Dr. Michelle Segar

Meet the woman in midlife who created EssentialSteps^®. The EssentialSteps philosophy and program was developed by Dr. Michelle Segar, America’s leading expert on creating sustainable exercise motivation and participation in midlife women.

Michelle’s Credentials

I am a researcher at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan and a Translational Scholar in the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research. I have a Ph.D. in Psychology and Master’s Degrees in Health Behavior - Health Education (M.P.H.) and in Kinesiology (M.S.) from the University of Michigan.

Media Coverage

New York Times, March, 2010
More Magazine, October, 2009
More Magazine, August, 2009
Baby Steps to Better Health Guest, MBNTV, August, 2009
National Women’s Health Resource Center Healthy Women Take 10, July, 2009
More Magazine, July/August, 2009
More Magazine Fitness Blogger, Ongoing
Fitness, May, 2009
University of Michigan’s School of Public Health Findings Magazine, April, 2009
Women’s Health Magazine, March, 2009
Prevention Magazine, January, 2009 (print, Internet)
More Magazine (USA) Featured Health Expert, November, 2008
More Magazine (Canada), October, 2008
Fit 4 Life Radio, October, 2008
Michigan Radio Interview by Charity Nebbe, August, 2008
United Press International, July, 2008
NYTimes.com, June 2008
beYOU.tv radio interview, May, 2008
Shape, April, 2008
Self, October, 2007
Women’s Day, April, 2007
WebMD, January, 2007
Health, January, 2007
HerSports+Fitness, January, 2007
Allure, November, 2006
Flare (Canada), November, 2006
Working Mother, September, 2006
Women’s Health, September, 2006
Shape, August, 2006
Runner’s World, August, 2006
Self, August, 2006
Prevention, August, 2006
Ann Arbor News, April, 2006
Netscape Top Story, April, 2006
Michigan Public Radio Interview, April, 2006
Cover/feature article in Balance Magazine, Winter, 2003 (Read the Interview)
The Pfizer Journal: Exercise and Health, 2002
Washington Post, January, 20, 1998
Allure, September, 1998
Prevention, August, 1998
Detroit Free Press Cover Story, July, 21, 1998

Radio Interviews

Listen to this 10-minute interview with Pat Lynch of WomensRadio.com (2009) where I reveal the Secrets to Midlife Women’s Success to Sustaining their desired behaviors

Listen to this 4-minute interview with Charity Nebbe of Michigan Radio (2008)

Listen to this 6-minute radio interview about my research by Dan Mulhern (2008)

What inspired Me

My passion has been helping women learn to make sustainable lifestyle changes that help them self-actualize as they improve the quality of their daily lives. It all began in 1994, when I had an insight that energized and impassioned my life.

That year, I conducted a study to see if exercise could help breast cancer survivors decrease depression and anxiety symptoms. The data showed that the breast cancer survivors who exercised significantly decreased their depression and anxiety levels, compared to the control group that did not exercise. I thought that was the end of the story…

Click here to find out what I learned that shocked and inspired me...

Research, Accomplishments & Media Coverage

If you’d like to access my published research, other accomplishments, or download media coverage click here.

Working with hundreds of women, over many years, and with funding from the National Institutes of Health, I created the EssentialSteps approach. I developed EssentialSteps to empower women to transform their mindset so they can make behavioral changes that can be sustained. Through my program, webinars, and workshops women learn to breakthrough the barriers that have prevented them from taking their essential steps to continued well-being, health and weight control.

What if you could learn how to take your essential steps to a joyful mind and happy body in only four hours? What if you controlled your weight, felt better, had more energy, and knew that you were taking care of yourself? If you value these things, you can join the other women who have achieved these important goals by working with me and learning the EssentialSteps program and philosophy.

Corporate Consulting & Keynotes

If you represent a corporation and would like to consult with me about how my research can help you better achieve your wellness and prevention goals, or learn about my corporate keynotes, workshops, tele-classess, webinars please let me know through the Contact menu.

Click on this link to learn about the free resources that I’d like you to have.