Behaviour change in obesity and chronic disease care is complex, relational, and happens far beyond the clinic visit—so our conversations with patients need to reflect that reality.

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with health psychologists Dr. Michael Vallis and Dr. Tiffany Shepherd to rethink how we teach behavioural change counselling skills. We explore the shift from transactional to relational care, the “Grand Apology” as a trust-building tool, and practical ways clinicians can co-create behavioural change with patients while navigating time and system constraints.

In this episode:

• Why behavior change is a core pillar in the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines

• Moving from control to collaboration: the relational model in practice

• Creating safe, efficient conversations that invite patient creativity and agency

• Team impact: how these skills strengthen inter-professional care and clinician confidence

• Building competencies over time: awareness → competence → confidence

  
  

Additional resources:

• Learn more about the Advanced Obesity Counselling Certification program: https://utm.guru/ujbvU 

• Register for the November AOCC Cohort: https://utm.guru/ujbvV 

• Read the research on behavioural change counselling: https://utm.guru/ujbvW 

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines; Effective Psychological and Behavioural Change Interventions in Obesity Management: https://utm.guru/ujbvX 

Don’t miss the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026, in Montréal, Québec. It’s where Canada’s obesity community comes together — researchers, and healthcare professionals— to exchange ideas, share the latest science, and put evidence into practice.

Register today: https://utm.guru/ujbvY 

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you!

Email us at scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

🎧 Love what you’re learning? Here’s how you can support the podcast:

✅ Share this episode with a colleague or student

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review to help more listeners find the show

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Pediatric obesity care is complex, deeply personal, and involves more than just the child—it involves the whole family.

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with Dr. Stasia Hadjiyannakis, pediatric endocrinologist, clinician, researcher, and advocate, to explore what compassionate, evidence-based support for children, youth, and their families can look like. From reframing outdated assumptions to tackling bias, Dr. Hadjiyannakis shares her journey, insights, and vision for better pediatric care.

In this episode:

• What inspired Dr. Hadjiyannakis to focus on pediatric obesity care

• The science of body weight regulation in children and youth

• Why stigma and bias are so damaging in pediatric care—and what to do differently

• The importance of listening, curiosity, and whole-family support

• How systemic gaps in education and care access continue to impact kids and families

• A hopeful look at what better care could mean for the next generation

  
  

Additional resources:

• Canadian Pediatric Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/ui7Ph 

• Edmonton Obesity Staging System for Pediatrics: https://utm.guru/ui7Pi  

• Free course: Intro to Pediatric Obesity: https://utm.guru/ui7Pj  

• Explore all of Obesity Canada’s education offerings: https://utm.guru/ui7Pk 

Don’t miss the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026, in Montréal, Québec. It’s where Canada’s obesity community comes together — researchers, and healthcare professionals— to exchange ideas, share the latest science, and put evidence into practice.

Get the event details: https://utm.guru/ui7Pl   

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you!Email us at scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

🎧 Love what you’re learning? Here’s how you can support the podcast:

✅ Share this episode with a colleague or student

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review to help more listeners find the show

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Nutrition in obesity management is complex, deeply personal, and shaped by biology, culture, mental health, access, and lived experience.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Flavio Vieira, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta, to explore what personalized, evidence-informed nutrition can really look like in practice. From tackling misconceptions to addressing malnutrition and advocating for multidisciplinary care, Dr. Vieira helps us rethink how nutrition fits into obesity care that’s compassionate, practical, and person-centred.

