How do you stop fighting your body and start healing your relationship with food, weight, and self-worth?
Understanding that weight stigma is trauma opens the door to compassion—and real recovery.
(01:13) The Deadliest Mental Illness You've Never Heard Of
● Eating disorders kill one person every 52 minutes in America
● Why they aren't classified with "serious" mental illnesses despite being more lethal than many
● The confusion between societal pressure and actual mental illness diagnosis
● Understanding the biopsychosocial foundation: biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors
(04:47) From Ballerina to Eating Disorder Psychiatrist
● Growing up as the child of a Holocaust survivor with a mildly autistic mother
● How ballet and puberty collided to create impossible body standards
● The danger of narrow frameworks about what's "acceptable" in our bodies
(18:32) Athletes, Perfectionism & the "Healthy" Eating Trap
● Why high-achieving athletes and fitness enthusiasts face elevated eating disorder risk
● The difference between disordered eating behaviors and diagnosable eating disorders
● How orthorexia disguises itself as "clean eating" or "wellness"
● Warning signs to watch for in competitive sports and fitness culture
(32:47) What Real Treatment Looks Like
● The biopsychosocial-spiritual treatment model that addresses all aspects
● How nutritional rehabilitation and medical stabilization work together
● Family-based treatment approaches for adolescents and young adults
(47:36) The GLP-1 Controversy: Ozempic, Wegovy & Eating Disorders
● "It's asinine there's no eating disorder warning"
● How rapid weight loss medications trigger and worsen eating disorders, especially in teens
● The danger during critical bone development years
(48:57) Actionable Steps: Rewriting Your Body Story
● Body-to-mind dialogue: Let your body tell your mind what it needs
● Examining how your relationship with food mirrors other life patterns
● Choosing love over criticism in how you judge yourself and others
Guest Resources
● Follow Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt on Instagram
CRISIS RESOURCES:
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, help is available:
● National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Helpline: 1-800-931-2237
● Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
● National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255
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