In The Know With Nina

How can we design care models that support both patient-centered outcomes and provider sustainability?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, Dr. Nina Crowley sits down with Dr. William Berger, an internal medicine and obesity medicine physician who is rethinking what modern, patient-centered care can look like when time, access, and personalization are prioritized.

They explore what happens when you step outside traditional healthcare models and create space for deeper conversations, more frequent touchpoints, and truly individualized care. From the limitations of rushed visits to the power of longitudinal relationships, this conversation highlights how structure, support, and strategy can change both patient experience and outcomes.

Personalized care is not just about prescribing a treatment plan. It is about building a system that allows patients to engage, adapt, and sustain change over time.

Key Takeaways

• Care models shape outcomes. Time, access, and follow-up matter just as much as treatment itself
• Traditional visit structures often limit meaningful behavior change and patient engagement
• More frequent, lower-barrier touchpoints can improve adherence and trust
• Personalized care requires understanding the full context of a patient’s life, not just clinical data
• Body composition and longitudinal tracking can support more informed, motivating conversations
• Sustainable change happens through ongoing support, not one-time advice

About My Guest

William Berger, MD is dual board-certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine and certified in menopause care. He is the founder and medical director of Northeast Medical Practice, where he focuses on personalized, patient-centered care in a concierge medicine practice model and includes seca body composition analysis for all of his patients. Dr. Berger hosts a podcast, ‘Longevity MD with Dr. William Berger’ and has an active youtube channel through the Northeast Medical Practice.

How to Connect

Podcast: Longevity MD with Dr. William Berger https://open.spotify.com/show/0YRCC0jsvige7lYz7YC7q6?si=4c32eb1a22744e16

Website: www.northeastmedicalpractice.com

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-berger-md/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northeastmedicalpractice

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@www.tiktok.com_dr.berger

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@northeastmedicalpractice3672

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northeastmedicalpractice

What if menopause is not just about getting older, but a true metabolic turning point—and what changes when clinicians stop focusing only on the number on the scale and start looking at body composition, visceral fat, muscle mass, and lived experience?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, Dr. Nina Crowley is joined by functional medicine practitioner Monique Class for a conversation on how body composition analysis can help clinicians better understand the metabolic shifts that occur during perimenopause and menopause. Drawing from more than 35 years of experience in functional medicine, Monique shares how advanced metrics like visceral fat and skeletal muscle mass can help move the conversation beyond weight alone and toward a deeper understanding of metabolic health.

Together, they explore menopause as a metabolic inflection point, discussing how hormonal changes influence fat distribution, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and muscle loss. The discussion highlights how clinicians can combine body composition data with lab markers, symptoms, and patient experience to personalize care and guide more effective interventions.

Dr. Crowley and Monique also discuss the evolving role of hormone replacement therapy and GLP-1 medications, emphasizing that while these tools can support metabolic health, sustainable outcomes still depend on individualized lifestyle strategies, behavior change, and ongoing monitoring.

Key Takeaways

• Why menopause represents a metabolic inflection point rather than simply a stage of aging
• How body composition analysis helps clinicians move beyond scale weight alone
• The role of visceral fat in inflammation and cardiometabolic risk
• Why preserving skeletal muscle mass becomes increasingly important with age
• How functional medicine approaches integrate labs, symptoms, and lifestyle data
• When hormone therapy and GLP-1 medications may support metabolic health
• Why personalization and patient-centered goals are key to successful lifestyle change

About my Guest

Monique Class, MS, APRN-BC, IFMCP, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner, international lecturer, and Co-Founder of The Center for Functional Medicine. A recognized leader in women’s health, mind-body medicine, and coaching, she combines advanced clinical expertise with a patient-centered approach. Monique serves as Senior Faculty at the Institute for Functional Medicine and the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Director of Coaching Development at the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, and Clinical Instructor at the Yale Graduate School of Nursing.

