Why diet or Body is not my sole career focus — And Why It’s the Best Advice I Can Give You

I’ve been on a journey of intuitive eating for over 12 years now.

Through that time, I’ve worked with others, supported those in recovery, and even volunteered for eating disorder support platforms like helpforeatingdisorder.com. I’ve also seen something that’s both heartbreaking and telling: nearly every nutritionist, counsellor, and ex-sufferer who dedicated their career to helping others with eating disorders… eventually stepped away. Even the platforms they created, like the one I used to volunteer for, have since shut down.

It didn’t surprise me. And that’s what hurt the most.

Because as someone who has lived through the obsessive mental loops of food noise and body image distortion, I know how all-consuming it is. I also know that the people who can help most — the ones who really get it — are often those who’ve been through it themselves.

But therein lies the paradox.

Those of us who’ve been through it are often the ones who shouldn’t work in it full-time.

Why? Because for many of us, it’s not just about food. It's about trauma. About neurodivergent traits. About sensitivity, perfectionism, shame, control. It's about unresolved pain, social influence, biology, culture, nervous system dysregulation.

And most of all — it’s about obsessive thinking.

When you dedicate your life or your full-time job to supporting others through their food or body struggles, you are essentially steeping in the very topic your recovery needed distance from. You’re keeping the language of food, calories, nutrition, exercise, guilt, shame, and identity alive in your daily thought space.

Even with the best of intentions, you're still surrounded by food noise.

The Weight of Constant Exposure

There’s a difference between being informed and being immersed. One keeps you aware; the other keeps you trapped.

Many of the kindest, most committed people I met in the recovery space burned out not because they didn’t care, but because they cared too much — and couldn't step away from the topic that once consumed them. Some relapsed. Some emotionally shut down. Some just quietly left the space to preserve their own peace.

So while I still care deeply about the subject of intuitive eating and body image, I’ve learned this truth:

👉 It cannot be my full-time job.
👉 It cannot be my full-time identity.
👉 Because recovery means returning to life.

The First Real Step: Making Food Smaller

One of the first things I’d say to anyone struggling with food noise — whether they’ve had an eating disorder or just find themselves thinking about food all day — is this:

You have to make food smaller by making life bigger.

Surround yourself with passions, hobbies, people, places, and purposes that have nothing to do with food or body image.

Paint. Dance. Learn a language. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Travel. Do breathwork. Laugh with friends. Lay in the sun. Learn about astronomy. Write terrible poetry. Get bored and see what comes out of you.

Don’t build your day around your next meal or your next workout. Build it around your life. Let food and movement support that life — not replace it.

This isn’t just for those with full-blown eating disorders. Food noise is a spectrum. And we live in a culture that feeds it — literally and metaphorically — through media, diet culture, influencer trends, and wellness extremes.

Why I Still Share, But Don’t Submerge

So while I may talk about intuitive eating as part of a wider offering — intuitive living — I don’t live inside that world anymore. I can’t.

And if you're in recovery, or if you're a practitioner who's been through it yourself, I hope this gives you permission to choose peace. To help others in ways that don't harm yourself. To know when your own healing needs to come first.

Because intuitive living isn’t about turning food into a new obsession. It’s about letting go of the obsession so you can live a full, vibrant, heart-centred life — where food is present, but not overpowering.

Let life be the centrepiece. Let love, purpose, and presence be what guides you.

Everything else — food included — will find its rightful place.