The Body Love Binge - Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast

This conversation is one I've been wanting to have for a long time.I invited Robyn Kievit onto the podcast because she is doing something genuinely rare. She is the first dietician to become a nurse practitioner, she specialises in eating disorders, disordered eating and body image, and over the past several years she has become deeply educated in hormone therapy and perimenopause. She is one of very few clinicians in the world looking at all of this together, as one whole picture. And that matters enormously for the women I work with.We talk about what perimenopause actually feels like, why the hormonal shifts of this life phase can cause eating disorder symptoms to surge, what hormone therapy is and who it might help, and why so many women are being dismissed by their doctors when they deserve so much better. We also talk about body image, aging, grief, and what it means to enter this next season of life with compassion rather than resistance.This episode is for you if:You're in perimenopause or approaching it and want to understand what's actually happening in your bodyYour anxiety, depression or eating disorder symptoms have surged and you don't know whyYou've been dismissed by a doctor and told it's too early to seek supportYou have a history of an eating disorder and want to understand how that intersects with hormonal changesYou're struggling with body image as your body changes with ageYou want to know your options, natural, hormonal, and otherwise, for supporting yourself through this transitionYou believe, like I do, that you don't have to just white-knuckle your way through thisIn this episode, we cover:✨ The signs of perimenopause that often get missed or dismissed, and why they matter✨ How hormonal changes affect mood, sleep, cognition and anxiety in ways that are genuinely physiological, not just in your head✨ Why anxiety and depression can surge during perimenopause, especially if you have a history of either✨ The HPA and HPO axes explained in plain English, and why they're so central to how you feel during this transition✨ What hormone therapy actually is, who it can help, and what the current guidance really says✨ Why birth control pills and IUDs are considered hormone therapy, and what that means for you✨ The enormous gap in clinical education around eating disorders and menopause, and why Robyn created her course to address it✨ How to advocate for yourself if you're being dismissed by a doctor✨ Why bone health and cardiovascular health make hormonal support even more important for women with eating disorder histories✨ The body image and grief piece of aging, and why our bodies changing is not something to be corrected✨ What it means to enter the archetype of the crone, the wise woman, with self-compassion rather than fear✨ Why you are allowed to ask not to be weighed at a medical appointment✨ Robyn's course for clinicians and why it existsPowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "I just wasn't feeling like myself. That is the number one thing women say when perimenopause begins, and it deserves to be taken seriously, not dismissed."💬 "We are at the mercy of our hormones in some ways, and that is not a weakness. It's physiology. The question is what tools do we have to support ourselves through it."💬 "Growing old is a gift. Every line on your face is a line of a life lived, smiled in, cried in. A body well lived in."💬 "Our bodies change purposefully. The goal isn't to fight that. It's to find solutions that help us feel well within it."💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group/💙 Free trial group coaching: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching/💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching/💙 Follow me on Instagram @victoriakleinsmanofficial💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach/

This episode is for you if:You're doing all the recovery things but still feel flat, joyless or like you're just survivingYou feel guilty resting, playing or doing anything that isn't productiveYou've never really thought about pleasure beyond food — or you're scared of itYour inner critic tells you pleasure is indulgent, earned or something you don't deserveYou're a high achiever who has tied your worth to productivity for as long as you can rememberYou feel disconnected from your body and can't imagine actually enjoying being in itYou want to understand why recovery without pleasure keeps you stuck in quasi-recoveryIn this episode, we cover:✨ Why pleasure is not a luxury in eating disorder recovery — it's the recovery✨ The nervous system piece: why your body literally cannot heal without experiencing pleasure✨ How trauma damages your relationship with pleasure — and teaches you that enjoying yourself isn't safe✨ The soul self versus the suppressed self and how they each relate to pleasure completely differently✨ Why reclaiming food pleasure is essential — and what savouring food actually looks like after restriction✨ Why food obsession comes from deprivation of pleasure, not just deprivation of food✨ What to do when food is your only source of pleasure and why that's completely valid for a season✨ Pleasure beyond food — sensory, creative, relational, rest and movement pleasure explained✨ Why high achieving women struggle most with pleasure — and how the eating disorder is an achievement disorder in disguise✨ The body image piece: why you cannot wait until you love your body before letting it feel good✨ How to know what genuine pleasure actually feels like — especially if you've been in survival mode for years✨ The pain and discomfort inventory: what you're tolerating that's blocking pleasure from landing✨ Fun, playfulness and your inner children — why this is legitimate trauma healing work, not just a nice idea✨ What actually happens in your nervous system when you play, laugh and do things just because they're fun✨ Practical steps to start microdosing pleasure into your life right now✨ Why a life without pleasure keeps the eating disorder relevant — and what to build insteadPowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "You cannot heal from trauma and from an eating disorder through discipline and willpower alone. Your nervous system actually requires pleasure in order to heal."💬 "The eating disorder convinces you that denying yourself pleasure is virtuous — that suffering is noble and deprivation is discipline. That is a lie."💬 "Pleasure is not something you earn. It's not a reward for recovering enough. Pleasure is the recovery."💬 "You can't wait until you love your body before you let it feel good. You have to let pleasure in first. That's how the body image shifts — through embodied experience, not willpower."💬 "The eating disorder is deadly serious. It doesn't play, it doesn't laugh, it doesn't do things just for fun. Playfulness is one of the most powerful ways to choose your soul self over it."💬 "You didn't survive your eating disorder just to live a beige, pleasureless, serious existence. You survived so you could live fully — with joy, aliveness, silliness and pleasure."💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group/💙 Free trial group coaching: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching/💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching/💙 Follow me on Instagram @victoriakleinsmanofficial💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach/

