The World NEEDS Us

I’m sitting on a plane, heading home from a joint medical conference (American College of Osteopathic OB/GYNs and American College of Osteopathic Internists) where I was invited to give a talk on “anything” related to obesity and women’s health. I was invited by the OB/GYN side to give a 30 minute talk, and the Internists would put forward their speaker to share the hour.

I was so nervous. But I said yes. And I dug in.
You’d think that after nearly 3 years of podcasting, I wouldn’t be this nervous to speak in front of humans; but this was a room of ~ 400 physicians. And I, the primary care physician, an MD amongst 2 DO groups, was following the Endocrinologist talking about obesity.
That, my friends, creates immediate sensations of “who do you think you are?”
Now I KNOW that you too, many of you, experience my same anxieties. Even those of you who are specialists.

But let me tell you what happened.

He went first, and gave a talk on obesity statistics, GLP 1 medications, calorie restriction. Unfortunately, there was also what I can only call “fat-shaming” in the form of a picture.
And I sat there listening, trying to keep my face neutral; but thinking “this audience NEEDS ME.” They need ME, to help them help their patients. And some of them needed me to put words to their own struggles.

So I got up and I talked about insulin resistance and weight gain as it relates to perimenopause and PCOS. With zero arrows, and a brief, simple explanation of the physiology, and a HEAVY focus on how to help patients diagnose and treat insulin resistance and not to miss patients who experience Binge Eating Disorder and excess food chatter and cravings. No shaming. No blaming.

My friends, I gave a great talk (that’s hard for me to say, but I know I did). And I got lots of feedback, questions, and requests for my slides.
But better than that, I saw, very acutely, that the world NEEDS us to speak up and use our voices. Those of you here who are my clients are EXCELLENT physicians and clinicians who care deeply about providing excellent, compassionate care to patients. And some of you are fantastic nurses and other professionals who focus on helping people.
I’m tired of listening to “experts,” mostly men (I’m in a mood friends), mostly older white men, give disheartening lectures that are full of facts and diagrams and that DON’T HELP ME HELP MY PATIENTS. Meanwhile, women physicians are out speaking up about inequities in healthcare and leadership, menopause care, breastfeeding care, sexual health and care for patients that is HUMAN AND DECENT.

So it’s hard for me to get up there and speak, but I am WILLING and READY to deal with my own issues so that people get what they need. I speak up for physicians who deserve better treatment from broken healthcare systems, and advocate for them to put themselves on their own list. And I will speak up for patients with obesity and weight gain and cardiometabolic disease who deserve better prevention and physicians who will listen, validate and help them.
And I want you to join me. You can get up and speak, or not. You can start your own practice, or not. Do what matters to you. But put aside your ideas of what you “should” try and emulate based on what you have seen before, and get out there to do excellent work that the world needs. Yes, you will need to say no to things, take care of yourself, get help and support. I’m so lucky to have wonderful friends who pushed me to go out there in a BRIGHT pink jacket and show up like a bad ass.