In this episode:

• Why a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition doesn’t work

• How biology, metabolism, and lived experience shape dietary responses

• The importance of integrating nutrition with other treatments (exercise, behavioural care, surgery, pharmacology)

• Malnutrition and sarcopenic obesity: what they mean for people living with obesity

• The role of advocacy in bridging research and real-world practice

• Gaps in screening tools and why new approaches are needed

• A vision for more accessible, multidisciplinary models of care

Additional resources: 

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: https://utm.guru/ui2XW 

• Canadian Pediatric Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: https://utm.guru/ui2XX 

• Free course: A Deep Dive into Medical Nutrition Therapy and Physical Activity: https://utm.guru/ui2XY 

  
  

• Explore Dr. Vieira’s research: 

• Sarcopenic obesity diagnosis by different criteria mid-to long-term post-bariatric surgery: https://utm.guru/ui2XZ 

• Poor muscle quality: a hidden and detrimental health condition in obesity: https://utm.guru/ui2X0 

• Hidden malnutrition in obesity and knee osteoarthritis: Assessment, overlap with sarcopenic obesity and health outcomes: https://utm.guru/ui2X1 

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover? 

Email us at scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Here’s how you can support us:

✅ Share this episode with a colleague or student

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review to help more listeners find the show

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

Dr. Sue Pedersen returns to walk us through the just-released update to Obesity Canada’s Clinical Practice Guideline for Pharmacotherapy.

In this episode, we explore the latest evidence, recommendations, and clinical tools to help healthcare professionals use obesity medications safely, effectively, and in partnership with patients.

From a shift away from BMI to new medications and an updated decision tool, this conversation breaks down what’s new—and why it matters—for clinicians and people living with obesity alike.

In this episode:

• What’s new in the 2025 pharmacotherapy guideline chapter update

• Why BMI is no longer the primary criterion for treatment

• The role of pharmacotherapy in long-term, health-focused obesity care

• New medications added: tirzepatide and setmelanotide

• Expanded recommendations for common obesity-related conditions

• How to personalize treatment and use the updated decision algorithm

• Why compounded GLP-1 medications are not recommended

• • Research gaps: where we still need answers (e.g., PCOS, CKD, fertility, combination therapy)
  • What the future of obesity medicine could look like—and how to get there

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Here’s how you can support us:

✅ Share the episode with a colleague

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review—it helps more people find us

📩 Send us your questions or topic requests: scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

Thanks for listening—and stay tuned as we continue to scale up your practice.

Pregnancy brings big changes, frequent healthcare visits, and a lot of emotions. But for many pregnant people living in larger bodies, it can also come with judgment and bias—often from the very systems meant to provide support.

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with Dr. Taniya Nagpal, whose research focuses on maternal health and weight stigma in perinatal care. We talk about what happens when assumptions shape care, how weight bias shows up in both subtle and obvious ways, and what we can do to create safer, more respectful experiences for patients—starting with how we listen.

🎯 In this episode:

• What weight bias looks like in pregnancy care—and how it often goes unrecognized

• Real stories from people navigating perinatal care in larger bodies

• How internalized bias impacts decision-making, confidence, and care-seeking

Psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Michael Mak returns to explore how sleep health fits into the patient journey of obesity care.

For many people living with obesity, sleep challenges are part of the story—but they’re often left out of the care conversation. In this episode, we take a practical look at how poor sleep contributes to obesity, how obesity impacts sleep, and what clinicians can do to better support patients at every step.

From hormones and appetite to mood, behaviour, and stigma, we unpack the science and systems that shape sleep—and why it’s time to treat sleep as a vital sign.

In this episode:

• Why sleep is a foundational pillar of health—and often overlooked in care

• The bidirectional relationship between sleep and obesity

• How mental health and sleep disorders complicate obesity care

• Simple screening questions and when to refer for sleep testing

• Strategies for supporting behaviour change and self-advocacy around sleep

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Michael Mak joins us to explore one of the most overlooked intersections: sleep, mental health, and metabolic health.

Sleep plays a foundational role in both physical and mental health—but it’s often sidelined in conversations about obesity care. That gap can have real consequences, from missed diagnoses to misinformed assumptions.

In this episode, we dive into how sleep and mental health are connected to obesity, where bias shows up in surprising ways, and what opportunities exist to build more integrated, stigma-free care.

