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. 22h ago

    Redefining ARFID Recovery with ARFID Acceptance with Shikha Chopra

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Shikha Chopra, a lived experience advocate living with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) who is currently navigating pregnancy. Shikha is also autistic and is a member of the ARFID Connect lived experience advisory group, led by Cardiff University. Her advocacy work stems from her own struggle accessing ARFID support through the NHS and her local eating disorder clinic, as well as her experience with recovery and prevention language that didn't fit how she lives with ARFID. In this episode, we discuss: How a traumatic episode of sickness became a turning point in Shikha's ARFIDWhat it felt like for Shikha to finally have a name for her strugglesHow Shikha's GP supported her through her ARFID diagnosisGaps in NHS eating disorder treatment for adults with ARFIDHow peer support groups helped Shikha find validation for her ARFID experienceWhy "acceptance" fit Shikha's ARFID better than "recovery"The link between ARFID, autism and OCDNavigating ARFID and autism through pregnancyAdvocating for her needs during maternity care with an autism health passportShikha's advice for accessing support for ARFID⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses ARFID, disordered eating, trauma, and pregnancy. Please take care while listening. Connect with us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTubeFind out more about ARFID Connect hereCheck out Beat ARFID Page hereCheck out First Steps info on ARFID here

    Redefining ARFID Recovery with ARFID Acceptance with Shikha Chopra

  2. Sep 28

    Silencing the Eating Disorder Gremlins: Anorexia, ADHD & Inpatient Admissions with Ella Clarke

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Ella Clarke, a lived experience advocate currently working for LENs as an Expert by Experience. Ella has her own lived experience of an eating disorder and ADHD, and spent three years in hospital under a section. She now uses that experience to spread awareness and give others hope that recovery is genuinely possible. Outside of her advocacy work, Ella volunteers at Redgate Farm animal sanctuary, is proud crazy cat lady to Bella, a 14-year-old cat she adopted from Redgate last year, and this year travelled to Borneo to volunteer at a sanctuary for orangutans and sun bears. In this episode, we discuss: What motivates Ella to work as an Expert by Experience in eating disorder recoveryElla's experience of hospital admission and treatment for an eating disorderWhy listening to the person, not just the diagnosis, matters in eating disorder treatmentElla's experience of misdiagnosis and falling through the gaps between mental health servicesHow Ella's ADHD diagnosis became a turning point in her eating disorder recoveryThe overlap between ADHD, anorexia and binge eating disorderThe small, incremental steps that helped Ella rebuild her relationship with foodWhy normalising food, rather than commenting on it, supports eating disorder recoveryReconnecting with hobbies, identity and life beyond the eating disorder, including Ella's trip to Borneo⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders, hospital admission, self-harm, and mental health diagnoses including ADHD and personality disorder. 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 Ella via LinkedIn

    Silencing the Eating Disorder Gremlins: Anorexia, ADHD & Inpatient Admissions with Ella Clarke

  3. Sep 25

    Untangling Autism, ARFID and Anorexia with Shannon Travers-Spencer

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Shannon Travers-Spencer, who has lived experience of anorexia, autism, ADHD, ARFID and chronic illness, and shares their journey online. Shannon is a passionate advocate for inclusive care for neurodivergent individuals within eating disorder services, and spoke at this year's Dump The Scales march about navigating the UK's eating disorder system, and the barriers and accommodations they faced along the way. In This Episode: Shannon's experience of ARFID from childhood, and anorexia developing later as a teenagerUntangling autism, ARFID and anorexia when they overlap so closelyWhy an autism diagnosis partway through inpatient treatment changed everything about Shannon's careThe nuance clinicians face in adapting treatment without it being exploited by the eating disorderHow Shannon and a dietitian mapped out "autism-safe" versus "anorexia-safe" foods to understand what was really driving their eatingHow undiagnosed autism may have contributed to the development of Shannon's eating disorderPractical, simple adjustments that can make a significant difference in autistic-affirming careWhy listening to the patient, and being willing to adapt language and approach, matters more than any grand overhaulThe importance of joined-up care between eating disorder services and mental health teams⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders, ARFID, autism, suicidality, and inpatient psychiatric treatment. 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 Shannon via Instagram @a.froggy.lifeWatch Shannon's Dump The Scales speech hereCheck out the Peace Pathway here

    Untangling Autism, ARFID and Anorexia with Shannon Travers-Spencer

  4. Sep 14

    Looking Fine, Feeling Possessed: The Realities of Bingeing and Purging with Lexie Kirwan-Jones

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Lexie Kirwan-Jones. Lexie is a psychology student at Durham University, an eating disorder peer support worker, and someone involved in research relating to eating disorders and neurodivergence. As Lexie shares, her university experience hasn't been a straight line, but is one that might sound similar to those who have been navigating an eating disorder at university. After taking a year out of her costume design degree due to her eating disorder, she re-evaluated her career plans and returned to university in 2024 to study psychology to pursue a career in clinical psychology. In this episode, we discuss: Lexie's honest account of living with bulimia and disordered eatingWhy bulimia and binge-purge cycles can feel worse than restrictive eating disorders, despite looking "healthy" on the outsideHow weight-focused feedback in eating disorder treatment can reinforce disordered behavioursUnderstanding binge eating disorder: what a binge actually feels like, and why it isn't about willpowerThe turning point in Lexie's eating disorder recoveryWhy the right GP can make all the difference in accessing eating disorder treatmentHow university stress and perfectionism fuelled Lexie's eating disorderTaking a year out of university for eating disorder recovery, and the fear of judgementLexie's advice for navigating university with an eating disorder⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders, including restriction, binge eating and bulimia, and disordered eating behaviours. Please take care while listening. Connect with us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTube

