SEASON 1 IS SOLD OUT!
Get on the Waitlist for Season 2 of the Academy.
Autistically ED-Free Academy
Your Neurodiversity-Affirming Roadmap to Eating Disorder Recovery with Livia Sara
Count me in!An 8-week group program for neurodivergent individuals, parents, and caregivers that want to understand how to support ED recovery while embracing autism đ
The traditional ED recovery model can often be traumatizing for autistic folks and their families...
â Youâre forced to engage in FBT and other âtraditionalâ models, despite it being harmful
â Your relationships crumble due to a loss of trust
â You get passed from pillar to post, with no one who really understands the connection between autism and eating disorders
â Youâre stamped with all sorts of labels including too complex, manipulative, treatment-resistant, defiant, and hopeless
â Thereâs too much focus on body image, food, and weight, overlooking the root cause of the eating disorder
â Autistic traits are often labeled as âED behaviors,â sacrificing your ability to regulate
You donât deserve that. The Autistically ED-Free Academy is here to help you and your loved ones find freedom from not only the eating disorder, but also the guilt, shame, and hopelessness thatâs been placed on you by the system.
Parent testimonial:Â
Livia Sara's work is genius and her ability to understand eating disorders, especially when in the mind of an autistic teenager. Words cannot express my gratitude for Livia. I don't know where we would be if we didn't find her. We searched for 2 years to find someone to help us, some one who could shine a light and show us a pathway that would actually work and save our child. We still have some work to do, but with Livia's guidance we move closer every day to my daughters mental and physical health being restored.
â Donna, UK
I want this!In the Autistically ED-Free Academy, you'll learn:
â How to distinguish autistic traits from eating disorder behaviors
â Â How to communicate with someone who has demand avoidance (PDA)
â Â How to respect the autistic need for structure while bringing in more flexibility
â Â How to regain trust after FBT and other harmful treatments
â Â How to get out of fight-or-flight mode and make peace with rest
â Â How to embrace and encourage autonomy while fostering safety
If you're committed to getting yourself or a loved one the support they deserve, join the Autistically ED-Free Academy today!
Client testimonial:Â
The sessions and times I had worked with Livia are going to be one of the most valuable experiences I have done. She is extremely knowledgeable in both ED and ASD. This is very very rare and she has a gift to explain to me in an angle I have not been able to see and know. I also valued her responses to my texts and never being inpatient or unattractive to me. If I have to use 1 word to describe our relationship, I would use the word - connection! True connection is always missing in many relationships and even to ourselves.
â Tammy, US
Take the First Step to FreedomCourse Curriculum
Week 1: Welcome & Intro
Hello, hi! Because you'll be going on an intimate, vulnerable, and often confrontational journey with other committed souls, it's important we all have an open mindset regarding the topics to come. So in this initial week, you'll learn how to recognize mental barriers and shift these to empowering beliefs.
Week 2: Understanding Autistic Traits
Autism is generally understood to be a "brain disorder" while disregarding the nervous system and the unique gifts autistic people bring to the world. In this week of the program, you'll learn to view autism through an adaptive lens. Not only will this perspective help you communicate more effectively, but it will lay the foundation for understanding how autistic traits can contribute to eating disorders.
Week 3: Adaptive Model of Eating Disorders
It's no secret that eating disorders tend to present differently in autistic folks â so how do we recognize and accommodate these differences in ED recovery? In Week 3 of the program, we'll dive into underlying reasons why autistic people develop eating disorders, including: black and white thinking, existential angst, gender dysphoria, the need for structure, and more. You'll also learn about the "tipping point" that shifts someone's denial about their ED to actually WANTING to get better.
Week 4: Autistic Manifestations of Disordered Eating
Get ready to get practical! In Week 4, we'll go through a multitude of ways in which "eating disorder behaviors" can mask autistic traits. You'll learn what's at the root of the eating issues â including sensory issues, interoceptive difficulties, the need for predictability and routine, among others â so you can untangle autistic traits from eating disorder behaviors. With this, you'll learn how to respect the autistic traits while simultaneously tackling the more destructive ED-driven behaviors.
Week 5: Escaping Fight-or-Flight Mode
Anxiety, restlessness, and constantly needing to stand and/or pace are common experiences in autistic people with eating disorders. In most cases, these mobilization behaviors are an adaptive response to release "trapped energy" as a result of being in fight-or-flight mode. In Week 5 of the program, you'll learn how to channel this energy into the commitment to recover.
Week 6: Communication & PDA
Demand avoidance is frequently overlooked in autistic people with eating disorders. However, it often plays a key role in tailoring one's recovery journey. In Week 6, you'll learn what language to use to either coach yourself, or to communicate with your autistic child or clients in a PDA-affirming way.
Week 7: Rebuilding Relationships (with a special guest!)
Eating disorders don't just affect the individual; they affect everyone around them. FBT and other "traditional" treatment modalities often destroy trust, leaving tension and trauma in their wake. But there IS hope! This week's session will be dedicated to a LIVE Q&A with my mom about how we not only rebuilt, but even strengthened our relationship through our family's ED recovery journey.
Week 8: Supporting Full Recovery
What does full recovery from an eating disorder even look like for a neurodivergent person? Contrary to what you may have been told, an eating disorder is NOT something you have to "manage" for the rest of your life. It's merely the result of engrained thought patterns, thought patterns we can change through consistent action. This final week of the program teaches you how to create your unique "safety box" that keeps your authentic values in, while restriction, fear, and limitation stay OUT.
Parent testimonialÂ
Liv is an exceptional human being and a superlative coach. If you want to understand autism, eating disorders, and yourself she is not only the best but the easiest person to talk to. Wise, compassionate, and driven by respect and love; Liv has essential insights that will help you in your journey wherever you are. I cannot recommend her highly enough.
â Amy, UK
What's included in the Autistically ED-Free Academy?
Weekly group coaching calls, including presentation plus Q&A with Livia Sara.
24/7 access to a private community (not on FB!) to ask questions, get advice, and share wins.
Video recordings of all sessions plus one-year access to recordings.
Take The First Step to Your Neurodiversity-Affirming Eating Disorder Recovery Journey Today.
Join the WaitlistClient testimonialÂ
"Livia changed my life. As an autistic person that has ED lived experience, she truly 'gets it' like no one else I worked with before. She understands the unique struggles when autism and eating disorders overlap and has genius insights on challenging the eating disorder while embracing the autism. Her guidance helped me break free from rigid patterns while keeping my need for structure and routine. I learned to trust parts of myself that I had pushed away for years. I finally feel confident about my recovery and I couldnât have done it without her."
â Bo, UK