therapy has recently become a major part of my life and with that came a very eye-opening realization: everyone needs to go to therapy. there are so many benefits to including therapy in your support system, and it has been an instrumental part to my eating disorder recovery. I hope this episode gives you many solid reasons to advocate for therapy and possibly include it in your life. 

0.00 updates

5.26 my transition to therapy / my past preconceived notions about therapy

7:54 reasons to go to therapy

I know therapy is a very privileged practice to include in your life, but there are many solutions nowadays. here is a link that will provide cheaper and more accessible therapists:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists 

Alright, see you guys for season 2!

In this episode, I list some practical ways in which you can help Ukraine, including how to stay informed, where to donate, how to contact your congressional representatives, and more. 

Links to resources below (Will also be available in the bio of @ourfreebodies on Instagram): 

masterfile of links/resources gathered by Ukrainian activists: https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/

Places to donate - Razom For Ukraine - https://linktr.ee/RazomForUkraine

Donations to OVD-Info - https://donate.ovdinfo.org/?utm_source=tg&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nowar

UNHCR medical aid infor: https://donate.unhcr.org/int/en/ukraine-emergency?utm_source=gwa%2Fhps&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=HQ_GW_EN_UA

NOVA humanitarian aid donation link: https://novaukraine.org/

Please check them out. 

life lately has demonstrated its worth. I've recently had an experience that has allowed me to internalize THREE important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and wanted to share it all with you guys. I also talk about a 10-month update on my ED recovery, the Olympics (before the women's event), and how I got out of my depressive episodes. it's a ramble, but an insightful and healthy one. 

an ode to valentine's day – a quick message for you all to take care of those you love, including yourself. reminder: this podcast loves you a lot. 

DISCLAIMER: I am not discrediting veganism or vegetarianism. I am very passionate about animal rights and the environment. But I am here to say that you should not live this lifestyle as a means to hurt yourself in ED recovery.

for those who struggle with eating disorders, is veganism simply a socially acceptable mechanism to encourage food avoidance and restriction? the answer is mostly YES. there are a lot of reasons to become vegan: to advocate for animal rights, to reduce our environmental footprint, to lower the risk for chronic diseases by reducing your cholesterol levels, etc. however, this type of motivation is often coupled with an inherently restrictive eating pathology. it makes recovery way more convoluted than it should be because it motivates disordered eating habits. so how can one live an eco-friendly life without making dietary changes? it's easy! in this episode, I provide many tips that will allow you to help the environment and participate healthily in ED recovery at the same time. 

timestamps below:

0:00 updates on my life 

10:00 the toxic relationship between veganism and EDs

18:53 ways you can live sustainably without food restriction and avoidance

enjoy!

GUYS i'm so excited for this episode. today's guest is Vanessa Nagoya – a content creator/YouTuber who has amassed a digital community of over 400,000 followers across all media. she creates daily (NYC) vlogs, fashion videos, and all sorts of fun videos (and she's a swiftie). but most incredibly, she has brought her audience along her eating disorder recovery journey and is an inspiring advocate for mental health and vulnerability in the media. in this episode, we discuss EVERYTHING from Nessa's FULL ED story, how media played a role in her relationship with food and body image, the importance of good support systems, the validation of men (lol), to the faults of the current healthcare system (how doctors stereotype EDs). trust me, you'll want to listen to the whole thing. enjoy!

I've included useful timestamps below for guidance:

3:05 - Nessa's personal eating disorder journey (includes exercise, body image, etc.)

37:58 - how being a content creator played a role in ED recovery, body acceptance, and self-image. 

46:15 - Nessa's mental health account @hearismyheart 

51:38 - general tips from Nessa on exercise, diet, fear foods, self-care activities, toxic friendships, media control, how to be content with being alone, intuitive eating, and MORE.

Here are Vanessa's socials:

main - @vanessanagoya

mental health account - @hearismyheart

if you read up to this point, comment "of course it's men.." on Nessa's and my posts. 

HELLLOOOOO happy 2022!! The very first episode of the year will feature Ms. Anita Ong, who is the light in my life. Anyways, in this riveting conversation, we discuss mental health in our figure skating careers (and our personal journeys), the value of thinness in performative sports, the toxicity of hustle culture, toxic coach-student relationships and how that translates into post-retirement life, existentialism (lol), and MORE. It's an important conversation that Our Free Bodies has never had, so please enjoy!!! And if you're in the city, go to Anita's family restaurant NANA RAMEN for some delicious food <3 support local businesses. 

Anita's socials:

Instagram - @_anitaong

Family restaurant (Instagram) - @nana.ramen

this week's episode is an Our Free Bodies' collaboration with Colonize This Podcast represented by a co-host (and my very close friend) ALINA RAHIM!! we touch on body image and mental health in sports (ft. our personal experiences), the human biological set point weight and how everyone is literally built different, the psychological problem of body-shaming BIPOC athletes, the toxicity of diet culture, the damaging physical and mental effects of conforming to the thin body ideal in sports, etc. it is such an important and incredible conversation, and you all need to take a listen! please be sure to check out Colonize This on all available platforms (link to media provided below). they touch on current affairs regarding uplifting WOC communities, and they are literally changing the narrative of modern-day activism with their voices! 

