#64: Eating Disorders Don't Have A "Look" with Sharon Maxwell, Fat Activist and Mental Heath Advocate

You're in for a treat with this one! Sharon Maxwell (@heysharonmaxwell) joins the pod to chat with Abbie about her experience recovering in a fat body, the cost of delayed eating disorder treatment, weight stigma in recovery, and so much more. Sharon is incredible. She speaks bravely and openly about her ED, her recovery, and the things that both harmed and helped her become the person she is today. You'll want to follow her on IG if you're not already!

Some of the topics discussed:

• Restaurants and leftovers in eating disorder recovery
• Reclaiming space, energy, and mental capacity through recovery
• Experiencing medical weight stigma as a young child, and how it leads to avoidance or delay of care
• Growing up in a religious cult and how that influenced her body image and relationship with food
• The harms of delayed eating disorder treatment
• Binge eating and anorexia being assigned to body sizes
• The difference between thin and fat folks with eating disorders
• Weight bias in eating disorder treatment centers
• The fat activism that has to take place at every level of eating disorder support
• Partial recovery and fat-phobia
• Where Sharon is in her recovery in this moment and how she is approaching it

Sharon Maxwell (She/Her) is a mental health advocate and fat activist. She works as a weight inclusive consultant, providing education to treatment centers and healthcare providers on the immense harms of weight stigma. Due to her lived experience facing weight stigma, Sharon provides unique insight and offers practical tools to make treatment centers and healthcare settings safe and accessible for fat folks. Sharon is passionate about breaking down the stigma around eating disorders and working to eradicate societal anti-fat bias. When she’s not studying or engaged in her activism work, Sharon can be found exploring San Diego with her dog and her best friend.

Links mentioned:

"You Don't Look Anorexic" in New York Times Magazine

Connect with Sharon on IG: @heysharonmaxwell

Learn more about Sharon: https://www.heysharonmaxwell.com/

Find Abbie on IG: @abbieattwoodwellness

Abbie's website: www.abbieattwoodwellness.com

Follow Full Plate Pod on IG: @fullplate.podcast

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