Eating Disorders Stole My Daughters. Here's What I Did

What if everything you thought you knew about eating disorders was wrong? In this powerful episode, Kingsley Colley sits down with Mark Forbes — co-founder of NDeD (Australia's first integrated eating disorder residential, day program, and accommodation village) — to unpack one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions affecting millions of people worldwide.

Mark shares his deeply personal journey raising two daughters with eating disorders, the genetic science behind why it happens, and how a father's heartbreak became a world-first model of care. From the role of the MTHFR gene to groundbreaking research with North Carolina University, this episode will completely reshape the way you think about eating disorders — and the families fighting through them.

Whether you're a parent feeling lost and guilty, someone personally navigating an eating disorder, or simply someone who wants to understand better, this episode is essential listening.

Topics covered: eating disorder recovery, genetic predisposition to eating disorders, residential treatment Australia, NDeD charity, family impact of eating disorders, mental health support, lived experience, eating disorder awareness

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome & introducing Mark Forbes and Ended

00:57 Building Australia's first eating disorder residential — a world-first model

03:00 Mark's personal story — two daughters, one mission

05:09 The genetics behind eating disorders — the MTHFR gene explained

07:30 Global research — mapping the full genome of eating disorders

08:30 How trauma pulls the trigger on a dormant genetic predisposition

09:46 "Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger"