Are you ready to stomp the stigma around obesity care and treatment? Walk with us! Don’t miss this BariNation episode that’s all about empowering the bariatric community! BariNation is proud to be this year's National Sponsor of TREO Foundation's The Walk: Stomp the Stigma.

Joining us is Dr. Saniea F. Majid, a bariatric surgeon and obesity medicine specialist who’s leading the charge as President of the TREO Foundation. She and April discuss the Virtual Walk on September 27th, 2025 and how to find an In Person Walk near you.  At the heart of this event is the TREO Foundation's work around the goal of impacting personal wellness and treatment improvement.  People suffering from the disease of obesity face stigma in all aspects of their lives including medical providers. Dr. Majid discusses the importance of patient involvement, the role of the ASMBS conference in advancing critical research, and how the virtual team for the September 27th, 2025, The Walk: Stomp the Stigma, is going to be raising awareness and access to care. There are also 12 in person walks happening and more being organized. To find a walk near you, or set one up visit the TREO Foundation website linked below.

Tune in, and don’t forget to join the BariNation Community to attend community meetups, watch exclusive bonus content and support the podcast for as little as $5 per month!  You can also contribute to BariNation and become a Drive To Thrive Supporter with a one-time or recurring donation.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• (00:00) Introduction
• (00:29) Join BariNation for the TREO Foundation’s virtual The Walk: Stomp the Stigma on Saturday, September 27th, 2025
• (01:52) Dr. Saniea F. Majid introduces herself, highlighting her holistic approach to wellness 
• (04:00) The TREO Foundation’s mission emphasizes its role in stigma awareness and access to care
• (05:32) The societal bias against obesity, its impact on personal wellness, and the need for public action 
• (07:37) Research by the ASMBS has led to advancements like GLP-1 medications
• (09:47) Dr. Majid addresses bias in healthcare and reducing it through education

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• BariNation is a proud national sponsor of the TREO Foundation’s Stomp The Stigma Walk on September 27th, 2025, encouraging the bariatric community to join their virtual team to raise stigma awareness and support obesity care.
• The TREO Foundation focuses on treatment improvements, critical research, and education to enhance access to care and combat weight recurrence, as highlighted by Dr. Saniea F. Majid at the ASMBS conference.
• Patient involvement in the TREO Foundation’s initiatives, like The Walk, Stomp the Stigma, promotes public action and fosters personal wellness by addressing bias even in the healthcare field and improving bariatric surgery outcomes.

RESOURCES:

• Join BariNation on the TREO Walk
• TREO Foundation - The Walk
• TREO Walk Discounted BariNation Membership  
• BariNation x TREO Landing Page
• Meet Dr. Majid – Award Winning Weight Loss Doctor NJ | WLWC
• Dr. Majid’s Email
• BariNation’s How to Find an Obesity Specialist Guide
• BariNation Website
• BariNation - Email

GUEST BIOGRAPHY:

Dr. Saniea Majid, a board-certified bariatric surgeon and obesity medicine specialist, founded the Weight Loss and Wellness Center in northern New Jersey, leading innovative bariatric surgery programs. She pioneered minimally invasive and endoscopic treatments, including New Jersey’s first adjustable gastric balloon and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, while establishing MBSAQIP-accredited centers. Committed to obesity care, she expands access to treatments for childhood and adolescent obesity, integrating nutrition and behavioral health. As TREO Foundation president and ASMBS leader, Dr. Majid drives critical research and stigma awareness to advance bariatric community care.

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.

And this year their Stomp The Stigma Walk is happening on Saturday, September 27th, and BariNation has a virtual team. We would love for you to join us and walk together. Click the link in our bio or click the link [00:01:00] down below in the show notes to join our team. Walk with us and stomp the stigma together.

President of the Trio Foundation, and this is a very important organization that patients should be aware of, and I'm excited for you today to tell us all about this foundation, its mission, and how and why patients [00:01:45] should become involved. Before we dive in though, I'd love for you to introduce yourself to our friends who have never met you before.

Sure.

So my name is, um, AYA Maji. I'm a bariatric surgeon. I'm also an obesity medicine specialist. I've been out in training for now more than 14 years. So, and specifically [00:02:30] focused, um, if you include the fellowship. 15 years now in the space of obesity, um, as a surgeon, really understanding the disease and understanding the disease by spending one-on-one time with [00:02:45] patients.