In this episode:

• How poor sleep impacts mood, weight regulation, and metabolic health

• Why sleep disorders are underdiagnosed—and what that means for patients with obesity

• Common misconceptions about the relationship between sleep, mental health, and weight

• Where bias and stigma show up in sleep and obesity care

• What clinicians can do to better recognize and address sleep in obesity management

Resources mentioned:

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/uiC8f  

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): https://utm.guru/uiC8g 

• Obesity Canada's Weight Bias Resources: https://utm.guru/uiC8i 

📩 Send us your questions or topic requests: scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Here’s how you can support us:

✅ Share the episode with a colleague

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review—it helps more people find us

Thanks for listening—and stay tuned as we continue to scale up your practice.

National obesity researcher Dr. Angela Alberga returns for a deep dive into one of the most pervasive and harmful forces in society: weight bias and stigma.

From subtle stereotypes to systemic barriers, weight bias shows up in ways we often don’t even see—especially in schools, sports, and healthcare. Its impact? Profound mental health effects, poorer care, and lifelong harm for many people living with obesity—especially children and teens.

In this conversation, we explore where weight bias hides, how it harms, and how we can begin dismantling it, across systems and as individuals.

In this episode:

• Where weight bias hides in everyday environments—beyond the clinic

• How stigma impacts young people in schools, sports, and healthcare

• The mental health and long-term impacts of chronic exposure to bias

• How bias becomes embedded in well-meaning systems—and how to disrupt it

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we’re joined by Dr. Angela Alberga, Associate Professor at Concordia University in Montreal, and a leading voice in weight bias research. As part of our Celebrating Canadian Excellence series, Dr. Alberga shares her path into obesity research, what drives her work, and how weight bias—especially toward children—continues to impact people living with obesity.

In this episode:

• What sparked Dr. Alberga’s commitment to studying weight bias and health equity

• A candid discussion on what she's most proud of in her career

• One thing she wishes every clinician knew about obesity care

• Bias Break: Pediatric Edition – real talk about how weight stigma affects children and what professionals can do about it

  
  

Additional resources: 

• Free course: The impact of weight bias & stigma: https://utm.guru/uirTz

• Canadian Pediatric Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/uirTD

• Harvard Implicit Bias Test: https://utm.guru/uirTE 

  
  

Want to hear more from Dr. Alberga? She’ll be joining us again on our next episode to dive into the topic of weight bias and stigma in more detail. Make sure you’re subscribed on your favourite podcast platform to be notified when new episodes are live!

Send us your questions or topic requests: scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

Enjoying the podcast? Here’s how you can support us:

✅ Share the episode with a colleague

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review—it helps more people find us

Thanks for listening—and stay tuned as we continue to scale up your practice.

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we dive into the kind of discomfort that sparks real change—in ourselves, in our conversations, and in how we support people living with obesity.

Registered Dietitian and Certified Bariatric Educator Jennifer Brown shares how her experiences—both personal and professional—have shaped the way she supports people living with obesity.

From rethinking nutrition counselling to navigating difficult conversations about stigma and bias, Jennifer reflects on what it means to provide care that’s rooted in evidence, empathy, and curiosity.

If you’ve read the Medical Nutrition Therapy chapter of the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines, you already know her work—this episode brings her voice to life.

🎯 In this episode, we explore:

• What Medical Nutrition Therapy actually is—and why it’s often misunderstood

• Why discomfort is part of the process when confronting weight bias and stigma

• How dietitians and other professionals can unlearn harmful narratives and lean into better conversations

• The emotional and systemic discomfort that comes with shifting practice

• The power of language and humility in patient interactions

• Real stories from Jennifer’s career that highlight transformation—and the messiness that often comes with it

We also pause for a Bias Break, where Jennifer shares a real-world moment that challenged her thinking and reminded her why this work matters.

If you’ve ever felt the tension between what you were taught and what your patients need, this episode offers a candid look at how leaning into discomfort can lead to more meaningful care.

