Send us Fan Mail

This conversation is with Danny O’Connor, a former professional boxer, author, and advocate for men’s mental health and eating disorder awareness. Danny earned 31 professional wins, held a top-five world ranking, represented the United States on the Olympic stage and became a WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Champion.

In his book, Weight Class, Danny shares the story behind those achievements: his longstanding struggle with an eating disorder, the extreme weight-cutting practices that nearly took his life, and his journey into recovery. He now uses his experience to bring attention to the struggles around food, body image, and identity that can remain hidden behind athletic success.

We Discuss:

• Introduction to extreme weight cutting tactics as a young wrestler
• His career in professional boxing
• Athletic discipline vs pathologic restriction
• Fitting into a lighter weight class won’t make you a better athlete
• Inside an extreme binge eating episode
• The weight cut that landed him in the ICU
• Barriers men face in eating disorder recovery
• How Danny beat his eating disorder
• Should combat sport promotions change weigh-in rules?
• Athletes need to be educated on how to healthily cut weight

Get the book! Visit: www.bitelikeaman.com/

Episode Show Notes

• Connect with Danny on Instagram @therealdannyconnor | LinkedIn Danny O’Connor
• National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC)
• Eating Disorder Hope

Connect with me on Instagram: @casswarbeck

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @herealldaypodcast

Audio editing and processing by Wyatt Pavlik

Theme music by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

*Please appreciate that any information discussed is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.*