Do you feel like you’re never good enough? Livia Sara and Wouter Kleinsman both know what it’s like to chase illusory fulfillment through external identities. In this confrontational conversation, Livia and Wouter discuss how labels imprison us, why conformity is a trap, and how the story you tell yourself is the story that narrates your life.

Episode highlights:

• Why breaking free from the system is the only path to genuine freedom
• The connection between autism, black-and-white thinking, and eating disorders
• How to shift from victim mentality to consciously writing your own story
• Why qualifications are bullshit and don't determine your worth or capabilities
• Using human design and instinct over logic when making decisions
• What it really means to live in alignment with your core being

Connect with Livia: https://livlabelfree.com

Connect with Wouter: https://www.wouterkleinsman.nl/

Have you ever felt that your "gifts" were more of a burden than a blessing? In this Autistically ED-Free Membership call recording, Livia and the community explore the concept of "existential claustrophobia" – that suffocating feeling of being confined within a finite physical form while having an infinitely expansive inner being. Members share their raw experiences of how giftedness, existential anxiety, and neurodivergence can create unique pressures that often manifest as disordered eating. Through authentic, unscripted conversation, this episode reveals how many of us use food behaviors as protective mechanisms when our souls feel too vast for our bodies.

Key Topics Discussed:

• How "existential claustrophobia" creates a disconnect between our infinite inner world and the limitations of physical existence
• The paradox of neurodivergent creativity: having so many ideas that they become overwhelming rather than inspiring
• Why words and traditional emotional labels often fail to capture the depth and complexity of neurodivergent experiences
• The connection between giftedness, perfectionism, and using eating disorders as a way to manage overwhelming expectations
• How authentic self-expression becomes a pathway to healing when we stop trying to fit our experiences into neurotypical frameworks
• The importance of forging your own path rather than trying to follow a map that doesn't exist

👯 Join the Autistically ED-Free Membership

💗 Apply for 1-1 Coaching with Livia

What if ED behaviors in autistic people were not problems to be fixed, but rather, powerful adaptations to feel safe? More specifically, what if eating disorders themselves are a form of autistic masking? In this episode, Livia Sara explains how eating disorders can manifest through three distinct types of masks, why neurodiversity-affirming approaches form the foundation of freedom, and how to discover your true self – without the masks of fear and limitation.

Highlights of today’s episode:

• How autistic masking can be seen as a survival strategy in a neurotypical world
• How the eating disorder forms three interwoven masks: external, identity, and compensatory
• Introduction to The Adaptive Eating Spectrum (TAES) and how different eating patterns serve as both escape and mask
• Why the body itself can feel like a mask for the infinite autistic being
• The connection between masking, Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, and eating disorder behaviors
• The powerful of transforming eating disorder “recovery” into your unique discovery journey
• How to embrace neurodivergence and create safety while unmasking

🕊️ Apply for 1-1 coaching: www.livlabelfree.com/coaching
🌈 Join the Autistically ED-Free Membership: livlabelfree.com/membership
📚My books about autism and eating disorders: livlabelfreebooks.com
📲 Connect with Livia on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/livlabelfree/

Mentioned episodes:
Spontaneous Life Update: https://www.livlabelfree.com/podcasts/liv-label-free-neurodivergent-eating-disorder-recovery/episodes/2149012972
Autism and Binge Eating (4-part series): https://www.livlabelfree.com/blog/autism-and-binge-eating-part-1
Unnecessary Calories: https://www.livlabelfree.com/podcasts/liv-label-free-neurodivergent-eating-disorder-recovery/episodes/2149024496

Do you or a loved one ever feel like you were born on the wrong planet? Livia Sara and Dr. Marianne Miller both know what it’s like to experience life as a neurodivergent alien. The existential loneliness that comes with this sense of alienation can be so unbearable that the eating disorder becomes an escape – a way to create a sense of meaning and purpose when you feel lost.

In today’s episode, Livia and Marianne discuss how eating “disorders” are adaptive responses to a threatening world, emphasizing the importance of listening to stories of lived experience.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Growing up feeling existentially lost as an autistic person in a neurotypical world
• How eating disorders can be viewed as a form of autistic masking – a way to compensate for your innate sense of being “wrong”
• Unpacking the “atypical anorexia” diagnosis and dismantling harmful hierarchies in eating disorder treatment
• The difference between autistic routines vs OCD rituals
• How eating disorders can be considered a form of stimming in neurodivergent individuals

🌈 Grab your copy of Rainbow Girl, Livia’s memoir of autism and anorexia
👯 Join the Autistically ED-Free Membership
💗 Apply for 1-1 Coaching with Livia
📷 Connect with Livia on Instagram

Mentioned episodes:

• My episode on Marianne’s Podcast
• Existential Suffering AFTER an Eating Disorder
• What if I Can’t Handle Being Healthy?

