Liv Label Free | Neurodivergent Eating Disorder Recovery

What’s the BEST treatment for eating disorders? In this episode of the Liv Label Free Podcast, Livia chats with Harriet Frew about the importance of creating relationships built on trust and safety. Harriet Frew is a licensed therapist and host of The Eating Disorder Therapist Podcast. She is an experienced expert in the ED recovery space and has turned her MESS into her MESSage as she now helps others find freedom as well. Harriet shares:  The power and importance of lived experience in treating any mental health issue  Deeper problems with identity leading to anorexia and then bulimia nervosa  Humility and non-judgement forming the foundation of therapist and client relationships  Insights she's gained from clients in her 20 year career  How everyone's "Breakthrough Moment" can be unique  Connecting with other professionals and ED sufferers through her podcast  Harriet's top tips she applies in her therapy approach  Understanding how the eating disorder helps you cope so you may shift to more productive outlets 👉🏻 Join Autistically ED-Free Group Coaching🎙️ Get FREE Audio Training on Autism and Eating Disorders Connect with Harriet:🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE🎙️ PODCAST Connect with Livia:🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE📚 BOOKS

What does life look like after an eating disorder? Today, Livia chats with Jemma Richards, the creator and host of the Love This Food Thing Podcast. Her podcast pivots on the premise Is food friend or foe? and delves into how this relationship affects people’s behavior. Jemma believes that eating disorder behaviors are physical symptoms of internal distress, that is to say, symptomatic of an imbalanced relationship with the self. However, when properly understood and recovered from, these behaviors can be powerful healing tools. Topics discussed: The eating disorder as a tangible manifestation of intangible fears The realization that eating disorders are a by-product of privilege and how that realization can be a positive Creating a false sense of security through manufactured internal worry Seeking to establish yourself as a firm identity causing a disconnect within yourself and the outer world The alluring euphoric highs of restrictive eating and the need to create real meaning in life to positively replace them How those with restrictive disorders often lead an anorexic life, and how recovery can fill you literally and metaphorically The importance of accepting the drudgery of life and how that intersects with recovery Untangling identity not only from the ED, but also from "recovery" The mentality of differentiating "having an eating disorder" from "engaging with eating disorder behaviors" 🌈 Buy Rainbow Girl: A Memoir of Autism and Anorexia👉🏻 Join Autistically ED-Free Group Coaching Connect with Jemma:🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE🎙️ PODCAST Connect with Livia: 🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE📚 BOOKS

How can you tell whether a behavior is stemming from OCD or autism? In this episode, autism and eating disorder recovery coach Livia Sara explains the difference between OCD behaviors and autistic traits. 🫶 Schedule a consultation call for 1-1 coaching here🌈 Buy Rainbow Girl: A Memoir of Autism and Anorexia👉🏻 Join Autistically ED-Free Group Coaching Connect with Livia: 🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE📚 BOOKS 📝 Check out the blog post of this episode

In a space that’s supposed to be centered around trust and transparency, it was shocking to discover that the eating disorder recovery coach Ciandra Birnbaum steals copyrighted content, tries to block people from finding out, and writes fake testimonials to acquire clients. This podcast episode exposes the truth behind Flourish with Ciandra (host of the Recover to Flourish Podcast) in an effort to keep the ED recovery community a safe space for all ❤️ What can YOU do? Report Ciandra’s Instagram account SHARE this video on social media Warn other coaches and individuals who may get in touch with Ciandra

Do you or an autistic person you care for require that food “make sense”? In today’s episode, Livia breaks down the meaning of this popular phrase among autistic people with eating disorders and how this understanding can support recovery. 🫶 Schedule a consultation call for 1-1 coaching here🌈 Buy Rainbow Girl: A Memoir of Autism and Anorexia Connect with Livia: 🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE📚 BOOKS 📝 Check out the blog post of this episode

