This month, Victoria and I sat down for another open-hearted Q&A, where we answered your beautiful, brave, and deeply honest questions about recovery.

From the fear of weight gain to exercising in a free body… from feeling lost in free time to wondering whether you’ve truly reached your set point weight… we covered so much of what recovery really looks and feels like – the messy, the magical, and everything in between.

Whether you’re in the thick of fear or starting to sense your own strength coming through, I promise you’ll find something here that speaks to your heart.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🔸 How I gave myself permission to let go of control – and how you can too

• 🔸 Why fear of judgment is part of the process – and how to stop letting it define you

• 🔸 My honest experience of movement after recovery (and why I quit CrossFit… again)

• 🔸 What to do when you feel like you’re rebelling against recovery

• 🔸 How I support my clients navigating recovery and motherhood

• 🔸 The truth about fear of weight gain – and how I finally stopped letting it control my life

• 🔸 How to know if you’ve reached your set point weight

• 🔸 Recognising subtle food and exercise rules – even when you think you don’t have any

• 🔸 Mindset tools I use with clients before meals (and still use myself!)

• 🔸 My thoughts on DBT in recovery – and what I believe it misses

• 🔸 Why free time can feel scary – and how I learned to enjoy it again

I also shared some of my personal favourite recovery tools, including how I support my body after movement, how I help clients connect with their 'higher self' before meals, and why recording affirmations in your own voice can be so healing.

If you’re asking “How do I know if I’m really recovering?” or “Why does this still feel so hard?” – this episode is for you. And I hope it reminds you that you're never alone.

🔗 I mentioned:

• Join the Eating Disorder Recovery Circle to access tools like the Feelings Navigator, Finding Your WHY, recovery chat spaces, and every workshop I reference in this episode.

• Life Without Ed by Jenni Schaefer – a great read if you’re trying to separate your identity from the eating disorder.

💞 Ready for deeper support in your recovery?
Inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, you'll find 24/7 encouragement, courses, expert workshops, and the kind of community where you never have to explain what you're going through — because we already understand.

If you’re ready to move through fear, challenge old patterns, and build a life beyond the eating disorder, you’ll never feel so supported to recover.

Click here to join us – we’re waiting to welcome you in.

In this episode, I’m speaking to the part of you that’s exhausted — the part that’s wondering if recovery is really worth it.

Maybe you're eating more than you ever thought you could. You feel uncomfortable in your body. Your mind is loud, full of guilt and panic, and you're starting to ask... Why am I even doing this?

I asked myself that same question so many times. I lived most of my life stuck in survival mode, functioning but never really living. I thought control was safety. But recovery showed me that true freedom is possible — and that it's worth every hard, terrifying step.

In this episode, I’m sharing what recovery really gives you. Not just food freedom — but emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual freedom too. A life that feels full, joyful, and real. And I want you to know: you are not too far gone. You don’t have to be “sick enough” to deserve healing. You are allowed to want more.

And if you’re doing this alone right now, please know — you don’t have to.

Inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, I’ve created a place where you can find the support, guidance, and connection you need. You’ll get access to expert tools, lived experience coaching, loving community spaces, and courses to help you through every stage of recovery. It’s like being wrapped in support — even on your hardest days.

• The true cost of staying in the eating disorder, even when you’re “managing”

• Why perfection and people pleasing aren’t safety — they’re a cage

• The freedom recovery offers in your body, your emotions, and your relationships

• Why your healing isn’t selfish — it’s a ripple that touches every life around you

• How recovery reconnects you with your worth, your truth, and your joy

If you’ve been doubting whether this fight is worth it… let this be your reminder:
You were born to be free. Not perfect. Just fully, wonderfully you.

💛 Want support that actually gets it? Come join me inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle.

In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I'm joined by Dr Cristina Castagnini, a licensed psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist whose work focuses exclusively on helping women heal their relationship with food and their bodies. Cristina is also the host of the Behind the Bite podcast, where she dismantles harmful eating disorder myths and supports recovery with compassion and clarity.

We explore Cristina’s personal journey with a long-standing eating disorder, the shocking moment that sparked her full recovery, and the deeply ingrained societal beliefs that keep so many trapped in cycles of disordered eating. From early body shame to SlimFast diets, and the rise of "wellness" trends that mask restriction, this episode is an eye-opening and honest look at what it truly takes to heal.

Together, we discuss:

• Cristina’s personal story and what finally pushed her into real recovery

• How diet culture disguises itself as health

• The danger of BMI, especially for children and in clinical settings

• The power of curating your social media to support recovery

• Why commenting on appearance—even with good intentions—can be deeply harmful

• And why full recovery is not only possible… it is absolutely real

If you’ve ever felt discouraged by the idea that eating disorders are lifelong, or if you're struggling with fear around body image and food, this episode is here to remind you that full freedom is not just a hope—it’s a reality.

Connect with Dr Cristina Castagnini
🎧 Listen to her podcast: Behind the Bite
🌐 Website + Contact: www.behindthebitepodcast.com
📱Instagram and socials linked via website

Don't forget that my Eating Disorder Recovery Circle is here to support you!

More at https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/