Patient led
Real questions
We start with the experiences patients are actually having, from the first decision through life many years later.
Our Story
We Created What We Needed
Three people. Three different surgeries. One shared realization: nobody was talking about the whole story.
Where it began
The part after surgery was missing from the conversation.
April Williams, Jason Smith, and Natalie Tierney each had bariatric surgery. They attended seminars at their surgical center, read the pamphlets, and learned the difference between a sleeve and a bypass.
What they did not find was an honest conversation about everything that comes next. The identity shifts. The plateaus that feel like personal failures, but are not. The days you feel unstoppable and the days getting out of bed feels like enough. The family member who still offers you a second helping as if nothing has changed.
So they started talking about it themselves.
How we grew
A conversation became a community.
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01
Three journeys
Different surgeries and different experiences revealed the same need for honest, ongoing support.
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02
Honest conversation
Patient voices made room for the questions, setbacks, victories, and changes that polished brochures left out.
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03
The BariNation Podcast
A weekly, patient-built show brought lived experience together with bariatric surgeons, obesity medicine specialists, and dietitians.
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04
BariNation Foundation
The conversations grew into a nonprofit dedicated to education, community, and support across every stage.
Patient hosted. Expert informed.
Hundreds of episodes, built by patients for patients.
There are no scripts handed down by people without lived experience. April, Jason, and Natalie bring their own questions to the table, alongside experts who can help answer the hard ones.
What began with three friends recording a conversation became a trusted library of stories, practical education, and proof that no one has to navigate this alone.
Explore the podcastWhat makes BariNation different
Lived experience has a seat at the table.
The foundation is grounded in one belief: people treating obesity deserve real information, real community, and support shaped by people who have been there.
Expert informed
Trusted knowledge
Clinicians and specialists bring evidence and perspective to conversations rooted in everyday life.
Community powered
Ongoing connection
Support continues through every stage, including the uncertain beginning, the changing middle, and the questions that come years later.
"We're real people living with obesity and treating it, and we needed real conversations about what that's actually like. Not the before-and-after photos. The middle. The messy, brave, everyday middle. BariNation is where we have those conversations, together."
You belong here
If you are standing where we once stood, welcome.
If you are wondering whether it gets easier, whether anyone else feels this way, or where to ask your next question, you are in the right place.