Weight Stigma Awareness Week Announces 2026 Speaker Lineup, Featuring Sharon Maxwell as Keynote Speaker and Ambassador

Three-day virtual event brings together advocates, clinicians, writers and experts to challenge weight stigma and create lasting change

FL, UNITED STATES, September 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Weight Stigma Awareness Week today announced its 2026 speaker lineup, featuring Sharon Maxwell as keynote speaker and a public-facing ambassador for the initiative.

Taking place September 8–10, 2026, Weight Stigma Awareness Week will bring together experts, advocates, clinicians, writers and community members for three days of education and conversation focused on recognizing, challenging and ultimately reducing weight stigma.

Maxwell will open the event on Tuesday, September 8, with a special 90-minute keynote session from 10:00–11:30 a.m. EST. In addition to her keynote appearance, Maxwell will take on a public-facing ambassador role, helping extend the conversation and mission of Weight Stigma Awareness Week beyond the annual event.

“Fat joy is hope in action. It is the decision to stop postponing our lives and to reclaim the pleasure, belonging, and possibility we deserve right now. Weight stigma attempts to make people smaller in far more ways than size. Weight Stigma Awareness Week invites us to imagine something bigger: a world in which every body is welcomed, respected, and free to experience joy without apology.” said Maxwell.

The 2026 program will explore how weight stigma appears across healthcare, families, culture and everyday life, while providing participants with opportunities to learn from both professional expertise and lived experience.

2026 Weight Stigma Awareness Week Speaker Lineup

Tuesday, September 8
Sharon Maxwell: 90-minute keynote | 10:00–11:30 a.m. EST
Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt: CE Session | 12:00–1:00 p.m. EST
Weight Stigma Awareness Week Co-Creators: Panel | 1:15–2:00 p.m. EST

Wednesday, September 9
Dr. Monica Peralta: CE Session, Healing Intergenerational Body Shame: Breaking the Cycle of Weight Stigma Across the Life Span | 10:00–11:30 a.m. EST
Carianne D’Oriano | 12:00–1:30 p.m. EST
Sophia Apostol: 90-minute writing workshop focused on FatJoy | 2:00–3:30 p.m. EST

Thursday, September 10
Live-Streamed Session: Ask The Alliance: Weight Stigma Awareness Week
Thursday, September 10th 8-9pm ET / 5-6pm PT

Register here.

“Weight stigma is not simply about how people feel about their bodies; it shapes how people are seen, heard, treated, and cared for,” said Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, co-creator of Weight Stigma Awareness Week. “This week is about bringing those experiences into the open and giving people the knowledge and tools to challenge the assumptions that allow weight stigma to persist. This year’s speakers bring together lived experience, clinical expertise, advocacy, and storytelling in a way that can move us beyond awareness and toward meaningful, lasting change.”

Weight stigma can influence how people are treated in healthcare, workplaces, schools, relationships and public life. Weight Stigma Awareness Week creates space to examine those experiences while equipping participants to recognize bias, challenge harmful assumptions and contribute to environments where people are treated with dignity and respect regardless of body size.

The initiative's goal extends beyond a single week. Through education, storytelling, professional training and community participation, Weight Stigma Awareness Week aims to turn a concentrated week of awareness into meaningful action throughout the year.
Registration for Weight Stigma Awareness Week is free and open to the public.

For the complete schedule and registration information, visit the Weight Stigma Awareness Week website.
About Weight Stigma Awareness Week

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