Hi Navigators! Welcome to episode 91, a conversation with Kimberly Spencer, an award-winning author, high performance coach, Amazon best-selling author, international motivational speaker, and owner of Crown Yourself. She is also in recovery from an eating disorder. Kimberly joins Catherine and Francis to discuss how a challenging household growing up and a history of trauma led to the development of an eating disorder, and how, through physical movement and challenging the normative negative talk about body image, she shaped her recovery path. Towards the end of the discussion -- with immense vulnerability -- Kim reminds listeners that what has happened to someone does not have to be their entire life story, and people can create their narratives; and that reaching out can save lives. We were so grateful for her time and energy, and hope you give this conversation a listen.
CW: eating disorders, eating disorders behaviors, alcohol and substance use, body image dissatisfaction, dieting, childhood trauma, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation
Listener’s note: in the digest, Francis recalls a story about author Mark Sullivan, who wrote “Beneath the Scarlett Sky”. Francis admittedly got some of the details incorrect, and you can learn more about Mark’s story here:
https://jessicasreadingroom.com/a-conversation-with-mark-sullivan/