The Full of Beans Podcast

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, Hannah is joined by Melanie Davies, a sleep and stress consultant and clinical hypnotherapist, to explore how hypnotherapy can support anxiety regulation, emotional overwhelm, and disordered eating patterns.Together, Hannah and Melanie unpack what hypnotherapy actually involves, how it works with the emotional and unconscious mind, and why nervous-system-based approaches may help when behaviour-focused treatments feel limiting or incomplete.This week, we discuss:What clinical hypnotherapy is and how it differs from stage hypnosisHypnosis as a naturally occurring state of focused attentionThe role of the unconscious mind in habits, urges, and emotional eatingAnxiety, stress responses, and food-related coping behavioursEmotional regulation as a foundation for sustainable habit changeHypnotherapy as a complementary approach alongside existing treatmentUsing imagination to support neural rewiring and behaviour changeAnchoring techniques to support self-soothing and nervous system calmingEvidence and emerging research in hypnotherapy, disordered eating, and IBSEthical practice, contraindications, and the importance of assessmentTimestamps02:10 – Why hypnosis isn’t “mind control” and what actually happens in session05:40 – Focused attention, suggestibility, and everyday hypnotic states09:10 – Emotional drivers of binge urges, restriction, and food noise13:30 – Individualised treatment and why one-size-fits-all approaches fall short16:50 – Reconnecting with bodily cues, fullness, and interoceptive awareness20:30 – Supporting long-term change: maintenance, self-hypnosis, and autonomy24:10 – Calming cortisol, anchors, and nervous system retraining27:50 – Clinical evidence: bulimia, impulsive eating, IBS and the gut-brain axis33:20 – Integration with medical care, ethics, and suitability36:00 – Accessing support and next stepsResources & LinksVisit Melanie’s website: MelanieDaviesMindSolutions.comConnect with Us:Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTube⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders, disordered eating behaviours, anxiety, and binge eating. Please take care when listening.If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, Hannah is joined by Debs Taylor, mum to Zara Taylor, to talk about Zara’s life, her battle with anorexia, and the new APPG report on preventing deaths from eating disorders, which is dedicated to Zara. Debs is the Operations and Project Manager at Dump the Scales CIC, bringing a unique blend of lived experience, organisational expertise, and campaign passion to the team. As a devoted parent and carer with over a decade supporting her daughter through an eating disorder, she has become a dedicated advocate for improved awareness, support, and systemic change. Debs also serves on the UK FEAST Executive team and represents FEAST within the Wales Eating Disorders Clinical Implementation Network. This conversation is a tribute to Zara’s kindness, courage and determination to recover, and a call for urgent change in how eating disorders are understood and treated.This week, we discuss:Zara's experience of anorexia and her diagnosis journeyZara's treatment experience of a decade of inpatient admissions Why being labelled “complex” triggered a sense of hopelessnessZara's motivation to recover and lack of clinical supportThe preventable loss of Zara and the devastation for her familyA look Inside the APPG “Prevention of Deaths” report Calls for a national strategy, proper training and real accountabilityTimestamps05:00 – Zara’s early life, character, and dreams for the future10:00 – First signs of illness, delayed diagnosis and early admissions18:00 – Years in inpatient units: isolation, tube feeding and lack of continuity24:00 – “Complex cases”, blame, and the impact of hopeless language31:00 – Zara’s growing wish to recover and barriers to appropriate care36:00 – Zara’s death, the inquest, and why Debs believes it was preventable44:00 – Inside the APPG “Prevention of Deaths” report and its main asks52:00 – How listeners can support the campaign and honour Zara’s legacyResources & LinksVisit the Dump the Scales website to read the APPG report and find out more.Connect with Us:Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast hereFollow Full of Beans on Instagram hereCheck out our website hereListen on YOUTUBE here⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders and suicide. Please take care when listening.If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

In this week's episode, Hannah is joined by Jenny Langley, an advocate in the eating disorder community. After supporting her son through anorexia 20 years ago, Jenny has dedicated her life to making sure families feel informed, empowered, and never alone.For over 15 years, Jenny has worked with the Eating Disorders Research team at the Institute of Psychiatry and is trained in the New Maudsley Model, where she now coaches carers, trains clinicians, and delivers practical skills workshops. She is co-author of the New Maudsley Skills-Based Training Manual and writer of Boys Get Anorexia Too, a book that has helped countless families feel seen.This week, we discuss:What it’s really like to support a child through anorexia as a parentThe shock, guilt, shame many carers describeEarly inpatient treatment, trauma, and learning on the job as a familyThe New Maudsley approach for supporting family dynamicsThe animal metaphors (rhino, kangaroo, jellyfish, terrier, ostrich, dolphins, St Bernard)Why carers’ self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essentialThe unique role of dads and male carersRelapse, “safety behaviours” and why recovery often looks more like discoveryCarers matter. Families matter. And with the right support, they can be powerful allies in recovery – not by being perfect, but by staying, learning and loving through the mess.Timestamps:01:20 – Jenny’s Story05:30 – Emotions Felt By Parents and Carers11:00 – Externalising the eating disorder as “Rex”16:40 –The New Maudsley Approach28:20 – Animal Metaphors and Carer Styles41:00 – Treatment Trauma, NG Feeding and Post-Discharge55:10 – Dads, Male Carers and Keeping Communication OpenResources & LinksConnect with Jenny visit her websiteConnect with Us:Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast hereFollow Full of Beans on Instagram hereCheck out our website hereListen on YOUTUBE here⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders. Please take care when listening.If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

