In this episode of Inclusive Movement & Nutrition Ireland, Maggie sits down with mental health advocate Sean Blake, who shares his deeply personal journey with an eating disorder and the complex relationship between exercise, control, and recovery.

Sean has become a prominent voice in mental health advocacy, working with organizations like Shine, Mental Health Ireland, Supported Families and St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services. His mission is to break the silence around eating disorders, particularly in men, and highlight the role that compulsive exercise can play in their development and persistence.

Key Highlights

• How Sean’s disordered eating began long before he realized it
• The social praise and validation that fueled his excessive running
• When exercise stopped being healthy and became harmful
• His turning point: burnout, secrecy, and the need for help
• The unspoken risks of fitness culture, step challenges, and “clean eating”
• The emotional toll on his family, especially his wife
• Why running clubs, gyms, and workplaces need better awareness
• What helped in recovery—including therapy, dietitians, and self-compassion
• Sean’s advice for coaches, fitness instructors, and everyday exercisers

If you’re a coach, parent, fitness lover or anyone navigating conversations around health and body image, this is an essential listen. Sean’s story brings to light how disordered behaviours can be hidden in plain sight, masked by our culture’s obsession with fitness and weight loss.

About Sean:

Sean Blake is a mental health advocate and lived-experience speaker based in Ireland. After years of struggling with an eating disorder—one that was deeply entangled with compulsive exercise—Sean began sharing his story to raise awareness and reduce stigma, particularly around eating disorders in men. Sean’s advocacy is rooted in honesty, vulnerability, and a drive to create more compassionate, informed spaces in fitness, healthcare, and everyday life.

Connect with Sean:

Instagram

Visit the #EDinformed campaign for fitness and health professionals

About Maggie:

Maggie is the owner of Simple Strength Leixlip, a size-inclusive gym in Ireland that prioritizes evidence-based, non-diet approaches to movement. She’s passionate about creating welcoming, empowering spaces for people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities.

Connect with Maggie:

Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/inclusive_movement_nutrition/

Business IG: https://www.instagram.com/simple.strength.leixlip/

Website: https://simplestrengthleixlip.com/

Resources Mentioned:

• BodyWhys
• Shine Mental Health Support
• Patrick’s Mental Health Services
• Mental Health Ireland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Inclusive Movement & Nutrition Ireland, Maggie shares her journey of how exercise evolved from a source of strength into a coping mechanism rooted in fear. What began as a healthy postpartum habit slowly became a way to avoid difficult emotions, mask undiagnosed postnatal depression, and seek external validation.

Through raw reflection, Maggie explores how even the most celebrated wellness behaviors—like running during pregnancy—can become unhealthy when driven by fear, perfectionism, or internalized pressure. She also challenges common fitness narratives around confidence, “bouncing back,” and mental health, offering a compassionate reminder that movement should serve you, not control you.

Key Highlights

• How postpartum running became a coping mechanism for undiagnosed postnatal depression
• The subtle shift from “healthy habits” to obsessive exercise and the fear that drove it
• Why running during pregnancy wasn’t about fitness but about control and fear of stopping
• The dark side of “bounce back” praise and how external validation fed unhealthy behaviors
• Red flags in your relationship with exercise and why obsession is often mistaken for discipline

If this episode resonates with you or someone you know, please share it. Let’s change the conversation around exercise and motherhood.

About Maggie:

Maggie is the owner of Simple Strength Leixlip, a size-inclusive gym in Ireland that prioritizes evidence-based, non-diet approaches to movement. She’s passionate about creating welcoming, empowering spaces for people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities

Connect with Maggie:

Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/inclusive_movement_nutrition/

Business IG: https://www.instagram.com/simple.strength.leixlip/

Website: https://simplestrengthleixlip.com/

Mental Health Support Ireland

HSE Mental Health Services

• Website: HSE.ie or YourMentalHealth.ie
• Freephone: 1800 929 539

St Patrick's Mental Health Services

• Website: stpatricks.ie
• Phone: (01) 249 3200

Mental Health Ireland

• Address: Marina House, 11-13 Clarence Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
• Website: mentalhealthireland.ie

Perinatal Mental Health

HSE Specialist Perinatal Mental Health

• Access through HSE mental health services or your GP
• Website: HSE.ie

Body Image & Eating Disorder Support

Bodywhys - The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland

• Helpline: (01) 2107906
• Website: bodywhys.ie
• Address: PO Box 105, Blackrock, Co Dublin

St Patrick's Eating Disorders Programme

• Phone: (01) 249 3200
• Website: stpatricks.ie

Eating Disorder Clinic Ireland

• Website: eatingdisorderclinic.ie

Crisis Support

• Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7)
• Text HELLO to 50808 (free crisis text line)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Inclusive Movement & Nutrition Ireland, Maggie sits down with returning guest Laura Doyle to unpack the rise of supermarket swap videos on social media and the subtle ways they reinforce diet culture.

This conversation explores why food is never just food, and how “healthy choices” are often rooted in privilege, perfectionism, and fear.

Key Highlights:

• Why processed food isn’t inherently bad, and can be life-changing for people with dietary needs.
• How “better-for-you” messaging reinforces shame, ableism, and food privilege.
• The emotional and mental load of trying to eat “perfectly” (especially for parents)
• Why intention matters more than ingredients, and how to reclaim peace with food.

If you've ever felt guilty about your food shop or caught yourself overthinking every label, this one’s for you.

Please hit subscribe, rate & review the podcast, and share it with a friend, colleague, or client who’s exploring life beyond diet culture.

About Laura:

Join Laura in person on the 26th July in Rathcoffey Co. Kildare for a retreat for people in bigger bodies who want to practice accessible yoga in an authentic and affirming atmosphere.

https://www.lauradoyle.ie/pages/biggerbodiesretreat

Laura Doyle is a trauma-informed yoga and meditation teacher who helps women in bigger bodies reconnect with themselves through movement, rest, and radical self-compassion. Her work gently invites you to step away from shame, perfectionism, and the quiet grip of diet culture—and into practices that feel nourishing, supportive, and deeply human.

She’s the founder of Move ~ Breathe ~ Belong, a soon-to-launch membership that offers short, soul-soothing yoga and meditation practices designed for real life. Laura’s approach is warm, welcoming, and rooted in the belief that your body is not a problem to fix—it’s a place to come home to.

Connect with Laura:

Website: https://www.lauradoyle.ie/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfullylaura/

About Maggie:

Maggie is the owner of Simple Strength Leixlip, a size-inclusive gym in Ireland that prioritizes evidence-based, non-diet approaches to movement. She’s passionate about creating welcoming, empowering spaces for people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities

Connect with Maggie:

Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/inclusive_movement_nutrition/

Business IG: https://www.instagram.com/simple.strength.leixlip/

Website: https://simplestrengthleixlip.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.