Michelle Petties

Michelle Petties is an author, speaker, Food Story Finder, experiential eating expert, and recovering food addict. Her first book, Leaving Large – The Stories of a Food Addict, features the award-winning story, The Cake is in the Mail. After gaining and losing over 700 pounds, Michelle finally discovered that the “secret” to finding freedom from food is in the “story.” The personal and powerful stories in her memoir chronicle a lifetime of eating for all the wrong reasons and illustrate how events, experiences and memories inform our beliefs, attitudes, and habits around food, eating and hunger, revealing that the answers to why we eat, what we eat rest in our Food Stories.

A former public relations vice-president and broadcast sales manager, Michelle has worked for some of the most recognizable names in media, including Disney/ABC and Radio One, negotiating client campaigns for household brands like McDonald's, T-Mobile and Coca-Cola.

Big city born, small town bred, suburban living, nowhere near retirement, still-Southern, soulful sistah who’s serious about Scrabble and her morning walks. A public media veteran, Michelle develops strategic partnerships, sponsorships and alliances for Baltimore’s NPR news station, WYPR.

Michelle attended Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, as its first early admissions student in 1975 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Texas at Arlington. Born in Los Angeles, raised in Marshall, Texas, she has lived in Dallas, Atlanta and Washington, DC.

When not writing, coaching or speaking, Michelle can be found on the tennis courts, shopping for new wigs or searching consignment boutiques for deals.

For Grins and Giggles

Guilty Pleasure: Cashews. It would be food.

Most Valued possession: Wig Collection, since the pandemic

Best advice from my grandmother: Make yourself happy

Grandmother’s advice that I wish I hadn’t ignored: “Baby, learn typing and that 10 key”

Most confusing grandmother advice: Don’t let your husband see you naked

Favorite food: Jerked anything, even sweet potatoes

Favorite Vegetable: Currently rutabaga, formerly Brussel sprouts

Favorite Fruit: Mango Martini

Favorite Movie: Any movie with a happy ending

Favorite pastime: Tennis, any time any where

Mantra #1: 63 is the new 33.

Mantra #2: Laugh out loud. Laugh often. Laugh at yourself.

Happy Place #1: Binge watching Midsomer Murders or Doc Martin with my sweetie

Happy Place #2: Standing in a closet filled with clothes I can actually wear