohacking 

• How biohacking can be detrimental

Connect with Rachel.

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body.

This episode was recorded in January 2023! I’m joined by Kelsey Gilbert a fifth-year doctoral candidate in clinical psychology.  Her dissertation focused on the impact of weight stigma in eating disorder treatment for individuals with "atypical" anorexia nervosa. One of Kelsey's aims in her clinical work and research is to amplify the voices of clients silenced by weight stigma and enhance healthcare professionals' understanding of "atypical" anorexia as a significant eating disorder deserving of treatment. 

In this episode we discuss: 

• Weight stigma

• Atypical anorexia

• Difference between anorexia and atypical anorexia 

• Advice for clinicians working with atypical anorexia 

• Limitations of the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

Resources mentioned:

In this episode I am joined by Rachelle Heinemann a licensed mental health counsellor based in NYC and Brooklyn. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and emotional eating as well as exercise addiction and body image struggles. She also works extensively with those challenged by depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties and career stress. In addition to her practice, Rachelle has taught courses in eating disorders and body image at undergraduate programs and high schools. She is the host of the podcast Understanding Disordered Eating.

We discuss:

• Eating disorders as protection
• Finding the root cause of eating disorders
• Processing emotional experiences
• How to tap into your emotions
• Understanding the WHY behind your eating disorder
• Why symptom reduction shouldn’t be the only factor
• How there is not just one way to recover
• Identifying your values as a recovery tool

Connect with Rachel.

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body.

In this episode we discuss:

• Journey to intuitive eating
• When does healthy eating go too far
• Red flags for disordered eating
• What is intuitive eating
• Intuitive eating with kids
• Redefining what healthy means
• Breaking out of the calorie counting mindset
• 3 phases of starting intuitive eating
• Choosing foods that satisfy

Recovery resources. 

Listen to me discussing bulimia and recovery on 'The redefining health podcast' https://www.victoria-yates.com/blog/overcoming-bulimia-with-rachel-evans

Connect with Rachel.

Dr. Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body.

In this episode, I speak to Dr. Lara Zibarras, a psychologist and food freedom coach. 

We discuss:

• The secret life of someone with an eating disorder
• Using food to cope with emotions
• Connection as a key in recovery
• Orthorexia and wellness culture
• Difference between a dieting mindset vs a health mindset
• The cost of food rules on our body and lifestyle
• Decoupling health and body size
• Restriction as the fuel for food obsession

Eating disorder recovery resources.

This week I am speaking to Alli Spotts-De Lazzer, author of MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, and Body Image Issues. She has so much wisdom to share from her own experience of dieting and eating disorder recovery and work as a Professional Clinical Counselor, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist.  

We discuss:

• Body expectations and how we relate to our body from a young age
• Challenging and acknowledging our inner dialogue
• Becoming free from an eating disorder
• Alli’s book MeaningFULL and her mental health advocacy work
• A quick reminder that BMI is not an accurate measure of health
• The false promise of diets
• Power in positive recovery stories
• The importance of connection for recovery and overall wellbeing

Connect with Rachel.

Dr Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body.

Bite-sized episode sharing a few things to think about if you're looking for a private therapist to help support your recovery from an eating disorder. 

Websites for the UK

In this episode I speak to Ariana Rodriguez, a Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor and Registered Yoga Teacher from Embody Health London. 

We discuss:

• How dietitians help people with eating disorder recovery
• What does full recovery mean
• What is quasi recovery and how to move beyond it
• Using yoga as a powerful tool for recovery
• What is embodiment and how you can begin to achieve it
• The three pillars for recovery
• The Thrive Programme and how it can support you in moving from quasi- to full-recovery
• Redefining your identity in recovery

Recovery resources

In this episode, I speak to Becky Scott a dance instructor at Missfits Workout. She’s more about building confidence than muscle, more about losing inhibitions than inches! Becky’s approach offers a great introduction to dance based group fitness for those who don’t feel ‘at home’ in the gym - with a plus size instructor who has designed routines with plus size bodies in mind. 

We discuss:

• Getting stuck in the diet cycle and finding a way out
• Fat liberation and Health at Every Size
• Being a plus-size fitness instructor
• Fitness professionals and triggering body comments
• Defining new gentle fitness goals
• The changing fitness industry
• Plus-size fitness clothes

Connect with Rachel.

Dr Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body.

In this episode, I speak to Olivia Hernandez a singer, artist and life coach who guides others to enjoy the ride of weirdness and healing that comes from Speaking Your TRUTH, by taking Bold action, embracing the beautiful journey of healing and embodying the Badass within.

I'm so excited to share this episode with you because some of the topics we speak about are different from traditional approaches to eating disorder recovery that you have probably come across before. While there might not be direct evidence for the effectiveness of the approaches we discuss, I believe that there is no one-size(therapy)-fits-all in recovery and these approaches/modalities can support recovery for some people. 

We discuss:

• Getting excited to do the work on yourself
• Creating love rituals
• How to connect to your divine self
• What are the different chakras
• Using affirmations and crystals to align energy
• Importance of practicing mirror work
• Infusing your food, body and life with positive energy
• Using spiritualizing in healing your relationship with food
• Steps to create a 2.0 version of self
• What to do when the people around you don’t support your journey

Connect with Rachel.

Dr Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body.

A realistic and optimistic look at how you can support a loved one who is struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating over the festive season. 

It's probably going to happen more than once that someone says something about food or bodies that puts you on edge or triggers you. In this episode we explore how you can think differently about these situations and what steps you can take to not let them derail you.