Colonize This Instagram: @colonizethispod

Link to listen: https://anchor.fm/colonizethis 

hey guys! in this week's episode, I will be touching on how to talk to your parents when you have an eating disorder. I talk about how important the role a parent plays in developing EDs and "unlearning" them. I further include a lot of my personal experiences in how my parents exacerbated my ED and tips I used to open up and talk to them about what I was going through (including how I got them to understand my illness). since I've told my parents, they have taken an active, supportive, and understanding role in my recovery journey, and I can only wish that response upon everyone that suffers from an ED. I hope this episode is helpful...I sound a bit tired (I am) but enjoy!!

happy thanksgiving <3 I've missed chatting with you guys! this episode is not the most cheerful or insightful one, but hopefully it's one that's reflective and relatable. I reflect on the "whys" of my recent sad funk, which includes the recent difficulties in my ED recovery journey, letting go of friendships that no longer serve me, feeling lonely, breaking up with competitive figure skating, etc. However, on a happier note, HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY (i want to say pod-iversary, but i won't)!! I feel so much love for this platform and for you guys! and whether you are a one-time passerby or a dedicated listener, thank you from the bottom of my grateful heart. 

with love,

Chloe

This week features a light-hearted and unedited episode all about my favorite things! From my favorite wellness tips to my favorite foods, I talk about what I'm enjoying at the moment. I KNOW...it's not really related to my podcast's topic of discussion, but I'm drowning in college apps. Plus, it's a nice break from our deep convos anyways! ALL LOVE <33 see you next week!

Instagram: @ourfreebodies 

Welcome to a gratitude episode! It's been 6 MONTHS since I've started my eating disorder recovery, and it's been such a rewarding journey. This week's episode is a major update on my support system, how I'm including movement and exercise into my ED journey, body image, how to veer away from diet culture, current ED habits, and how I'm balancing intuition and wellness. OH, I also talk about Pitbull and have a little identity crisis. Other than that, I want to thank you guys for supporting and being a huge part of my journey! This podcast has been an amazing platform for me to vent and document my journey in a realistic and relatable way, and I truly feel grateful for those of you who have listened to any episode or messaged me encouragement. It's not the most glorious journey, but it's a worthy one <333 LOTS OF LOVE

welcome back to another episode of Our Free Bodies! in this week's episode, I will talk about the "that girl" trope: it is so damaging to its impressionable audience of young girls by perpetuating an "ideal" image. we will talk about how Eurocentric privilege and unrealistic expectations play a huge part in the toxic role of "that girl" and demonstrate how eating disorders and body image issues can be exacerbated through this popular TikTok trend. BUT... there's a way out. I further talk about how to get rid of the comparison mindset, even incorporating the toxicity of hustle culture, the effects of internal dialogue, and etc. hope you all enjoy the episode!

We are swimming in diet culture and NEED to get out. This week's episode is a short one, but I get into what diet culture is, ways you can be self-aware of diet culture in your surroundings, and how to resist its seriously damaging conditions and implications: diet culture has sparked eating disorders, maintained body dysmorphia, worshipped thinness, but TO WHAT END? Hope this will provide a good fundamental episode to what will be discussed in the future. Enjoy!

Hello again... it's been a while since I've last posted an episode, but I'm proud to say that I'm back!! Relapse in eating disorder recovery is so common, and it can feel so disheartening. However, it is important to have a direct plan of action after every relapse. In this week's episode, I will include multiple steps you can take after a relapse from self-care to curating a comfortable and honest support network. Note that I am not a professional: there are just common coping mechanisms that may work for others. 

Also, I wanted to give a special shoutout to @maddiewward. In my worst relapse, she help to aid me in recovering from the situation. She texted me these beautiful words:

"You haven’t ruined your progress at all. This IS a part of the progress; how you react when you go backwards, and the way you change your reaction, is the progress. The reaction slowly becomes one of breaking the cycle rather than encouraging it. THAT is progress."

Thanks for listening!!

I haven't been posting for the past few weeks due to some unfortunate circumstances. Therefore, I will be taking a small break from this podcast, whether it'd be one more week or a month (hopefully, a week). I will be okay, and hope to record soon. Kisses!

TW** This episode mentions purging, triggering memories, eating disorders, etc. Listen with caution. In this week's episode, I provide a few moments in my life that have prompted my eating disorder (as well as what resulted from it). It is an evocation of a long struggle - a chronologically-ordered episode filled with hidden memories and traumas from the ages of 9 to 16. This includes a journey of missed family dinners, counselors giving me protein bars, societal standards from the perspective of a girl who dreamed big, and more. Part of this is a tribute to my journey and how far I've come considering that I am turning 17 on July 22nd!! I hope this episode aids you in relatability or at least, helps you look at the bigger picture and realize your own growth as a human being. Enjoy. 

Welcome back to Our Free Bodies!! In this week's episode, we have an incredible guest on our collaboration segment, Free Discussion: Diversify Ice Foundation, represented by Joe Velasco. Diversify Ice Foundation is a far-reaching non-profit organization that provides opportunities, financial support, and guidance to underprivileged skaters nationwide in order to help them reach their potential life and athletic goals. They believe that the sport should be available for everyone and for people of all economic and racial backgrounds. The insightful episode features discussion of the racial disparities apparent in figure skating and the effects of image stigmas (regarding the "petite body frame" ideal in skating) on minorities. Joe and I focused on challenging the historical narrative of figure skating as a predominantly white sport and even inspired conversation on the Asian American experience in figure skating and how perfectionism can be detrimental. We touched so many important topics, so I hope you enjoy! 

Check DiversifyIce out:

Website: diversifyice.org

Welcome back to Our Free Bodies! In this week's episode, I will debunk the myths and false stereotypes of eating disorders. From talking about the audience of eating disorders to the psychological aspect of eating disorders, falsifying these stereotypes can better a person's willingness to seek help and feel "safer" in dealing with their mental issues. I will also talk about several updates to my life/eating disorder recovery, including achieving summer goals (making memories!), getting an internship, being a writer for an eating disorder magazine, missing skating, etc. Hope you all enjoy!