Cheryl Kerrigan is an eating disorder survivor and author of Telling ED NO! and Other Practical Tools to Conquer Your Eating Disorder and Find Freedom.
Held captive by her eating disorder (ED) for more than two decades, Cheryl experienced an entire childhood, adolescence, and much of her adulthood from the perspective of a tortured prisoner—until she found the strength and support to break free.
Cheryl touches her audience through an honest and moving story of her struggle and recovery from a 22 year battle with Anorexia. Through her story, Cheryl provides the audience with important information on the inter-workings of the mind of an eating disorder (ED), shares vital aspects of her recovery, provides successful and practical recovery tools and shows you, through real-life scenarios, what life in recovery looks like.
Cheryl's inspiring story "Brings Recovery To Life."
Cheryl’s presentation and style is honest, engaging, compelling, humorous and very informative. Your audience will walk away with hope, insight and successful, practical tools they can utilize in their own recovery journey.
For more information and to book Cheryl, send an email to c_kerrigan@comcast.net
What others are saying about Cheryl's presentations:
"Cheryl's words were very inspirational. Her talk is not only a true testimony that recovery is possible, but provides individuals and loved ones with steps to take in building a strong foundation for recovery. Cheryl shares useful tools to use and brings hope for living a life free of ED and in recovery!"
Kourtney Klepfer, LCSW
Laurel Hill Inn
"Become inspired by someone who understands what it is like to have lived with an eating disorder and is now sharing her meaning of recovery - when recovery seemed impossible. Cheryl is authentic, captivating, caring and understanding in her story. The burden of her eating disorder has lifted and her true spirit shines through as you listen to this story of this remarkable journey of one woman's recovery. You will be inspired"
Bob Bordonaro, LICSW
"Cheryl’s presentation at Dean College during National Eating Disorders Week was a huge success. Her presentation was engaging, compelling, and informative and everyone in the room came away feeling a very personal connection both in her story and to the larger context of eating disorders and recovery. Cheryl’s interactive, warm, and sometimes humorous style resonated with the students in the audience, and feedback from both students and staff has been extremely positive. Cheryl not only succeeded at connecting with everyone who heard her speak, but also enhanced campus-wide awareness about eating disorders and recovery."
Barbara Creeden
Personal Counselor
Dean College
“Cheryl did a wonderful job engaging the audience through her personal stories and informal approach. She was very effective at combining her own story with general tips and resources that could be applied to anyone. Her honest and genuine approach captured everyone’s attention and respect. Cheryl was a wonderful asset to our nutrition and eating disorders awareness event. I would not hesitate to bring Cheryl back for another presentation.”
Alison J. Black
Assistant Dean of Student Life
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
"Reaching students about sensitive topics, such as eating disorders and body image issues, is often an enormous challenge. Cheryl's talk was a smashing success! Cheryl shared her story of recovery from anorexia with generosity, humor, and remarkable insight. She has an amazing rapport with people, which allowed our students to feel comfortable discussing and learning about her experience and these topics. I look forward to working with Cheryl again in the future!"
Susan Trainer
Health Educator
Babson College
"I wanted to thank you again for speaking at Stonehill at our Eating Disorders Expert Panel celebrating Body Awareness Week. Your presentation was extremely insightful into the mind of someone suffering from Anorexia and it really helped to open the eyes of our audience members. We received very positive feedback from the students regarding your presentation. Your presentation was extremely helpful to all types of audience members including those who have or had an eating disorder, those who know someone with an eating disorder or anyone else interested learning more about eating disorders. So often we talk about the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder but very rarely do we talk about what happens after you get diagnosed, what treatment looks like what the road to recovery looks like and how someone looks at and deals with an eating disorder on a daily basis. Your presentation was a breath of fresh air in that it provided the “after” part of what to do when an eating disorder has been diagnosed. I truly feel that you helped make our students more aware of this topic, and helped them to look at their and their loved ones eating in a new light. Thank you so much for speaking on our panel! We would love to have you back again!"
Jessica Brown, MPH, CHES
Health and Wellness Educator
Stonehill College
"Cheryl captured the audience with her personal story. She was engaging, passionate, and informative. Her story provided insight and hope, making successful recovery seem possible. I would have her back again to help raise awareness of eating disorders."
Lauren Marciszyn
Youth Wellness Director
Bernon Family Branch YMCA
"Cheryl’s truthful and honest presentation about her personal story engaged the interest of our high school students. Sensitive issues about topics such as eating disorders can be difficult to discuss in a classroom setting. Cheryl’s presentation gave students insight into the negative thinking patterns involved with this disorder. Cheryl also offered students the hope and possibility of recovery. Cheryl’s presentation added a personal touch to our classroom discussion. I would like to thank Cheryl for her courage and honesty in sharing her story."
Karen Markey
Wellness Teacher
Marlborough High School