Joining me for this, the first of two episodes recorded in April 2023 as part of 'The Conversations Series' is Laura Francis. Laura is a Poet, and is from Brighton on the South Coast of the UK. Laura is a beautiful soul, instantly likeable with a smile which could light up the darkest of rooms. Bubbly and vivacious in these interviews, whilst talking about her incredibly personal and painful experiences. In this raw and honest conversation, Laura opens up about Anorexia, the all encompassing eating disorder and mental health condition she has been living with since she was a young girl. She talks about how she feels it contributed to her missing out on learning how to be an adult due to her hospital admissions at a young age. How effective, people with mental illness become at being a chameleon. And of course, so much more.. I even educate Laura on the simple beauty of the Blackbird song! For more information relating to Anorexia please see Overview - Anorexia - https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/anorexia/overview/ Useful Mental Health Numbers & Websites. UK - In immediate danger or crisis 999 UK - Non Crisis Call 111 www.mind.org.uk www.mentalhealth.org.uk USA Call or Text 988 Canada Call 1-888-688-6810 or Text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth Call 1-888-585-0445 or Text WELLNESS to 741741 for adults Call 310-6789 (No area code needed) for emotional support, info & resources specific to mental health. Call kids Help Phone at 1-800-688-6868 to speak to a professional counsellor 24 hours a day. Germany - Telefon Seelsorge: Call 112 Life threatening crisis Police Call 110 Counselling & advice available online and also by calling - 0800 111 0111 0800 111 022 or 116 123 Music under intro: Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/brock-hewitt-stories-in-sound/moving License code: HP12TFTQBA9J6ETP --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lyrical-life/message