Jean Nidetch spent much of her early life yo-yo-ing between different fad diets, pills, Doctors' recommendations and even specialized facilities that were said to be able to help her lose weight, but time after time the result was the same: She'd lose a few pounds, only to have it bounce right back and be even harder to lose the next time around.
She finally decided there had to be a better way, and she invited a small group of women to join her at her house for what would become the very first Weight Watchers meeting. Weight Watchers grew from a tiny home meeting, to thousands of facilities and more members than Jean would have ever imagined.
Listen now to the story of how one woman's vision would create immense change and support for women who were previously isolated in their struggles - whether it be with weight loss or otherwise, and how this popular phenomenon has changed over the last decade, to be a program Jean may not have even recognized.
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A Broad is a woman who lives by her own rules. Broads You Should Know is the podcast about the Broads who helped shape our world!
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Broads You Should Know is hosted by Sara Gorsky.
IG: @SaraGorsky
Web master / site design: www.BroadsYouShouldKnow.com
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Broads You Should Know is produced by Sara Gorsky & edited by Chloe Skye
Yoko Ono — Avant-Garde Artist & Activist for Peace Who Definitively Did Not Break Up the Beatles [Sam Eggers]
Dr. Marian Croak — "Black Engineer of the Year" Who Invented VOIP Technology & Expanded the Internet [Sara Gorsky]
Indestructible Women — Joy Andrew, Margery McCall, & Richmodis von Aducht [Chloe Skye]
Broadly Speaking #2: Introducing Co-Host Chloe Skye!, Coming Out as Transgender, TV Recommendations, & more!
Frida Kahlo — Mexican Painter & Revolutionary Best Known for Her Work Exploring the Concepts of Identity, Pain, and Mexican Heritage [Sara Gorsky]
Annie Edson Taylor — Went Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel [Sam Eggers]
Ella Jo Baker — Grassroots Civil Rights Organizer Against the Deification of Male Leaders (MLK, etc) [Sara Gorsky]
Dr. Jane Cook Wright — Revolutionized Cancer Research [Sam Eggers]
Melina Abdullah — Academic & Civic Leader; Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles [Chloe Skye]
Shirley Chisholm — First African American Woman to Run for President of the United States [Sara Gorsky]
Jacinda Ardern — PM of New Zealand [Chloe Skye]
Bessie Coleman — First African-American & Native American Woman to Earn Pilot's License [Sam Eggers]
Caroline Herschel — Astronomer & Creator of “New General Catalogue” of Stellar Objects; First Woman to be Paid a Salary as a Scientist [Chloe Skye]
Mother Teresa — The Controversial Nun who Lived Intentionally in Poverty & Became a Saint [Sam Eggers]
Ida B. Wells — First Reporter to Break Story About Southern Lynchings [Sara Gorsky]
Coronavirus Sheroes Pt. 2 — Journalism, Immunology, & Indigenous Healthcare [Sara Gorsky]
Jennifer Nelson — Responsible for Bringing "Happy Birthday" Into Public Domain [Chloe Skye]
Ida Tarbell — The Mother of Modern Journalism Ethics Who Took Down Standard Oil [Sam Eggers]
Wangari Muta Maathai — First African Woman to Win a Nobel Prize & Founder of the Green Belt Movement (Responsible for Planting 20M Trees Worldwide)
Mary Edwards Walker — First female U.S. war surgeon, POW, & only woman to receive the Medal of Honor
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