19. a psychologist's journey from bulimia to PhD with Dr. Rachel Evans

Battling and recovering from an eating disorder does not mean you cannot be successful in life. It does not mean that you can’t reach your goals or not be able to bring your dreams to life. Rachel Evans is proof of that.

In this episode, Kait is joined by Rachel Evans to share her personal journey with her battle with Bulimia and her road to recovery. Rachel shares the influences that led to her struggles such as social media, diet culture, and societal pressure in general. As a psychologist, she discusses the importance of seeking support, understanding the cycles of bingeing and purging, and the role of family dynamics as it relates to each person. Ultimately, Rachel offers hope and encouragement to those who are facing similar challenges, reinforcing that change is possible and recovery is a learning process.

Episode topics:

• Rachel shares her personal struggle with Bulimia (2:25)
• Rachel touches on how social media impacted her (6:02)
• How Rachel navigated recovery and her support systems (10:24)
• Rachel highlights the importance of understanding the cycle of bingeing and purging (15:07)
• Rachel’s unique path to recovery and self-discovery (22:32)
• Family dynamics and how they impacted Rachels’ recovery (31:03)
• How Rachel transitioned into her professional life as a psychologist (37:38)
• Rachel and Kait discuss the gaps in eating disorder treatment (41:19)
• Rachel touches on the differences between recovery coaching and formal treatment (44:19)
• Rachel and Kait offer encouragement to those struggling (55:06)

Content Warning: This episode contains brief mentions of eating disorder behaviors that Rachel has previously engaged in. Please listen in a way that feels safe for you and your recovery.

Episode guest: Dr. Rachel Evans is a chartered psychologist, hypnotherapist and podcast host of the Just Eat Normally Podcast. She combines her lived experience of bulimia recovery with professional expertise and training to support one-to-one clients who feel obsessed with food, hate their body, and use increasingly extreme methods to try and control it. At the heart of her practice is a compassionate, individualized, and trauma-informed approach, focusing on the person rather than a label. She has been featured in leading publications such as Psychologies and appeared on BBC radio, sharing her expertise to challenge diet culture and break the stigma surrounding eating disorders. A sought-after speaker, she has delivered impactful workshops for large and small organizations and spoken at conferences and wellness festivals, inspiring audiences with her evidence-based insights and personal journey.

Interested in 1:1 recovery coaching with Kait?

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Connect with Kait

👉🏼 @bitebybiterecovery

👉🏼 bitebybiterecovery.org

🍒 Recovery resources

Connect with Dr. Rachel Evans
Recover with Dr. Rachel Evans
@rachel.evans.phd
Just Eat Normally Podcast