Middle Place of Recovery with Mallary TenoreMiddle Place of Recovery with Mallary Tenore
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu Robinson and journalist Mallary Tenore Tarpley talk about eating disorders, relapse and what she calls the “middle place” of recovery. The conversation covers shame, stereotypes, social media pressures and how she parents young children while still actively working on her own healing.
46:18•29 Jul 2025
Life in the Middle Place: Eating Disorders, Slips and Honest Recovery
Episode Overview
- Recovery can be a long-lasting middle place where someone is safer and more stable, but still vulnerable and working hard on change.
- Relapses or "slips" do not erase progress; getting curious about why they happen can prevent them turning into full slides.
- Eating disorders affect people of all sizes, ages, genders and backgrounds, and are often missed because professionals expect a narrow stereotype.
- Comments about weight and food, especially from adults in authority, can act as powerful triggers, so language around bodies and eating needs real care.
- Parents can reduce risk by avoiding body-shaming, keeping food neutral instead of "good" or "bad", and modelling respect for all bodies.
“"I decided to become very curious about what would it take to write a book about life in this middle place. What does it mean to be better but not all better?"”
This conversation between host Coach Blu Robinson and journalist/author Mallary Tenore Tarpley sits right in that space, focusing on eating disorders, relapse, and the often-overlooked stage of being "better, but not all better." Mallary, who was diagnosed with anorexia at 13 after her mother’s death, talks openly about years of hospitalisations, residential treatment and then relapsing at college while still telling everyone she was "fully recovered." That tension inspired her upcoming book on the “middle place” of recovery — the space between acute sickness and the neat, shiny idea of being totally fixed.
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety and healing when they’re stuck in the messy middle? As she puts it, "What does it mean to be better but not all better?" and how can people in that space feel seen instead of ashamed? You’ll hear a powerful reframe of relapse as "slips" that don’t have to become slides.
Mallary describes learning to get curious instead of catastrophising: "You can hold two seemingly opposing truths in the same palm of your hand… slips can happen and you can make progress." Coach Blu connects this to addiction recovery, talking about purpose in the middle and letting go of the fantasy finish line.
The episode also looks at harmful myths: that eating disorders only affect thin white teenage girls, that you can spot them by looking, and that they’re a simple choice. Mallary highlights how little training doctors get and how people in larger or "normal" bodies are often dismissed, even when they’re dangerously unwell.
Parents will especially relate to her honest reflections on raising young children while managing her own vulnerability, from avoiding body-bashing in front of them to keeping food neutral rather than "good" or "bad." If you’ve ever felt stuck between relapse and recovery, this honest middle-place conversation might be exactly where you recognise yourself.
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