Episode 124: Welcome back to Real Health Radio. Today’s guest interview is with Laura Hearn.
Laura is the founder of the globally recognised online platform, ‘Jiggsy’ which uses it’s unique creative tool ‘The Jiggsaw’ to connect people affected by an eating disorder and mental ill health. Alongside this, Laura shares her experience of recovery from anorexia and how she learnt to heal from the inside, after spending 7 months in an inpatient treatment centre in the US. She delivers bespoke workshops to companies, schools and organisations, developing confidence and identity from within. Laura is also TV News producer for the BBC, and speaks regularly about her own experience of working within a fast-paced and challenging environment. She uses her extensive knowledge within broadcasting, to remove the stigma of mental illness in the workplace, and to encourage leaders to realise the financial and moral benefits of putting wellbeing at the heart of everything they do.
00:03:30
A brief overview of who Laura is and what she does
00:07:00
The history of Laura’s eating disorder + history with food
00:15:00
Who intervened and how she got into treatment
00:18:30
At what point Laura recognised she had a problem
00:20:45
Eating disorders as a coping mechanism
00:25:00
How Laura told her boss about her eating disorder
00:28:45
Talking about eating disorders and mental health in the workplace
00:31:45
Laura’s work with confidence + identity
00:38:00
What is Jiggsy’s Place and what is the jiggsaw?
00:43:00
Could her friends + family have said anything during her ED that would have helped?
00:50:45
What’s on the horizon for Laura
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Marvelous podcast Chris. I really enjoyed this podcast and love that Laura was so real and honest. We need more people speaking out and sharing their stories and advocating for better treatment for EDs. Not everyone can afford 7 months in Monte Nido though, let alone even 1 month. WE need publicly funded treatment centers to adopt the sort of polices and practices witnessed at Monte Nido. Perhaps then we can slowly begin to see better treatment outcomes.