If you’re concerned about eating disorders or body image issues, whether you need support for yourself or someone you care about, you can call the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673.

icture something that absolutely terrifies you. Now, imagine you’re forced to confront it multiple times a day – and nobody understands why it makes you feel distressed.

Dr Sarah Maguire, the director of the InsideOut Institute, says this is the reality many people with an eating disorder face at meal times. “You might as well be putting a plate of spiders in front of that person and asking them to eat it,” she says.

More than one million Australians are living with an eating disorder (such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating) and anorexia is the nation’s deadliest mental illness. Dr Maguire teaches you the signs to look out for, the risks around social media, and how to help someone recover from a “completely curable” illness.

She also sheds light on the “vicious cycle” she says is holding back research and treatments.

And you’ll hear from 16-year-old Isla and her mother Sara, who reflect on what they’ve learned navigating Isla’s path to recovery. It’s essential listening for any parent.

The InsideOut Institute is at the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, where Dr Maguire is also a professor.

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

This episode was produced by Monique Ross with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Thanks to the technical staff at the at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room.

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the climate changes and populations boom, water supplies are under increasing pressure.

The idea of drinking water that was once swirling down your toilet bowl or kitchen sink may make you feel squeamish, but it could hold the key to future water security.

University of Sydney Professor Stuart Khan explains the promise of purified recycled water, and how it can future-proof water supplies in a thirsty nation prone to drought.

“There is the opportunity to start thinking more about a circular economy and how we might reuse the water that we’re currently discharging.”

Professor Khan points out that all water on Earth is recycled – the water you’re drinking “has quite likely been drunk by dinosaurs in the past” and could be described as “purified dinosaur pee”.

But there’s a huge psychological hurdle involved in drinking water that’s gone from ‘toilet to tap’. So how do you sell the idea to a skeptical public? You’ll hear from Dee Madigan, creative director of advertising agency Campaign Edge and a regular on ABC TV show Gruen.

You’ll also get a taste of how the technology works as you go inside Sydney Water’s Purified Recycled Water Demo Plant, with plant manager James Harrington.

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sourcing/credit: Archival media clip from ABC News.

This episode was produced by Monique Ross, with field recordings by Harry Hughes. Sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Thanks to the technical staff at the at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room.

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Sophie Gee’s husband was suddenly rushed to hospital, her life was plunged into uncertainty.

Amid the chaos, she discovered a surprising source of strength: her study of classic literature, and in particular, the works of Jane Austen.

Sophie, who was Associate Chair of the English Department at Princeton until she came to the University of Sydney as a Vice-Chancellor's Fellow, says stories have made her more resilient. “Literature teaches us how to be uncertain, how to tolerate discomfort, how to tolerate difficulty,” she says.

Arts and humanities degrees sometimes get a bad rap, but Sophie argues they are more valuable than ever in the age of AI.

She says stories cut through in a way science cannot – just look at the documentary My Octopus Teacher – and equip you with the skills you need to have “truly transformational ideas”.

“Storytelling is one of the most important ways to have access and equity to new pathways. If you’re able to tell your story, you’re able to change your life.”

She also makes the case for returning to old favourites, whether it’s Shakespeare or Harry Potter. And she weighs in on the value of Book Tok.

Sophie Gee is an alumna and a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Sydney.

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sourcing/credit: My Octopus Teacher is a Netflix series and we thank Kaylie for her Book Tok example. Find her on Tik Tok @under_thebelljar

This episode was produced by Monique Ross with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. The executive producer is Kellie Riordan. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Thanks to the technical staff at the at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room.

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.