The Full of Beans Podcast

Hannah Hickinbotham
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Full of Beans Podcast: Sharing the Unheard Voices in Eating Disorders Eating disorders are complex, often misunderstood, and wrapped in layers of stigma. That’s why Full of Beans is here - to open up the conversation and foster understanding through real, raw, and research-backed discussions. Hosted by Han, founder of Full of Beans and passionate mental health advocate, this podcast explores eating disorders through the lens of lived experience, clinical expertise, and the latest research. Each week, Han sits down with guests, including individuals with firsthand experiences, clinicians, researchers, and charities, who all share one goal: to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and support those affected by eating disorders. With a mix of heartfelt stories and professional insights, Full of Beans is a space for education, advocacy, and connection. Whether you're navigating your own eating disorder journey, supporting a loved one, or working in the mental health field, this podcast is here to provide knowledge, compassion, and hope. Join us in creating a community where eating disorders are understood, and no one feels alone in their struggles. (Please note: This podcast is for awareness and education purposes and is not a substitute for professional therapeutic support.)

  1. 2d ago

    Why Binge Eating Disorder Is Being Missed by GPs: Screening, Stigma & GLP-1s with Dr Stella Kozmér

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Dr Stella Kozmér, an NIHR SPCR-funded Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Exeter, a Researcher at the University of Oxford, and an incoming Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Oxford. Coming from an Eastern European background, Stella's research focuses on the identification and management of binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa in primary care settings, using mixed-methods research to inform NHS clinical guidelines, policy and practice. Her work is driven by her own lived experience, which she integrates into the core of what she does. In This Episode: Stella's personal and professional journey into binge eating disorder researchHow Stella felt in recognising BED after a decade of not having a name for itWhy Stella felt stigma and shame disclosing her mental health issues in healthcareWhy lived experience is a strength in research, not a bias to hideWhy primary care screening tools for binge eating disorder and bulimia fall shortThe problem with SCOFF and other outdated eating disorder screening criteriaHow weight stigma affects whether binge eating disorder gets identified at allWhy GPs are hesitant to talk about BED without services to refer patients toThe real-world cost of untreated binge eating disorder and its comorbiditiesHow to use the diabetes care model as a blueprint without more fundingA review of GLP-1 medications for binge eating disorderWhat the GLP-1 evidence does and doesn't tell us, and the misuse risks to considerWhy treatment for binge eating disorder must be personalised, not one-size-fits-all⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders (including binge eating disorder and bulimia), disordered eating, weight stigma, obesity, and prescription medication. Please take care while listening. Connect with us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTubeConnect with Dr Stella Kozmér: via LinkedInRead Stella's research via Research Gate

    Why Binge Eating Disorder Is Being Missed by GPs: Screening, Stigma & GLP-1s with Dr Stella Kozmér

  2. Aug 10

    Food Freedom after 17 Years of Disordered Eating and Body Dysmorphia with Elle Mace

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Elle Mace, a food psychology and body image practitioner, international speaker and debut author of Food Freedom, published by Vermilion/Penguin later this year. Elle brings together years of clinical training with her own lived experience to help people find a calmer, more peaceful relationship with food. Alongside her one-to-one and speaking work, Elle hosts the More to Life podcast. She delivers accredited training for fitness and sports professionals on body image, disordered eating and GLP-1 medications. Elle's approach is simple: food freedom is psychological, and everyone deserves the understanding and support to get there. In this episode, we explore: Elle's journey to writing Food Freedom and putting her disordered eating experience into wordsWhy awareness is the hardest, and most essential, first step in recoveryHow toxic wellness culture can disguise itself as something healthyElle's experience of body dysmorphia and how it showed up beyond just weight and shapeElle's shift between different eating disorders over the years, and why none of them ever really "ended" on their ownThe rock-bottom moment that led Elle to ask for helpWhat eating disorder recovery actually looked like for ElleWhy relationships, jobs and old patterns sometimes have to shift as part of getting wellProtecting your energy in recovery, and why that isn't the same as being selfishWhy hearing relatable, lived experiences can land differently to clinical informationConnect with Us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast Follow Full of Beans on Instagram Check out our website Listen on YouTube Connect with Elle via Instagram (@iamellemace), LinkedIn or via her website www.ellemace.com⚠️ Content Note: This episode discusses eating disorders (including restriction, binge eating and bulimia), body dysmorphia, and body dissatisfaction. Please take care while listening.

