[Interview] Eating disorders and recovery in film with Elizabeth Ayiku

·30 min·2 clips

Julie interviews Elizabeth Ayiku about her film 'Me Little Me', which portrays eating disorder recovery while working full-time.

In episode 391 of Find Your Food Voice, host Julie Duffy Dillon interviews filmmaker Elizabeth Ayiku about her film 'Me Little Me'. Dillon expresses excitement after watching the unreleased film, which portrays a person accessing eating disorder recovery while working full-time. Ayiku states she created the film for Black and Brown women who haven't seen themselves represented in eating disorder treatment media. She describes the film as a 'slice of life' that resonates beyond eating disorder communities. Ayiku critiques typical Hollywood portrayals that show residential treatment, explaining her film depicts intensive outpatient programs where individuals attend treatment after work. She shares her personal experience with strict treatment protocols in the past, noting they were regimented and sometimes harmful. A key scene involves a clinician providing unconditional love and support, which Ayiku credits as crucial to her recovery. Dillon reflects on how the film reminds clinicians that therapeutic relationships are human-to-human experiences. Ayiku discusses including diverse characters based on people she met in recovery spaces, highlighting the importance of community. She mentions the character Shay, who persistently offers friendship, representing the 'treatment bestie' dynamic. When asked what viewers should take away, Ayiku advises being gentle with oneself and practicing self-compassion. The film is set for release on November 8th on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. Pre-sales from November 1st to 7th will donate a portion of proceeds to Project Heal, an organization aiding eating disorder treatment access. Dillon encourages listeners to pre-order and process the film's themes together.

As heard by us

A thoughtful film conversation about recovery, care, and the relationships that make difficult work possible.

Recorded soon after Julie watched Me Little Me, this episode has a useful sense of immediacy. Elizabeth, the film's writer, director, and producer, talks through the choice to follow someone working full-time, trying to make ends meet, and seeking recovery from an eating…

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Why you'd press play

You want to process Me Little Me while its eating-disorder recovery scenes are still sitting with you.

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