How to Connect

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/monique-class-ms-aprn-bc-436260a0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moniqueclassfxmed/

How do we navigate midlife health changes without oversimplifying or overreacting?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, Dr. Nina Crowley sits down with Dr. Nisha Patel, an obesity and metabolic health specialist with training in internal medicine, obesity care, menopause, culinary medicine, clinical epidemiology, and cardiometabolic health.

They explore cardiometabolic health through the lens of obesity management and women’s midlife transitions. The conversation highlights how muscle mass naturally declines over time, visceral fat often increases during menopause, and why these shifts can feel confusing or frustrating. They also unpack how social media myths, supplement marketing, and medication stigma influence patient decision-making.

Sustainable progress is not about chasing a former version of your body. It is about protecting cardiometabolic health, improving quality of life, and building personalized strategies that work in real life.

Key Takeaways

• Patient-centered care requires understanding someone’s stressors, resources, and daily realities
• Social media can amplify health myths and oversimplified messaging
• Weight management medications are often misunderstood and stigmatized
• It is not either-or. Lifestyle strategies and medications can work together
• Body composition changes during midlife are common and multifactorial
• Declines in muscle mass and increases in abdominal fat can influence cardiometabolic risk

About My Guest

Dr. Nisha Patel is an obesity and metabolic health specialist with a background in internal medicine and additional training in obesity care, menopause, culinary medicine, clinical epidemiology, and cardiometabolic health. She focuses on personalized, evidence-based approaches that prioritize health and quality of life.

How to Connect

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drplantel/

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drplantel/

What does meaningful progress really look like when muscle health, motivation, and behavior all intersect?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, Dr. Nina Crowley sits down with Karlie Intlekofer, Global Research Scientist at Matrix Fitness, to explore how muscle health, motivation, and behavior intersect, and why meaningful progress often looks different than what people expect.

Together, they unpack why muscle health goes far beyond aesthetics, how unrealistic expectations and plateaus can derail motivation, and why psychological safety and autonomy supportive coaching matter for long term consistency. The conversation also touches on how muscle shows up in different ways, including strength, endurance, and power, and why communicating progress in clear, human terms can change how people experience movement.

This episode focuses less on chasing outcomes and more on helping people feel capable, supported, and motivated to keep showing up, even when the scale does not move.

Key Takeaways

• Muscle health is about function, confidence, and quality of life, not just appearance
• Progress often shows up before aesthetic change and should be communicated clearly
• Plateaus are a normal part of adaptation, not a sign of failure
• Psychological safety and autonomy are essential for long term engagement
• Meaningful progress is personal and rooted in values, not comparison

About my Guest

Karlie Intlekofer, PhD, CNC, CPT is a Global Research Scientist at Matrix Fitness with a background in neuroscience, behavior, and exercise science. Her work focuses on translating research into practical, human centered strategies that help fitness professionals support confidence, engagement, and sustainable active lifestyles.

How to Connect

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlie-intlekofer-51467415/

Matrix Fitness Research Hub Podcast https://www.youtube.com/@MatrixFitnessGlobal

Matrix Fitness Instagram https://www.instagram.com/matrixfitness/

How are hormones, metabolism, and body composition shaping the way we care for patients during midlife, and why is so much of the conversation still filled with confusion and misinformation?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, Dr. Nina Crowley is joined by Disha Narang, Endocrinologist and Director of Obesity Medicine at Endeavor Health, for an evidence-based discussion on hormones, menopause, and obesity care. Together, they unpack the real role of key metabolic hormones—including thyroid, cortisol, insulin, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—and explain why popular phrases like “balancing hormones” often miss the clinical mark.

Drawing from real-world patient care, the conversation explores how perimenopause and menopause drive changes in insulin resistance, visceral adiposity, and body composition—and why hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can improve symptoms and quality of life without being a weight-loss solution. Dr. Narang and Dr. Crowley also discuss when hormone testing is appropriate, why timing and context matter, and how combining HRT with evidence-based obesity treatments (including GLP-1 therapies) can support better outcomes for patients navigating midlife transitions.

