ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I’m joined by Beverley Atkins, a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and founder of Pauseture, a somatic movement platform helping people reconnect with their bodies through gentle, guided movement.
This conversation feels especially important for anyone navigating anorexia recovery, eating disorder recovery, compulsive exercise, body mistrust, or nervous system dysregulation.
Many people in eating disorder recovery spend years trying to think their way to healing.
Trying to understand more.
Trying to control more.
Trying to get recovery “right”.
And yet the body can still feel unsafe, uncomfortable, noisy, or impossible to trust.
What if healing does not always begin with thinking harder?
What if healing can begin by learning to notice the body differently?
Beverley shares her own deeply personal story of growing up in a larger body, beginning dieting as a child, and spending decades trapped in yo-yo dieting and all-or-nothing patterns around food.
In her 30s, that shifted into extreme exercise.
She completed three marathons in 18 months, countless triathlons, and eventually Ironman Hawaii in 2009.
Looking back, Beverley now understands how undiagnosed ADHD shaped much of her experience.
The food noise.
The hyperfocus.
The perfectionism.
The all-or-nothing patterns.
The nervous system dysregulation.
Everything made more sense through that lens.
In 2014, while working at Facebook in a high-pressure environment, her body forced a stop when her back gave out completely.
That crisis led her to Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement — a gentle, audio-guided somatic practice she initially tried for pain relief.
What she found was something much deeper.
This work gradually transformed her relationship with:
- Her body
- Food
- Exercise
- Emotional regulation
- Safety
- Self-awareness
In this conversation, we explore:
- How eating disorders disconnect us from the body
- Why compulsive exercise often becomes a coping strategy
- The link between ADHD and disordered eating patterns
- Why meditation can feel unbearable for dysregulated nervous systems
- How somatic movement offers a gentler doorway into healing
- Why curiosity is one of recovery’s most powerful tools
- The difference between body judgement and body awareness
- How the brain rewires through novelty, attention, and safe exploration
One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is Beverley’s perspective on body image.
She explains that healing did not begin with loving her body.
It began with something much simpler.
Paying attention without judgement.
Not fixing.
Not forcing.
Not criticising.
Just noticing.
And sometimes that neutral attention is where healing begins.
This episode is especially for you if:
- You feel disconnected from your body
- Rest feels uncomfortable or frightening
- Stillness makes you anxious
- You struggle with compulsive movement or exercise addiction
- Recovery feels stuck in overthinking
- You long to feel safer in your body
Recovery does not always require more force.
Sometimes it asks for less.
Less fighting.
Less judgement.
Less performance.
And more curiosity.
Instagram: @pauseture
Facebook: Pauseture on Facebook
Website: Pauseture
If this episode helped you, please share it with someone who may need it.
For deeper support in recovery, come and explore The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, my recovery membership offering expert guidance, practical tools, courses, workshops, and compassionate community support.
You can also find me at Julia Trehane Coaching
Thank you for listening.
With love,
Julia x
Connect with Beverley Atkins
