Overcoming Anorexia with Hope Virgo and Dr Natalie Kanakhan
- S1E1
- 1:04:44
- February 24th 2022
On the first episode of Talking Taboos with Daye, we tackle anorexia and the myths and misconceptions that surround eating disorders. While the numbers around the prevalence of eating disorders remain vague, it is estimated that between 1.4 to 2.3m people here in the U.K. suffer from some form of disordered eating. Moreover, anorexia has the highest death rate of any psychiatric illness.
To better understand this taboo topic from a first-hand perspective, host Emma-Louise is joined by eating disorder activist, author and public speaker, Hope Virgo.
After battling with anorexia for most of her teenage years, at one point even ending up in hospital, Hope eventually recovered and went on to write a book about her experience - Stand Tall Little Girl - published in 2017.
Determined to use her experience to fight for change in how society sees and treats eating disorders, she launched a campaign and petition the following year #DumpTheScales which called on the government to review eating disorder guidance and introduce training for GPs. She’s recently updated this campaign via the hashtag #LetsTalkEDs, which we’ll discuss in the episode.
To shed some expert insight on the topic, Emma-Louise is also joined by Dr Natalie Kanakam,
a clinical psychologist at the Maudsley - a psychiatric hospital in south London, where she specialises in eating disorders.
Talking Taboos With Daye
Talking Taboos with Daye is a new podcast series focused on busting myths and opening up frank discussions on topics typically deemed taboo.
At Daye, we are on a mission to close the gender pain gap and create innovative solutions to women’s healthcare needs.
As we create the sorts of products we think women should have had access to a long time ago - like our CBD-infused tampons which are the world’s first and only targeted solution for cramps - we find ourselves talking constantly about taboo topics. From periods to contraception to issues around orgasm, no issue is off bounds to us when it comes to discussing women’s health and well-being.
Yet we are all too aware of the shame and stigma that still surrounds so many of these topics. It’s something we’re determined to change. If you can’t talk about an issue openly, how are you meant to tackle the problems that surround it?
So, we thought it was about time we started a podcast - somewhere we can explore, unpack and upturn all of the issues around which we feel a little more honest conversation is needed.
The series is presented by journalist Emma-Louise Boynton, aka the co-founder of women’s media platform Her Hustle, and will delve into topics ranging from addiction to eating disorders to abortion.
On each episode, we'll interview someone who has personally experienced that week’s taboo topic, before turning to an expert in the field who can shed some professional insight on the issue at hand.
Enjoy the show.