    Food Freedom after 17 Years of Disordered Eating and Body Dysmorphia with Elle Mace

  3. Aug 3

    Bulimia Recovery, Gender Transition and Making Fitness Feel Safe Again with Zelah Glasson

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Zelah Glasson. Zelah is a trans man, content creator and fitness coach who has been openly sharing his transition journey over the past two and a half years, and has lived experience of bulimia. Zelah recently made history as the first transgender man to appear on the ITV version of Big Brother, further amplifying his voice and visibility. He is now building an online personal training business focused on supporting and empowering others within his community. In this episode, we explore: Zelah's journey to personal training for trans and queer clientsZelah's bulimia recovery story and NHS eating disorder treatment gaps The difference between "In recovery" vs "recovered" How shame and control are related to bulimiaThe impact of public conversations about men's eating disordersZelah's experience of gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia and transitioningThe importance of trans representation in fitnessUsing exercise as a coping mechanism and understanding the difference between exercise and compulsive exerciseHow to build sustainable fitness habits centred on enjoyment, flexibility, and body awarenessConnect with Us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTubeConnect with Zelah via Instagram (@zelahglasson) and TikTok (@zelahglasson)⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders (bulimia), body dysmorphia, gender dysphoria, and the relationship between exercise and disordered eating. Please take care while listening.

    Bulimia Recovery, Gender Transition and Making Fitness Feel Safe Again with Zelah Glasson

  4. Jul 27

    The Healing Power of Art Therapy in Eating Disorder Recovery with Jessica Mackney

    This week, Han is joined by Jessica Mackney, an HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist passionate about how art therapy can help people explore experiences that may be difficult to put into words and build meaningful therapeutic relationships, while increasing awareness of the role art therapy plays in supporting recovery in eating disorder treatment. Working from a trauma-informed, non-judgemental approach, Jess supports people across the lifespan with eating disorders, autism, SEN, and complex trauma, across the NHS, education, and non-profit sectors, with a particular focus on young people and eating disorders. In this episode, we explore: What art therapy actually is beyond common misconceptions ("just drawing or painting")How the relationship between therapist, client and the artwork itself carries meaningWhy perfectionism and control (often present in eating disorders) can make engaging with art materials difficultHow art therapy offers a route into communication when verbal expression feels inaccessible or unsafeThe role of choice, agency and non-judgement in the therapy spaceWorking with people who are non-verbal or struggling to access words for their experienceHow the connection between body, senses and materials can support reconnection for those with eating disordersHan's own experience of art, perfectionism, and rediscovering creativity after her eating disorderHow art can hold and express difficult emotions — including anger and frustration — safelyWays people can explore the benefits of creative expression at home, distinct from clinical art therapyConnect with Us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTubeConnect with Jessica via LinkedIn. ⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, disordered eating, and self-harm. Please take care while listening, and know that this podcast is always here to come back to.

    The Healing Power of Art Therapy in Eating Disorder Recovery with Jessica Mackney

  5. Jul 20

    No Longer Legally Detained: From Inpatient Care to Activism, Empowerment and Art with Hannah Whitfield

    Have you ever been in and out of hospital so many times that everyone around you quietly stopped believing you'd ever get better, so you started to believe it too? This episode is for you." This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Hannah Whitfield, a creative activist, writer, speaker, performer and founder of Legally Detained - a lived-experience-led creative platform transforming survival into power through art, activism and unapologetic storytelling. Her work explores neurodivergence, trauma, mental health systems, eating disorder recovery, inclusion and the power of creative expression. Through speaking, writing, performance, consultancy and her podcast No Longer Legally Detained, Hannah challenges systems that ask people to become smaller to survive, and instead creates work that says: we were never broken - we were surviving worlds that were never built with us in mind. In this episode, we explore: Where Legally Detained came fromHannah's experience of psychiatric admissionsBeing placed on a ward that didn't believe her eating disorder was "real" Becoming a "revolving door patient" across CAMHS, adult services, and secure careThe problem with BMI criteria as a gatekeeper for treatmentWhere restrictive practice crosses the line from safety into crueltyThe rock-bottom moment that changed everythingHow an ADHD diagnosis helped Hannah understand her own patterns for the first timeReframing recovery: it's not a "utopia," it's learning to ride the waveWhy purpose and belonging, not just words, are what help people recoverConnect with Us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTubeConnect with Hannah via Instagram @legallydetained, her website, blog, or podcast: No Longer Legally Detained. ⚠️ Content Note: This episode contains discussions of eating disorder treatment, inpatient care, and iatrogenic harm. Please take care of yourself while listening.

    No Longer Legally Detained: From Inpatient Care to Activism, Empowerment and Art with Hannah Whitfield

  6. Jul 12

    When the System Wasn't Built for You: Trans Identity, Neurodivergence and Eating Disorders with Eva Echo

    Have you ever walked into a healthcare setting and felt like one part of your identity was being used to explain away everything else? This one is for you. Eva Echo (she/they) is a distinguished activist, writer, and TEDx speaker, focusing on transgender+ rights, intersectionality, and eating disorders. After hearing Eva speak at the Dump the Scales march, I basically ran after her to get her on the podcast, and I am so glad I did. Eva has spent years fighting for trans+ people in healthcare, including taking NHS England to the High Court over unlawful waiting times, and many other incredible projects. She also has her own lived experience of an eating disorder, autism, and ADHD, and this conversation weaves all of that together in a way I haven't heard anywhere else. In this episode, we explore: Eva's experience of restrictive eating and how it developed alongside her identity as a trans womanHow autism and ADHD intersect with her eating disorderThe moment a GP told Eva she couldn't have an eating disorder and it's lasting impactEva's experience of Trans broken arm syndromeWhat medical gatekeeping looks like across eating disorders, gender identity, and neurodivergence,Eva's legal challenge against NHS England and the landmark ruling that came from itWhy the NHS can feel like a conveyor belt instead of individualised careEva's path analogy in relation to eating disorder recoveryEva's message to anyone who has never felt truly seen or heardEva's message is simple, and I think it is everything: be your own kind of beautiful. Connect with Us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTubeConnect with Eva via Instagram (@evaech0)⚠️ Content Note: This episode contains discussions of eating disorders, medical gatekeeping, gender identity, neurodivergence, and experiences of suicidal ideation. Please take care of yourself while listening. Photo credit: Lunar Sea.