Georgia's back — and this time, things are even deeper.When Georgia first came on the podcast, she was in what she thought was full recovery. And in many ways she was. But what followed taught her something nobody really talks about: recovering from an eating disorder doesn't automatically fill the void it leaves behind. In this episode, we get into what happens after recovery, why so many women find themselves slipping back into old patterns not out of relapse but out of boredom and emptiness, and what it actually looks like to build a life so full there's simply no room for the eating disorder anymore.In this episode, we cover:✨ Why Georgia doesn't call what happened a relapse — and the crucial distinction that matters✨ What "complacency in recovery" actually looks like and how quickly it can creep in✨ Why the identity of being "in recovery" can keep you stuck — and what to shift to instead✨ The void that recovery leaves behind and why filling it is non-negotiable✨ How boredom, not desire, can pull you back into eating disorder behaviours✨ Why recovering from an eating disorder doesn't fix life — and why that's actually good news✨ The honeymoon phase of recovery and what comes after it✨ Fear of taking up space in the world as the next evolution of the fear of physical growth✨ How diet culture and self-suppression are the same oppression — just in different forms✨ Why your recovered mind is one of the most powerful tools you'll ever have✨ Feeling and moving through emotions — what actually works and what doesn't✨ Why emotions, when suppressed, will always find a way to come out✨ Hypothalamic amenorrhea — what it is, why it matters even if you don't want children, and Georgia's personal journey with it✨ Why you can be mentally free and still dealing with the physical long-term effects of restriction✨ Georgia's coaching practice — who she works with and how to reach herPowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "Recovery from an eating disorder doesn't fix life. Life is still a bit shit sometimes — and unless you put energy into filling it up, the eating disorder will fill the space instead."💬 "I was so bored. All I knew was eating disorder behaviours. I didn't know what else to do — and that was the honest truth."💬 "The fear of taking up space in the world is the same oppression as diet culture keeping women physically small. I refused to stay small in either way."💬 "Recovery is the hardest thing I've ever done. So now I look at life and think — bring it on. I've already overcome my biggest fears."💬 "I am no longer willing to contribute to my own oppression. That quote on my mirror changed everything."💬 "Any feeling that wants to arise within you, you have the capacity to feel it. Otherwise it wouldn't be rising. Trust that."Much love. 💛💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group/💙 Free trial group coaching: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching/💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching/💙 Follow me on Instagram @victoriakleinsmanofficial💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach/Connect with Georgia - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgiagracerecovers?igsh=MWZ5NHZudmJ6Znk0dA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr- HealingwthG podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/healingwithg/id1880094360- HealingwithG podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00WnCL5bcbX3wX7hMQNyrCAnd my coaching email address is: [email protected]