Throughout the episode, they highlight why body composition offers critical insight beyond the scale—especially when weight remains stable while muscle mass declines and visceral fat increases—and why collaborative, team-based care between endocrinology, OB-GYN, and obesity medicine is essential in this stage of life.

Key Takeaways

• Why hormones play a complex—but often oversimplified—role in midlife weight and metabolic health
• How menopause contributes to insulin resistance and increased visceral adiposity
• Why thyroid and cortisol frequently receive “undue credit” in weight discussions
• When hormone testing is useful—and when it may create more confusion than clarity
• What hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can and cannot do for weight management
• How combining HRT with obesity treatments (including GLP-1 therapies) may improve patient outcomes
• Why body composition helps reveal metabolic risk and progress that weight alone can’t show
• How interdisciplinary care strengthens long-term, patient-centered midlife health management

About my Guest

Disha Narang, MD, is a quadruple board–certified physician in endocrinology, obesity medicine, internal medicine, and culinary medicine, and serves as Director of Obesity Medicine at Endeavor Health (NorthShore). She completed her undergraduate and medical training at Vanderbilt University, followed by an internal medicine residency and endocrinology fellowship at the University of Chicago. Dr. Narang specializes in the care of patients with diabetes and obesity and integrates culinary medicine into her practice, emphasizing the principle that food is medicine.

How to Connect

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dishanarangmd/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dishanarangmd

How are longevity, body composition and weight health reshaping the future of obesity care—for both patients and practices?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, we’re back from Longevity Fest, where Dr. Michael Glickman spoke about the evolving role of body composition in metabolic health. Dr. Nina Crowley and Dr. Glickman continue that conversation by exploring how obesity care is moving beyond a weight-only model toward a more personalized, data-driven, and longevity-focused approach.

Drawing from real clinical examples, the episode examines how body composition helps patients stay engaged, set meaningful goals, and better understand what’s happening in their bodies—especially when the scale doesn’t change. They also discuss how body composition strengthens long-term patient relationships, supports safe use of GLP-1 therapies, and fits into sustainable practice models as obesity care evolves from “1.0” to “2.0 and beyond.”

Key Takeaways

• Why weight health is broader than weight loss and requires long-term, relationship-based care
• How body composition improves patient understanding, motivation, and trust
• Why body composition data improves motivation, goal-setting, and engagement during maintenance
• Where longevity medicine, functional health, and obesity care begin to intersect
• How GLP-1 therapies support metabolic health and may play a role in longevity
• Why obesity care is moving from “Obesity 1.0” to more personalized 2.0 and 3.0 models
• How integrating body composition strengthens comprehensive, team-based obesity care program

About My Guest

Dr. Michael L. Glickman, MD, is a triple board-certified physician in family medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine, and the founder of Revolution Medicine. His practice has grown into the largest obesity medicine practice in Washington, DC, and is known for its comprehensive, patient-centered model that integrates medical treatment, nutrition, fitness, behavioral support, and body composition analysis to support sustainable weight health.

How to Connect

Website: www.revolutionmed.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revolution_med/

Linked In (Dr. Glickman): https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-glickman-md/

Linked In (Revolution Medicine): https://www.linkedin.com/company/revolution-med

How do patients’ lived experiences at conferences combined with the real-world data they gain from tools like BIA—create a fuller, more honest picture of obesity care?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, I sit down with two incredible patient advocates, Michael Donnelly-Boylen and Zachary Niemiec, to explore where hard data meets lived experience in obesity, bariatric surgery, GLP-1 therapy, and body composition.

