Episode description: In this episode of Peace Meal, Rawnaq Albathigi joins us to share her experience with an eating disorder, and how it’s shaped the perspective she's bringing to the field as an emerging dietitian. Drawing on a recovery journey she describes as anything but linear, Rawnaq makes the case for a more individualized understanding of healing from an eating disorder, and for treatment that's far more accessible than it currently is, especially for people whose culture and faith fall outside the Western framework much of it is built around. About Rawnaq: Rawnaq Albathigi (she/her) is a senior at the University of Arizona, where she is majoring in dietetics and pursuing a weight-inclusive certificate. Drawing on her own experience with an eating disorder, she hopes to become a dietitian and to make eating disorder care more accessible and culturally responsive. We cover: How Rawnaq's eating disorder took hold, and the purpose it served for her What it means to make recovery progress without it being all-or-nothing Why intuitive eating isn't the universal goal it's often made out to be The cultural and religious realities that Western-centric treatment can miss The barriers to eating disorder care, and who most frequently gets left out How she stopped seeing her own recovery as separate from the work she wants to do In Rawnaq’s words: On trying to force a recovery timeline: "When I decided to go into nutrition around 17, I chose my major feeling like a fraud. I always thought: ‘how am I going to help others when I can't even help myself?’...I thought I was running out of time and needed to really be in recovery by the time I graduate. Not because I wanted to, but because I thought I had to if I ever wanted to be in the nutrition field…but putting that pressure on myself did not really serve me." On the false binary of recovery: "Real recovery is rarely binary, and treating it that way, it can do more harm than good. So eating disorder recovery isn't like flipping a switch. It's much closer to a spectrum…Someone [might] eat regularly but still has eating disorder thoughts. Or they have a tough day and slip into an old behavior, but stop sooner than before. That doesn't mean they're suddenly in relapse. They're in the ‘messy middle’, what I like to call it, which is actually where most recovery happens." On the expansiveness of recovery: "If recovery, as it's been presented to you, doesn't feel possible, I'd really encourage you to ask: is it recovery itself that feels impossible, or the version of recovery you have been given? Because those are two different things, and people deserve a version of healing that actually fits them, their culture, their experiences, their values, their reality." Connect with Rawnaq on Instagram (@rawnaq_albathigi) and LinkedIn. About the podcast: Peace Meal is a podcast hosted by The Emily Program that covers topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube Music. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.