Welcome to this episode of NeurospicED, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia’s (EDNA) podcast.

Our 15th Episode features Alex (he/him) and Maud is the host.

Alex, is cis-gender man and late-diagnosed AuDHDer. He shares his experiences of growing up not knowing he was neurodivergent, and how he started to believe that to be accepted and valued by his peers he had to change his body size and shape.

He reflects on the intersection between his neurodivergence and eating disorder and how he learned to shift his relationship with exercise from a place of harm to self-care.

He also expands on what was helpful in ED recovery and mental health self-care and wraps up the episode with insightful messages to anyone who identifies as men and experiencing an eating disorder.

We would like to remind you that this episode discusses topics that may be distressing for some. Therefore, we would like to emphasise the importance of accessing support services if required:

- The Butterfly National helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)

- The Beyond Blue helpline: 1300 22 4636

- Call 000 in an emergency

Music extracts: Illenium, Fractures ©

Welcome to this episode of NeurospicED, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia’s (EDNA) podcast.

Our 14th episode features Korey (they/she) and Laurence is the host. Korey is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC) with a passion for helping people of all shapes, sizes, identities and abilities to develop a healthier relationship with food, their mind and their bodies. They have a special interest working with diverse and intersectional presentations of eating disorders and feeding challenges. Korey draws upon principles of Health At Every Size (HAES®), the Non-Diet Approach, and their lived experiences to guide their practice, with passionate commitment and advocacy for safe, trauma-informed, weight inclusive, identity affirming, and personalised care.

In this episode, Korey expresses the impact of growing up an undiagnosed neurodivergent has had on their self-esteem and overall well being, and how this has in turn affected their eating and body image. Further, Korey explains that their literal thinking, along with social masking, have contributed to developing an eating disorder. Korey also highlights the importance of connecting with fellow members of the community sharing similar lived experience of eating disorders as this has helped them find a sense of acceptance.

If you enjoy listening to our podcast, please donate to help us continue do the work that we are so passionate about: https://www.edneuroaus.com/donate

We would like to remind you that this episode discusses topics that may be distressing for some. Therefore, we would like to emphasise the importance of accessing support services if required:

- The Butterfly National helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)

- The Beyond Blue helpline: 1300 22 4636

- Call 000 in an emergency

Music extracts: Illenium, Fractures ©

Welcome to this episode of NeurospicED, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia’s (EDNA) podcast.

Our 13th episode features Ari Spanos (they/she) and Laurence is the host. Ari is a dietitian and credentialed eating disorder clinician who focuses on empowering their clients through gender and neurodiversity-affirming as well as non-diet practices. They are also passionate about promoting social justice within eating disorder care, through person-centred approaches rather than one size fits all frameworks.

In this episode, Ari shares their experience of growing up an undiagnosed autistic ADHDer, and how this has impacted on their sense of self and eating patterns. They mention that masking (also referred to as camouflaging) has been part of their eating disorder development, to avoid being discriminated against and rejected. Ari also discusses how being queer and gender non-binary has influenced their body image. They emphasize the importance for neurodivergent people struggling with eating disorders to connect with the neurodivergent community as this has been a very important aspect of their eating disorder recovery because it provided feelings of validation and acceptance.

If you enjoy listening to our podcast, please donate to help us continue do the work that we are so passionate about: https://www.edneuroaus.com/donate

We would like to remind you that this episode discusses topics that may be distressing for some. Therefore, we would like to emphasise the importance of accessing support services if required:

- The Butterfly National helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)

- The Beyond Blue helpline: 1300 22 4636

- Call 000 in an emergency

Music extracts: Illenium, Fractures ©

Welcome to this episode of NeurospicED, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia’s (EDNA) podcast.

Our 12th Episode features Phaedra Longhurst (she/her) and Maud is the host. In this episode, Phaedra shares what it was like to grow up with an autism diagnosis in the UK and explains that, like for many late diagnosed autistic adults, she had to work hard to address her internalised ableism and develop a positive sense of self in adulthood.

She talks about the factors that have influenced the development of her eating disorder and how developing a meal routine that works for her has been immensely helpful.

She also discusses the potential of adapting intuitive eating for autistic persons and talks about her research on body image among autistic folks.