Are you craving and eating LOTS of sugar during anorexia recovery? You're not alone! When I was overtaken by the wave of extreme hunger, all I wanted to eat was junk food – cookies, cakes, ice cream, peanut butter, nutella, biscoff, granola, cereal – you name it! While part of me feared the bodily changes that accompanied weight gain, a greater part of me feared that I was becoming a sugar addict and was developing diabetes after my eating disorder. In this episode, you'll learn: Livia's story with extreme hunger and sugar addiction Why the body prefers junk food in recovery The role of insulin resistance in anorexia recovery Why being insulin resistant does NOT mean you are becoming diabetic What to eat to overcome your sugar addiction  🍩 Get on the waitlist for How to Beat Extreme Hunger▶️ Watch my free training How to Win the Mental Hunger Games🫶 Schedule a consultation call for 1-1 coaching here Connect with Livia: 🍩 INSTAGRAM 🌐 WEBSITE 📚 BOOKS 📝 Check out the blog post of this episode and sources

What impact does hustle culture have on autistic people? In this episode, Livia chats with Louise AKA @neurodivergent_lou on how to navigate autistic burnout, the importance of slowing down, and how to lead a meaningful life in a society that is obsessed with productivity. Lou answers the following questions: What does day-to-day life feel like for you when it comes to time? We live in a society of “hustle culture.” What do you believe are some additional pressures us autistics face when it comes to work and productivity? How do the societal expectations around productivity contribute to autistic burnout? On Instagram, you recently shared how you’ve been unable to keep up with the pace of life in the same way when you were younger. Can you elaborate on that? How have you started slowing down in life, and what impact has this had on your physical and mental health? Part of slowing down means letting go of activities that fill up your time with “busy work.” What activities have you specifically incorporated or let go of? I believe slowing down can help us feel more present, and thus live a more meaningful life. What does a meaningful life mean to you? 🫶 Schedule a consultation call for 1-1 coaching here Connect with Lou:🍩 Instagram ♪ Tiktok✖️ X Connect with Livia: 🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE📚 BOOKS This episode is sponsored by Nuzest. Nuzest Clean Lean Protein is a 100% plant-based protein powder made from premium European golden peas. Allergen-free, sensory-friendly, and lab tested to ensure the highest quality vegan protein! Get 20% off Nuzest worldwide here 🌱

Join Livia and Laurence for part 2 of their chat on the relationship between neurodivergence and eating disorders. You'll learn about: Executive functioning difficulties and how they effect memory and motivation Co-occurring ADHD and the correlation of higher risk of eating disorders Alexithymia and how it can relate to eating disorders and eating habits Demand avoidance and how it is overlooked or not worked with in eating disorder treatment  Providing compassion for underlying autistic traits, from providers to patients and from a patient to themselves Ensuring neurodivergents are allowed sensory coping mechanisms Invaluable advice for treatment providers; whether working with neurodivergent individuals or neurotypicals A harrowing story of an eye-opening and sad experience of neurodivergent discrimination in a treatment center 🎙️ Get FREE Audio Training on Autism and Eating Disorders🫶 Schedule a consultation call for 1-1 coaching here Connect with EDNA:🌐 Website🍩 Instagram Connect with Livia:🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE📚 BOOKS

How are eating disorders and neurodivergence linked? One of the best ways to understand this common connection is through stories of lived experience. On the podcast today, Livia interviews Laurence, the Chair and Research Lead of Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia (EDNA). You’ll learn: Laurence’s experience of eating disorders as a neurodivergent individual Why “evidence based” treatment protocols aren’t always helpful for neurodivergent folx The difference between loneliness and aloneness and why autistic people tend to need lots of alone time How an autism diagnosis can help understand the roots of disordered eating behaviors The impact of interoception, exteroception, alexithymia, masking, and executive functioning on the autistic experience of eating disorders Why fullness may be a foreign sensation to autistic people and how this can lead to bingeing and feelings of discomfort 🎙️ Get FREE Audio Training on Autism and Eating Disorders🫶 Schedule a consultation call for 1-1 coaching here Connect with EDNA:🌐 Website🍩 Instagram Connect with Livia:🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE📚 BOOKS

It’s time for another update on all things Liv Label Free! In this episode, I talk about: How slowing down has helped me navigate autistic burnout My experience of food poisoning in Bali The chaos that comes with uncertain living situations How I’m approaching my four different book projects Progress on the Rainbow Girl audiobook as well as the Dutch version Progress on my book about beating extreme hunger Why I’m on social media less How Ciandra Birnbaum (Flourish with Ciandra) infringed on my copyright 🌐 View the screenshots of Ciandra’s copying my work Connect with Livia:🍩 INSTAGRAM🌐 WEBSITE📚 BOOKS