Matildas star Katrina Gorry shares her tips on being kind to your body

Nobody has had a more profound impact on the treatment of eating disorders than Carolyn Costin. We are excited to have her as the first guest for our Let’s Talk in Depth show, which will run mid-monthly to complement Butterfly: Let’s Talk.After recovering from Anorexia Nervosa in her early 20’s, Carolyn found her calling in helping others to recover. Her unique philosophy was so successful that she took it to the public through a series of books and public events and eventually opened the world’s first licensed, residential eating disorder facility in California, Monte Nido.Carolyn has also played a pivotal role in the creation of Australia’s first fully residential eating disorder recovery facility, Wandi Nerida on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.In this candid discussion, Carolyn opens up about her intuitive ability to diagnose and treat her own eating disorder and how that led to a decades-long career helping others to find recovery.To find out more about Carolyn Costin https://www.carolyn-costin.com/aboutFor more information about Wandi Nerida https://butterfly.org.au/wandi-nerida/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Juli 202124min

Eating disorders almost always occur with other mental health issues. In fact, research tells us that 97 per cent of the time there are co-occurring mental health conditions. It’s always a complex situation and there are different causes for different people. In many cases, it’s difficult to tell which disorder came first.“It's very, very unusual in my experience for people with an eating disorder to only have an eating disorder,” says Monash University Adjunct Professor Richard Newton. “By and large, co-occurring mental health issues is the rule.”While it’s difficult to say what caused the issues to co-occur, by understanding which conditions are present and possibly interacting, clinicians are able to help the people experiencing them find a path to recovery.Emily Unity, from Perth WA, says she was unaware of her eating disorder. “I honestly find it quite surprising to hear from a lot of people that they don't have comorbidities. I think it's more so that we're not really aware of it, or we don't have the language to talk about it. And I feel lucky enough that I do now.”For Tim, a social worker from Newcastle NSW, it was clear that his OCD came first. He says it wasn’t until he was 21 that he developed body image issues which were amplified by his OCD. “I guess my OCD took on that as being scared of becoming overweight so I engaged in behaviours, and became obsessed with how I look.”Korey says her eating disorder developed as a result of extreme anxiety. “I sort of developed these coping mechanisms of controlling what I ate as a means of dealing with the amount of anxiety and anxious thoughts and energy I held on to. So I sort of channelled that into the food I ate, and sort of controlling what I ate, how much I ate.”While there are many possible mental health issues that co-occur with eating disorders Leading Mental Health researcher Professor Phillipa Hay says there are a few that co-occur more frequently “The most common are indeed anxiety disorder, social anxiety in particular, and mood disorders and depression. But everybody brings a unique experience to their eating disorder,” she says. “They are all individuals in their own capacity, and they have their own stories, their own narratives to tell. And we know that there are many common factors in those stories.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Juli 202125min

In this episode, we’re throwing the podcast open to you. Every month audience members ask us to answer questions about body image and eating disorders. Many of the questions are too important not to answer. We have rounded up a team of specialists with decades of clinical experience along with some people with lived experience to help us unravel some really deep and tricky issues.Drawing on the clinical knowledge of Anila Azhar, Archana Waller and Chris XXX as well as the lived experience of Dominik and Lauren we dive in deep on topics from how to approach someone you think has a problem to the genetics affecting eating disorders. There's something in this episode for everyone.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Juni 202124min

So many kids want to follow in their parent's footsteps but how do we help them avoid body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, especially if they have a lived experience themselves. Kids are great imitators and parents, teachers and other adult role models have a huge role to play in helping them accept the bodies they are in. In this episode, we're investigating how we can change the picture with kids.Body dissatisfaction is one of the highest risk factors for eating disorders and studies tell us that if you struggle with body image as a kid or as a teenager, you're far more likely to carry those feelings with you into adulthood. The troubling news for those of us who are parents is that more and more young kids are telling us that they're dissatisfied with their bodies.Psychologist and eating disorder prevention specialist Danni Rowlands tells host Sam Ikin “appearance and image are still such important things in our society and that's that's not helping people to feel comfortable or happy in their bodies.”IT professional Kelly Griffin struggled with body image issues and eating disorders for decades. “Unfortunately, [my eldest daughter] had to see your dad go through [an eating disorder]. No child should ever go through this but, even more, no child should ever see their parent go through it.” Kelly takes us through how he is helping his kids build resilience to the issues he fell prey to.Nuibeny Naam isn’t a parent but plays a large part in bringing up her sisters’ children. She says she suffered from body dissatisfaction because her body ‘wasn’t what you would call Australian”. She came to Australia when she was nine years old and suffered from eating disorders and body dissatisfaction for decades. She says she’s trying to help her nieces accept their differences and love the bodies they have.Anne Smith, lived with an eating disorder from the age of 15 until she was 30. But it wasn’t until she became pregnant that she started to make up her mind to find recovery and set a strong example for her kids. “It took growing another life for me to realise how important mine was,” she said.As a parent who's been affected by an eating disorder, it's one thing to say that we don't want our kids to follow in those footsteps, but actually protecting them from it is a whole other story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Maj 202124min