We talk about what it feels like to be one of only a handful of patients in a room of thousands—and how their presence at ObesityWeek helped shift conversations toward stigma, access, and patient-centered care. Both share what it was like to have clinicians and researchers seek them out to understand the real stories behind the data. Then we dive into the numbers: how body composition tools like DEXA and seca BIA informed their journeys, clarified their goals, and in some cases completely reframed what “progress” looks like. From weight-limit barriers to interpretation challenges to the motivation that comes from seeing skeletal muscle change over time, Mike and Zach show why accessible, in-clinic body composition matters—especially for people in larger bodies.

This episode blends science, advocacy, and humanity to highlight why obesity care needs both data and the people behind it.

Key Takeaways

• Patient presence changes the science. When people with lived experience show up at scientific meetings, research conversations become more grounded, empathetic, and connected to real life.
• Body composition is personal. Seeing skeletal muscle, fat mass, and lean soft tissue trends helps patients validate what they feel in their own bodies—and challenges assumptions driven by scale-only thinking.
• Access to measurement is an equity issue. Traditional tools like DEXA often have weight or size limitations, leaving many patients without essential data. Clinic-based BIA offers a more inclusive experience.
• Words matter. DEXA lean soft tissue, fat-free mass, and skeletal muscle describe different things—and using the right terms prevents confusion and fearmongering around muscle loss on GLP-1s.
• Strength and function motivate. Muscle health—not just weight—is becoming a more meaningful marker of progress, especially as patients enter maintenance.
• Maintenance is its own journey. Keeping obesity in remission while building muscle, confidence, and capacity is different from active weight loss—and deserves its own goals and metrics.

About my Guests

Michael Donnelly-Boylen is a patient advocate and community builder who uses social platforms to support individuals navigating GLP-1 therapy. He focuses on access, policy, and helping patients find evidence-based voices in a rapidly growing online landscape.

Zachary Niemiec brings eight years of lived experience in bariatric surgery, GLP-1 therapy, and advanced liver disease. He uses his platforms to speak candidly about stigma, maintenance, body composition, and why obesity care must include all tools—surgery, medication, lifestyle, and support.

How to Connect

Michael Donnelly-Boylen

TikTok: @MikeOnAMission2

Instagram: @mike.on.a.mission2

LinkedIn: donnellyboylen

Newsletter (Substack): The Mission Report – GLP-1 access updates & evidence-based creator recommendations

Zachary Niemiec

TikTok: @lucky_finz

Instagram: @lucky_finz

LinkedIn: Zachary Niemiec

How can clinicians support patients in moving from number-focused thinking to values-aligned goals that feel sustainable and empowering?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, Dr. Nina Crowley is joined by Mind Body Eating Coach Anna Gordon to explore how numbers—weight, BMI, body fat, clothing size—shape self-perception and motivation, and how curiosity and compassion can help patients build a healthier, more grounded relationship with change.

Key Takeaways

• Numbers like weight, BMI, body fat, and clothing size often take on moral meaning, becoming shorthand for “good” or “bad.”

• Patients vary widely: for some, numbers are neutral data; for others, they trigger stress, shame, or fear of judgment.

• Curiosity helps uncover the deeper “why” behind a patient’s goals instead of centering the number itself.

• “Shoulds” usually reflect external pressure, not authentic motivation; exploring values helps realign what truly matters.

• Over-fixation on metrics can drain energy, heighten stress, and disrupt healthy behaviors.

• Intrinsic motivations—identity, enjoyment, future self, and core values—drive more sustainable change than external targets.

• Body composition data adds value when used to track meaningful trends in muscle, fat, and function rather than isolated daily fluctuations.

• Interpreting body composition alongside sleep, stress, mood, and quality of life keeps the data grounded and patient-centered.

• Maintenance often requires shifting from constantly preparing the body to live → actually living in it.

• Clinicians can reduce harm by asking permission, staying curious, avoiding moral language, and reinforcing that patients are worthy and deserving of compassionate care at every size.