If you enjoy listening to our podcast, please donate to help us continue do the work that we are so passionate about: https://www.edneuroaus.com/donate

We would like to remind you that this episode discusses topics that may be distressing for some. Therefore, we would like to emphasise the importance of accessing support services if required:

- The Butterfly National helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)

- The Beyond Blue helpline: 1300 22 4636

- Call 000 in an emergency

Music extracts: Illenium, Fractures ©

Welcome to this episode of NeurospicED, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia’s (EDNA) podcast.

This episode is the second part (part B) of Mandy's chat with Anna (episode 9). Mandy is an ADHDer registered psychologist with lived experience of an eating disorder characterised by bingeing and purging.

If you enjoy listening to our podcast, please donate to help us continue do the work that we are so passionate about: https://www.edneuroaus.com/donate

We would like to remind you that this episode discusses topics that may be distressing for some. Therefore, we would like to emphasise the importance of accessing support services if required:

- The Butterfly Foundation helpline: 1800 33 4673

- The Beyond Blue helpline: 1300 22 4636

- Call 000 in an emergency

Music extracts: Illenium, Fractures ©

Welcome to this episode of NeurospicED, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia’s (EDNA) podcast.

This episode features Mandy Nolan (she/her) and Anna is the host. Mandy is an ADHDer registered psychologist with lived experience of an eating disorder characterised by bingeing and purging. This episode has been divided into two parts: A and B. While we were intending to release this episode earlier (episode 9), we have been delayed in the process.

In this episode, Mandy shares her journey through neurodivergence identification as she was diagnosed with ADHD in high school. She also discusses topics related to feelings of loneliness and belongingness. Mandy further shares her experience of having an eating disorder and undergoing treatment as an ADHDer.

We would like to remind you that this episode discusses topics that may be distressing for some. Therefore, we would like to emphasise the importance of accessing support services if required:

- The Butterfly Foundation helpline: 1800 33 4673

- The Beyond Blue helpline: 1300 22 4636

- Call 000 in an emergency

Music extracts: Illenium, Fractures ©

Welcome to this episode of NeurospicED, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia’s (EDNA) podcast.

Our 11th episode features Kellie (she/her) and Maud is the host. Kellie is a cis woman and a late-diagnosed ADHDer. She shares her experiences of being invalidated and dismissed by healthcare providers when she initially sought an ADHD diagnosis. Kellie also reflects on how ADHD influenced her food choices, eating patterns, and eating disorder presentation.

She further highlights the critical importance of finding an open-minded care team validating her experiences and helping her find the “right tools" for her unique brain. Finding the right neurodiversity-affirming care team, Kellie explains, has been instrumental in her eating disorder recovery journey.

If you enjoy listening to our podcast, please donate to help us continue do the work that we are so passionate about: https://www.edneuroaus.com/donate

We would like to remind you that this episode discusses topics that may be distressing for some. Therefore, we would like to emphasise the importance of accessing support services if required:

- The Butterfly Foundation helpline: 1800 33 4673

- The Beyond Blue helpline: 1300 22 4636

- Call 000 in an emergency

Music extracts: Illenium, Fractures ©

Welcome to this episode of NeurospicED, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia’s podcast.

Our 10th episode features Kai Schweizer (they/he). Kai is a qualified sexologist with interests in sexuality, gender, and trans health. They were working as a youth worker before starting a PhD recently at the University of Western Australia in Perth.

During this episode, Kai shares their experiences related to being a trans individual and receiving a late AuDHD identification (Autism and ADHD combined), and how these have influenced their eating disorder journey. Kai was initially diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and their disordered eating behaviours have been misattributed to this diagnosis instead of an eating disorder. As such, Kai’s eating disorder diagnosis (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder/ARFID) was delayed. However, Kai was able to find neurodiversity-affirming healthcare providers that have helped him tremendously. Kai also expresses how much being diagnosed as neurodivergent has been instrumental in gaining the level of self-awareness and self-acceptance that are particularly crucial for eating disorder recovery.

We would like to remind you that this episode discusses topics that may be distressing for some. Therefore, we would like to emphasise the importance of accessing support services if required:

- The Butterfly Foundation helpline: 1800 33 4673

- The Beyond Blue helpline: 1300 22 4636

- Call 000 in an emergency

Music extracts: Illenium, Fractures ©