149: Yes, You Can Heal From An Eating Disorder with Helen Bennett
CW: Talk about eating disorders, bulimia, binge eating disorder, restricted eating, purging
I’m so glad to be back in front of the microphone with you all because I recorded so many episodes before going on an African vacation that I feel I haven’t reached out in a very long time! It feels good to connect again. I had a wonderful trip and you’ll hear a little more about it in this episode. My guest today is Helen Bennett. She’s a certified health and addiction recovery coach who specializes in helping people break free from compulsive eating and is the founder of BulimiaFreedom.com. Helen and I have just an amazing, honest, beautiful conversation about disordered eating, the feelings and challenges that come with it, and how a peaceful relationship with food can be reclaimed.
CW: Talk about eating disorders, bulimia, binge eating disorder, restricted eating, purging
I’m so glad to be back in front of the microphone with you all because I recorded so many episodes before going on an African vacation that I feel I haven’t reached out in a very long time! It feels good to connect again. I had a wonderful trip and you’ll hear a little more about it in this episode. My guest today is Helen Bennett. She’s a certified health and addiction recovery coach who specializes in helping people break free from compulsive eating and is the founder of BulimiaFreedom.com. Helen and I have just an amazing, honest, beautiful conversation about disordered eating, sharing stories from both our journeys. Helen truly understands the guilt and shame feelings as well as the challenges that come with an eating disorder and how a peaceful relationship with food can be reclaimed. This is a tough subject, and triggering, so if this is a trigger for you please practice self-care as you listen.
Helen shares her personal experience with bulimia, detailing how she started the cycle of binging and purging at the young age of eight and why. It led her to what she calls “a 20-year, nightmarish battle of being caught in this horrific cycle” between restriction, overeating, binge eating, and purging. She calls it an addiction quite deliberately. She eventually found things that helped her fight her way out of the cycle and now she uses her experience to help others get free as well. Helen and I talk about the intense shame and guilt eating disorders bring with them, how hearing somebody else be open about their struggle can be such a lifeline, and we share all the struggles we each experienced in our own journeys. Helen sheds light on exactly what drives disordered eating and what fuels the addiction. We talk about what tools helped her and why they worked. There’s so much information, compassion, and understanding in this episode, it moved me and made me realize how useful open communication like this is so we stop feeling isolated in our struggles. I hope you find Helen’s story and knowledge as beautiful as I did.
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About Helen Bennett:
Coach Helen Bennett specializes in helping men and women break free of compulsive overeating. Having secretly battled bulimia for two decades, Helen has first-hand experience of the guilt, shame and frustration that comes with feeling out of control with food. She also understands the unique challenges of reclaiming a peaceful relationship with food and offers practical (and often quirky!) tools to help individuals eliminate compulsion and find lasting food freedom.
Helen is a certified Health Coach and Addiction Recovery Coach and is the founder of BulimiaFreedom.com
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Resources mentioned in this episode:
- BulimiaFreedom.com
- Self-Compassion with Dr. Kristin Neff
- “Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach” by Evelyn Tribole, MS RD and Elyse Resch, MS RD FADA
- Gabby Bernstein
- Tommy Rosen, Recovery 2.0
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Learn more about Helen Bennett:
- Website: HelenBennett.co
- YouTube
- Tiktok
Learn more about Dr. Michelle Tubman and Wayza Health:
- Website: www.wayzahealth.com
- Follow me on Facebook and Instagram
Helen Bennett
Coach
(Hi Michelle
I absolutely love the mission that you're on and would be honoured to chat on your show! I'm completely aligned with the HAES, Intuitive Eating and Ditch The Diet message. The best way to snoop me is probably on instagram @coachhelenbennett. Don't hesitate to ask should you have any questions) Here's my bio:
Coach Helen Bennett specialises in helping men and women break free of compulsive overeating. Having secretly battled bulimia for two decades, Helen has first hand experience of the guilt, shame and frustration that comes with feeling out-of-control with food. She also understands the unique challenges of reclaiming a peaceful relationship with food, and offers practical (and often quirky!) tools to help individuals eliminate compulsion and find lasting food freedom.
Helen is a certified Health Coach and Addiction Recovery Coach and is the founder of BulimiaFreedom.com
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