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. 3d ago

    Your Child's Weight Isn't the Emergency. Here's What Matters First

    If you've just been told that your child needs to lose weight and you're feeling worried, overwhelmed, or unsure what to do next, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I walk you through the first three steps you can take after hearing concerns about your child's weight. Because what you do next matters. You may be carrying fear, guilt, shame, or an urgent desire to fix the problem as quickly as possible. But rushing into food rules, restriction, or weight-focused strategies often creates more harm than help. This episode explores why slowing down, getting curious, and shifting your focus away from the number on the scale can help you support your child's health, well-being, and relationship with food without causing unintended harm. In this episode: • Why your first reaction to concerns about your child's weight matters more than you think • How fear, shame, and urgency can influence the choices you make as a parent • Why weight is only one small piece of your child's overall health • How getting curious can help you better understand what is happening beneath the surface • Why focusing on relationships instead of numbers creates more meaningful and lasting change 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.

    11 min

  2. May 27

    Fix It or F It? Why Controlling Your Child’s Eating Backfires

    If you feel stuck between trying to “fix” your child’s eating habits and wanting to give up altogether, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I unpack the stress, pressure, and overwhelm many parents experience when trying to help their children build healthier relationships with food and their bodies. Because food battles are often not just about food. Many parents find themselves swinging between trying to control eating habits, portions, movement, or weight outcomes and feeling completely exhausted by it all. But both reactions are often rooted in stress, fear, and the pressure parents carry around health, weight, and doing things “right.” This episode explores how stress impacts parenting, eating habits, and family dynamics, and why meaningful change starts with understanding what is happening beneath the surface. In this episode: • Why parents often swing between trying to “fix it” and feeling like “F it” • How stress and weight stigma shape food battles and parenting dynamics • Why controlling food and eating habits often backfires in the long run • The connection between stress, emotional coping, and eating behaviors • How addressing your own needs can help create healthier family relationships around food and health 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.

    10 min

  3. May 20

    Emotional Eating & Your Child: The Truth About the Unmet Need

    If you are worried about emotional eating in kids and wondering how to help your child without shame, pressure, or food battles, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I unpack emotional eating in children, stress eating, and the unmet needs that often sit beneath eating behaviors. Because emotional eating is not simply about food, discipline, or “bad habits.” Many times, it is a coping strategy connected to stress, overwhelm, boredom, frustration, or other emotional experiences your child may not yet know how to process. This episode will help you look beyond the behavior so you can better understand what your child may really need. In this episode: • What emotional eating in kids actually means and why most people emotionally eat • Why stress eating and emotional eating are often connected to unmet needs • How focusing only on food can unintentionally keep families stuck • Why emotions themselves are not the problem and what your child may really be communicating • How to approach eating behaviors with more curiosity, connection, and less shame or pressure 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 min

  4. May 13

    Why “Just Tell Us What to Eat” Isn’t Working

    If you have ever found yourself thinking, “Just tell me what to feed my kid,” this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I unpack one of the biggest misconceptions parents carry when it comes to changing eating habits and weight concerns at home: the belief that the answer is simply finding the “right” foods, meal plan, or nutrition advice. Because the problem is usually not a lack of information. Most families already know what they are “supposed” to be doing. Or they are exhausting themselves trying to do everything “right” and still not seeing the changes they hoped for. This episode is about what is actually happening underneath eating habits and why lasting change does not begin with more pressure, restriction, or perfection around food. In this episode: Why “just tell us what to eat” is usually not the real problemThe myth of the one “right” way to feed your familyHow eating habits often become coping strategies over timeWhy focusing only on food misses the bigger pictureHow to create change without shame, pressure, or harm 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 min

  5. May 6

    Your Kid Isn’t the Problem: The Truth About Food Battles at Home

    If you have ever tried to make healthier changes at home and been met with resistance, tears, or a flat-out “I hate this,” this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I walk through what is actually happening when your child pushes back on food changes and why it does not mean you are doing anything wrong. Because the resistance you are seeing is not defiance. It is development. And when you understand what is underneath it, everything about how you respond starts to shift. I break down why kids are wired to push back, how their current eating habits are actually solving problems for them, and why willpower-based approaches often make things harder instead of easier. From recognizing the needs food is meeting, to holding boundaries without power struggles, to building connection instead of control, this is about creating change that actually lasts. In this episode: Why pushback is a normal and necessary part of your child’s developmentWhat your child’s current eating habits are really doing for themWhy removing foods without addressing the underlying need leads to more resistanceThe two jobs parents actually have when it comes to foodHow to build a “bridge” instead of a battle at mealtimesSimple ways to introduce new foods without overwhelming your childWhy regulation, yours first, changes everything in these moments 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.

