Inspiring Conversations with Linda Donaldson and Kiley Williams – Bowls of The BariGirls

Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Donaldson and Kiley Williams.

Hi Linda and Kiley, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
The BariGirls are a mother/daughter duo who both had surgical weight loss over 14 years ago and now help others who have had the surgery and want to start eating healthy. We believe everyone wants to eat healthier, but they don’t know where to start.

Kiley weighed 320 pounds and was 22 years old and told me her knees hurt when she walked upstairs. She took control and had a gastric sleeve for my weight loss surgery 13 years ago and continues to maintain a healthy body. Kiley was bullied in school and started having health issues, shaping her resolve to empower others to push through their pain and take control of their health. For Kiley, having weight loss surgery was the portal to help her get healthier and reach for her dreams of educating others.

Linda weighed 285 pounds and had gastric bypass surgery 9 years ago, and was the face of Saint Luke’s Health System weight loss brochure. This two-year campaign included television advertisement on 2 local stations, 7 area magazines, a Pandora ad, and the company website, as well as episodes of our journey on YouTube under the name “Go, Linda, Go Life. Linda has type 1 diabetes and wanted to avoid the complications that can often come with diabetes and chose surgical weight loss as a starting point to take control of her health.

Our mission is to help the masses know that a healthier lifestyle is possible. We now have created multiple social platforms to help those who have had surgical weight loss or want to eat healthily. We also encourage those who have not had the surgery to make healthy choices regarding food and exercise. Our determination to help others learn about food, make healthy food choices, and exercise is how we promote our motto of “loving yourself enough to make it count.”

During these difficult times, it is of the utmost importance to be healthy, and eating is the number one way to do so. Our social platforms are expansive and include our website (barigirls.com), TikTok (@thebarigirls), Facebook (The BariGirls), Instagram (@thebarigirls), a line of spices, cookbook, bi-monthly newsletter, podcast, and products to support the healthy eating lifestyle. We also have a cooking show for a local grocery chain (henhouse.com [under the recipes tab] and another grocery chain, Cannata’s Family Markets, located in Louisiana. Right now, all we have is our health, so why not help the masses? A healthy body leads to a healthy mindset.

We have previously appeared on KCTV5, Fox4, and KMBC9 doing cooking segments and Healthy KC magazine. We have a website, spice line, cookbook, newsletter, merchandise to support the healthy eating journey, a cooking show for Hen House Markets, and a large social presence. Today, The BariGirls have an expansive social presence and platforms to talk about healthy eating, and we continue to promote healthy eating and how to do so. Our website is called barigirls.com, TikTok @thebarigirls; IG @thebarigirls, Facebook – the barigirls; and Twitter – the barigirls. In addition to our website, we have a cookbook, podcast, newsletter, a line of spices and merchandise, and our animated personalities.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
The road to growing and helping others has been meeting with “you should not have had surgery” or “you cheated by having surgery.” The main struggle is retraining the mind about food and portion control. We tell our Baris (bariatric patients) that it’s almost like being an infant again with the starting stage of pureed foods. For Paris, getting water in is essential, but we have to adjust to each stage of advancing our food selections.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We educate pre, post, and beyond bariatric care regarding food and mindset as our core services. We specialize in bariatric care and are known as the expects because we are 14 years post surgery and have kept the weight off. We are proud that we are giving valuable information to help others succeed in healthier eating and keeping the weight off if they follow our advice. We want your readers to know that we love what we do and know our stuff.

What does success mean to you?
Success is achieved when our viewers, Baris, and supporters see the results and feel like they are more knowledgeable about healthy eating.

Pricing:

• They can go to the website about all of our products and services or email us for information.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.barigirls.com
• Instagram: @thebarigirls
• Facebook: The BariGirls
• Twitter: @thebarigirls
• Youtube: @thebarigirls
• Other: Tiktok – @thebarigirls