I don’t know if it’s because Dan is a children’s pastor, or if it’s really and truly because we’re both perpetually 12 years old, but we watch a lot of Disney channel in our house.

Like, an insane amount. Dan knows the lineup and everything. (Phineas and Ferb and Wizards of Waverly Place slay me. If either of these two are on, consider me busy.)

I’m not going to lie. Some of the girls on these shows really have me second guessing myself. They’re all so spunky. So fun. So talented. So bloody gorgeous. And a bazillion times more successful as teenagers than I’ll ever be as an adult.

But I’m no idiot. Being that I’m 25 (almost 26, GASP, is this real life?) I had a front row seat to some infamous ex-Disney star breakdowns. (Hello, Bald Britney!) The pressures of showbiz are no joke, and I’d venture to say that a large number of children who go through their most delicately awkward years in front of a camera walk away with some serious issues, and understandably so. Some of them respond like Britney.

Some of them respond like Demi Lovato.

Check out the interview she did on Ellen about struggling through an eating disorder, self injury, bullying, and why she decided to enter treatment.

This encourages me to no end. I think my favorite part of the interview is when Ellen mentions that you have to be healthy to recognize “unhealth.” THAT, my friends, is what this blog is all about. A girl (me) learning how to be healthy in a society that profits off of my unhealthy self-hate.

I’m so thankful that Disney finally has a starlet they can actually, truthfully, literally call a role model. Demi Lovato is a woman girls can not only look up to, but actually relate to. Her recovery inspires me, and I hope it inspires you, too.

And, just as a little side dish, here’s the video for Demi’s single Skyscraper which was written about these issues. It’s beautiful. Enjoy.