The Full of Beans Podcast

When an eating disorder enters a relationship, it doesn’t just affect one person; it changes the space between you. This episode explores how.
In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, I’m joined by Charlotte Jefferson, psychotherapist and founder of CRJ Therapy, to explore how eating disorders impact relationships, communication, intimacy, and trust.
In this conversation, Charlotte brings a relational lens to eating disorders, something that can quietly shape connection, closeness, and the way we show up with one another. We explore what happens when fear takes over in relationships, how communication can begin to break down, and why connection can feel so hard to hold onto during recovery.
Because eating disorders don’t just affect the individual, they affect the relationship, too.
In this episode, we discuss:
How eating disorders impact romantic relationships, families, and friendships
Why food is deeply tied to connection, culture, and social life
The role of fear, silence, and “getting it wrong” in relationships
How partners and parents can slip into caring roles
Why communication can break down during eating disorder recovery
The impact on intimacy, closeness, and trust
The importance of curiosity and honesty in difficult conversations
Why wider support networks matter when supporting someone with an eating disorder
What relationship disconnection can look like
Gentle ways to begin rebuilding connection and trust
Connect with Us:
Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast
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Listen on YouTube
Connect with Charlotte via CRJ Therapy or on Instagram (@crjtherapy)
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, relationship challenges, and emotional distress. Please take care while listening.

Have you ever found yourself struggling to navigate social media in recovery, comparing, doom scrolling, and falling into patterns you thought you'd left behind? This episode is for you.
This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Sophie Macfie, founder of Soph's Plant Kitchen, cookbook author, and personal trainer, who shares her own experience of disordered eating and how she's built a life that genuinely nourishes her in every sense of the word.
We also talk about the complicated relationship between wellness culture, the fitness industry, and recovery, and why it can be so hard to tell the difference between what's helping and what isn't.
In this episode, we explore:
Sophie's own experience of disordered eating and what helped her turn a corner
Why social media can feel so triggering in eating disorder recovery
How plant-based eating can be a genuine expression of values, and when it isn't
The fitness industry, body ideals and why aesthetics can be a trap
The "strong not skinny" movement, where it lands and where it falls short
Why what you're drawn to on social media can signal where you are in your recovery
Responsibility for harmful content online: the person posting or the person scrolling?
Why defining yourself by one thing, however healthy it looks, can keep you stuck
The importance of rest and slowing down in eating disorder recovery
Please note that everyone's recovery journey is completely individual. The topics we discuss in this episode may not be appropriate for everyone and should always be explored as part of your own personalised recovery journey, ideally alongside your treatment team. We are all at different stages, and that is something to be honoured, not rushed.
Connect with Us:
Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast
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Check out our website
Listen on YouTube
Connect with Sophie via Instagram (@sophsplantkitchen) and order Soph's book, 30 in 30, here!
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, plant-based eating and exercise. Please take care while listening.

Have you ever thought you've spent too long ill with an eating disorder, that there's just no way you can recover from an eating disorder? If that's you, this episode is for you.
This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Andrea Stroud, mum to Joshua, Jacob and Tommy who has lived with anorexia, in secret, for over 40 years. Andrea hopes that by sharing her story and the reality of living with an eating disorder and its impact on family life, she can give others hope that it’s never too late to recover.
We also talk about years of missed red flags from medical professionals, the moment Andrea said "I am actually quite unwell," and what has made eating disorder recovery feel different this time around.
In this episode, we explore:
How growing up in a weight-focused family left Andrea feeling different from everyone around her
How gymnastics, dance and athletics brought an early focus on appearance and comparison
The missed red flags across years of medical appointments, from gynaecology to gastroenterology
How dismissal by healthcare professionals reinforced the belief of not being sick enough
The study day that finally gave Andrea permission to say she was actually quite unwell
How Andrea opened up to her son Josh after 40 years of silent struggles
Going back into treatment, and why this time felt different
Why rigid meal plans can work against the very thing eating disorder recovery needs
What mental hunger is and how it can be misunderstood in treatment
Opposite actions as a practical tool for challenging eating disorder thoughts
Why food is about more than fuel, it is connection, presence and belonging
Why Andrea's word for long-term anorexia recovery is connection
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 Andrea on Instagram (@andreainrecovery), as well as her son Joshua (@joshuahillsnutrition)
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anorexia and disordered eating. 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 💛

Have you ever felt like you’re constantly trying to "fit into a box" that just wasn't made for you?
This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, Han is joined by Dr. Lauren Lovegood, a psychologist who specialises in the intersection of Eating Disorders, Neurodiversity (ADHD/Autism), and the LGBTQ+ community.
We talk about the "internal sense of difference" that so many of us feel growing up and how, sometimes, an eating disorder can sneak in as a way to find control, "mask" our true selves, or even seek out that much-needed dopamine.
In this episode, we explore:
The Treatment Spectrum: Why anorexia is actually a much smaller piece of the ED puzzle than society thinks.
Identity & Belonging: The unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community and how gender-affirming care can coexist with a healthy body image.
The Neurodivergent Brain: Why "Executive Function" makes university transitions so tricky and why your "fidgety brain" might be driving your food behaviours.
Gender Affirming Care: We discuss the desire to align our physical bodies with our internal identity.
The Glorification of Weight Loss: Exploring the challenges of restrictive behaviours in the queer community to cause a more "feminine" or "masculine" look.
Identity Roles & Stereotypes: How to find where we belong without fuelling obsession with our appearance.
ARFID & Sensory Safety: Understanding why "beige foods" feel safe and how to branch out without the fear and force gently.
The Low Self-Esteem Trap: How external pressure to be "disciplined" can fuel the eating disorder voice.
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 Lauren via her website
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, body image, neurodiversity, gender and sexuality. 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 💛

We often view exercise as the "golden ticket" for mental health, but for those navigating eating disorders, the line between movement and compulsion is incredibly thin.
In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, Han is joined by Dr. Amit Mistry, a Consultant Sports Psychiatrist at the Nightingale Hospital. Amit brings a unique dual perspective to the table, advocating for the robust mental health benefits of physical activity while managing the high-stakes clinical risks of over-exercise in inpatient eating disorder settings.
We explore why exercise shouldn't be a "black or white" conversation and how we can reintroduce movement without falling back into the trap of rigidity.
In this episode, we talk about:
The Biopsychosocial Model: How sport serves as "fertiliser for the brain" while providing self-mastery and social connection.
The Social Media Myth: Why we need to challenge the "exercise is all you need" narrative and replace it with a multi-pronged approach to mental health.
Inpatient Realities: The difficult balance of prioritising physical stability (cardiovascular status and refeeding) while introducing social exercises like yoga or swimming.
Exercise as a Spectrum: Identifying when recreational movement crosses the line into a systemic, "drug-like" addiction that impacts bone health and fertility.
Red-S vs. Depression: The clinical challenge of distinguishing between relative energy deficiency in sport and primary low mood.
The "Elite" Trap: Why 99% of us aren't elite athletes and shouldn't be following the regimented, high-intake/high-output diets we see in our feeds.
Diagnostic Switching: Understanding the shift into Orthorexia and why being "high functioning" doesn't mean you aren't in distress.
Something that really stayed with me from this conversation was the idea of Identity vs. Performance. When we strip away the sports and the training, who are we? Recovery isn't about stopping forever; it’s about regaining the autonomy to choose rest without guilt.
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 Dr Amit on Instagram (@dramistrypsych)
⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anxiety, restrictive eating and medical 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 💛
Thank you to Nightingale Hospital for sponsoring Full of Beans.