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience body dissatisfaction and eating disorders as much as the general population. But there are risk factors that are unique to this community, along with some unique pathways to wellness and recovery.Garra Mundine, a proud Waridjuri, Kamilaroi, Bundjulung and Yuin woman experienced body dissatisfaction and an eating disorder after moving from Country to Sydney. Today, she uses traditional art practices to resist Western ideals of beauty and to express her unique style.Felicia Foxx is a proud Kamilaroi and Dhunghutti sister-girl who is also a well-known drag performer. For years she struggled with her family’s expectations of what a masculine body type should be—until she realised her slim body was just like her ancestors’.AJ William-Tchen was bullied as a teenager and says this contributed to his eating disorder which, because he is male, went undiagnosed for years. Today AJ works as a cultural mentor and mental health first aid instructor, helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids to embrace their culture for mental good health.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, Liz Dale and Jed Fraser, explain why culture can be key to wellness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Let’s yarn!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Apr 202127min

High-performance athletes are Australia's version of Royalty. They do superhuman things and adoring fans hail them as heroes, but off the field, they are human beings. And like all human beings, they are susceptible to eating disorders and body image issues. In fact, many athletes are at much higher risk of disordered eating and eating disorders due to the intense pressures and cultural expectations placed on them.The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the National Eating Disorder Collaboration (NEDC) have teamed up to come up with a set of guidelines to help sports teams, clubs and organisations identify warning signs and prevent athletes from developing eating disorders.In 2004, Australian Swimmer Jessica Smith hit her lowest point. She was living out her dream to compete for her country in the Paralympics in Athens but her eating disorder was holding her back. She was expected to make a podium finish but she didn't even qualify for the final.National basketball star Maddie Garrick's eating disorder took hold while she was a teenager but her experience was different from Jessica's. At the AIS she found the support and positive culture that she needed to thrive as an athlete and to find lasting recovery from her ED.In this episode, we also hear from the AIS lead nutritionist, Nikki Jeacocke and prominent sports nutritionist Fiona Sutherland about how a new set of guidelines for sporting organisations is helping create a safe culture for high performing athletes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Mars 202129min

We can’t escape the diet culture that surrounds us almost everywhere we go. Every year people start a diet as a new year’s resolution. We also know that the majority of those have been abandoned by February. It leaves those who have dropped the restrictive program feeling like they’ve failed and possibly worse about themselves than before they started. This is because the messaging around health and weight is focussed on thin, muscular bodies that might be unrealistic for a lot of us.The dieting industry doesn’t allow for diversity in body size. It tells us that higher body weight is a problem that needs to be fixed through restrictive dieting and exercise regimes. This is the message we’ve been told for decades. But the facts tell us it’s not working. If it worked, wouldn't there be a massive reduction in obesity rates? Restrictive dieting can also be a trigger for eating disorders.Experts are now telling us that restrictive diets almost always result in overall weight gain in the long term. In this episode, we hear from leading dietitians and individuals with lived experience who are focusing on health rather than weight to help people with body image issues and eating disorders find long-term recovery.To find out more about our guests:Fiona Willer - https://www.healthnotdiets.com/Shane Jeffrey - https://www.riveroakhealth.com.au/Patrick Boyle - https://www.patrickboyle.com.au/Kate Reid - https://www.lunecroissanterie.com/contactShreen El Masry - https://beyoubefree.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Feb 202127min

Carolyn Costin swears full and complete recovery from eating disorders is possible. For more than 40 years, she has been changing lives through her revolutionary model of care. It was the basis for her Monte Nido residential treatment centres which have helped thousands recover. This model of care is also the basis for Australia's first residential recovery centre on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Wandi Nerida. The name, gifted by the land's traditional owners, means "gather together and blossom". It's a place for people to create new beginnings.In this Episode, Carolyn tells host Sam Ikin how she developed her model of care at a time when eating disorders were badly misunderstood. As her treatment plan developed, she began to see the huge numbers of people who needed it. "Six books later, running several hospital programs, and opening the first residential treatment centre in the United States, I've been doing a lot in the eating disorder field," she said.Now Australians suffering from eating disorders can access treatment based on Carolyn's model of care through Butterfly's Wandi Nerida. Siena Armati, who travelled all the way to the US to go to Monte Nido after going in and out of Australia's hospital system for years, and is now in full recovery, says Wandi Nerida is long overdue. "It's very beneficial. It's pretty sad that there were a lot of people who weren't able to go to places like Monte Nido."To find out more about Wandi Nerida go to wandinerida.org.au.Over a million Australians are currently experiencing an eating disorder, and less than a quarter are getting treatment or support. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that eating disorders are often under-diagnosed. Everyone who experiences an eating disorder has a unique story to tell.The Butterfly podcast is produced, hosted and edited by journalist Sam Ikin, who has lived experience of binge eating disorder, in partnership with Butterfly.To find out more about eating disorders, visit the Butterfly Foundation website www.butterfly.org.au.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Jan 202125min