Erica Meline is a mental health advocate and public speaker. Diagnosed with an eating disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and OCD, Erica has spent much of her life feeling like she was broken. Following a suicide attempt in 2022, Erica made the decision to turn her life around and set out on a long journey to recovery.

Though the journey is far from over, Erica has been able to finally reach a point in her life where hope has returned, and she now tries to instill that hope in others. Today, Erica aims to help people with struggles similar to her own by sharing her story. She has spoken publicly about her mental health journey at middle schools and high schools, as well as podcasts. Additionally, Erica has begun serving on the junior board for the Starting Point of New Jersey, a nonprofit education and referral resource for mental health.

For Erica, though, advocacy is all about incorporating mental health awareness into her everyday life by being open about her struggles and encouraging others to do the same without shame. Through her vulnerability and advocacy, Erica’s main goals are to de-stigmatize mental health, increase accessibility to mental health education, and show people that they are never alone.

Resources:

https://startingpoint.org/

https://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org/

1. LifeLine South Africa

National Counseling Line: 0861 322 322

Website: lifelinesa.co.za

2. South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG)

Helpline: 0800 567 567

Website: sadag.org

3. Mental Health Information Centre of Southern Africa

Website: mentalhealthsa.org.za

4. HEAL SA

Focuses on mental health support, particularly for Black women and youth, offering individual services and support groups.

Website: heal-sa.org.za

5. National Department of Health – Mental Health Information

Mental Health Information Line: 0800 567 567

Website: health.gov.za/mental-health/

6. NPOwer Mental Health Support

Helpline: 0800 515 515

Website: npowersa.org

7. Eating & Body Image Helplines

Stop Gender Violence Helpline: 0800 150 150

South African Federation For Mental Health Helpline: 011 781 1852

Website: findahelpline.com

In this episode I speak with author and recovery warrior, Alle C. Hall who identifies as a person in recovery for 35 years from codependency, bulimia, alcoholism, and sexual anorexia. Her lived experience is shared through her work as an author, speaker, and writing instructor who focuses on the joy and creativity resulting from trauma recovery.

Alle’s debut novel, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back, has been honoured fifteen times; including 1st place in The National League of American Pen Women’s Mary Kennedy Eastham Prize for an excerpt, and most recently: finalist for The Nancy Pearl Book Award (winner announced 9/21/24).

Alle (pronounced “alley”) started her external, as well as internal journey when in 1988, with a whopping $1,000 and one year of Japanese language study crammed into three months—though no housing or job lined up—Alle moved herself to Tokyo. She there for three years, teaching English and writing for Tokyo City Life News. Her first assignment was to cover the capitol’s Tai chi scene. She backpacked through Hong Kong, The Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, where she immersed herself in Tai chi on Koh Phangan, the island that plays a critical role in As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back. With Tai chi enriching her recovery, Alle was able to face the abuse that characterised her childhood: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and sexual.

Returning Stateside, Alle wrote for The Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, and was a contributing writer at The Stranger. Her short stories and essays appeared in journals including Dale Peck’s Evergreen Review, Tupelo Quarterly, New World Writing, Litro, Creative Nonfiction, and Another Chicago. She continues to live in Seattle with her husband and their two shining sons, with some subset of whom she has traveled to Japan, Bali, Vietnam, Laos, Taiwan, and Shanghai.

About As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back

Alle’s fiction debut, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back (Black Rose Writing, March, 2023) is a-girl-and-her-backpack story with 12-Step recovery framed as a Tai chi practice: Carlie is an incest survivor. As a teen, she steals ten thousand dollars and runs away to Asia. Falling in with an international crew of tai chi-practicing backpackers, Carlie uses a Tai chi her practice to find the self-respect stripped from her as a child and the healthy sexuality she desires.

Purchase her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Far-Before-Have-Come-Back/dp/1685131476

Today I speak to fellow South African, Educational Psychologist and Eating Disorder Advocate, Lucy Hathorn. Lucy shares with us her personal experience with anorexia and neurodivergence, and her mission in mental health advocacy.

Lucy is passionate about helping others navigate recovery, particularly addressing eating disorders in South Africa, where they are often overlooked and runs a successful Instagram account (@lovelucyclaire) to raise awareness about eating disorders and connect with those in recovery.

In this episode Lucy speaks to us about the impact of a parent's relationship with food and how this can unknowingly significantly impact children's perceptions of food and their bodies as diet culture deeply affects generations, with parents often unaware of their disordered eating behaviours. She urges parents to model a positive relationship with food and create a sense of safety for their children around eating as a preventative measure for the onset of disordered eating.

Lucy acknowledges that addressing disordered eating in children is complex, as it involves family systems. Effective support includes developing coping skills in children, providing parental guidance, and addressing systemic family dynamics. Family therapy and parental education are also critical tools.

Lucy also highlights the strong link between eating disorders and neurodivergence, particularly in girls and women with ADHD or autism. Girls often mask neurodivergent tendencies, and food becomes a coping mechanism. Emerging global practices include mandatory neurodivergence screenings for eating disorder patients.

Key Takeaways:

- Eating disorders require a holistic approach, considering biopsychosocial factors.

- Greater research and awareness are needed on neurocognitive links to eating disorders.

- Advocates for early intervention to reduce the prevalence of these issues.

You can follow Lucy on her Instagram account: @lovelucyclaire or contact her at So sorry for the delay 🌸. You can also provide my email address Lucy.edpsychologist@gmail.com to get in touch.