Dating in Recovery: On Vulnerability, Diet Culture in Relationships, and Finding Someone Who Can Handle the Hard Stuff (Bonus Episode)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.comAbbie answers a listener question about one of the most complicated intersections: dating (relationships) and diet culture — especially when you're carrying a history of body shame, disordered eating, and the ongoing, nonlinear work of recovery.Elizabeth, a listener in her early 30s, writes in about the men she keeps encountering on the apps — the gym-obsessed ones, the salad-only ones — and asks a question that cuts to the heart of it: is this my gut, or is this fear?What you'll hear:*Why "too sensitive" isn't a useful frame — and what to ask instead*Safety and self-worth as the foundation of dating in recovery*Learning to trust your intuition when diet culture has distorted it*When to share your mental health history (and when you don't have to)*The difference between a trigger and something to work through*Revisiting your dating app parameters — and the biases built into them*Abbie's own experience navigating ED recovery while datingThen Jeb, Abbie's husband, joins for an unplanned conversation about what it was actually like when they met — both carrying things they weren't sure how to share.*What happened when Jeb disclosed his sobriety on a rooftop, early on*Why vulnerability can work as a filter, not just a risk*What Jeb was looking for in a partner when he was newly out of treatment*The moment Abbie knew he was someone she could be with through hard thingsThis episode is ultimately about openness — what it costs, what it protects, and what becomes possible when you find someone willing to meet you there.This is a BONUS episode for paid subscribers on Substack. To hear it, upgrade here: https://abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe