SHARE WHAT
RECOVERY GAVE YOU.

FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I look back at that little girl and think, if only you knew what was ahead. Years of childhood lost to counting calories, body checking, and being hospitalized far from the people you love. Where do little girls learn to hate themselves, to feel inadequate, to pick apart every detail in the mirror? They are not born that way.

Recovery gave me something I did not think was possible, a sense of being at home in myself. The ability to accept my body, connect with other people, find joy in my life, trust what I know to be true, and live a life I could not have imagined. And now, the most precious gift of all, the ability to grow a human in the body I nearly destroyed.

PEOPLE & OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Recovery has given me the chance to truly get to know myself, all the little parts that make me, me. It’s given me a sense of safety in my body I didn’t know was possible. It’s opened the door to a life full of awe, wonder, and adventure… a life where I no longer shrink, but instead take up space. I found my voice, and now I use it proudly.

It’s given me the ability to connect deeply and intimately with the people I love, and to experience a kind of love with my husband that feels safe and authentic. It’s helped me see my body not for how it looks, but for everything it does for me. It’s given me the chance to rewrite my path, and now walk alongside others as they find their way home to themselves too.

CREATIVE MANAGER

Recovery gifted me everything. It gave me back the parts of myself my eating disorder took first—my humor, my loud, unfiltered laugh, my curiosity, my sense of play. I’m not in survival mode anymore. I’m hiking mountains, flying with hawks, sitting still, and showing up. I get to think about how I want to live, what I want to give, who I want to be. My world isn’t a tiny snow globe anymore—it’s a wide, scary, exciting expanse where I feel it all.

MARKETING COORDINATOR

I used to believe that I was destined to be unhappy. My emotions constantly felt too much and the pressure of the world was crushing down on me. Once i chose recovery, my eyes were opened up to the opportunities that I had around me and just how loved and accepted I am as my true self.

I have always had a desire to help others, but recovery taught me how to reflect my kindness and optimism upon myself, allowing me to embrace the excitement of everyday life and find joy in the little moments that once passed me by. Recovery gave me my spark back, and life has never been so beautiful.

EAT BREATHE THRIVE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL

Recovery has given me permission to love myself again, to talk to myself with compassion and kindness. To appreciate my body for all that it does for me, It has taught me that anything is possible, and that when times are tough, you are strong enough to get through them. It has given me freedom. I wish I could rewind time and say to the girl squeezing the teddy in the picture to always hug herself in the same way.

Looking through my photos, I see a life rebuilt through recovery: hundreds of images of me outdoors— running, backcountry skiing, paddling, hiking, and sharing time in nature with people I love. In each one, there is a genuine smile that reflects gratitude for what my body can do, not how it looks.

I am learning self-compassion and gentleness as I grow older, and I carry deep appreciation for the way nourishment and recovery have given me my life back.

The images I’ve chosen bring this full circle—from a little girl outside with her dog, gathering pussy willows in a time before body shame took hold, to the present day: standing strong like a mountain, guided by my values, moving through the forest on skis, leaving tracks of a life fully lived.

This is what recovery has given me.

Recovery gave me something I didn’t even realize I had lost—it gave me me back.

For so long, I looked outside of myself for everything—approval, direction, validation, even a sense of worth. I believed I had to look a certain way, be a certain way, and put everyone else’s needs before my own just to be accepted.

But in recovery, I rediscovered who I am. I learned to trust myself. To listen inward instead of constantly searching outward.

I do grieve the time I lost while I was in my eating disorder. That grief is real. But alongside it is something even more powerful—gratitude. Because through recovery, I found myself again.

And what I discovered is that I am imperfect… and still completely, undeniably amazing.

To put simply, recovery has made it possible for me to dance again- to truly be free in the music and not thinking about how I look or being controlled by my eating disorder to exercise. The joy and happiness I get from dancing is pure and beautiful once more.

EAT BREATHE THRIVE PRACTITIONER

Recovery has given me life.

