Family in Focus®

Wendy Schofer, MD
  • 5.0 (21)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Are you feeling stuck around your child’s eating, weight, or health? Are food struggles or mixed messages about “doing it right” creating stress in your home? Family in Focus is a podcast for parents navigating family health, especially when concerns about food, body, and emotional well-being start to strain relationships at home. Hosted by Dr. Wendy Schofer, the pediatrician who helps parents lead meaningful change without harm, this podcast approaches family health in a very different way, by prioritizing connection, trust, and emotional health over control or pressure. Family in Focus centers parent-led shifts that actually last. Conversations explore how change can happen without shame, how emotions shape health behaviors, and why protecting the parent-child relationship is essential to supporting children’s well-being. This is a space for parents who want to support their child’s health without sacrificing connection along the way.

  1. 2d ago

    The Best Thing to Say When Your Child Criticizes Their Body

    If your child has ever said, "I hate my body," "I wish I looked different," or criticized their appearance, you may have wondered what you're supposed to say in that moment. In this episode of Family in Focus, I share why the most helpful response isn't reassurance, advice, or trying to change your child's mind. Instead, we explore how curiosity, presence, and connection create the emotional safety children need to develop a healthier relationship with their body over time. In this episode: • What to do when your child says they don't like their body • Why trying to "fix" body image can unintentionally shut down connection • The power of saying, "Tell me more." • How curiosity and presence help children feel safe enough to share • Why slowing down is one of the most important parenting tools you have Timestamps: 00:00 What to Say When Your Child Doesn't Like Their Body 04:15 The Power of "Tell Me More" 06:20 Leading Change Without Harm Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes air every Wednesday. If you are listening and realizing your child is sneaking food, hiding wrappers, or eating in secret, there is a next step for you. No More Candy Wrappers Under the Bed is a workshop designed to help you understand why this is happening and how to shift it without shame, control, or power struggles. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/no-more-candy-wrappers Join The Exhale, my newsletter for parents who want less stress around food, body image, and weight concerns and more confidence at the dinner table: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/the-exhale Learn more about working together: https://www.wendyschofermd.com To schedule a consult: https://wendyschofermdscheduling.as.me/consult Follow along and continue the conversation: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyschofermd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyschofermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyschofermd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-schofer-md/ While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

  2. Jul 22

    The Kindness Your Child Needs Starts With You

    If you've ever wondered whether being kinder to yourself could actually make you a better parent, this conversation is for you. In this special guest episode of Family in Focus, I'm joined by my dear friend Dr. Faryal D. Michaud, DO, palliative care physician, coach, and founder of Physicians Living Intentionally. Together, we explore why the relationship you have with yourself shapes the relationship you build with your child, and how self-compassion, curiosity, and intentional parenting create stronger family connections. We also share a simple communication framework, Wish, Worry, Wonder, that can help you navigate difficult conversations with your child while staying connected instead of slipping into conflict. In this episode: • Why self-compassion is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child • How your own self-talk influences the way your children learn to treat themselves • The difference between accepting and welcoming difficult moments • Why curiosity creates stronger parent-child relationships than judgment • How the Wish, Worry, Wonder framework can transform challenging conversations Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes air every Wednesday. Connect with Dr. Faryal D. Michaud, DOWebsite: www.drfaryal.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfaryalmichaud Podcast: https://writeyourlastchapter.libsyn.com/ If you are listening and realizing your child is sneaking food, hiding wrappers, or eating in secret, there is a next step for you. No More Candy Wrappers Under the Bed is a workshop designed to help you understand why this is happening and how to shift it without shame, control, or power struggles. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/no-more-candy-wrappers Join The Exhale, my newsletter for parents who want less stress around food, body image, and weight concerns and more confidence at the dinner table: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/the-exhale Learn more about working together: https://www.wendyschofermd.com To schedule a consult: https://wendyschofermdscheduling.as.me/consult Follow along and continue the conversation: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyschofermd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyschofermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyschofermd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-schofer-md/ While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

  3. Jul 15

    Should Healthy Kids Wear Glucose Monitors?

