—Daniel Le Grange, PhD, Benioff UCSF Professor in Children's Health and Director, Eating Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco

—Jennifer J., Thomas, Ph.D., Co-Director, Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital; Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

—Lucene Wisniewski, PhD, FAED. Founder, Center for Evidence-Based Treatment, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, Author of Treating Eating Disorders with DBT: the MED-DBT Protocol

—Mallary Tenore Tarpley, Author of SLIP: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery

—Lauren Muhlheim, PsyD, FAED, CEDS-C, Author of When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder

—Dr. Mima Simic, MSc, MD, MRCPsych, Joint Head of the Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

I am a self-taught artist who grew up on the east coast. Since battling an eating disorder in my teenage years, I have been recovered for almost a decade. In my life of recovery, I work as an Administrative Professional and freelance artist. In my free time, I enjoy painting, hiking, traveling with my partner, and spending time with friends, family, and my golden retrievers, Stella and Penny.

I have been in recovery for 10 years after a battle with my eating disorder for over 13 years. I am a mother to my beautiful daughter, who gives me purpose, love, and drive. I am a successful fashion designer, tailor, and seamstress specializing in custom bridal and evening wear. I wouldn't be where I am today without the choice to fight and find myself again.

After over a decade, I have found myself in a place I once never imagined—healthy, grounded, and genuinely happy. I'm in recovery from an eating disorder and feel like I can finally sincerely say that.  I’ve earned two degrees and work as a nurse in mental health, where I get to support others on their own healing paths. I’m in a strong, healthy relationship and cherish the time I spend with my family and friends.

I am 30 years old and happy to report that I no longer let my weight and my relationship to food stop me from living my life! My favorite thing to do is to get lost, whether it be in a book or in a new country. I also have a pretty impressive handbag collection with lots of outfits to match. I truly live my life knowing it is the only one I have which has led to a lot of amazing impulsive decisions like a last-minute trip to Portugal and getting matching tattoos with my friends.

Dina grew up on the Jersey Shore in an Italian American family whose religion was food. At age 11, her gymnastics coach put her on a diet, setting her on a path of chaos, control, and confusion. Today, she is a middle school English teacher whose experience with recovery helps her guide young people to find their voices, build confidence, and believe in their own worth.

Emily is an artist and quantum research scientist who currently lives in Copenhagen. In both her research and her artwork, she explores how form gives way to function. She's most drawn towards figurative work, portraits, and cityscapes, and works in a variety of mediums including oil, pastel, and most recently, stone carving.

In the depth of anorexia, I wanted to experience joy again but was scared that recovery wouldn't offer that to me. I was convinced that only a perfect body could bring me satisfaction. I needed someone to tell me that recovery could and would bring me joy, fulfillment, and self-appreciation. I want to reassure anyone like my 16-year-old self that recovery offers all of that and more. Because of recovery, I've traveled the world, experienced the sweetness of marriage and motherhood, and enjoyed a life where every day isn’t a battle. The joy I've known because of recovery is so much greater than what anorexia could have ever offered me.

Recovery, to me, means allowing yourself to have needs and take up space. Today, I feel honored to help others hold on to hope when they cannot see it for themselves, and to walk alongside them as they discover that life can and will get better. Recovery is hard work, and it’s 100% worth it, despite the ups and downs of the journey.

Throughout recovery, shared experiences with books, songs, or others in group therapy quieted the eating disorder and solidified my desire to heal. By sharing my story, I hope others can find comfort, relief, and community in knowing that they are not alone.

A few of my favorite quotes that motivated me on my journey:

“Life is too short to spend it at war with yourself” ~ Anonymous

“Now I’m a warrior / I’ve got thicker skin / I’m a warrior / I’m stronger than I’ve ever been / And my armor, is made of steel, you can’t get in / I’m a warrior / And you can never hurt me again” ~ Demi Lovato, Warrior

I chose to contribute to this book because creating art has been such a helpful way for me to express myself in ways that I can’t always do with words. It was an honor to be asked to share my art and writing and realize that these things I have made for myself have had such an impact on others as well. I’m excited to be able to share it with people and I hope it helps someone else put words to their experience too.

I am 17 years old and entering my senior year of high school. I have been a dancer since I was three years old. During my young teenage years I battled an eating disorder and I have now proudly been in recovery for two years! In my future I would love to work in the healthcare field where I can help those in need. In my free time I love spending time with family, friends, and of course my cat. 

Lucy works in commercial real estate, when not working she enjoys golfing, horseback riding, and spoiling her two rescue dogs and her rescue cat. She lives in Boston with her husband.

Contributing to this book has given me a renewed sense of pride and gratitude for my entire recovery experience, and I can only hope that parts of my story resonate with others who deserve the same return to joy that I have had. I do still deal with traces of my ED, and while they can be frustrating, they do not interfere with the academic, professional, and social choices I’m making to create a life I’m proud of. As an aspiring environmentalist, now I get to appreciate Ben and Jerry’s climate justice work, and enjoy their delicious ice cream too.

Meryl R. enjoys a busy, fulfilling life on the east coast. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with a focus on mental health in early childhood. Meryl considers herself fully recovered from an ED, and is endlessly grateful to her family and treatment team for the role they played in getting her here. As a recovered individual, Meryl continues to reconnect with her identity through the discovery of new hobbies and the joys of everyday life. She especially loves competitive game nights, watercolor painting, exploring different corners of the city with her fiancée, and hiking upstate.