Uh, considered as a big privilege to be able to help so many people, young and old, um, fight the disease of obesity.

Knowing that you're so passionate [00:03:45] about that, your role in the Trio Foundation is an absolute like perfect place, I think for you to be. So will you. Tell us a little bit more. What is the Trio Foundation? What is its mission and why is it an important thing for not only practitioners, but patients to [00:04:00] participate in?

Then the relationship with, you know, their friends, family, job, employment. The world looks at an obese, a person suffering from ob, from obesity differently. [00:04:45] And unfortunately, so does the patient. So as I got into this, I realized that this is a huge problem and it cannot be solved by just staying [00:05:00] within my practice and doing an excellent job taking care of patients that walk through the door.

I was disappointed to see that the aftermath of COVID obesity was never given the significance that it should have. So clearly we cannot rely on the government, other people to [00:05:45] step up. We have to do it ourselves. And that means surgeons, physicians, patients, just advocates, people who care, people who have a loved one or a friend, family coworker [00:06:00] who's suffering from this disease.

Because that's what rill it'll take to make a difference. [00:06:30] TRIO is, um, stands for treatment, research, and education to end obesity. So I think I don't need to elaborate further as to the purpose of this foundation. What I really wanna [00:06:45] highlight to all the viewers and everybody out there is that. Today, losing weight and dabbling in the space of obesity has become a popular trend.

Hmm. A-S-M-B-S, which stands for American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, has been the longest [00:07:30] standing official science-based. Institution for the disease of obesity.

Natalie Tierney: Mm-hmm. A

Only reason I'm mentioning these trade names is because that's what people are, um, uh, [00:08:00] familiar with. Yeah. Their existence. The research that led into the, their existence was actually done by A-S-M-B-S by bariatric surgery. And hence the R, which is the research in trio treatment, [00:08:15] research, and education to end obesity is so important.

From A-S-M-B-S foundation to trio, because most people would be like, what is [00:09:00] A-S-M-B-S? And we would spend a few minutes just trying to connect the dots. So trio, when we say treatment, research, and education to end obesity, people are like, oh, we understand what this is about.

It improves our access to care, it improves our ability to [00:09:30] understand more deeply the disease that we're fighting. And it brings hope for us because there are phenomenal treatments today. But that doesn't mean that the treatments will not continue to advance, and that advancement means that we just continue to access the things that [00:09:45] we need to thrive.

Absolutely.

A-S-M-B-S members, how do we get into, mm-hmm medical schools all over the country, residencies, nursing schools, all of that is a huge endeavor. So that is one of the [00:10:30] missions of A-S-M-B-S and trio, and imagine if today. You, when I say you, whoever is listening to this as a person suffering from the disease of obesity, does not have to worry [00:10:45] about my own doctor, my own nurse.

April Williams: Yeah. Uh, the, the foundation serves such a [00:11:15] critical role in, in patient's ability to access care and it serves. As a, a sounding board, right, for demanding that how people are treated with this disease changes. And it also helps encourage patients to, [00:11:30] like you said, make that appointment, have that challenging conversation, uh, because you'll know that what you're going to be greeted with is, is just empathy and kindness and, and a partner to help you deal with this disease.

Bari Nation is a national sponsor this year, and we're thrilled to be able to support such an amazing organization and the walk. So if [00:12:15] you're interested in learning more about the walk, joining our virtual team, which is free to do so, there are links in, in the show notes of this episode. Click those links.

Dr. Saniea F. Majid: Thank you. Thank you April. And thank you Bari Nation for the support. We are. Every dollar matters. Every dollar. Mm-hmm. And every effort matters. So even if it is just spreading the word, talking to others about it, [00:13:00] uh, thank you. Thank you for doing that.

April Williams: Well, we know we truly are better together. Thank you.

that wraps up another empowering episode of the BariNation Podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, keep the conversation going by joining the Bari Nation membership community where you can attend live support events, access on-demand resources, and find a caring community.

Jason Smith: And just remember at the end of the day, you've got this. We've got you. And we'll see you [00:13:45] next time. Bye everybody.