    If you've seen headlines about glucose monitors now being available for children as young as two, you may be wondering if they're something your family needs. In this episode of Family in Focus, I unpack what the FDA's recent decision actually means, why more health data isn't always better, and how constant monitoring can unintentionally affect a child's relationship with food, their body, and the people who care for them. In this episode: • What FDA clearance does and doesn't mean • Why glucose monitors may not benefit healthy children • How health monitoring can increase food and body anxiety • The link between orthorexia and the pursuit of perfect health • Why connection matters more than numbers Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Continuous Glucose Monitors for Kids 02:32 Concerns About Over-the-Counter Health Tools 04:58 The Impact of Monitoring on Children's Relationships with Food 06:48 The Risks of Orthorexia and Health Anxiety 08:49 The Importance of Family Relationships in Health 11:06 Conclusion and Call to Action 11:54 What's Next Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes air every Wednesday. If you are listening and realizing your child is sneaking food, hiding wrappers, or eating in secret, there is a next step for you. No More Candy Wrappers Under the Bed is a workshop designed to help you understand why this is happening and how to shift it without shame, control, or power struggles. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/no-more-candy-wrappers Join The Exhale, my newsletter for parents who want less stress around food, body image, and weight concerns and more confidence at the dinner table: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/the-exhale Learn more about working together: https://www.wendyschofermd.com To schedule a consult: https://wendyschofermdscheduling.as.me/consult Follow along and continue the conversation: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyschofermd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyschofermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyschofermd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-schofer-md/ While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

  4. Jul 8

    Your Child Deserves More Than a Meal Plan. This Is Eating Disorder Prevention.

    If you've ever worried about your child's eating, weight, or health and wondered if you're doing enough, this episode is for you. Many of us have been taught that helping our children means finding the right meal plan, nutrition strategy, or set of rules. But what if the most powerful thing you can do has far less to do with food than you've been led to believe? In this episode of Family in Focus, I share why creating a healthy relationship with food, body, and belonging is one of the most important forms of eating disorder prevention, and how meaningful change begins long before there's ever a diagnosis. In this episode: • Why your child deserves more than another meal plan • What "weight noise" is and how it quietly shapes the way we parent • Why your child isn't the problem, the approach is • How building stronger relationships creates lasting change without shame or pressure • A simple experiment to help your child feel deeply seen and loved today Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Family and Focus 07:37 Understanding Weight Noise and Its Impact 13:24 Building Stronger Relationships with Food and Body 13:50 Your First Experiment: Helping Your Child Feel Seen Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes air every Wednesday. If you are listening and realizing your child is sneaking food, hiding wrappers, or eating in secret, there is a next step for you. No More Candy Wrappers Under the Bed is a workshop designed to help you understand why this is happening and how to shift it without shame, control, or power struggles. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/no-more-candy-wrappers Join The Exhale, my newsletter for parents who want less stress around food, body image, and weight concerns and more confidence at the dinner table: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/the-exhale Learn more about working together: https://www.wendyschofermd.com To schedule a consult: https://wendyschofermdscheduling.as.me/consult Follow along and continue the conversation: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyschofermd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyschofermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyschofermd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-schofer-md/ While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

  5. Jul 1

    5 Ways to Build Real Connection With Your Child

    If you've ever been told to "just connect with your child" but found yourself wondering what that actually looks like in the middle of a busy weeknight, this episode is for you. Connection has become one of the most common pieces of parenting advice, but it's often misunderstood. We turn it into a strategy to get our children to eat differently, behave differently, or change. But connection was never meant to be transactional. In this episode of Family in Focus, I share what connection really means, why it starts with you, and five practical ways to build stronger relationships that create lasting change without shame or pressure. In this episode: • Why connection isn't a tool to change your child, it's the change itself • Five practical ways to build genuine connection in everyday moments • How curiosity helps you understand what's really behind your child's eating habits • Why your own regulation and self-connection matter more than you think • A simple experiment you can try today to strengthen your relationship with your child Chapters: 00:00 Connection Isn't a Transaction 05:35 Five Practical Ways to Connect 07:01 Why Connection Starts With You 07:32 Final Thoughts Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes air every Wednesday. If you are listening and realizing your child is sneaking food, hiding wrappers, or eating in secret, there is a next step for you. No More Candy Wrappers Under the Bed is a workshop designed to help you understand why this is happening and how to shift it without shame, control, or power struggles. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/no-more-candy-wrappers Join The Exhale, my newsletter for parents who want less stress around food, body image, and weight concerns and more confidence at the dinner table: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/the-exhale Learn more about working together: https://www.wendyschofermd.com To schedule a consult: https://wendyschofermdscheduling.as.me/consult Follow along and continue the conversation: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyschofermd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyschofermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyschofermd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-schofer-md/ While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

