What 1600 young people told us about their body image

For decades, the standard response to exercise in eating disorder treatment was simple. Stop. There were reasons for that. Exercise can be a genuine medical risk when someone's body is already compromised. It can also reinforce an eating disorder, becoming rigid, compulsive, or a way to compensate for eating. So the safest option seemed to be no movement at all. But according to Associate Professor Bonnie Furzer, blanket bans were never evidence-based. They left people unsupported, and the behaviour often continued anyway. In this episode, Dr Beth Shelton is joined by Bonnie Furzer, an accredited exercise physiologist and associate professor at the University of Western Australia, where she leads the Mental Health and Exercise research group. Bonnie also holds a clinical role at Fremantle Hospital Mental Health Service and is a founding director of Thriving in Motion. Together, Beth and Bonnie unpack what unhelpful, rigid exercise can look like along with the very real benefits of joyful movement for both body and mind. They also talk about what changes when movement is supported rather than shut down. If someone moves for social connection or to help manage their mood, removing it entirely takes away something that matters. A safer plan works with that, not against it. Bonnie discusses the updated Safe Exercise at Every Stage (SEES) guidelines, the value of bringing exercise professionals into multidisciplinary teams, and a new position statement to be endorsed by Exercise and Sports Science Australia. For clinicians, carers and people with lived experience, this is a warmer and more hopeful way to think about moving your body in recovery.

Wellness culture promises optimum health. New research suggests it might be hiding a bigger risk: disordered eating.

Evidence-based treatment for eating disorders rightly focuses on restoring health and changing eating disorder behaviours. But what if those behaviours are also protecting something much deeper? What if lasting recovery starts not with asking "What's wrong with me?" but "What happened to me?" In this episode of Let's Talk, Beth talks with clinical psychologist and schema therapy expert Dr Susan Simpson about her new book Breaking Negative Eating Patterns and Remembering Your True Self, which offers a compassionate new way of understanding eating disorders. Drawing on more than 25 years of clinical experience, Susan explains how eating disorders can develop as intelligent coping strategies that protect us from shame, loneliness, unmet emotional needs and painful life experiences. Susan explores the core ideas behind schema therapy, including our different "parts", the role of the inner critic, and how reconnecting with our authentic self can reduce the need for eating disorder behaviours. She also walks through the four-stage recovery journey outlined in her book, shares practical exercises listeners can try, and explains how clinicians and people with lived experience can use the book alongside evidence-based treatment. It's a hopeful conversation about understanding the story behind your struggles, reconnecting with yourself, and discovering that recovery is about far more than changing eating behaviours. Resources Breaking Negative Eating Patterns and Remembering Your True Self Susan Simpson LinkedIn Book: Schema therapy for eating disorders Schema therapy training online Contact our Helpline Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here Production Team: Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler Executive Producer: Camilla Becket Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode. If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.

Therapists are often encouraged to bring empathy and authenticity into the therapy room, but what happens when that understanding comes from their own experience of an eating disorder? Should they disclose it to clients, or keep it private? And what does that decision mean for both therapist and client? In this episode of Let's Talk, Beth talks with clinical psychologist and researcher Pheobe Ho, who draws on her own recovery, years of clinical practice and her PhD research to explore one of the most complex and under-discussed questions in eating disorder treatment: the ethical, professional and deeply personal decisions faced by clinicians who've been there themselves. Phoebe shares what it was like to work alongside members of her own treatment team, and at a service where she was once a client. She explains why disclosure is never a simple yes-or-no decision. Together, she and Beth discuss workplace stigma, supervision, the emotional toll of concealing lived experience, and why psychologically safe workplaces matter for clinicians and clients alike. They also explore how the eating disorder sector can better support clinicians with lived experience, why clearer guidance is urgently needed, and how new research could help shape the future of care. It's a conversation for anyone curious about what happens when personal experience and professional expertise intersect. Resources Pheobe’s blog on being a clinician with lived experience in eating disorders. Pheobe’s blog on supporting clinicians with lived experience. Pheobe’s Linkedin. Contact our Helpline Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here Production Team: Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler Executive Producer: Camilla Becket Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.

Men's body image is having a moment in the cultural conversation, but beyond the clickbait, what's actually going on? Where's the line between caring about your body and falling into something that can take over your life? In this episode, Beth sits down with two guests who've seen it firsthand. Mark Beretta OAM, sports broadcaster, Australian waterski champion, and 2019 Father of the Year, speaks from decades in elite sport and media, and as a father raising a son. Shane Jeffrey, also a father, is an accredited sports dietitian with over 25 years working with clients experiencing eating disorders. Social media algorithms and influencers are pulling young men into exercise and nutrition behaviours that look reasonable on the surface, but are often unscientific, unregulated, and quietly damaging to both their mental and physical health. Mark and Shane unpack how that happens, why supplements are filling a gap that good nutrition should, and how healthy habits can snowball into something extreme and consuming before anyone notices. Shane describes what he's seeing clinically in boys aged 14–18. Mark talks about watching some mates head down that road and his own personal experiences growing up in sport culture. They also cover what families, friends, and sporting clubs can do, and why getting in early with honest conversations can make all the difference. Whether you're concerned about yourself, a mate, or a young person in your life, this one's worth your time.