The Pressure to Push Through: Eli Teel on Eating Disorder Recovery as a Trans College Student

We chose to honor this year’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week by trying something new - our first ever mini-series. The topic? Real stories from the intersection of college life, mental health, and eating disorders. So, for the next few days you’ll see three back-to-back episodes appear in your feeds, each taking a different angle on these pivotal years. You’ll also have the chance to meet a new guest host, Shannon Kopp, who has spent years cultivating recovery-focused relationships on campuses around the country. 
For the first episode, Shannon talks with UC Davis graduate Eli Teel about navigating a mental and physical metamorphosis during college. He shares how academic pressure, gender dysphoria, and the shift to college contributed to the development of an eating disorder — and why coming out about it felt harder than coming out as trans. 
Their conversation brings a personal perspective to the intersection of LGBTQ+ mental health and eating disorders, the role of different treatment levels -  residential, IOP and PHP - and why multiple rounds of treatment can feel like failure, but is actually meaningful progress.