Have you ever felt like no one truly understands what you're going through on your bariatric journey? What if the missing piece to your success isn’t more willpower but an actual, supportive community that gets it?

In this episode, a familiar face and voice to the BariNation Podcast, licensed therapist and obesity medicine coach Lora Grabow, joins us as we celebrate the fourth anniversary of our first podcast together and reflect on just how far we’ve come. Lora shares her connection to BariNation, and we dive deep into the power of live, professional-led support groups. These groups are more than just a place to talk—they’re where we learn how to practice life after bariatric surgery. From navigating emotional eating to building confidence in maintenance, this episode reminds us that community isn’t a bonus—it’s part of the treatment. Plus, don’t miss an exciting announcement about how you can qualify for a discounted membership to the BariNation Community.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• (00:00) Opening and intoduction
• (00:36) April and Lora talk about the fourth anniversary of their first podcast
• (01:52) Lora shares her story of connection to BariNation
• (03:26) April discusses the different support groups  
• (05:12) Lora explains the importance of community after bariatric surgery 
• (11:12) April announces that if you work with Lora, you are eligible for a discounted membership
• (14:11) Visit BariNation Community to join a group of patients that will empower your wellness journey 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Bariatric patients thrive when they’re surrounded by others who understand the journey. While individual therapy and medical advice are crucial, nothing compares to the support, empathy, and shared experience of being in a live, safe, and emotionally supportive group setting. Community is not just helpful—it’s treatment.
• Support groups led by experienced professionals offer patients a unique space to work through challenges, celebrate wins, and practice emotional growth in real time. These groups go beyond general advice—they allow members to “practice the how” of bariatric life by engaging with peers and receiving expert feedback when needed.
• Much of the support offered focuses on the key transitional points in the bariatric journey: pre-op, post-op, maintenance, emotional eating, and everything in between. ​

RESOURCES:

• BariNation Website 
• Join the BariNation Membership community meetups to support you on your journey with obesity treatment. https://barination.com/pages/join-our-community
• Want to see bonus content? Head over to https://www.patreon.com/BariNationPodcast to get more and support the podcast for as low as $5 per month!    

GUEST RESOURCES:

Lora Grabow, LMSW -Website 

Lora Grabow, LMSW - Instagram

Lora Grabow, LMSW - Facebook

BIOGRAPHY: 

Lora Grabow, LMSW, is an obesity medicine therapist, coach, and professional speaker with over 20 years of experience working with obesity medicine patients. 

Lora helps patients discover the missing piece of their treatment plan: A piece she calls Headwork™. She owns a thriving private practice, which serves patients affected by the disease of obesity. Her expertise includes providing individual therapy and 1:1 coaching, facilitating support groups, and engaging patients in her online course, Foundations in Headwork for Healthy Weight Loss. She is an active leader of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. (ASMBS) She is a sought-after podcast guest and speaker at national provider and patient obesity medicine conferences.  

ABOUT:

If the BariNation podcast helps power your bariatric journey, become a monthly podcast supporter and help us produce the show! Visit www.barinationpodcast.com and help us support people treating the disease of obesity with humor, humility, and honesty.

We need your help to keep the BariNation Podcast in production. Your one-time or recurring donations help us ensure this free support remains open to everyone. Click Drive To Thrive - Donation to learn more and give. THANK YOU for your support!  

April Williams: You've just tuned into a podcast that welcomes you into a community, a resource center, and a safe place that powers your [00:00:15] journey towards personal wellness.

Natalie Tierney: Our goal is you leave us today feeling hopeful, inspired, and ready to live your best bariatric life.

Lora Grabow: Yes, yes. I was referred to you and [00:01:00] you reached out and said, Hey, will you do a podcast? And it was in April of 2021 that I recorded my first podcast with all of you, east to west with, we were east to west. You weren't even very into.

Mm-hmm. And at the same time, a lifetime ago. And the reason I say that is I am not the person I was four years ago. Today, Jason and Natalie are not the people, and part of the reason [00:01:30] that we have been able to grow so much is because of your wisdom and your education and the things that you. Teach us right in Berry Nation on this podcast every day that we have an opportunity to connect with you.[00:01:45]

We really do learn something new and we are just so grateful for, for you and everything that you do for this community.

I was transitioning out of. In office work, if you will, as we all you know, things got switched up with Covid back then and loved the surgical center I was working with here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but [00:02:15] really felt in a way a calling to reach more people outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan with this passion I have for head work and community.

My passion is to walk alongside patients and give them that missing piece. And I love doing that in a group setting. So I was so sad that I wasn't going to have that [00:03:00] opportunity anymore. And then we met and I was on your podcast and you decide to launch this amazing support community, and you're like, do you wanna be part of it?

April Williams: Oh, it was, you know, the, we say this often, and I hear this [00:03:30] from members in the community all the time. I needed this little bit of information today. I needed this nugget. I needed this conversation, right? I needed this today. And I am a true believer in that the universe delivers what we need if we are genuinely asking for it.

