Meet The Team

Hope Virgo, Founding Director

Hope Virgo is the Founding Director of the Dump the Scales campaign. Her idea for #DumpTheScales was first written on the back of a napkin one evening after Hope had made a commitment in a talk to tackle the issues around BMI and diagnosis. Since the launch of the campaign, she has managed to build a huge amount of momentum, helped put eating disorders on the political agenda and brought some very difficult conversations out into the open.

Hope is also an author and a multi-award winning advocate for people with eating disorders. She is also a recognised media spokesperson, having appeared on various platforms including BBC Newsnight, The Lorraine Show Victoria Derbyshire, Good Morning Britain, Sky News and BBC News. 

Jodie, Digital Communications and Accessibility & Inclusion Manager

Jodie is a mental health campaigner with lived experience of anorexia and has both worked and volunteered in the mental health sector since 2016. 

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Alongside the Eating Disorder diagnosis are various mental health and physical health co-morbidities and AuDHD which have all played a role in terms of the development of anorexia, as well as impacting both the treatment and recovery process. Jodie is passionate about intersectionality in both eating disorder research and treatment whilst highlighting the experience of those historically underrepresented and the importance of early intervention with effective and individualised treatment.

Debbie Taylor, Operations and Project Manager

Debbie Taylor is the Operations and Project Manager at Dump the Scales CIC, bringing a unique blend of lived experience, organisational expertise, and campaign passion to the team. As a devoted parent and carer with over a decade supporting her daughter through an eating disorder, she has become a dedicated advocate for improved awareness, support, and systemic change. Debbie also serves on the UK FEAST Executive team and represents FEAST within the Wales Eating Disorders Clinical Implementation Network. In her role, she oversees event coordination, project delivery, and operational compliance, drawing on her strong background in administration and campaign work to drive forward impactful initiatives.

Rachel Egan, Strategic Communications and Marketing Manager

Rachel Egan is a mental health campaigner with lived experience of anorexia nervosa, depression and anxiety. She leads on Strategic Communications and Marketing for Dump the Scales providing advice to the team on branding, messaging, reputation and risk management, as well as Comms planning and digital marketing following her 15 years' experience in the charity sector.

 

She is also a seasoned mental health speaker and trainer with clients across the corporate, public and charity sector.  She is frequently asked to comment in the media about the impact of diet culture on people with eating disorders and has appeared on Sky News, BBC News and has her own column on the Huffington Post.