Obesity, Eating Disorders & the Shame No One Names with Melinda J Watman

This week, Jan connected us with Melinda Watman, a woman who has lived inside the obesity and eating disorder world since she was two and a half years old, and who somehow turned that into a career that's literally changing how pharmaceutical companies and clinical trials treat patients. We had a feeling this conversation was going to be good. We had no idea.

Melinda is a patient advocacy consultant, a former CEO, a French restaurant owner (yes, really), and a person who has had bariatric surgery, survived three concurrent eating disorders, and came thisclose to not being here. She's also as honest as we love our guests to be!

We talked about:

• Why obesity is a disease, not a character flaw.

• The food noise.

• Bariatric surgery and what nobody prepares you for.

• How Melinda ended up with three eating disorders at once.

• The moment something shifted.

• GLP-1 medications, the real talk.

• Weight bias in healthcare.

• Her "village" approach to recovery.

• Why childhood obesity and eating disorders are rising together, and why the cruelest bullying still goes unchecked.

The line that stayed with us: "I thought my goal was to be the skinniest girl in the room. It took me a long time to realize I was actually the sickest girl in the room."

If you've ever felt shame around your body, your eating, or your weight, or if you love someone who has, this episode is for you. You are not weak. You are not broken. And you are not alone.

About Melinda J Watman:

Ms. Watman is the founder of Weighty Decision, a patient advocacy consultancy partnering with pharmaceutical companies in the anti-obesity medication space. She provides both internal and external stakeholders patient-centered frameworks that improve engagement and outcomes. Drawing on 15 years of clinical experience and an MBA-driven entrepreneurial career, she bridges healthcare delivery, policy, and innovation. Ms. Watman is a compelling and trusted voice on the lived experience of obesity, healthcare bias, eating disorders, and patient-centered innovation.

In addition to her clinical practice, her background includes founding two successful consulting firms, serving as CEO and co-founder of a medical device company, working with both startups and established organizations to bring novel healthcare technologies to market, and owning a French restaurant.

She is a strong believer in giving back and is a mentor with the MIT Venture Mentoring Service and Innovate@BU. She also is an Emeritus board member of the Obesity Action Coalition.

Melinda will be speaking this year on eating disorders with obesity at two upcoming professional conferences: the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the World Obesity and Weight Management Congress. She is also involved with an advocacy effort to maintain coverage for anti-obesity medications for MassHealth/Medicaid patients in Massachusetts.

Connect with Melinda on LinkedIn.

Review all resources here.

*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a professional.