Hi, I'm Hanne Arts. Eating disorder recovery coach, author, YouTuber... and fully recovered from anorexia myself.
For the last nine years, I've been helping others do the same. That's the work I love most, so the title of coach is the one I take the most pride in.
I'm a psychology graduate (BSc Hons, UoB), with training in eating disorders (NEDC), Mental Health First Aid (MHFA England), and safeguarding, self-harm, and suicide prevention. But before any of that, I was the girl who desperately needed to believe recovery was possible. And that's where my passion for this work was born.
My eating disorder story (in a nutshell)
In January 2010, I was diagnosed with anorexia. A month later, I was hospitalized. For nearly six years, my mind was consumed. I'd weigh myself daily, negotiate every meal, and filter every decision through the narrowing lens of the eating disorder.
I became smaller while the eating disorder became bigger.
My parents watched it happen, helpless, like so many other parents who watch their children struggle in silence. And they did what many parents would do: they forced me to eat. They threatened me with hospitals. They fought for me when I couldn't fight for myself.
I hated them for it.
I went through treatments — many of them — to get them off my back. And it wasn't until a major relapse in 2015, when I realized I wasn't actually in control at all, that I felt scared for the first time. And I knew things had to change.
What I believe about recovery
Recovery isn't just about eating enough. It's not about going through the motions, and it's not about weight.
Recovery is about exploring your why, and fighting for it even when darker thoughts obscure it entirely.
Recovery is about getting to the point where food isn't the loudest thing in your head. Where a restaurant menu doesn't spiral into a panic attack, and where your body's needs aren't something you spend every waking moment fighting.
No, I'm not talking about quasi-recovery, or getting better at following your own rules. Been there, done that, wouldn't recommend it.
I'm talking about full recovery. Freedom.
The life I've been living for the past decade.
The life you deserve, too.
The life I help others reclaim for themselves.
From dreaming about recovery to living it
Knowing why the eating disorder does what it does is useful. But knowing what to actually do in the moments it gets loud — standing at the fridge, staring at a fear food, panicking after a meal — that's where recovery starts to feel real.
That's where my work lives.
We work through the things that keep most people stuck — the fear foods, the guilt, the body changes — using evidence-informed tools and a great deal of stubborn persistence to get you from dreaming about recovery to actually living it.
I know what it feels like to believe you'll never get better, and I know that belief can be wrong.
I used to wake up disappointed that I'd made it through the night. But today, when the sun wakes me, I barely recognize the old life.
I now have the life the eating disorder told me I could never have. And if you're reading this from the middle of your own journey: you don't have to keep fighting for the rest of your life either.
If you're ready to start, my door's always open → https://hannearts.co.uk
Books
Just Perfect (2014) — fictional memoir about anorexia, bullying and recovery.
Red Ribbons (2017) — sequel to Just Perfect.
The Recovery Letters (2017) — contributor to this anthology of recovery letters.
Podcast
The ED Recovery Messages — conversations on eating disorder recovery.
Media & press
BBC News — radio feature on my recovery journey.
Beat — "Hanne's Story": my recovery story for the UK's eating disorder charity.
Love What Matters — my recovery journey.
Het Laatste Nieuws (2015) — feature in Belgium's leading newspaper.
Where to find me
Instagram — I share daily recovery thoughts, wins, and behind-the-scenes
YouTube — the longer conversations live on my channel
Newsletter — weekly-ish recovery insights and chats
Work with me — private or group recovery coaching
I'm also recovering from an eating disorder (started with bulimia but later on it became anorexia) but it seems I dont really need many calories to put on some weight. Do you have any idea of how many calories you needed in the beggining of your journey towards recovery to put on some weight? And do you think that the longer you're underweight you will need more/less calories?
ReplyDeleteMe to gender dysphoria is bad to born a male but feel like a woman..
ReplyDeleteI forgot to tell you I started female hormones on February 18th finely going to be the person who was born a female
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