Additional Resources Mentioned

Enjoying the podcast? Help us grow!

✅ Share this episode with a colleague

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review—it helps more people find the show

Have a topic idea or a question? Email us: scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

Scale Up Your Practice is created by Obesity Canada. Learn more at obesitycanada.ca

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Welcome to Scale Up Your Practice, the podcast where we bring together science, compassion, and lived experience to help healthcare professionals better support people living with obesity.In this episode, co-hosts Dr. Roshan Abraham and Michelle McMillan sit down with globally recognized endocrinologist and obesity expert, Dr. Sue Pedersen. 

With over 20 years of clinical experience and a deep commitment to reshaping obesity care, Dr. Pedersen shares her personal journey into the field, her proudest accomplishments, and her ongoing mission to push for early, long-term, stigma-free treatment of this complex disease.

In this conversation:

• How a lack of treatment options and compassion sparked a lifelong passion
• Reflections on contributing to the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines — three times
• What’s changed in obesity care over two decades… and what still needs to change
• The importance of recognizing obesity as a chronic disease, not a character flaw

This episode is part of our Celebrating Canadian Excellence series, highlighting leaders who are changing the story of obesity in Canada and beyond.

Whether you're a physician, dietitian, nurse, pharmacist, mental health professional—or someone curious about the future of chronic disease care—you’ll leave this episode with insights and inspiration to elevate your practice.

Want to hear more from Dr. Pedersen? She’ll be joining us again soon for a deeper dive into pharmacotherapy in obesity management. Make sure you’re subscribed to be notified when we release new episodes!

Additional Resources:

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/uimh2 

• Free course: Introduction to Adult Obesity: https://utm.guru/uimh4

How can we better support kids and families living with obesity? That’s the question we’re exploring in this episode—with help from the experts who helped write the new national guideline.

We’re joined by two of the key contributors behind this work: Dr. Geoff Ball, co-lead author and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta, and Dr. Catherine Birken, Pediatrician and Research Scientist at SickKids in Toronto.

Together, they unpack what makes this guideline different, how it reflects the voices of children and families, and why it matters in everyday clinical practice.

🎯 In this episode: 

• Why the new pediatric guideline was created—and what’s changed

• How the guideline incorporates lived experience and values of families

• What “multicomponent interventions” are and why they’re foundational

• The role of shared decision-making and trauma-informed care in pediatrics

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, registered psychologist and global obesity expert Dr. Michael Vallis returns to talk about a critical topic in obesity care: how we define success.

Too often, people living with obesity are made to feel like they’ve failed if they don’t achieve a specific number on the scale. But weight is not a behaviour—and it shouldn’t be the only marker of progress.

🎯 In this episode, we explore:

• Why success in obesity management should be personal and flexible

• How to help patients stop comparing their journey to others

• How reframing that weight is not a behaviour could change the treatment approach

• What healthcare professionals can say to support motivation and long-term engagement

• How to challenge societal narratives that tie weight to personal worth

We also pause for a Bias Break, where Dr. Vallis shares a recent experience with weight bias—and how subtle forms of stigma can still have a deep impact on patients and providers.

This episode is a must-listen for healthcare professionals who want to move beyond “one-size-fits-all” care and toward more compassionate, individualized obesity treatment.

Additional Resources Mentioned:

• Free Obesity Canada course with Dr. Vallis: Introduction to Behaviour Change Counselling for Obesity: https://utm.guru/uigGD

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: https://utm.guru/uigGB

Enjoying the podcast? Help us grow!

✅ Share this episode with a colleague

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review—it helps more people find the show

Send your topic ideas or questions to: scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

Scale Up Your Practice is created by Obesity Canada. Learn more at obesitycanada.ca.

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

In the second instalment of our Celebrating Canadian Excellence series, we’re joined by globally recognized psychologist and obesity expert Dr. Michael Vallis.

