Jennie O'Reilly, Chief executive Bodywhys, the eating disorders association.
Personal/family: I live with my partner Rob and I have a wonderful extended family network.
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire? I really admire the psychotherapist Susie Orbach. She has written extensively on eating disorders and has highlighted how eating disorders are about emotional distress, not food.
What other career might you have chosen? Something in communications and/or advocacy.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be? A more holistic approach to mental health, age-appropriate mental health services for adolescents and a partnership approach between mainstream and voluntary healthcare services.
What is your greatest fear? Voluntary healthcare organisations can be under-resourced and can be quite challenging so my greatest fear is burn-out.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one? Thankfully, I have only ever been treated on an outpatient basis. I ask lots of questions.
When or where are you happiest? I am a big fan of walking through autumn leaves on a bright sunny day.
How do you cope with stress? My aim is to prevent a build-up of stress by swimming and always talking through any difficult feelings. I use writing a lot if I am trying to work something through. Humour also helps.
What is the trait you most admire in yourself? I have a lot of energy and I am passionate about life.
What is the trait you most dislike in yourself? I can be quite intolerant, especially if I feel an injustice has occurred.
Do you use alternative or complementary medicine or therapies? I go for massages and I take echinacea if I feel run down.
Who or what makes you laugh? Des Bishop's material on Irish women is hilarious. I thought I was the only person who spent most of the 1980s huddled around a Super Ser heater.
What is your motto? To thine ownself be true.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme? I love Parkinson - he seems to really connect with his guests.
What books would you bring to a desert island? Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and 100 years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - I might finally get to finish it.
• (Interview by Fiona Tyrrell)