    Looking Fine, Feeling Possessed: The Realities of Bingeing and Purging with Lexie Kirwan-Jones

  5. Sep 7

    How to Spot an Eating Disorder in a Child: A Guide For Teachers & Parents with Gemma Fieldsend and Jessica Parker

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Jessica Parker and Gemma Fieldsend, co-founders of Cog-Spark, a mental health training and consultancy organisation with more than 40 years of combined experience across mental health, psychology, education and research. Gemma brings extensive clinical experience from senior roles within the NHS, higher education and specialist mental health services, while Jessica's background is in psychology, education and doctoral research focused on eating disorder prevention and early identification. Together, they combine frontline and clinical experience with research to deliver evidence-based, practical training to schools, universities, workplaces and community organisations. As pupils head back to school, this episode focuses on helping educators and parents recognise and respond to eating disorders in school-aged children. In this week's episode, we discuss: Why eating disorders don't have a "look," and can affect any child regardless of background, age or genderEarly warning signs of eating disorders in school-aged children, beyond weightRecognising ARFID and sensory eating difficulties in schoolsHow perfectionism and high achievement can mask an eating disorder in childrenHow to talk to a child when concerned about an eating disorderPractical strategies for schools to support children with eating disordersHow to talk to parents about a suspected eating disorder in their childRemoving blame and shame from eating disorder conversations with familiesWhy joined-up support between schools and families improves eating disorder recovery in children⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders, disordered eating, and supporting children and young people. Please take care while listening. Connect with us: Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTube

    How to Spot an Eating Disorder in a Child: A Guide For Teachers & Parents with Gemma Fieldsend and Jessica Parker

  6. Aug 31

    Falling Back in Love With Your Appetite: The Last Pancake with Ruby Phelan and Margherita Barbier

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Ruby Phelan and Margherita Barbieri to talk about their new film, The Last Pancake. Ruby is a multi-award-winning filmmaker, activist and illustrator who wrote and directed the film, and previously worked as a director's assistant on Netflix's The Crown after her acclaimed short The Mermaid & the Artist. Margherita is a British-Italian actor and producer, best known for starring as Simone in Spellbound for ITV and Hulu, and leads as Amanda in the film. The Last Pancake is a magical-realist drama in which Amanda ventures to the titular cafe, awakens her suppressed appetite, and finds herself reunited with her nine-year-old self. The film is independently produced by Ethan McDowell of AnyOther Productions, with support from mental health organisation Voices with Impact, and also stars Lia Williams (The Capture, The Day of the Jackal) as Martha and introduces Luana Souza Rodrigues as Little Amanda. In This Episode: The story behind The Last Pancake and depicting recovery's fear and braveryReconnecting with your inner child in eating disorder recoveryThe neurodivergent overlap with eating disordersThe subtle details in the film that spoke so directly to the eating disorder experienceWhy "shedding" relationships is one of recovery's hardest, least talked about parts in recoveryThe quiet power of simply being there for someone, without needing to fix anythingRedirecting determination and drive from disordered eating into something life-affirmingUsing storytelling to open conversations that are hard to put into words⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders, disordered eating, and recovery. 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 the team:The Last Pancake on Instagram (@thelastpancakefilm)Writer & Director - Ruby Phelan - @ruby_phelanAmanda - Margherita Barbieri - @alwaysmargiProducer - Ethan McDowell - @ethansmcdowellProduction Company - AnyOther. Productions - @anyother.productionsFollow Ruby and Margi's recovery community, @play.brave, on TikTok

    Falling Back in Love With Your Appetite: The Last Pancake with Ruby Phelan and Margherita Barbier

  7. Aug 24

    Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Informed Gyms with Sophie du Plessis

    This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Sophie du Plessis, a final-year Master of Nursing student in Adult and Mental Health Nursing at King's College London and founder of ED Informed. Sophie previously studied psychology at the University of Toronto, where she capped off a 15-year career as a national-level swimmer, co-captaining the varsity women's team to a second-place finish at Canadian Nationals. Drawing on her background in competitive sport and her own lived experience of an eating disorder, Sophie set up ED Informed, a campaign calling on gyms and fitness spaces to become eating disorder informed. She's currently working with Beat to develop accredited training for fitness staff to help them recognise and signpost people at risk of disordered eating and compulsive exercise, alongside piloting screening measures at the King's College London campus gym. In This Episode: Sophie's journey from competitive swimming to compulsive exercise and eating disorderSpotting the difference between healthy training and compulsive exerciseWhy disordered exercise can sneak in quietly, unnoticedDiscipline vs wellness culture vs compulsive exerciseSigns gym staff can look out for in clientsSophie's work piloting eating disorder awareness training for gymsRebuilding a healthy relationship with exercise after an eating disorderSophie's vision for ED Informed and eating disorder-informed gyms⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders, compulsive exercise, and body image. 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 Sophie and ED Informed via her website or Instagram (@edinformed)Health policy petition: https://www.change.org/EDInformed_HealthPolicy

    Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Informed Gyms with Sophie du Plessis

  8. Aug 17

    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
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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
    290
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Full of Beans Podcast 2021
  • Show Website
    The Full of Beans Podcast

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