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.

In this episode, we sit down with Angel Sipp, a licensed independent social worker and therapist who specializes in eating disorders, ADHD, autism, and body image. With personal experience as a neurodivergent individual, Angel brings a unique perspective to her work at Keller Counseling and Associates in Columbus, Ohio.

We explore the complex relationship between ADHD and eating disorders, discussing the roles of executive functioning challenges, masking, shame, and external validation. Angel shares her insights on how movement and sensory stimulation can both help and hinder recovery, especially in neurodivergent individuals, and advocates for personalized, holistic approaches in treatment.

If you’re interested in understanding how neurodivergence and eating disorders overlap, and how to create supportive, compassionate treatment plans, this conversation is a must-listen.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of holistic treatment for ADHD and eating disorders.

• Understanding how shame and guilt impact neurodivergent individuals.

• Why movement and sensory regulation are crucial in managing ADHD and eating disorders.

• Building trust and personalising treatment to support long-term recovery.

Tune in to learn how Angel’s personal experiences with ADHD inform her work and how we can better support neurodivergent individuals on their journey to recovery.

Links:

Follow Angel Sipp’s work at Keller Counseling and Associates: https://kellercounseling.org/angel-bio

In this episode, we dive into the complex emotions and processes that come with recovering from an eating disorder, focusing on the grieving stages that often surface during this journey.

Key Topics:

• Understanding Grief in Recovery: We explore how the stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) play a significant role in the recovery process. Recognising these emotions as normal helps create space for healing.

• The Importance of External Support: External support is essential when dealing with overwhelming emotions. We discuss how reaching out to others and showing self-compassion can ease the recovery journey.

• Body Grief: Physical changes during recovery can be distressing. We discuss grieving the loss of body rigidity and how it’s a necessary step to finding peace with your new body.

• Finding Healthy Coping Mechanisms: Replacing disordered behaviors with healthier coping strategies is crucial. From journaling to yoga and creative outlets, we discuss different ways to process emotions without resorting to harmful behaviours.

• Embracing Freedom and Imperfection: The ultimate goal in recovery is acceptance, both of imperfections and of a new, more authentic relationship with your body and soul. We reflect on the peace and freedom that come with this acceptance.

Listen for Insights On:

• The stages of grief in eating disorder recovery
• How to cope with the emotional challenges of recovery
• Finding new comfort in healthier habits and support systems
• The emotional process of body changes and acceptance
• Shifting focus from body perfection to soul-centered freedom

Follow & Connect:

• Instagram: @curiousaboutrecovery – Stay updated on upcoming episodes and explore past content.
• Instagram: @kirstenhunneyball – Find inspiration for your recovery journey.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with others who might benefit. We'd love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to reach out with questions or suggestions for future episodes!

Today, I explore the Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework and its profound impact on healing from eating disorders with IFS Therapist, Celia Clark. IFS sees individuals as composed of various parts or sub-personalities, each with its own thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours. We discuss how these parts develop early in life, influenced by interactions with caregivers. Understanding when certain parts are activated and addressing their underlying needs is crucial.

We highlight four core parts involved in eating disorders: restriction, binge eating, purging, and body checking, each serving a distinct role as well as the concept of the Internal Loving Parent (ILP), a compassionate and wise aspect within us. Connecting with the ILP fosters self-compassion and creates a safe space for exploration and healing.

Nurturing a compassionate relationship with oneself is vital, acknowledging inner parts that yearn for connection. Traditional treatments often overlook relational wounds; true healing comes from fostering internal connections. IFS offers a transformative framework for understanding and healing from eating disorders. By fostering self-awareness, compassion, and connection with inner wisdom, individuals embark on a journey of recovery.

Join us in recognising and nurturing the profound connections within ourselves for a holistic approach to healing from within.

Find Celia and her work at https://www.celiaclark.online/

In this episode, Lauren Elise Peterson, a board certified dance/movement therapist and body image coach, joins the conversation to explore the transformative power of movement in healing and recovery, particularly for individuals struggling with eating disorders. Lauren has been passionate about eating disorder and trauma recovery for over 20 years and loves to help people feel better in their own skin through using recovery-friendly movement practices. 

This epsiode emphasizes the importance of listening to the body as a means of understanding and processing emotions, highlighting the bottom-up approach in therapy. The conversation delves into Polyvagal Theory and the significance of sensory inputs in cultivating a sense of safety within one's body, insights into the complexities of using movement as a tool for emotional processing, exploring bodily experiences without judgment, and practical insights into initiating a healthy relationship with movement. Lauren emphasizes the importance of patience and self-compassion in this journey towards embodied practices.

Listeners are invited to connect with Lauren Elise Peterson via her website and social media channels to explore her work further and stay updated on her upcoming projects, including her forthcoming book on using movement to heal the relationship with one's body.

If you'd like to stay in touch with Lauren on social media, she's on Instagram and TikTok at @laurenelisepeterson and Facebook as Lauren Elise Peterson.  Lauren's website is www.laurenelisepeterson.com and you're welcome to join her email list here to stay tuned about her upcoming events and book!

https://lauren-higgins.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=14fd23a0d6af15e61c30fb380&id=4528c272b6

In this episode I interview Cynthia Price, the Senior Director of the Center for Mindful Body Awareness (CMBT) and a leading researcher in the field of Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT). The discussion revolves around MABT, its applications, and its potential benefits, particularly in the context of disordered eating. The first part of the podcast covers the basics of MABT, highlighting its emphasis on interoceptive awareness, body connection, and sustained attention to internal experiences. Cynthia explains the unique aspects of MABT, distinguishing it from other mindfulness approaches and highlighting its focus on integrating physiological and sensory processing. The conversation then delves deeper into personal practices and experiences related to MABT. Cynthia shares her own practices, such as yoga and the MABT practice on herself, emphasizing the importance of both formal and informal ways to check in with the body. I also share my experience with a daily pose, Tadasana, and how it has increased my awareness of the body's response to emotional states. The discussion concludes with insights into the potential application of MABT in the context of disordered eating, with a focus on developing awareness and embodiment. Cynthia highlights the need for more research in this area and encourages individuals to explore this approach as a means of fostering a positive connection with their bodies. You can find Cynthia on the CMBT website: https://www.cmbaware.org/