    13 min

  6. Apr 29

    4 Ways to Show Up for Your Child When Diet Culture Sneaks In

    If you have ever watched your child say something painful about their body and had no idea what to say back, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I walk through what it actually looks like when diet culture gets to your kid — and more importantly, four ways to show up when it does. Because the instinct to correct, reassure, and fix is coming from love. But it is often the thing that closes the door. Because showing up is not the same as solving it. And the difference matters more than you think. I break down why direct contradiction backfires, why banning diet talk at home can actually remove you from the conversation, and what to do instead. From addressing what you are carrying as a parent first, to getting curious before you correct, to sitting with your child in the discomfort instead of rushing past it. In this episode: Why what your child absorbed is already shaping how they see themselvesThe signals that diet culture has gotten in — and what they actually look likeWhy correcting the message directly usually makes it stick harder4 ways to show up for your child without trying to fix themWhen to trust your gut and reach out for more support New episodes air every Wednesday. 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.

    10 min

  7. Apr 22

    How Diet Culture Entered The Doctor's Office (And What to Do About It)

    If you have ever left your child's well visit feeling like you did something wrong, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I break down the history of BMI, diet culture, and why weight became the focus of your child's doctor visit. Because your doctor did not make up that advice. But understanding where it actually comes from changes everything. Because the message has a history. And that history matters. I take us back to the 1830s, when a Belgian mathematician, not a doctor, not a researcher studying children or health, created the formula we now call BMI. He was explicit that it should never be used to assess individual bodies. And yet nearly two centuries later, it is the primary screening tool used at your child's well visit. I also explore how diet culture became embedded in medicine, why we defaulted to numbers in the first place, and what it means to start countering that culture in your own home. In this episode: -The origins of BMI and why it was never designed for your child -How diet culture entered the doctor's office -Why weight-focused advice activates shame instead of change -The narrow history behind who built our health systems and what got left -out -What it looks like to shift from chasing numbers to building relationships New episodes air every Wednesday. 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.

    10 min

  8. Apr 15

    Why the BMI Was Never Meant for Your Child: What You Need to Know

    If you have ever been told to focus on your child’s BMI, weight, or eating habits and felt like something wasn’t adding up, this episode is for you. In this episode of Family in Focus, I unpack the truth about BMI, pediatric weight guidance, and why the traditional “eat less, move more” approach often fails families. Because it is not your child who is failing. It may be the system. We explore how BMI became a standard tool in healthcare, despite never being designed for individual health, and how diet culture, fitness culture, and medicine have merged into a single message focused on controlling bodies. This episode also introduces a new way to think about children’s health, one that shifts away from numbers and toward relationships with food, body, and connection. In this episode: • Why BMI is a flawed measure of individual health • How weight-focused messaging impacts kids and families • The problem with “eat less, move more” • How diet culture shows up in medical care • A healthier, more sustainable approach to supporting your child Watch the full video episode on YouTube. New episodes every Wednesday. 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/ Books & Resources Mentioned: If you want to go deeper into understanding diet culture, weight stigma, and how these messages impact families, these are powerful places to start: Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison A deep dive into how diet culture became embedded in our society, healthcare, and beliefs about health and body size. Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith A practical and eye-opening guide for parents navigating body image, food, and weight conversations with their kids. Starfish by Lisa Fipps A middle-grade novel that offers a powerful look at how weight stigma affects kids and how they experience messages about their bodies from the world around them. While I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This podcast is for education, not medical advice.

    14 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
21 Ratings

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
    134
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Wendy Schofer, MD
  • Show Website
    Family in Focus®

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