  6. Jun 24

    The Voice You Never Meant to Pass On: Breaking the Cycle of Diet Culture

    If you have ever caught yourself saying something about food or your child's body that sounded just like something you heard growing up, this episode is for you. When you're worried about your child's eating habits or weight, it's easy to believe the answer is more control, better nutrition advice, or the perfect plan. But many of the messages we carry about food, bodies, and health were never intentionally taught. They were absorbed through culture, family, and years of lived experience. In this episode of Family in Focus, I explore how diet culture quietly shapes the way we parent and why lasting change begins by noticing the voices we've inherited before we unintentionally pass them on to our children. In this episode: • Why many food and body messages are learned without us realizing it • How diet culture disguises itself as "help without harm" • Why your child learns more from what you model than what you say • How slowing down and getting curious can create meaningful change • A simple experiment to help you begin breaking the cycle Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes air every Wednesday. If you are listening and realizing your child is sneaking food, hiding wrappers, or eating in secret, there is a next step for you. No More Candy Wrappers Under the Bed is a workshop designed to help you understand why this is happening and how to shift it without shame, control, or power struggles. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/no-more-candy-wrappers Join The Exhale, my newsletter for parents who want less stress around food, body image, and weight concerns and more confidence at the dinner table: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/the-exhale Learn more about working together: https://www.wendyschofermd.com To schedule a consult: https://wendyschofermdscheduling.as.me/consult Follow along and continue the conversation: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyschofermd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyschofermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyschofermd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-schofer-md/ While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

  7. Jun 17

    You Don't Need Another Meal Plan: What Actually Creates Change

    If you feel stuck trying to improve your child's eating habits and wondering whether you just need a better meal plan, this episode is for you. Many parents are told that the solution is simple: serve healthier foods, cut out certain foods, or find the right nutrition plan. But if changing meals were enough, most families would already be seeing the results they want. In this episode of Family in Focus, I explore why nutrition advice alone often falls short and what actually helps families create meaningful, lasting change around food. Because food is rarely just about food. Understanding what's driving eating habits is often more important than finding the perfect meal plan. In this episode: • Why another meal plan may not be the answer you're looking for • What happens when favorite foods suddenly disappear from the menu • Why pressure, restriction, and food rules often backfire • How stress, exhaustion, and convenience influence family eating habits • What actually creates lasting change around food and nutrition Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes air every Wednesday. If you are listening and realizing your child is sneaking food, hiding wrappers, or eating in secret, there is a next step for you. No More Candy Wrappers Under the Bed is a workshop designed to help you understand why this is happening and how to shift it without shame, control, or power struggles. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/no-more-candy-wrappers Join The Exhale, my newsletter for parents who want less stress around food, body image, and weight concerns and more confidence at the dinner table: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/the-exhale Learn more about working together: https://www.wendyschofermd.com To schedule a consult: https://wendyschofermdscheduling.as.me/consult Follow along and continue the conversation: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyschofermd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyschofermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyschofermd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-schofer-md/ While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

  8. Jun 10

    When Weight Becomes All You Can See: A Better Way Forward

    If worries about your child's weight or eating habits have started taking up more and more space in your mind, this episode is for you. When we're worried, it's easy to focus so hard on what needs to change that we lose sight of everything that's already going well. In this episode of Family in Focus, I share a simple mindset shift that can help you step out of fear, see the whole child again, and build change from a place of connection instead of pressure. In this episode: • Why weight concerns can narrow your focus as a parent • The difference between focusing on the gap and recognizing the gain • How fear and comparison can keep families feeling stuck • Why noticing what's already working creates a stronger foundation for change • A simple exercise you can try today Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes air every Wednesday. If you are listening and realizing your child is sneaking food, hiding wrappers, or eating in secret, there is a next step for you. No More Candy Wrappers Under the Bed is a workshop designed to help you understand why this is happening and how to shift it without shame, control, or power struggles. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/no-more-candy-wrappers Join The Exhale, my newsletter for parents who want less stress around food, body image, and weight concerns and more confidence at the dinner table: https://www.wendyschofermd.com/the-exhale Learn more about working together: https://www.wendyschofermd.com To schedule a consult: https://wendyschofermdscheduling.as.me/consult Follow along and continue the conversation: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyschofermd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyschofermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyschofermd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-schofer-md/ While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

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About

Are you feeling stuck around your child’s eating, weight, or health? Are food struggles or mixed messages about “doing it right” creating stress in your home? Family in Focus is a podcast for parents navigating family health, especially when concerns about food, body, and emotional well-being start to strain relationships at home. Hosted by Dr. Wendy Schofer, the pediatrician who helps parents lead meaningful change without harm, this podcast approaches family health in a very different way, by prioritizing connection, trust, and emotional health over control or pressure. Family in Focus centers parent-led shifts that actually last. Conversations explore how change can happen without shame, how emotions shape health behaviors, and why protecting the parent-child relationship is essential to supporting children’s well-being. This is a space for parents who want to support their child’s health without sacrificing connection along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Wendy Schofer, MD
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    142
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Wendy Schofer, MD
  • Show Website
    Family in Focus®