Looking to become something. Someone else, it's that pre-op stage. It's that commitment stage, right? It's when [00:04:15] things kind of start to feel like they go off the rails and the support that you lead in Berry Nation are really grounded in those transitional stages. You lead a bariatric beginner's support group, so for people who are thinking about surgery or in the pre-op, pre stage and process, or a newly post-op.

It's so awesome. I am a, I'm a frequent flyer in your group so I can speak to the power. I always leave your group and any group in variation feeling so much better than when I went into it. There's always something that I'm [00:05:00] like, Ooh, okay. Or sometimes there isn't anything that I need. And I realize on those days too, I leave with so much more than, than what I, than what I had when I first, first joined

Lora Grabow: April.

Yep. I'm not a patient and there is nothing like patients connecting with other patients. I can't bring that in a one-on-one session. Yeah. And [00:05:45] you know, anyone out there who's, who's on this journey right now, or thinking about the journey you need to be in community. I can't say that enough. You know, over 20 years in this pre, in this field, walking [00:06:00] alongside patients, you need a place where you can go and you can be emotionally safe, and you can just talk about your stuff with someone who gets it.

'cause our patients are learning so much about the role of protein and the role of nutrition and the role of, um, movement. And that movement should be cardio and strength [00:06:45] training. Yes. Those and hydration, you know, vitamins. Treatment. Treatment, treatment plan. What about connecting with other patients?

April Williams: Mm-hmm.

April Williams: It is the only reason I have been successful throughout my journey if I would not have had a community like Berry Nation to, to [00:07:15] do, and, and this is a teacher word of me, but it's like that synchronous support I.

To look somebody in the eye, to share a [00:07:45] common space at the same time with other people who are going through it. And just. Hold your discomfort, hold your pain, hold your joy, hold your immense happiness in this journey. Mm-hmm. [00:08:00] You don't get that in a Facebook group, and until you've experienced it, it's hard to know the value.

And in Berry Nation, we get the place to practice the how with [00:08:30] peers and experts. 'cause there have been plenty of groups, Laura, that I've been in with you, where I've said something and you've responded with, let's hear from everybody else that's here. And then after everybody has kind of given their insight, you step back and you go, okay, so here's what I'm hearing from my [00:08:45] professional experience.

Let's work on reframing this. Let's think about this a different way. So it's just this like wonderful gift that I get every time I am live with you in a group in Buried Nation.

And what the struggles are and they, they [00:09:15] don't cancel each other out. Yeah. Guess what that is the treatment. Yes. Because how our patients have handled that for years is turning to food. Yeah. Right. They have a long [00:09:30] history of putting a smile on saying everything's okay. I'm fine. They're great at helping other people, but receiving help, no, I got it.

They learn to [00:10:00] name what is going well. They learn to name what is hard. They learn to feel feelings, right? Yeah. And share things that nobody else would understand except a patient.

It's the most mind-bending experience in the most [00:10:30] positive way because you finally have found this place that you get to show up authentically and get real true love and support back. No judgment, no shame, just mm-hmm. We see you, we hear you. We understand [00:10:45] that. Mm-hmm. And we value you even a little bit more because you've been brave enough to share that.

Lora Grabow: absolutely. And like you said, yeah. Especially the support groups facilitated by experts. It's just a whole nother level of community. Yeah. This treatment. Yeah.

April Williams: Yep.

She's been unofficial for four. Then we were like, oh my gosh, how have we never done this before? So Laura is our newest expert partner in [00:11:45] Berry Nation. And what that means is if you work with Laura, if you've taken classes with Laura, if you have a connection to Laura, you can now access a discounted monthly membership rate in Berry Nation.

Lora Grabow: I'm glad we're making it official, and I think it's the perfect time because then you know, the last six months I've expanded my practice in bringing on two [00:12:15] other clinicians.

So you know, anyone who works with my colleagues, Christie or Kate, you know, we're all one practice. They'll be given that discounted membership. So we're really excited about it because we're promoting information all the time.

So just another way that we are continuing to help every patient who needs it in every stage of this journey. Laura, if people want to [00:12:45] learn more about you wanna connect with you, they want information on your practice or on the courses that you offer, where can they find you?

Lora Grabow: Well, absolutely. Um, I hope you're following me on social as well.

April Williams: It's the the missing piece, as you say all the time. And friends, we'll make sure all of this information is linked in the show notes. So if you just open up the show description, all that contact [00:13:30] information will be there. And if you heard something from Laura today that you absolutely love, or if she said something that you're like, yes, this has been the missing piece for me, drop a comment on whatever platform you're listening, listening, or watching on that lets us know that this episode is resonating with you.[00:13:45]

Alright, friends, we gotta wrap this up, but like I said, I get a. Keep conversating with Laura and the bonus episode. But my friend, thank you so much for joining me today. Thank

Lora Grabow: you so

April Williams: much for having

Let's celebrate. Awesome. Thanks, Friend. Bye-bye.

Natalie Tierney: Join us@barination.mn.co.

Jason Smith: And just remember at the end of the day, you've got this. We've got you. And we'll see you next time. Bye [00:14:45] everybody.