The moment that shifted Thatcher’s career came during a routine appointment with a frustrated patient. Each visit brought new prescriptions—blood pressure medication, cholesterol medication, something else each time.

When the patient asked if there was anything she could do other than adding yet another drug, Thatcher realized she didn’t have a clear answer.
Her response—suggesting that losing around 20 pounds could improve the patient’s health—was met with determination: “Okay, tell me how to do it and I’ll do it.”

That interaction made Thatcher confront a difficult truth: she wasn’t fully equipped to guide the patient. The realization sent her into years of additional training in obesity medicine and eventually led her to reshape her entire career.

Thatcher now dedicates her full practice to obesity medicine, a shift from primary care where appointments often last only 10–15 minutes. The work she does requires much more: education, counseling, long-term habit building and ongoing medical monitoring.

Her clinic is built around the idea that patients deserve time and attention—not rushed conversations or one-size-fits-all advice. Each visit focuses on partnership and personalized planning, helping patients understand the “how” behind sustainable weight change.

One of Thatcher’s highest priorities is creating a welcoming environment. She emphasizes that many people seeking obesity care have experienced stigma, judgment and bias—sometimes from medical professionals.

When patients walk through her door for the first time, she wants them to immediately feel safe and respected. Her approach centers on listening: understanding patients’ experiences, their frustrations, their goals and their fears.

This atmosphere of empathy, she says, is just as essential as the medical treatment itself.