Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Panel Discussion

Host of the ‘Keep Smiling’ Podcast and YouTube creator Lara Rebecca leads a panel discussion as part of Eating Disorder (ED) Awareness Week. This discussion explores the topics of support mechanisms, triggers, EDs in men, advice for anyone who may be suffering from an ED, and how to support someone who you may be concerned has an ED.

• Lara Rebecca – Podcast host and YouTube creator primarily focusing upon mental health and eating disorder awareness, using her previous experiences of suffering anorexia nervosa, anxiety and depression to create raw, insightful content, promoting the priority of psychological wellbeing and encouraging individuals to live a healthy, happy lifestyle.
• Bobby Clay – Former junior 1500m European champion, now balancing rehab and a Master’s in business psychology at Loughborough University. Through injury and experience, now passionate about changing perceptions around periods and attitudes towards body image in elite sport from both a male and female perspective.
• George Mycock – Founder of MyoMinds, with lived experiences of multiple eating disorders that stemmed from a rugby injury. George now teaches coaches, sports staff, and medical professionals across the UK about athlete/exerciser mental health, and works with universities to improve knowledge around this subject area, through research.
• Jayne Nisbet – Commonwealth Games 2014 finalist in the high jump, competing for Scotland and author of “Free-Ed” a book on her battles with bulimia and freeing yourself from self-sabotage.
• Kadeena Cox – Two times Paralympics Champion in athletics and cycling, competing in 400m on the track. She has struggled with disordered eating for a very long time but opened up about it in 2019 and started to get help to recover.
• Pippa Woolven – Cross country runner and steeplechaser, who balances athletics with a part-time Masters in Positive Psychology and working for the National Trust. Pippa has won 4 BUCS gold medals in cross-country, duathlon and athletics and her career highlight was finishing 8th in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Pippa now acts as a mentor for other athletes and recently created a resource for athletes struggling with RED-S.
• Rhiannon Linington-Payne – Current Welsh International 400m athlete, Head of Competition at Welsh Athletics and National-level hockey player.

For more information about the Athlete Support Pathway and Self Referral visit https://www.uka.org.uk/governance/welfare/athlete-support-pathway/