This bonus episode started with a question from a paid subscriber (thank you!) and turned into something bigger.
Elizabeth wrote in about the specific exhaustion of dating while in recovery — the men on the apps who are deep in diet culture, the dates where a comment about salads derails her whole evening, the ongoing question of whether her instincts are trustworthy or whether she’s self-sabotaging.
So, I wanted to dig into all of it: safety, intuition, values, the timing of disclosure, and what we’re actually looking for when we’re looking for a partner.
Then my husband Jeb shows up, unplanned, and we end up in one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast…talking about his early sobriety, about dating when you’re healing, about a rooftop pool and a tattoo and the moment vulnerability stopped feeling like a liability.
What you’ll hear:
Why the “too sensitive” question is worth examining
Safety as the first filter in dating, not compatibility
How intuition and recovery are connected
Navigating disclosure: what you owe someone and when
Jeb on the anxiety of dating post-treatment and what he was worried about
My experience with food in relationships when I was early on in healing from disordered eating
What it looked like when we both decided to let the other one in on the messy stuff
Since it was originally recorded for Patreon a year or so ago, I’ve had a bunch of requests to move it over here on Substack, so today is that day.
This one is for anyone who’s ever wondered whether the right person will be able to handle what they’re carrying, or still wonders—even when they’ve found them.
I’d love to do a part two of this episode, where we get into more of the dynamics in an ongoing relationship, especially when one person is more invested in diet culture, and another is working on healing from body shame and food rules.
What would be helpful for you if we go deeper on that? Where do you struggle most in your relationships when it comes to food and body image?