With deep expertise in behavioural medicine, Dr. Vallis shares his journey into the world of obesity care, what drives him personally and professionally, and what healthcare professionals need to understand to better support people living with obesity.

🎯 In this episode, Dr. Vallis discusses:

• What behavioural change really means in clinical practice

• Why empathy and relationship-building are the foundation of good care

• The one thing every clinician should remember when treating obesity

  
  

Whether you're a physician, allied health professional, or student, this episode offers insights that will help you approach obesity care with more compassion, nuance, and clarity.

Additional Resources Mentioned:

• Free Obesity Canada course with Dr. Vallis: Introduction to Behaviour Change Counselling for Obesity: https://utm.guru/uie2p 

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: https://utm.guru/uie2l

Want to hear more from Dr. Vallis?

He’ll be joining us again on April 10 for a deeper dive into his work with obesity management. Make sure you’re subscribed to be notified when we release new episodes!

Send us your questions or topic requests: scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

Enjoying the podcast? Here’s how you can support us:

✅ Share the episode with a colleague

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review—it helps more people find us

Thanks for listening—and stay tuned as we continue to scale up your practice.

Scale Up Your Practice is created by Obesity Canada. Learn more at obesitycanada.ca

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

In the first episode of our Celebrating Canadian Excellence series, we sit down with one of Canada’s leading voices in obesity care—Dr. Sean Wharton,  internal medicine physician. pharmacist, and global obesity expert.

Dr. Wharton shares his personal journey into obesity medicine, the proud moments that fuel his work, and the most important takeaways for healthcare professionals navigating this complex, evolving field.

🎯 In this episode:

• How Dr. Wharton’s career path led him to obesity medicine

• His proudest moments as a clinician and advocate

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with Lisa Schaffer, Executive Director of Obesity Canada, to explore how the organization supports healthcare professionals and works to improve obesity care across Canada.

We also dive into a special "Bias Break" segment, where co-host Michelle McMillan reflects on taking the Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT) and what it revealed about hidden biases related to weight.

🎯 In this episode:

• How Obesity Canada supports healthcare professionals

• Clinical practice guidelines and eLearning tools you can access

• A candid conversation about implicit weight bias and how it shows up in care

Welcome to the very first episode of Scale Up Your Practice, the podcast created for healthcare professionals who want to deliver better, evidence-based obesity care.

In this kickoff episode, your hosts Dr. Roshan Abraham and Michelle McMillan share their personal journeys into obesity care, introduce Obesity Canada’s mission, and explain why this podcast is needed now more than ever.

You’ll also hear our first "Bias Break" segment—an honest reflection on weight bias and stigma in healthcare, and why tackling these barriers is critical to improving patient care.

🎯 In this episode:

• Why obesity is a chronic disease, not a choice

• How weight bias impacts care—and what we can do about it

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/uicXM

• Free Weight Bias and Stigma Course from Obesity Canada: https://utm.guru/uicXN

• Tell your provincial government it’s time to recognize obesity as a chronic disease: https://utm.guru/uicXO

Send us your questions or topic requests: scaleuppod@obesitycanada.ca

Enjoyed the episode?

✅ Share it with a colleague or friend in healthcare

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✅ Leave us a review—it helps more people discover the show and join the conversation

Thanks for listening—and stay tuned as we continue to scale up your practice.

Scale Up Your Practice is created by Obesity Canada. Learn more at obesitycanada.ca

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we’re joined by global obesity expert Dr. Sean Wharton, lead author of the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs). Dr. Wharton takes us behind the scenes of the CPG development process, shares what makes these guidelines groundbreaking, and dives into why obesity is a complex, chronic disease.

We also discuss shifting from outdated weight measures like BMI toward more patient-centered care approaches—and the importance of tackling weight bias and stigma head-on in clinical practice.

🎯 In this episode:

• The story behind Canada’s Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines

• Why obesity is a chronic disease—and what that means for healthcare professionals