What does an eating disorder look like when you don't see yourself represented in the stories you're told about eating disorders? Today, we are joined by Elijah Smith and Derek Savick-Hesser for an honest conversation about eating disorders, body image, mental health, masculinity, queerness, and recovery.

Elijah and Derek share their personal experiences with disordered eating and eating disorder recovery, including the complicated relationship between gastrointestinal issues, food fears, ARFID, and body image. They also discuss what it was like to seek help as men, the importance of receiving a diagnosis that makes sense of your experience, and how community and representation can change the recovery process.

From theater and the arts to queer community and supportive relationships, we explore the many forms that healing can take—and why recovery doesn't have to mean navigating these experiences alone.

Things We Yap About:

• Men's experiences with eating disorders and body image
• How GI issues can complicate relationships with food and eating
• ARFID, food fears, and the intersection of physical and mental health
• The impact of masculinity and societal expectations on eating disorders
• Queerness, body image, and identity
• What it can be like to seek eating disorder treatment as a man
• The role of community, representation, and being seen
• How theater and the arts can support healing and self-acceptance
• The importance of patience and self-compassion in recovery
• What men struggling with body image or disordered eating should know about asking for help

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