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Strong Enough Podcast

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Strong Enough

Strong Enough is the podcast from Eating Disorders Families Australia.

Created for a world-wide audience of carers and families impacted by eating disorders, we speak to leaders in the field of research as well as specialists in education, advocacy and self-care. We also hear from those with lived experience who are bravely sharing their biggest challenges and successes in the caring journey.
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Liptember Foundation, thank you for your support. ​

A big thank you to the Liptember Foundation for sponsoring the Strong Enough podcast, enabling us to renew for two more seasons. Your support makes episodes 11 and beyond possible, helping us reach and support more eating disorder carers.

Episode 12

Somatic Mindfulness for eating disorders: tips to help carers calm, cope and heal

What if there was something you could do as a carer for a loved one with an eating disorder that could have a huge impact on how well you cope? Something that would boost your resilience and your ability to stay the distance in this challenging role?
What if it could be as simple as paying attention? Would you try it?
Mindfulness is often dismissed as something that you might be no good at or something you don’t have time for but in this episode of EDFA’s Strong Enough podcast mindfulness coach Amanda Goodfellow shows us simple ways we can use somatic skills daily to calm and heal.
Amanda is also a TedX speaker as well as a mental health advocate and she knows Somatic mindfulness and somatic therapy practise works because she has used it herself after a battle with her own eating disorder.
She says with somatic mindfulness you can train yourself to be calm, learn how to calm yourself down and, in turn, help someone with an eating disorder to do the same.

Episode 11

Social Media age limits: the story behind the new government legislation to keep children off social platforms

Wondering what are the age limits for social media like Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok? Find out the story behind the world first decision to increase age limits on social platforms from the advocates and academics involved in the process.
EDFA Executive Director Jane Rowan and Dr Simon Wilksch, Clinic Director at Advanced Psychology Services and a Senior Research Fellow at Flinders University speak to Strong Enough about the research and insights behind the historic decision and the impact it will have on those caring for loved ones with eating disorders.
Not sure how to keep your kids safe online before the legislation changes? The pair also share their best tips on surviving the “online tsunami”.
This season has been made possible by an impact grant from the Liptember Foundation, which raises and invests funds to support women’s mental health.

Thank you for making this podcast possible.

Season one and two, including episodes 1- 10 has been made possible through the generous fundraising efforts of EDFA members Leah Ward and Alanna McInerney, and the team at Teleflex Medical Australia & New Zealand. 

Episode 10

A dad’s story: advice and tips for men caring for a loved one with an eating disorder

You might think this podcast episode is one just for the men in the lives of loved ones with eating disorders, but it is much more than that.
It is a real insight into the roles men play when mental health issues, illness and eating disorders darken a doorway. It will help everyone in a family or partnership or caring role understand the challenges of caring that hit different for men.
We’re going to shed light onto some of the tough feelings and talk about the helplessness or feeling out of control, maybe for the first time in their life. What it is like facing the pressure of being the breadwinner and trying to keep it together at work while a crisis brews at home. Plus we’ll discuss the struggle for some men to “lean in” to the caring role when they have never known how. 
Our guest will be a familiar voice for some if you are in the EDFA support groups–in particular the Men’s Carers Support Group.
Rohan Wastell spent decades behind the camera filming some of the biggest media events in Australia. He has been on the front line, witnessing and recording human emotion and suffering sometimes on a daily basis but he says nothing prepared him for the diagnosis of his daughter with an eating disorder.

Episode 9

Back to basics with food after an eating disorder with Dietitian Shane Jeffery

In this episode, our guest, Accredited Practicing Dietitian Shane Jeffrey from River Oak Health, wants us to pare it all back saying a positive, intuitive relationship with food is within reach for us all, particularly those with eating disorders. Shane’s tips on how to start eating again after an eating disorder come down to an easy five step acronym: RAVES.
He’s spent the last few decades developing the internationally acclaimed RAVES model, which combines science with personal values to reset relationships with food.
If you are wondering about how to encourage eating again after a loved one has been diagnosed with an eating disorder or improving their relationship with food then listen to this episode! 

Episode 8

Sibling support and family connections with EDFA Counsellor Alisha Mah

Alisha Mah is one of EDFA’s counsellors, working in the Fill The Gap program that offers free online sessions for carers. She also has lived experience as both a sibling and a carer for a loved one with an eating disorder. 
When there’s a diagnosis of an eating disorder in a family it often impacts more than just one person and the rest of the family, particularly siblings, can feel the wide reaching ripples of change, of worry and concern, of isolation and even anger.