About Marianne:

Dr. Marianne has been in the mental health field for 27 years and has specialized in eating disorders for the last 12 years. She was a full-time academic for 12 years and had a part-time eating disorder practice for much of that time until she left the university and went into private practice full-time in 2018. Dr. Marianne loves working with eating disorders as a therapist and an online course creator (her newest course is on ARFID and Selective Eating). She takes a non-diet, feminist approach that helps people of all genders live empowered, authentic lives. She embraces the Health at Every Size (HAES®) model, and is neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ affirming. Dr. Marianne is neurodivergent herself.

Connect with Marianne:

Instagram @drmariannemiller

Website drmariannemiller.com

ARFID and Selective Eating Course on Teachable

What if unnecessary calories were one of the most necessary aspects of living a meaningful life? In today’s episode, Livia Sara explores the concept of “unnecessary calories” through a client’s fear of butter, revealing how this restrictive thinking is actually a manifestation of deeper existential fears. You’ll learn:

• The hidden meaning behind labeling foods as having “unnecessary calories” and how it connects to the fear of being “wrong” in the world
• Why diet culture’s contradictory messages can be particularly overwhelming for autistic individuals
• How the scarcity mindset extends beyond food into every aspect of life, from productivity to pleasure
• The powerful parallel between fearing “wasted” calories and fearing “wasted” time
• How to start challenging the labels that keep you trapped in restrictive patterns

Want to dive deeper?
👉 Work with me via 1-1 Coaching
🌈 Join the Autistically ED-Free Membership
🍩 Enroll in my Extreme Hunger Course

Mentioned episodes:

• I don’t know how much to eat!
• What if I can’t handle being healthy?
• Fear of weight gain in autism & anorexia

What if we viewed “eating disorder behaviors” as adaptive responses to an unsafe world? In this special episode, Livia Sara is interviewed by Harriet Parsons and Jenny Langley from the BodyWhys Podcast about her view of reframing eating disorders as adaptations, and how this perspective can support individuals moving from quasi recovery to a life of freedom and purpose.

Highlights of the episode:

• Livia shares her personal journey with anorexia from age 11-18 and how her autistic traits influenced both her eating disorder development and recovery path
• The concept of quasi recovery as the frustrating middle ground between active eating disorder and full freedom, and why many people get stuck in this phase
• How demand avoidance and the drive for autonomy play crucial roles in both eating disorders and recovery, especially for neurodivergent individuals
• Why the phrase “that’s your eating disorder talking” can be harmful, invalidating, and traumatic, particularly for autistic individuals
• The importance of understanding intention behind behaviors rather than simply categorizing them as “disordered” or “healthy”
• Reframing exercise and movement as adaptive rather than “compulsive,” and discovering what a healthy relationship with movement looks like for each individual
• The power of partnering with fear rather than trying to overcome it, and using anxiety as a compass to understand what matters most to us

🎙️ Listen to my free audiotraining on Autism and Eating Disorders
🌈 Join the Autistically ED-Free Membership
📚 Read my books about autism and eating disorders

Traditional eating disorder recovery advice tends to be harmful for autistic people. Many regulation techniques are often labeled as behaviors to be eliminated, which can lead to feelings of hopelessness. But there is another way!

In today’s episode, Livia speaks to Rob about his personal journey with binge eating disorder and how discovering his autism has helped him develop more effective coping strategies. We discuss the limitations of one-size-fits-all approaches to recovery, the concept of the “adaptive eating spectrum,” and the importance of forging your own path when it comes to living a meaningful life.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The nuanced view of calorie counting as a potential self-regulation tool rather than always being harmful
• How walking can help anchor autistic people in safety
• Why traditional eating disorder treatment approaches often fail autistic individuals
• Impact of the pandemic on eating habits and mental health
• Viewing eating “disorders” as adaptive responses to a neurotypical world
• Developing personalized coping mechanisms that work for your unique nervous system

🌈 Join the Autistically ED-Free Membership
🎙️ Listen to my free audiotraining on Autism and Eating Disorders
📖 Access my free extreme hunger guide for answers to the top 10 questions about extreme hunger!

Connect with Livia:
🍩 INSTAGRAM
🌐 WEBSITE
📚 BOOKS

Contact Rob at bingefreerob[at]gmail[dot]com

It’s time for another spontaneous life update! In this unscripted episode, I share some major changes and exciting announcements – including new books, moving overseas, the launch of the Autistically ED-Free Membership, reflections on the fear of relapse, and how I’m dealing with my own fear of failure.

🌈 Join the Autistically ED-Free Membership
💗 Join the Liv Label Free weekly newsletter
🎙️ Listen to my free audiotraining on Autism and Eating Disorders
📚 Read my books about autism and eating disorders