In this week's episode, Hannah is joined by Alix Walker. Alix is an eating disorder counsellor and coach, and a wellbeing speaker, who works with clients to overcome eating and body image difficulties following on from her own personal experience.This week's festive episode brings a real perspective of being in recovery at Christmas, with advice on how to navigate this season that isn't just a few quick tips that feel like they diminish the struggles of Christmas.This week, we discuss:Common challenges Alix supports her clients with during the festive periodThe pressure and overwhelm caused by Christmas marketsMaking recovery-focused decisions when challenging your eating disorderGiving yourself permission to engage in what feels right to youFinding compassion for others who are also stuck in diet culture thought patternsVisiting home for Christmas and experiencing emotional triggersFinding time for reflection or space during the festive seasonRedefining what Christmas means to you and making it what you needThe impact of social media on your own Christmas experienceTimestamps:01:20: Common Eating Disorder Struggles at Christmas03:20: Christmas Markets and Knowing When to Challenge06:13: Managing Guilt After Social Events07:41: Navigating Work Parties10:47: Finding Balance and Compassion14:17: Navigating Diet Talk16:57: Handling Comments from Family Members23:05: Taking Responsibility for Triggers26:29: Finding Personal Space29:14: Redefining the Meaning of Christmas Away from Social MediaResources & LinksFollow Alix on Instagram @counsellingwithalixCheck out Alix's LinktreeConnect with Us:Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast hereFollow Full of Beans on Instagram hereCheck out our website hereListen on YOUTUBE here⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders. Please take care when listening.If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛

In this week’s episode of Full of Beans, I’m joined by Ailidh Musgrave, an eating disorder campaigner, whose story spans years of misdiagnosis, medical trauma, and being repeatedly told she was “too complex” to treat.Ailidh was diagnosed with anorexia at 13, and spent her teens and early adulthood in a cycle of nine inpatient admissions, severe depression, self-harm, sepsis, multiple surgeries and even temporary paralysis. Alongside her eating disorder, she lives with autism and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which went misunderstood or dismissed for years.Now, two years out of hospital, back in education and moving in with her partner, Ailidh is using her experience to push for safer, more compassionate care and to challenge the Assisted Dying Bill through the #DyingForTreatment campaign.In this conversation, Ailidh shares what it’s like to be rejected from over 20 hospitals, labelled “too complex”, and still find her way back to life – and why she believes no one with anorexia should ever be put on a palliative pathway.This week, we discuss:Misdiagnosis, gastrointestinal symptoms and the long road to an EDS diagnosisThe dramatic shift from CAMHS to adult servicesHow autism and neurodivergence were misunderstood in eating disorder treatmentBeing turned away by over 20 hospitals and the “postcode lottery” of careWhy Ailidh is speaking out against the Assisted Dying Bill and the risk for people with anorexiaThe power of time, trust and being truly listened to in recoveryHow her mum held onto hope when she couldn’t – and why hope is the most important thing clinicians can offerLived experience and family perspectives are essential if we want eating disorder care to be truly compassionate, person-centred and safe. Ailidh’s story is a powerful reminder that no one is beyond help, no matter how long or how complex their journey has been.Timestamps:01:20 – Ailidh's Experience of Inpatient Admissions05:50 – CAMHS vs Adult Inpatient Care09:40 – Autism and Misunderstanding14:10 – EDS Diagnosis and Medical Trauma18:30 – 9 Admissions in 13 Years24:20 – Community Aftercare and Service Gaps29:00 – Concerns About The Assisted Dying Bill36:40 – Finding Internal Motivation For Recovery43:10 – The Impact On FamilyResources & LinksConnect with Ailidh on LinkedInConnect with Us:Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast hereFollow Full of Beans on Instagram hereCheck out our website hereListen on YOUTUBE here⚠️ Trigger Warning: Mentions of eating disorders. Please take care when listening.If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