In this episode Alisha shares many helpful insights into the sibling challenges, about family routines and traditions, about birthdays and events, as well ways to speak to the family members who don’t understand. 
Adult carers and young supporter (aged 10-17) can book a FREE counselling sessions with Alisha and other qualified counsellors here.

Episode 7

Eating Disorders and Autism with Carer Coach Jenny Langley

Meet Jenny Langley, an international Carer Coach and Trainer, helping families communicate better when a loved one is diagnosed with an eating disorder.
The New Maudsley Model was developed at London’s Maudsley Hospital by world leading clinical and academic psychiatrist in eating disorders, Professor Janet Treasure. The program teaches carers communications tools and techniques to engage with loved ones in ways that lower stress and anxiety for everyone in the family.
Jenny took part in the Maudsley Hospital’s initial pilot program after living through her own caring challenges with her son who ‘crashed into anorexia’ as a 12 year old. The mother of 6 is now a trainer, workshop facilitator, experienced carer coach and author of the book Boys Get Anorexia Too. And you’ll be happy to know her son has also made a good recovery.

There’s something for everyone in this episode including communication tips, validation and soothing skills, the role of positive affirmations and the power of the pause.

Episode 6

Resilience tips for carers with EDFA Ambassador Hugh van Cuylenburg

Our guest Hugh van Cuylenburg is one of the hosts of Australia’s most beloved podcasts “The Imperfects” and he runs The Resilience Project, a national program teaching practical wellbeing strategies to build mental health resilience in the community.
But Hugh has also walked in your shoes and has seen the challenges firsthand of caring for someone with an eating disorder, after his sister was diagnosed with anorexia as a teenager.
Hugh talks about resilience, empathy, mindfulness and … yes … even the importance of gratitude when you are a carer. He has plenty of tips an d ideas to help people cope as a caregiver or in a caring role. Hugh is also encouraging families to join EDFA’s Sibling Support groups saying it would have been life changing for him if these services had been available.

Episode 5

Ask me a question with EDFA Psychologist Chris Fowler

Chris is the Program Director at EDFA’s Fill The Gap counselling service – a one-on-one free online counselling service for carers to seek support with a simple phone call-and he has more than a decade of experience to draw on in hospital and helpline settings.
In this episode Chris discusses member concerns around “saying the wrong thing”, he offers his best advice on how to support people with eating disorders and explains why relapses shouldn’t be seen as failures. He answers questions about self care, about the eating disorder recovery process and why support groups can be helpful for everyone in the family.
 

Episode 4

The latest eating disorder research on genetics social media and perfectionism with Professor Tracey Wade

For more than 30 years Professor Tracey Wade has been at the forefront of eating disorderresearch, clinical practice and public policy. Currently the Director of the Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing at Flinders University, Professor Wade has co-written threetherapy books, published hundreds of papers and has just been awarded the 2023: Australian Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy-Distinguished Career Award.
In this episode, we focus on her work on the latest genetic links to eating disorders, delve into her research on the importance of media literacy as a way to combat the menace of social media and find out her insights into the perfectionism trait that can trigger disordered eating in many forms including bulimia, restrictive eating and anorexia nervosa. 

Episode 3

Refeeding after an eating disorder diagnosis with Eva Musby

What is refeeding? Should I put extra calories in meals? How do I stay calm at the dinner table?
What is the magic plate theory?
Eva Musby tackles all these questions (and more) about the the topic of refeeding (which she breaks down for us, if you’re new to the conversation) and the refeeding stage of eating disorder recovery.  She offers gentle and practical help as she talks us through her most successful tips and ideas about how to encourage and support your loved one using a family based approach.
* It’s important to note that this discussion is not a substitute for professional advice. Some tips might be relevant to your own situation and others might not.

Episode 2

Leah's Story

Leah’s daughter had been struggling with mental health challenges when an eating disorder diagnosis rocked the family. In this heartfelt podcast, Leah talks us through those first days, the signs and signals she noticed, her experiences finding the health team her daughter needed and navigating the fear of a diagnosis.
She discusses how joining EDFA’s eating disorder support group for carers helped her survive and thrive PLUS offers her top three tips on how to support someone with an eating disorder.



Episode 1

Eating Disorder Diagnosis To Do List with Jane Rowan

When a loved one is diagnosed with an eating disorder, it can be difficult to know where to start. In this first episode of Strong Enough, Executive Director Jane Rowan talks us through EDFA’s eating disorder diagnosis checklist, using her lived experience as a carer for a daughter diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa.
You can download the Diagnosis To Do List here.
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