Elephant in the Room Podcast: Eating Disorders and Recovery

My school has a rampant pandemic of eating disorders. Every day, unhealthy standards and rhetoric can be heard in the halls and classrooms. I wanted to change this. My approach was to open up a dialogue around eating disorders and recovery in hopes of helping those who are struggling and educating those who may have friends/family who are struggling. I sat down with a student who underwent extensive recovery/treatment for her eating disorder and she shared her story as well as the Instagram account she runs to help herself and others with recovery.

By trying a new form of media, I was hoping to make this content even more accessible to students at my school. If they lack the attention span to sit down and read an article, students can listen to this 12 minute podcast on their drive to school and this conversation can still has the power to make a positive impact on them.

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Admittedly, this was a stretch outside of my comfort zone. I'm not particularly an 'in front of the camera' type of journalist. By starting a podcast, I was able to learn how to use new technology and equipment.

This podcast was met with positive reception from the community, where I received messages from some students about how this podcast made them feel like they weren't alone in their struggle with an eating disorder. 

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