Your Questions Answered: Meal Plans, Bloating, Hunger, OCD, Movement & MoreRight then, let's get into it.I put a question box on Instagram and you all delivered. This episode is a juicy Q&A where I'm answering some of the most common — and some of the most vulnerable — questions that came in. From meal plans and bloating to OCD with binge eating, compulsive exercise trauma, self-care as avoidance, and ARFID being misdiagnosed in hospitals. We cover a lot of ground and I am not holding back.This episode is for you if:You're unsure whether to stick with your meal plan or eat intuitivelyYou're bloated, uncomfortable, and wondering when it will ever endYour hunger signals have disappeared and you don't know how to eat without themYou have OCD rituals around food and wonder if full recovery is even possible for youThe thought of exercise sends you into panic and freeze modeYou're doing all the self-care things but still feel like you're avoiding somethingYou or someone you love has ARFID and is being treated like they have anorexiaIn this episode, we cover:✨ Meal plans versus intuitive eating — the real questions you need to ask yourself first✨ How long bloating actually lasts in recovery and why it's a sign your body is healing✨ Why your digestive system needs time and what's really happening inside your body✨ How to eat when you have zero hunger — and why waiting for hunger is still restriction✨ Mechanical eating explained — what it is, why it works, and why it's worth it✨ OCD with binge eating disorder — yes, full recovery is absolutely possible✨ Why your OCD latches onto food specifically and what your nervous system is really asking for✨ Practical steps for OCD rituals around food — including tiny acts of rebellion✨ The freeze response around movement — why it's not a problem to fix, it's a body screaming for safety✨ Why you do not have a movement problem — you have a nervous system problem✨ Why forcing yourself back to exercise right now would be re-traumatising✨ What somatic healing practices actually look like when you're not ready for the gym✨ The difference between self-care as support versus self-care as avoidance✨ What true surrender actually looks like — and why it's uncomfortable on purpose✨ ARFID versus anorexia — why treating them the same way is harmful and what ARFID actually needsPowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "You don't convince yourself to eat. You just decide to. There is no negotiating with an eating disorder — there is only a decision."💬 "The bloating is temporary. The eating disorder is not temporary unless you heal. It will steal your entire life if you let it."💬 "Your hunger signals have been suppressed for so long your body stopped sending them. You cannot restore hunger without eating consistently first."💬 "You don't have a movement problem. You have a nervous system problem. Your body spent years being punished — and now it's finally safe enough to feel it."💬 "Self-care can support surrender, but it can also become a subtle way of avoiding it. The real work is learning to just be with yourself, without doing anything about it."💬 "You are not stuck and you are not failing. Your body is doing exactly what it's supposed to do after years of trauma."If you've been sitting with any of these questions — or recognising yourself in someone else's — this episode will give you clarity, compassion, and some very practical places to start. You've got this, my love. I really mean that.💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group/💙 Free trial group coaching: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching/💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching/💙 Follow me on Instagram @victoriakleinsmanofficial💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach/

Parts Work, Inner Children & The Self: A Conversation with MikeThis one is a little different — and I think you're going to love it.I invited my friend Mike onto the podcast because we've been having the most beautiful, deep conversations over voice messages for years now. It started when he reached out to me to help his friend Finja recover from anorexia, and somehow, three years later, we're still talking — about spirituality, parts work, fear, grief, and what it really means to heal. So we decided to have one of our conversations in real time, and this is it.This episode is for you if:You've ever wondered who the "you" is when you talk about loving yourselfYou feel like you're at war with different parts of yourself and can't figure out whyYou keep doing things you don't want to do and can't seem to stopYou've done the therapy, read the books, had the insights — and still feel stuckYou want to understand what parts work and Internal Family Systems (IFS) actually look like in practiceYou're curious about the difference between fear and discomfort — and whether they're even different at allYou're on a healing journey and want to go deeper than behaviour changeIn this episode, we cover:✨ Mike's Word of the Year — why he chose "discomfort" and what it actually taught him✨ The difference between your panic zone and your stretch zone — and how to know which one you're in✨ Why checking in with your parts before, during and after facing fear changes everything✨ What Internal Family Systems (IFS) actually is — explained in the most beautiful, accessible way✨ The "self" versus your parts — and why the self is not a part at all✨ The eight C's of self-energy: clarity, compassion, curiosity, courage and more✨ Why all parts — even the ones that scare you — are rooted in love✨ The difference between exiles and protectors, and how protectors keep you from your pain✨ Why your protectors think you're still the age you were when the wound happened✨ What happens to a part once it's healed — and where it goes✨ The reframe that stopped me in my tracks: it's not self-love, it's part love✨ My story of sitting at a traffic light, looking in the mirror, and saying "I see you"✨ Why connection — not fixing — is what parts actually need✨ The fear of loss at the root of every fear (try this experiment for yourself this week)✨ Why grief might be the hardest emotion to sit with — and why it's also the most necessary✨ The paradox of loss: you've lost something AND you've always had everything you need✨ Why healing is seeing through illusions — and what that actually means in practicePowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "Discomfort and fear are the same thing. There's always a part that's afraid, and that fear is always connected to somewhere it once wasn't safe."💬 "The self is love. That's literally what it is. So you can't love yourself — you can only love your parts. That's the real work."💬 "I looked in the mirror at a red traffic light, looked into my own eyes, and just said: I see you. That was all she had ever needed."💬 "Every single part of you — even the most destructive one — loves you so much it's trying to protect you from pain. There are no bad parts."💬 "Healing is seeing through the illusions and coming to the ultimate truth that you are nothing and everything, all at the same time."💬 "When a part finally feels seen and understood, that is the healing. Not fixing. Not reasoning. Just truly being with it."💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group/💙 Free trial group coaching: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching/💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching/💙 Follow me on Instagram @victoriakleinsmanofficial💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach/