Michelle Petties is a TEDx speaker and food story coach who facilitates the intersection of emotional recovery and health education through her Mind Over Meals brand. She authored the memoir Leaving Large: The Stories of a Food Addict, a cornerstone of her methodology that addresses the psychological and cultural histories behind physical weight. Petties recently presented her research-backed workshop, The Weight We Carry, at the ASALH conference, exploring how generational trauma and the 'Strong Black Woman' trope impact wellness. Her curriculum extends into community spaces through partnerships like the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, where she delivers Wholeness, Wellness, and Self-Care for Musicians. By hosting the Reflections of Love series at Baltimore-area UMC locations, she provides trauma-informed spaces to rewrite narratives of self-worth. Her work serves as a catalyst for women seeking to replace self-blame with systemic understanding, utilizing public speaking and virtual intensives to dismantle long-standing misconceptions about food and body image.