The 3rd Annual Finding Freedom Gala
I have never travelled solo before. Not to sound dramatic but it is one of the many things that has eluded me over the years… until now. For my first solo trip to be a three day Chicago journey to attend the Kirsten Haglund Foundation’s Finding Freedom Gala, I’d say I did pretty darn good. I don’t know if it counts as a fully solo trip considering I was joined by Nyla and Phoebe (two amazing volunteers of The RecoverED Project) but flying solo and spending the first day alone in Chicago counts in my books. Overall, the entire experience was amazing, not to mention I was just happy to be there no matter what. It was an absolute honor to be able to attend the Gala, and to also be asked to host a table on behalf of The RecoverED Project. October 17th will forever be remembered in my mind (and my camera roll).
This was the 3rd annual Finding Freedom Gala hosted by the Kirsten Haglund Foundation. The Kirsten Haglund Foundation is an organization dedicated to providing resources and scholarships to those in recovery from an eating disorder. The Gala is meant to be a place to foster conversation around eating disorders, to raise awareness, and to help fight back against this illness! I was presented with the opportunity to talk with professionals, volunteers, and those downright passionate about the topic. While this event fostered a space for conversation, it also created a place for learning as well. I am so grateful I was presented with this opportunity. I met amazing people from many organizations all over America and got the opportunity to chat with so many professionals.
Listening to Carolyn Costin, author and psychotherapist, speak was amazing. She spoke about her own eating disorder journey, opening up Monte Nido (the first residential eating disorder program in the U.S.) and navigating advocacy and therapy in a time when eating disorders were not widely recognized or understood. It was so insightful to hear her speak about the way she fought in the professional field to show that someone can fully recover from an eating disorder, and that it is not something they need to struggle with for the rest of their lives. I took away so many things from her talk that I cannot wait to apply to my own advocacy work with The RecoverED Project. One thing she spoke about that has stuck with me was this; You are not your eating disorder, the eating disorder was something that happened to you. There are two selves, your ‘self’ and your ‘eating disorder self’—they are not one in the same. To really drive the point home, if you are to remember one thing, it is that you are not your illness. This is something she talked deeply and passionately about and it will stick with me for a long time.
Rachel Steil’s talk also deeply resonated with me. As a former athlete myself, I remember feeling alone in my struggle with an eating disorder, and often wondered if there was anybody out there that knew how I felt. Rachel expressed a similar story that I could sympathize with. This is the exact reason Rachel found herself advocating for athletes with eating disorders. From writing a book to starting the nonprofit Running in Silence, Rachel has been a primary voice in the athletic community. I unfortunately didn’t get to speak with her personally but Rachel, if you’re reading this, what you’re doing absolutely amazes me.
Not only did I get to listen and learn from these two amazing speakers, but I got to join everyone there in honouring them as award recipients. Carolyn accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award while Rachel accepted the Advocacy Award, both of which are well deserved.
If I tried to list everybody I had the opportunity to speak with, I would be writing for months on end. I cannot express how lucky I feel to have been able to attend this event. From dieticians and therapists, to treatment centers, to individuals connected to the mental health field through a loved one, each and every person I spoke with was passionate about helping and sparked insightful and meaningful conversations. I am honoured to have been in a room with so many impactful people.
My biggest thank you goes out to the Kirsten Haglund Foundation. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting us to attend this event, and for giving us a platform to showcase our organization and converse with so many people just as passionate about eating disorder awareness as we are. I also want to extend my gratitude to The RecoverED Project for allowing me the opportunity to attend this event and represent them. It is a privilege I do not take lightly and will always carry that sentiment close to my heart. And of course there was no one I would have rather done it with than two of our Project Specialists Phoebe and Nyla. Being a mainly online organization, it’s not often you get to meet anybody outside of computer screens. So the fact that I met two fellow volunteers and was able to experience this event with them, is amazing to me. I do want to take a moment to acknowledge all the hard work they put into attending this event, it was not done lightly and their dedication and commitment deserves recognition.
This was truly an amazing experience and there is no part of me whatsoever that would turn down the opportunity to do this again. Not only did I get to meet people just as passionate as I am, but I got to learn new things and will take this new experience with me into any future endeavours I may do.
