We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Choeunchan Lee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Choeunchan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I was only in middle school when my eating disorder reached its peak. Having grown up in Korea, I was constantly exposed to unrealistic beauty standards on social media such as TikTok and Instagram. The pressure to fit that ideal led me into extreme dieting and an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.
Although I eventually recovered, I could not forget how isolating that experience was. When I later learned that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate among all mental illnesses, I knew I could not stay silent. That realization pushed me to take a risk by sharing my story publicly.
During my junior year, I spent sleepless nights writing Healing Together: 40 Days of Recovery, a book that provides day-by-day guidance for healing. I donated copies to eating disorder clinics and am planning to donate all earnings to Project HEAL, a nonprofit that works to improve access to treatment, where I also serve as an ambassador. Publishing the book was scary because it meant exposing my deepest vulnerability, but when I pictured others finding comfort and hope in its pages, I knew the risk was worth it.
Choeunchan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I wrote “Healing Together: 40 Days of Recovery” with the goal of making it feel conversational and personal. Unlike a traditional book, it combines my writing with spaces for readers to respond to questions, creating an interactive dialogue. I use second-person pronouns and often speak directly to the reader, giving the book a supportive, companion-like tone similar to a therapist’s guidance. As the title suggests, it is divided into 40 days filled with daily prompts, reflection exercises, and hands-on activities designed to help readers build self-love and trust in both their body and mind.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Recovering from my eating disorder was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Sharing those struggles publicly felt even harder. During recovery, I was terrified of gaining weight and breaking old habits, but I pushed through because I knew it was for the best. The process was far from linear, and there were moments when I felt tempted to fall back into my old habits. Still, I learned that recovery, no matter how painful, is always worth it. I want to tell those who are currently struggling to know that recovery is possible, and that it is worth every challenge along the way.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One lesson I had to unlearn to initiate my book project was that my struggles were not weaknesses. Even while I was going through my eating disorder, I refused to ask for help thinking I would seem vulnerable. But now I’ve learned the power of open communication, the change I can bring from sharing my weaknesses by providing others support. Although it is still not comfortable to share my vulnerability, I’ve learned to stand strong knowing I’m not just sharing my struggles, but representing everyone’s story—all 30 million people in the U.S. who undergo an eating disorder at least once in their lifetime.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Together-Interactive-activities-reflection/dp/B0FTX5P335/ref=sr_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hrleUOWMQKsZ_OiiyaU7XB9Q3-7G4XKzooFPPoGEd_Pcg7vImb7SH_M8BqtkWu_YhPNUI1G-oaTNRQVwKEQyy9AteYxxXFzAnegQ47Bgq5R60bDB4_3uG-QDUMcKCZPoQerAL1okhm1NoYsrnBCYwbHHvPPc3vahLv6_Rz5xck4KQ5lGxPmZtjiwDfgQQrZr5hNThkwp3ReqetPLRSzEyo3flFQT7E-M8MuO0j5YcBBisJdGzM7aVI9Q0whSxwQGCyW1GeQm-vzNcUVvB8yHqSqlU6jYYKWsXv4_NNORLGU.pNE0KPPFdwAIEXFk4PCH-UrmHyPDTRZ-chRX-rmwTag&dib_tag=se&keywords=healing+together&qid=1762146243&s=books&sr=1-5
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/choeunchan-lee-647302370/