    When the System Wasn't Built for You: Trans Identity, Neurodivergence and Eating Disorders with Eva Echo

  7. Jul 6

    Holding Two Truths: When Eating Disorder Care Both Helps and Harms with Dr Tanya Frances

    Have you ever sat in a treatment room and felt like the real you was completely invisible, like the system was so focused on your weight, your behaviours, your diagnosis, that it forgot there was a whole person underneath? This episode is for you. This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Tanya Francis, a research psychologist, lecturer at the Open University, and psychotherapist in private practice, who also brings her own lived experience of an eating disorder to this conversation. Tanya's background is in domestic violence research and gender-based violence, and the more she looked at how systems respond when someone is harmed, the more she saw uncomfortable parallels with eating disorder care. In this episode, we explore: What iatrogenic harm means and why care systems can sometimes cause harmThe role of BMI and weight in treatment,How rigid care centralising numbers can reinforce eating disorder logicHow weight stigma in healthcare shuts people out before they've even begunThe culture of mistrust around eating disorders and the damage it doesWhy people pleasing in treatment can look like recovery but lead straight back to relapseMoral injury and what happens when clinicians can't act on their own valuesTanya's own experience of not being believed in her body during inpatient careWhy truly humanising care is both simpler and more complex than it soundsHow two things can be true at once, e.g. a broken system and incredible people working within itConnect with Us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTubeConnect with Tanya via Instagram (@drtanyafrances), LinkedIn or her website⚠️ Content Note: This episode contains discussions of eating disorder treatment, inpatient care, and iatrogenic harm. Please take care of yourself while listening.

    Holding Two Truths: When Eating Disorder Care Both Helps and Harms with Dr Tanya Frances

  8. Jun 29

    People Pleasing and Finding Commitment in Eating Disorder Recovery with Sarah Parker

    Have you ever found yourself trying to balance the needs of your eating disorder, your treatment team, your family, and somewhere in the middle of all of that, completely losing sight of yourself? This episode is for you. This week on the Full of Beans Podcast, I'm joined by Sarah Parker, a psychotherapist based in West Yorkshire, who brings both professional expertise in eating disorder therapy and her own lived experience of fifteen years of anorexia. Sarah knows firsthand how people pleasing can keep you stuck in recovery, doing all the right things, saying all the right things, but doing it for everyone else rather than for yourself. That can be motivating to start with, but after time, motivation can fade and a true commitment to recovery is required. In this episode, we explore: Sarah's own experience of anorexia and what kept her stuck for so longSarah's experience of detainment, tube feeding, and how collaboration changed thisHow people pleasing shaped Sarah's experience of treatmentWhy bringing out the rebel can be more supportive than praising compliance in recoveryThe difference between motivation and commitment in eating disorder recoveryWhy commitment helps long-term recovery more than motivationHow to keep going on the days when every part of you is telling you not toWhy anger can actually be a sign that recovery is workingThe role of compassion in recoveryConnect with Us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTubeConnect with Sarah via her website or on Instagram (@wellofbeing13)⚠️ Content Note: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders, anorexia, detainment and tube feeding. Please take care while listening.

    People Pleasing and Finding Commitment in Eating Disorder Recovery with Sarah Parker
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5
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About

Full of Beans Podcast: Sharing the Unheard Voices in Eating Disorders Eating disorders are complex, often misunderstood, and wrapped in layers of stigma. That’s why Full of Beans is here - to open up the conversation and foster understanding through real, raw, and research-backed discussions. Hosted by Han, founder of Full of Beans and passionate mental health advocate, this podcast explores eating disorders through the lens of lived experience, clinical expertise, and the latest research. Each week, Han sits down with guests, including individuals with firsthand experiences, clinicians, researchers, and charities, who all share one goal: to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and support those affected by eating disorders. With a mix of heartfelt stories and professional insights, Full of Beans is a space for education, advocacy, and connection. Whether you're navigating your own eating disorder journey, supporting a loved one, or working in the mental health field, this podcast is here to provide knowledge, compassion, and hope. Join us in creating a community where eating disorders are understood, and no one feels alone in their struggles. (Please note: This podcast is for awareness and education purposes and is not a substitute for professional therapeutic support.)

Information

  • Creator
    Hannah Hickinbotham
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    283
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Full of Beans Podcast 2021
  • Show Website
    The Full of Beans Podcast

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