Dr. Caitlin Massone: Overcoming Eating Disorders Through Endurance Sports, Neuroscience & Nature – Author of Running from Perfection

Dr. Caitlin Massone, ultra-runner, mountaineer, neurologist, and first-time author, sharing the story of her 14-year battle with eating disorders, and how she recovered in an unconventional way through finding endurance sports and nature.

Her book, "Running from Perfection," comes out this spring (April 26th 2025). 

Part memoir, part neuroscience, her story delves into the neurobiology of eating disorders, how our brains form habits and addictions, and how nature and exercise can help us heal from mental health disorders such as eating disorders, anxiety, and depression.

Since regaining her health, Caitlin has run numerous marathons and ultramarathons, including a 50 mile race on the Mountains-to-Sea trail, and recently completed the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier (93 miles in three days). She has also embraced mountaineering, summiting Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, and is planning to climb Denali in 2026.

Her story is about perseverance, overcoming mental health obstacles, and finding passion in sports that have transformed her from a 100-pound girl with anorexia to a strong, 150-pound athlete who is ready to take on new challenges!

 Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions about eating disorders, mental health challenges, and recovery. Please listen with care, and reach out for support if needed.

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Show notes

• Who is Caitlin 
• Being based in New Jersey
• Working as a practicing neurologist
• Working 7 days on and 7 days off
• Developing new interests, in running, hiking, backpacking and mountaineering 
• Writing about her long term eating disorder and how she found ultra endurance sports
• What a neurologist does 
• How her working schedule came about
• Her path from medical school, to residency, and completing her fellowship
• Her early years growing up in New Jersey
• Loving soccer (football) from 5 years old and playing varsity 
• Losing her love of sports and nature at 16
• Nature and nurture in the formation of eating disorders 
• Being abandoned by her father
• Little Miss Perfect….
• Dealing with pressure
• Type A personality and how they turned against her
• What people don’t know about eating disorders
• Starting to binge eat 
• Balancing it out with exercise 
• Taking a job in Colorado 
• Being exposure to nature at it’s best
• Quitting cold turkey
• Doing short hikes and runs outdoors
• Getting to the top of her first 14,000 ft
• Seeking professional help and working with a therapist
• Keeping her eating behaviours very private
• Good or bad habits…
• Habit formation in the brain and the role that exercise plays 
• Exercise junkie 
• Not being preoccupied with food 
• Having a better outlook on it 
• The battle going on inside your brain
• Primitive urges and self talk
• Mantras - Powerful and perseverance 
• Running her first half marathon while in medical school
• Her running journey being slow and gradual
• Starting running ultra marathons in 2020
• Race strategy and getting use to time on feet and breaking it down into small chunks of time
• Spacing out nutrition throughout the race
• Fuelling and attitude to food during races
• Working with a running coach for the past 2 years
• Trying to keep things easy 
• Getting into mountaineering
• International Mountain Guides 
• Planning to climb Mt Denali
• The use of oral contraceptive pills past the age of 35
• Building the mental resilience 
• Eating Disorder Survivor Symbol 
• Getting her tattoo done 
• Social media…. Not being hugely active 
• Women in Mountaineering 
• Sunny Stroeer
• New book goes live April 26th 2025
• Final words of advice 
• Finding someone to listen
• The power of talking and opening up to people

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Book: Running from Perfection: My Journey from Eating Disorders to Endurance Sports--And the Neuroscience Behind It