The Full of Beans Podcast

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, I’m joined by Jacqui Russon, an occupational therapist and accredited DBT therapist, to explore the overlap between eating disorders and addiction.
We talk about the obsessive thinking, shame, rigidity, and emotional pain that can sit beneath both, and what this means for recovery.
In this episode, we discuss:
The similarities and differences between eating disorders and addiction
Why neither are simply a “choice”
Obsessive thoughts, rigidity, and compensatory behaviours
The role of shame, guilt, and emotional avoidance
Why understanding the function of behaviours matters
Developing safer, more supportive coping strategies
Anger, boundaries, and finding your voice in recovery
What occupational therapy actually is (and why it matters)
Why recovery needs to involve real-life practice, not just talking
Connect with Us:
Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast
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Connect with Jacqui via Purpose People or the Nightingale Hospital
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, addiction and trauma. Please look after yourself as you listen.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.
Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

In this episode, Hannah is joined by Judy Krasna, Executive Director of F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment for Eating Disorders). Judy is a writer and eating disorder advocate based in Israel, and after volunteering for F.E.A.S.T. in multiple capacities, she became the organisation's Executive Director in February 2021.
Judy joins Hannah for a deeply moving and insightful conversation about what it means to be a parent supporting a child through an eating disorder: the isolation, the guilt, the exhaustion, and the incredible power of love and community. Judy also shares her own personal journey, including the tragic loss of her daughter Gavriella, who passed away in 2020 after a 13-year battle with anorexia nervosa.
This one is raw, honest, and so important. We hope it brings comfort and clarity to any parent or loved one who needs it.
In this episode, we talk about:
What F.E.A.S.T. is and how it supports families across the world
Why eating disorders can be so isolating for parents and carers
The damaging impact of parent blame in treatment
Why families should be seen as part of the solution, not the problem
The long-term impact of trauma on parents supporting a loved one
How eating disorders can distort trust, self-trust, and family relationships
Why support systems are so important in recovery
The challenge of balancing protection with independence
What Judy wants parents at breaking point to know
Judy's incredibly honest reflections on losing her daughter, Gavriella
Connect with Us:
Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast
Follow Full of Beans on Instagram
Check out our website
Listen on YouTube
Connect with FEAST via their website (feast-ed.org/)
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders and suicide. Please look after yourself as you listen.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.
Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

In this episode, I'm joined by Mel Nelson, a qualified counsellor, Senior Counsellor at an eating disorder charity (SWEDA), and autism-informed practitioner, to discuss the intersection of undiagnosed neurodiversity, compulsive exercise, and eating disorder behaviours.
Mel spent over 25 years working in the dance and fitness industry before retraining as a counsellor, and she brings together a really rare combination of lived experience and professional expertise. We got into some really honest territory in this one, and I think so many of you are going to hear yourselves in this conversation.
In this episode, we cover:
Why bulimia stays hidden for so long (and the shame that keeps it that way)
The "fitting in" feeling and why it can make an eating disorder so hard to spot
How neurodivergence and eating disorders can look so similar from the outside
Why routine isn't always just a neurodivergent thing (and how to tell the difference)
What compulsive exercise and purging have more in common than people realise
The late diagnosis that changed everything, and why it's never too late
Why recovery sometimes has to start with the smallest of changes
Connect with Us:
Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast
Follow Full of Beans on Instagram
Check out our website
Listen on YouTube
Connect with Mel via her website (newday-counselling.co.uk) or Instagram (@newday_counselling)
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, compulsive exercise, bulimia, depression, and neurodivergence. Please look after yourself as you listen.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.
Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by Holly Marsh, a psychotherapeutic counsellor who specialises in eating disorders in private practice, and someone who also brings her own lived experience of recovery into the room.
Holly shares how, during her own recovery, she often found parts of treatment confusing… especially when they seemed to echo the very voice she was trying to challenge of not being "sick enough". That experience has really shaped how she now thinks about recovery, both personally and professionally.
What We Cover in This Episode
What the “eating disorder voice” actually is (and why it can feel confusing)
How the eating disorder can shape-shift and mimic your own thoughts
The “superpower” feeling and why it can be so hard to let go
Why recovery can feel worse before it feels better
The role of values in guiding recovery
How to start separating your thoughts from the eating disorder
The short-term “payoff” that keeps people stuck
Navigating relationships and rebuilding trust with loved ones
Honesty, identity, and the role of lived experience in recovery and professional work
Connect with Us:
Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast
Follow Full of Beans on Instagram
Check out our website
Listen on YouTube
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anorexia and recovery. Please take care when listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.
Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

In this episode of the Full of Beans Podcast, I’m joined by Professor Hubertus Himmerich, Consultant Psychiatrist and Reader in Eating Disorders at King’s College London, and the principal investigator of the EDEN study.
The EDEN study is the first study of its kind exploring whether low-dose oral ketamine, compared with placebo, could support people living with both anorexia nervosa and major depressive disorder.
Depression affects around 50% of people with anorexia, and when low mood, anxiety and hopelessness are present, it can make recovery feel incredibly difficult. Traditional antidepressants often don’t work well for people with anorexia, which is why researchers are exploring new approaches.
What We Cover in This Episode
Why is depression so common in anorexia nervosa
Why SSRIs often don’t work well in this population
The science behind ketamine and how it affects brain plasticity
Why the EDEN study focuses on improving mood rather than weight
How depression can reduce hope and motivation in recovery
The difference between medical ketamine treatment and recreational ketamine use
How the study has been shaped by people with lived experience
Why new treatment approaches needed in the eating disorder field
If you're interested in taking part in the EDEN study, the team are currently recruiting participants! Please email [email protected] to find out more!
Connect with Us:
Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast
Follow Full of Beans on Instagram
Check out our website
Listen on YouTube
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, depression, ketamine use and mental health treatment.. Please take care when listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share to help us spread awareness.
Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