I Didn't Start What’s Eating You? (WEY) Because I Had All the Answers. I Started It Because I Know What It Means to Need Support.

I didn't create "WEY" because I thought I could fix people. I created it because I know, through my own lived experience, how complicated, isolating, and consuming an eating disorder can be. I know how much it matters to have someone who understands and that too many people are struggling quietly. Some cannot afford treatment, find appropriate support or have spent years feeling misunderstood, ashamed, or alone. Some are fighting battles that extend far beyond food and body image.

I wanted to create a place they could come without having to explain everything, defend their struggles, or pretend they were doing better than they were.  So I started building it.

Today, "WEY" is more than a support group. It's a commitment I have made to people who deserve to be heard, supported, and reminded that they are not alone.

My name is Stephanie and I'm a New York State-certified Peer Support Specialist. I facilitate FREE eating disorder support groups, administer online communities, develop recovery resources, and work to bring more awareness to the often-overlooked relationship between eating disorders and co-occurring addictive behaviors.

There is no big organization behind me, no marketing department, no outside funding and no large team making this happen. There is a person who believes this work matters enough to keep showing up, investing her own time and resources to make something meaningful happen.

I've reached out to communities, professionals, organizations, and potential partners. I've looked for opportunities to bring resources, education, and support to people who need them. I've tried to create connections and build something that can reach beyond the small circle of people who already know “WEY” exists.  Getting that support and traction hasn't always been easy but the need hasn't disappeared.

I don't believe people should have to be financially comfortable, have the perfect insurance, live in the right community, or reach a crisis point before they can find connection and support. I also don't believe recovery should be something people have to navigate alone.

I'm not a treatment center or a substitute for clinical or medical care. I'm someone with lived experience who believes peer support has a place in the recovery process. A place for honest conversations, shared experiences, learning from one another, and finding a little less loneliness in something that can be incredibly isolating.

I started "WEY" because I wanted to make a difference in a space where I know people are hurting and I'm not finished.

I want "WEY" to reach more people and that clinicians know we're here. I want communities to recognize the value of peer support and the person searching desperately for help to find us before they give up looking.

Because if there is one thing I want people to understand, it's this:

You shouldn't have to be able to afford help to deserve support and if I can help even one more person feel less alone, then continuing to build "WEY" matters.

​

This is why "WEY" exists and this is why I will keep showing up.

​