Number 1 - All the basics of recovery still apply! I recommend listening to episode 2 of this podcast as a reminder of how/why our body needs fuel & listening to the mini-training series from June. 

We're covering 6 more ways to cope within this episode.

If you're already starting to worry that "OMG it's Christmas. All that food and the family meet-ups! I won't be able to cope" then this episode is for you. Dr Rachel Evans helps you to put things into perspective and shares 3 actionable ways that you can manage and recovery from an eating disorder over Christmas time. 

Trigger warning: this episode mentions suicide. 

In this episode, I speak to Sheridan Leatherberry, a Master certified self-love and confidence coach who helps women to get out of their own heads, take action and get results in their life. 

We discuss

• How find balance with movement and not burn out
• Finding your “why” to stay motivated and consistent
• Moving your body to improve mental health and feel good
• Letting go of outside noise to cultivate confidence and lock in on yourself
• Using intentional self-talk to create the results you want in your life
• Making shifts and taking small actions to build consistent habits
• Understanding how your brain functions to create positive mindset shifts

Recovery resources

https://www.facebook.com/sheridan.leatherberry/videos/526491665306723 

Connect with Rachel.

Dr Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body.

Bite-sized episode for those of you who have recognised how much an eating disorder, or difficulties with food/exercise/body image are impacting your life, but you're feeling too busy and don't have time for weekly therapy sessions.

*NEW* 4 keys to stop binge eating workshop

A 75-minute pre-recorded workshop for ambitious women ready to reclaim their time and energy back from food so that they can achieve more with less effort! BONUS Q&A on 22nd November.

Sophia Purcell has suffered with anorexia nervosa since her late teens, but wasn’t officially diagnosed until the summer of 2017, more than a decade into the eating disorder. She also has a mild form of Cerebral Palsy, a congenital condition that affects movement, coordination, balance and muscle strength, flexibility and tone.

At present, there’s not much research into the relationship between eating disorders and disabilities. As someone with first-hand experience of both, she wants to do whatever she can to raise awareness, encourage others to seek support, and hopefully make treatment more inclusive and accessible.

We discuss-

- How having Cerebal Palsy affected her self-esteem growing up and contributed to the development of an eating disorder

- Sophia's experience in an inpatient unit and how it effected her cerebral palsy

- Things she wished she had known before going into treatment for her eating disorder

- Opinions on how individuals with a co-existing physical condition or emotional needs can advocate for themselves when undergoing treatment

- How treatment models could become more inclusive for people with additional needs and physical conditions

Connect with Rachel.

Dr Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging and to feel comfortable in their body by rebalancing physiology, rewiring the mind and reclaiming identity & self-trust.

In this bite-sized episode Dr Rachel Evans answers a listeners question about closing the gap between knowing what to do for recovery and then actually following through and doing it, with the example of eating regularly. 

We start with a very brief overview of health behaviour change research and the knowledge-behaviour gap, which Rachel studied for her PhD, before moving onto what you can do at an individual level to help yourself make positive changes to your behaviour. 

If you have a question to be answered in a future episode then please email rachel@rachelevansphd.co.uk with the subject line JUST EAT NORMALLY Q&A. 

Please remember that this podcast shares opinions and information, it isn’t for the diagnosis or treatment of an eating disorder, mental or physical health issues.

Connect with Rachel.

Dr Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging and to feel comfortable in their body by rebalancing physiology, rewiring the mind and reclaiming identity & self-trust.

In this episode I talk to Molly Fennig, a clinical psychologist in training at the Minnesota Center for Eating Disorder Research and author of the young adult novel 'Starvation'. Her second novel tells the story of a Wes, a 16 year old struggling with bulimia and anorexia.

In this episode we speak about-

- Her specialisation in mental illness writing and an insight into her book.

- The comorbidity between eating disorders and anxiety and why anxiety may be considered easier to treat despite them being linked.

- Recognising triggers in loved ones with a disorder and how to communicate.

- Her therapy dog called Peaches and the use of emotional support animals.

- Issues with rigid diagnosis manuals and an exploration of pros and cons and stigmas relating to medication.

- Her own area of research at the University of Minnesota and how treatment to change behaviour should be more accessible.

Please remember that this podcast shares opinions and information, it isn’t for the diagnosis or treatment of an eating disorder, mental or physical health issues.

Connect with Rachel.

Dr Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging and to feel comfortable in their body by rebalancing physiology, rewiring the mind and reclaiming identity & self-trust.

In this episode I speak to Sophie Gray, the founder on DiveThru a mental wellness company that helps you DiveThru what you go thru. I have followed Sophie for over 6 years on social media and find her openness and honesty very inspirational. 

In this episode we speak about 

- Sophie's journey to becoming a fitness influencer, gaining a large social media following and being an entrepreneur.

- Her decision to delete her online content and stop selling fitness programmes, starting fresh and how it felt to lose followers.

- Unrealistic expectations of social media and how to engagement with online content in a healthy way.

- The importance of self reflection, learning and mental health interventions.

- How DiveThru came to be, what it offers and how it helps people.

- The challenges of being a female CEO.

- The importance of self compassion and taking steps at your own pace.

Please remember that this podcast shares opinions and information, it isn’t for the diagnosis or treatment of an eating disorder, mental or physical health issues.

Connect with Rachel.

Dr Rachel Evans is a psychologist, hypnotherapist and eating disorder survivor. She brings together academic knowledge and theories, therapeutic skills and personal experience for a unique perspective on eating disorder recovery. Rachel helps ambitious women to stop restricting, bingeing and purging. and to feel comfortable in their body by rebalancing physiology, rewiring the mind and reclaiming identity & self-trust.