About my Guest

Anna Gordon, MS, ACC is a Mind Body Eating Coach at Health Psychology Partners in Washington, DC. Using a compassionate, insight-driven coaching approach, she helps clients transform their relationship with food, eating, stress, and self-worth. Anna specializes in supporting individuals who feel that food, body image, or numbers are playing an outsized role in their lives, helping them reconnect with curiosity, values, and personal agency. She partners closely with psychologist Dr. Rachel Pashby to deliver integrative behavioral support within multidisciplinary obesity and metabolic health care.

How to Connect

Website: https://www.healthpsychologypartners.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annagordoncoaching/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annargordon/

Substack: Eating With Insight https://annargordon.substack.com/

How can we better understand women’s health, hormones, and body composition during midlife—without pathologizing a life stage or falling for one-size-fits-all solutions?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, Dr. Nina Crowley sits down with Dr. Basma Faris, OB-GYN, Culinary Medicine Specialist, and Registered Dietitian, for an empowering conversation about women’s health in midlife. Together, they explore the intersection of hormones, nutrition, and body composition—and what truly personalized, patient-centered care looks like. They discuss how to spot red flags in online health advice, why “everyone should be on…” is never good medicine, and how to navigate perimenopause and menopause with clarity and confidence. From visceral vs. subcutaneous fat to rethinking protein and bone health, this episode is full of practical insights for clinicians and patients alike.

Key Takeaways

• Perimenopause and menopause are life stages—not diseases to fix.
• Beware of “everyone should…” claims—context and individuality matter.
• Body composition changes are real and measurable; visceral fat and lean mass both deserve attention.
• Protein needs may rise with age, but balance matters—don’t crowd out fiber and micronutrients.
• Bone health depends on more than calcium and vitamin D—think vitamin K, vitamin C, and trace minerals.
• Community, conversation, and anticipatory guidance help women navigate change with confidence.

About my Guest

Basma Faris, MD, CCMS, FACOG is a board-certified OB-GYN and Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist who brings a unique blend of nutrition and medicine to women’s health. First trained as a registered dietitian, she now leads a telehealth practice focused on evidence-based, compassionate care for people with PCOS and hormonal health concerns. Dr. Faris also serves as an Assistant Professor at Mount Sinai, chairs the Advisory Board of the American College of Culinary Medicine, and advises several women’s health startups—advancing inclusive, practical approaches to reproductive and metabolic health.

How to Connect

Website: drbasmafaris.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/basma-faris-md-ms-ccms

Instagram: @drbasmafaris

YouTube: @drbasmafaris

How can GLP-1 therapies offer more than weight loss—and become a pathway to freedom, healing, and hope?

In this episode of In the Know with Nina, Dr. Nina Crowley sits down with Amanda Bonello, founder of the GLP-1 Collective nonprofit. Amanda shares her deeply personal journey through obesity, eating disorders, and recovery—and how GLP-1 medications brought her freedom from food noise, nicotine addiction, and years of shame. Together, Nina and Amanda explore how lived experience can fuel advocacy, why access and affordability matter, and what it means to create a more compassionate system for people using these life-changing therapies.

Key Takeaways

• GLP-1 medications quieted Amanda’s food noise and nicotine addiction.

• Her personal experience led to founding the GLP-1 Collective and GLP-1 Access LLC.

• Advocacy starts with storytelling—one patient voice at a time.

• True health means more than a number on the scale; body composition tells a fuller story.

• Collaboration between advocates, clinicians, and organizations can drive real change.

About my Guest

Amanda Bonello is the founder and executive director of the GLP-1 Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to affordable access, education, and community for individuals using GLP-1 therapies. She also leads GLP-1 Access LLC, an action-oriented partner that supports advocacy initiatives for medication affordability. Through her podcast and nonprofit work, Amanda amplifies patient voices and drives the national conversation toward empathy, education, and equitable care.

How to Connect

Podcast: GLP-1 Collective Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2khCfMHUPSGBKQNBM1ic4b?si=9b7b33e95b244da1

Website: https://glp1collective.org/

Instagram: amanda.bonell0

Tiktok: @amanda.bonello