Recently Self Love Beauty joined the Eating Recovery Center during their “Don’t Miss It” campaign. We want to work with companies such as this one to promote mental health and self-love. 

Our mission is to ensure women have self-love through feeling confident in their own beauty and feeling empowered one story at a time knowing they are not alone on their journey to reach their full potential. Mental Illness and Eating Disorders are what many men and woman around the world continue to deal with and their stories of empowerment, courage and confident should be shared. 

I had the opportunity virtually meet Robyn Cruze, a National Recovery Advocate for the Eating Recovery Center and I wanted to share some more about her and her initiative in the hopes to help others share their stories and for each reader to be more knowledgable. She is a wonderful woman who we can each learn from! 

Check out my interview with Robyn below:

1. Hi Robyn, it is virtually nice to meet you! Can you share with me a little more about yourself?

Hi Lisa! It’s nice to meet you, too! I’m the co-author of Making Peace with Your Plate and the National Recovery Advocate for Eating Recovery Center. Oh, and the host of their Facebook page which really means I spend my days sharing my recovery story to bring hope to those who struggle with eating disorders, including their loved ones. I specialize in, and am very passionate about, educating professionals to identify co-occurring illnesses such as eating and substance use disorders. 50% of all those who struggle with eating disorder will also be susceptible to substance use disorder—that’s me.

2. I know you are involved with the Eating Recovery Center, why did you decide to get involved?

I actually thought that after I’d finished the last chapter of my book, I would be able to put that part of my life behind me. I wanted move on with my life. Leave that mess behind!  But I couldn’t budge the nagging voice inside that called me to use my voice to help others to find recovery too.
So, I researched all the eating disorder facilities in the US to find a place that had three elements I believed treatment needed: Cutting edge treatment that treats the whole person, support after recovery—because, let’s face it—that’s where the rubber hits the road. And just as important, family support, because family’s hurt and need their own recovery process too. Eating Recovery Center had these elements. It’s was a no brainer to partner with them.

3. What inspires you to continue to speak openly about eating disorders?

My first career was as a professional actor, so I was very comfortable speaking in front of others but I also had an odd comfort and willingness to discuss all the messy stuff that we experience in early recovery — that we don’t often talk about. I remember feeling so alone with the scary feelings of my illness. Thinking if I said what I really felt, I’d be institutionalized. But through my own recovery and support network, I realized that I wasn’t alone. Using my voice to make a difference seemed like my calling.  I want to let people know that they aren’t alone. I am of the philosophy that to provide people with the tools of recovery there needs to be two things: 1. Treatment and 2. Identification. I’m the identification part of the equation.

4. What advice would you give to someone during the “Don’t Miss It” Campaign?

I spoke a lot during the #DontMissIt Campaign. I chose to focus on #DontMissAchievingYourDreams. I did this because when I was in my illness, I believed that I needed the eating disorder to survive this world, and all the emotions that came with it. I was wrong, of course.  The very thing I depended on (eating disorder behavior) to help me, was the very thing taking me away from my dreams. From speaking with many patients over the years, I know that this is a common belief. I want to blow that belief up, and replace the belied with “we are all the power we give our eating disorder.” Without it, we can expect miracles… and oh yes, achieve our dreams. They are just waiting for us to walk in and own—without the eating disorder.

Robyn ending this great interview by sharing:

“We are a village and what we can’t do alone, we can do together.” 

Join Us and Share Your Story During May

Join Self Love Beauty and our mission to share your story to inspire others. One story can impact and change lives. ERC’s “Don’t Miss It” campaign is an opportunity for you and I to inspire change in the fight against eating disorders, bringing awareness and the best treatment options from the nation’s leading experts to those who need it most.

Submit your stories to [email protected] or for founder Lisa Thompson to interview you. Share the hashtag #dontmissit and tag us to spread the word.

More on Robyn Cruze: 

Robyn Cruze is Eating Recovery Center’s National Recovery Advocate. She has published several books, including Making Peace with Your Plate (co-authored with Espra Andrus) and Lovely Dreams. Robyn writes, speaks and educates on building a healthy relationship with your body and the food you put in it, parenting and aging within an unrealistic body image culture, and how to recognize eating disorder behaviors and recover. She is a member of the Nationals Speakers Association and a certified life and corporate coach. Robyn lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and two daughters.