The Dude Therapist

What does it really take to go from sobbing on a bathroom floor, heart rate at 30 beats per minute, to building a mental health platform that reaches thousands? This week on The Dude Therapist, Eli sits down with mental health advocate and content creator Tori Peyton (@growwithtori) for a raw, unfiltered conversation about eating disorder recovery, the hidden gap between social media and reality, and why faith isn't a substitute for real mental health work. Tori opens up about the moment three years ago that changed everything: a Dartmouth degree, a career in tech, compliments on her body — all while privately battling severe depression, OCD, and an eating disorder so serious it triggered hypothyroidism and dropped her heart rate to 30 beats per minute. She and Eli unpack what it actually looks like when mental illness "doesn't discriminate," and why looking put-together on Instagram means nothing about what's happening underneath. The conversation turns personal when Eli shares his own experience with a panic attack after his daughter was born, a moment that reframed how he understands the clients he treats. Together they explore the vulnerability of admitting "I need help," the strain mental health struggles put on a marriage — Tori's husband, a minor league baseball player, first learned of her crisis over the phone while on the road — and why rock-bottom moments can become turning points instead of endings. From there, the conversation widens into a pointed critique of the self-help and influencer industries. Eli calls out figures like Andy Elliott and Grant Cardone for weaponizing insecurity and body image, while Tori speaks to the specific pressure women face around thinness and the "heroin chic" trends resurfacing in pop culture. Both agree: inspiration is not the same as change, and real growth requires consistent, unsexy, everyday work, not a $6,000 seminar or a single viral quote. The episode closes on faith and mental health, a subject close to both hosts' hearts. Tori, a Christian, describes her "trifecta" morning routine — Bible, journal, coffee — and how her relationship with God serves as a foundation, not a fix, for her mental health. Eli, drawing on his own Jewish faith and a conversation with happiness researcher Arthur Brooks, introduces the concept of "spiritual bypassing," using religion to avoid dealing with real psychological or emotional problems, and the two discuss how spirituality and clinical mental health treatment can and should coexist without one replacing the other. If you've ever felt like you had to look "fine" on the outside while falling apart on the inside, this episode is for you. Topics Covered:  Why appearances lie: success, thinness, and a hidden eating disorder  Tori's rock bottom: hypothyroidism and a heart rate of 30 BPM  Telling her husband over the phone, from the road Eli's own panic attack after his daughter's birth  Why isolation is the enemy of recovery: "Call your mom, call someone"  Inspiration vs. transformation: why one podcast or seminar won't heal you  Calling out the self-help and influencer industry: Andy Elliott, Grant Cardone, and weaponized insecurity  The "heroin chic" trend and the pressure women face around thinness Faith as a foundation, not a fix:  Tori's morning "trifecta" Spiritual bypassing: when religion becomes an escape from real mental health work  Shame and fear as the biggest threats to long-term recovery  And more About Tori Peyton: Tori Peyton is a mental health advocate, content creator, and podcast host known online as @growwithtori on Instagram and TikTok. A Dartmouth graduate with a background in tech, Tori is a survivor of a severe eating disorder, OCD, and depression, and has built a platform dedicated to honest conversations about mental health recovery, faith, and body image. She hosts her own podcast, Keep Growing Pod, focused on mental health, eating disorder recovery, and food freedom for women. Connect with Eli & The Dude Therapist 📖 From I Do to We Do by Eli Weinstein - https://www.eliweinsteinlcsw.com/book  🌐 EliWeinsteinLCSW.com - https://www.eliweinsteinlcsw.com/  📱 Instagram: @eliweinstein_lcsw - https://www.instagram.com/eliweinstein_lcsw  🎙️ Podcast Instagram: @thedudetherapist - https://www.instagram.com/thedudetherapist  Chapters 00:00 Intro: Tori's rock bottom with her eating disorder 5:35 The story behind hitting rock bottom 8:56 Opening up to her husband about her struggles 11:35 Hitting bottom as a turning point for real change 16:57 Why inspiration isn't the same as real change 19:39 The self-help industry: red flags and grifters 26:09 The pressure of appearance on women vs. men 29:21 Tori's daily "trifecta": Bible, journal, coffee 36:07 Spiritual bypassing: using religion to avoid real work 41:22 Shame and fear as barriers to mental health 43:56 Where to find Tori and closing thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices