Dr. Wendy Schofer, MD is a dual board-certified pediatrician and lifestyle physician who specializes in eating disorder prevention and whole-family emotional & nutritional health.
She works with parents who are worried about their children’s weight, eating habits, or body image and helps them create lifelong, healthy relationships with food, body, and especially each other. This is real help without harm.
Years ago, Wendy realized something uncomfortable. All of her medical training did not protect her from worrying about her own family’s health. And the classic prescription of “eat less, move more” did not work at home. It created food fights, sneaking snacks, “mandatory fun” as we called it in the Navy. Lots of stress.
In the pediatric office, she heard the same thing from parents: “I’m failing.”
But parents weren’t failing. Kids weren’t failing. The weight-focused approach was.
So she shifted the focus from fixing kids to supporting parents. Instead of focusing on food and weight, she helps families build connection and relationships.
Raising children in a body-focused culture requires more than nutrition advice. It requires emotional skill-building. It requires examining our own patterns. It requires creating an environment that lowers shame and builds trust.
That is the foundation of Family in Focus®, the coaching practice Dr. Wendy founded to help families build sustainable, connected health without fear, control, or diet culture.
Her work integrates trauma-informed care, feminist coaching, lifestyle medicine, and evidence-based positive psychology. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.
Emotional exploration sits at the center of everything she teaches. Wendy created the All Feelings Are Welcome™ Wheel and uses improv comedy and play to make emotional learning accessible, practical, and actually enjoyable.
She also founded Improv for Families, bringing improv principles into homes to strengthen communication, flexibility, and connection.
In addition to her coaching work, Dr. Schofer conducts research on weight-inclusive communication in pediatric medical education and addresses weight stigma experienced by adolescents in physical education settings.
Her mission is simple and bold:
Help 1 million families relieve stress, strengthen relationships with food, body, and family, and enjoy homes where health feels safe, joyful, and connected.