Unbelievable to my younger self, I am now a mother to two incredible boys, I’m a wife, a sister, daughter, auntie, niece, cousin, friend, yoga teacher, acquaintance and therapist. It is wholly breathtaking to think and to believe what each and every life means. Our lives touches so many and it’s a privilege to be alive in connection with one another and be a sensing, embodied, human being. Life is suffering, learning, joyful and magnificent.

Recovery helped me to learn that loving your body doesn't mean liking it everyday, but always giving it the care it deserves to thrive.

The workshops have helped me to realise that I can put time aside to be me, and to learn about me. I am not just a Mother or Daughter or work colleague; just me, making time for me. I always have a feel-good factor after taking part in the workshops and go away feeling optimistic and full of hope and new found energy. X

Recovery has given me my life back. No longer shackled by the obsessive thoughts, I have reclaimed my creativity, spunky spirit, and childlike wonder.

A healed relationship with food and my body has given me the freedom to travel the world, share meals with others, try new foods, and embrace different cultures with joy.

I love how food brings people together and creates connection, community, and meaningful relationships. Recovery has given me the ability to be fully present for those moments and to move through life with so much more ease, freedom, and happiness.

Recovery has given me the tools and strength to meet any situation head-on, as well as compassion for those with struggles. Recovery gave me life back, even after 43 years!

For the decade of my eating disorder the only thing that mattered to me was the gap between my thighs. I could not take care of my basic needs let alone love myself. My self was in hiding, my body was small, and I was in fear. Everything revolved around me and my smallness. When I started my recovery journey a therapist said, "Recovery is about fattening up your sense of Self." I now know what she meant.

It's been 25 years since I chose to face my fears and say yes to my life. I had no idea that it could be this big! All my dreams have come true: I published my book, "Being Ana: a memoir of anorexia nervosa", I birthed my boy now a teen, I found true love with a man, I live in the mountains, and I am finally giving back as a writing and yoga mentor to those in recovery struggling with mental health and addiction. Loving myself allows me to give and receive, love and be loved, and to give back! I feel blessed.

I am able to be fully involved in my community and in college. I am studying to get my PHD in order to help others who are currently struggling with eating disorders. I have a job and even have my own pets. In the thick of my eating disorder, it was so hard to even imagine taking care of myself, let alone being a support for others. Now, I have a stable relationship with myself and others where I both give love and receive love equally.

With trauma that I went through and without the resources to help me through it, my eating disorder became my safety for a few years. It made me feel safe and was a release with everything I kept bottled up inside, but it was slowly killing me. I lived my childhood believing I couldn't protect myself so I tried to make myself small and almost invisible.

Now I look back sadly but with admiration for my child self. She got me through so much and never gave up her fight. I've learned things about myself I never would have been able to if it weren't for recovery. I've realized how powerful and strong I am and how I do have the power to not only protect myself, but love myself. Life is full of passions, little joys, adventures, sorrows, and connections, but I would never have been able to experience any of it if I hadn't chosen to heal.

Recovery gave me everything. It led me towards yoga, towards freedom, peace, and contentment. It opened the door for adventure and laughter. I’ve lived so much life because of my recovery and FELT it in my body; I’ve studied abroad, opened a yoga studio, led treats in exotic places, climbed mountains, and traveled the world. But those are just the surface things. What recovery really gave me was a healthier relationship with myself, which extended to my relationship with others. I feel so grateful and fulfilled by the connections in my life. These relationships would not have been possible without recovery. I’ve learned so much over the years as I’ve healed. I’ve gained great insight, and found incredible joy. I’ve felt contentment and bliss and love so deeply. But the absolute best thing recovery gave me? My son. The opportunity to be a mom. And that is everything.

Recovery has given me access to the real world. Because of my eating disorder, I spent my adolescence and young adult years institutionalized. Recovery has given me the freedom to go to college, do whatever I want when I want to do it, and live outside a locked ward. Because of recovery, I am graduating with my degree in social work next year.