Welcome back to Fly to Freedom. In this month’s Julia & Vics Q&A, we answer your powerful recovery questions — from fears about quasi-recovery to coping with brain chemistry changes, rebuilding family trust, and navigating oedema, weight gain, and family comments.

You’ll hear raw, compassionate answers rooted in lived experience — the messy parts, the scary parts, and the hopeful parts. Whether you’re at the start or further along, these conversations show you that recovery is possible for everyone.

[03:15 ] Quasi vs. Full Recovery – Can coaches tell who will fully recover? Why commitment and openness matter more than prediction.

[08:40 ] Brain Chemistry – Why suicidal thoughts, depression, and appetite loss can hit when you start eating more, and how to move through it.

[17:55 ] Food Perfectionism – Fear of making the “wrong” choice, and how to let food be messy, not perfect.

[23:10 ] Family Trust – How to rebuild relationships and feel proud of yourself again after painful years.

[32:05 ] Planning Challenges – Should challenges be scheduled or spontaneous? Why the answer is both.

[37:45 ] Oedema – Julia’s lived experience of extreme water retention, why it happens, and how to cope.

[46:20 ] Weight Gain Blame – Reframing “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods, and trusting your body.

[55:30 ] BMI Fears – Why BMI is irrelevant, why food thoughts count as hunger, and how to keep going.

[01:05:15 ] Family Comments – Coping when loved ones make thin-obsessed remarks, and why inner child work matters.

[01:15:10 ] Blood Tests – Why results may look “normal” despite restriction, and why that doesn’t mean you’re okay.

[01:25:40 ] Restricting to “Check” Metabolism – Why this cycle fuels mistrust, and how to break it.

[01:32:50 ] Fear or Excitement – How fear can transform into courage, and why borrowing belief helps.

[01:40:05 ] Making Recovery Easier – Would we do it differently? Why going all in was the fastest way through.

[01:47:15 ] HSPs – Why many with eating disorders are highly sensitive people, and how to see it as a strength.

💛 And if you're looking for real support from people who’ve been there and truly get it, The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle is here for you. It’s a unique community of people at all stages of recovery, supporting each other through the mess, the milestones, and everything in between.

Inside you’ll also find the Feelings Navigator to guide you through hard emotions, monthly coaching calls, live workshops, on-demand recovery courses, and of course — me, Julia, here with you every step of the way.

Come be part of something that actually helps. You don’t have to do this alone.