Willow and Josie are two weight loss companies targeting women, but which one is the better option for women over 40? I tried both brands and am excited to share my findings with you here. 

GLP-1s are becoming more and more common, with estimates saying that there could be as many as 30 million Americans on GLP-1s by 2030. And, I believe it - the more research I do on these companies offering compounded medications, the more I am seeing them open the door for patients beyond the typical eligibility standards as the benefits are by far outweighing the side effects.

As a personal trainer and women’s weight loss coach, I repeatedly find that women love to feel connected to the person or brand that they are engaging with and buying from. Particularly when it comes to something as sensitive as their bodies. I know that the women who join my fitness app, Simply Strong, usually do so because they connect with me and the over-35 women I represent. The same goes for finding a medicated weight loss provider - we want to feel connected, supported, and understood. 

Willow and Josie are both offering compounded GLP-1s to women, without BMI restrictions. But is one of them better than the other when it comes to women over the age of 40, specifically? Does it matter? Let’s chat about it!

Choosing a GLP-1 Provider: What Women 40+ Should Know

When it comes to choosing a GLP-1 provider as a woman over 40, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, I want to be clear that peptides are peptides, and assuming you’re obtaining them from a reputable place, there really shouldn’t be a drastic difference in quality or effectiveness - even for compounded medications, as most providers are using the same pharmacies and there are standard dosing and compounds being offered.

That being said, for women over the age of 40, it’s important that we’re dealing with doctors who understand perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. We need doctors who are supportive, hormone-aware, and who have experience working with the menopause population. This is where we start to see some differences between Join Josie and Willow. Josie is much more targeted at women over 40, customizing their intake process and evaluation process to those who are going through menopause. Willow, on the other hand, caters to women of all ages, but specifically markets to younger women who have vanity pounds to lose.

Both brands should provide a similar service, but as a woman over 40, you might find that you resonate with and feel more supported by Josie, as they are hyper-focused on serving women in menopause who are struggling with a myriad of issues and symptoms. It’s also important to choose a provider who is going to look beyond your scale weight and not disqualify you for not being “fat enough.” As women know, perimenopause and menopause symptoms and side effects go far beyond the scale, and we deserve access to medications that will offer relief without judgement. Both Willow and Josie are great for seeking GLP-1s for more than just weight loss, but for overall metabolic health and appetite control.

My Experience With Willow

Let’s start with my experience trying Willow for weight loss medications, as this was the first company I tried out of the two. At the time I was testing out Willow, they were doing something totally unique and different in the space - they were prescribing weight loss medications to women who only had a few pounds to lose. This is called vanity or cosmetic weight loss, and it’s not something that many (if any) providers were doing at the time.

If you’re familiar with Willow, then you may have scrolled across some of their ads on Facebook or Instagram where they showcase younger women who appear to already be in good physical shape, taking the medications to lose weight for an upcoming event or even to just feel more confident in their bathing suit. These ads have been pretty controversial, with many people believing it’s irresponsible to prescribe medications for weight loss that could potentially be achieved through diet and exercise; however, I am here to tell you that this approach to GLP-1 use is becoming more and more widespread with more providers following suit.

Personally, I think there’s a shift in the industry as more information and studies are conducted that are revealing benefits that extend far beyond traditional weight loss. So while Willow might have been the first company to publicly advertise that they are offering GLP-1s without the typical BMI restrictions, they certainly won’t be the only ones doing so.

Onto my actual experience with Willow, getting started is simple and straightforward. Willow takes you through a quick questionnaire that gets to know you, your goals, your medical history, etc. It’s not the most in-depth intake quiz I’ve seen, but it gets the job done. Once you find your way to the end, you’re essentially pre-approved for treatment. The next step is to enter your credit card information and upload a copy of your ID for verification purposes.

Your information then gets sent to Willow’s team of doctors, where one of them will review your case and either approve or deny it. Willow does preemptively charge your credit card, just a heads up, so if for some reason you’re not approved, you will need to get a refund. Refunds are issued without hassle if you’re not approved. But this may be a turn-off for those who are just putting feelers out there.

Willow only offers compounded medications, not the name brands. Compounded GLP-1s are more affordable than their name-brand counterparts and are still effective even when mixed with something else. Willow offers compounded semaglutide for $299/month in either tablet (oral) or injection form. They also offer injectable compounded tirzepatide for $399/month. Tirzepatide is the more effective option as it’s a dual agonist.

Willow's new 90-day GLP-1 program offers a 90-day plan to help people lose a few pounds for an upcoming event.

Overall, I thought the intake process was smooth and easy. I entered my actual height and weight (my BMI is around 21), and they had no qualms about approving me for medication. In the past, when I’ve researched different companies, I would get a hard decline as soon as my BMI was calculated, as it doesn't meet the typical threshold for approval (>27).

Willow has an awesome online community (Facebook), where you can connect with the community, ask questions, and get a feel for what you can expect if you end up choosing Willow. The majority of the reviews and feedback from Willow users have been really positive, despite some bouts of long wait times for medications and formulation changes when they switch pharmacies. I have personally chatted with a couple of the doctors from Willow and found them to be really supportive, helpful, and honest, which I appreciated. I was able to access a doctor via their web portal after I signed up. The doctor's response time was usually about 24 hours.

One thing that I think is missing from Willow’s program and messaging is an emphasis on making lifestyle changes that will help ensure you’re making the most of your GLP-1 journey. As a personal trainer and nutrition coach, I am a heavy supporter of resistance training and protein intake to maintain muscle mass and metabolism. I would like to see Willow provide more education and resources for their customers in regards to healthy lifestyle habits that should be non-negotiable, especially when prescribing medications to those who are already at a healthy weight.

My Experience With Josie

Josie (https://joinjosie.com) is the only compounded GLP-1 provider that I know of who specifically targets women in menopause. I like that the Josie brand feels very tailored to women over 40 who are struggling with feeling like themselves. Josie definitely markets toward women who have excess weight to lose, but they also serve women who simply want to improve their metabolic health and combat cravings and inflammation.

I found that the intake process for Josie was quite similar to that of Willow’s - you begin by filling out a questionnaire that includes all of the basic questions like your current weight, age, goals, and health history. One thing I noticed was that Josie didn’t have an option to indicate PCOS (which I have), but they did have an option for metabolic syndrome, which PCOS is a form of. I selected metabolic syndrome and entered my actual height and weight, and was approved. I was a little surprised that my information was approved, as I have a healthy BMI and am only 37 years old (not quite perimenopausal, but getting there) - but I was happy to see the approval come through!

I then selected my medication preference. Josie has 4 options to choose from: compounded semaglutide injections, compounded semaglutide tablets, compounded tirzepatide injections, or compounded tirzepatide tablets. I don’t see very many companies offering compuinded tirzepatide tablets (it’s usually just semaglutide), so this was something unique about Josie. The tablets appeal to those who can’t handle needles or injections well and want to take a less intense approach. I am not sure how effective the oral medications are when compared to the injections, but I know the injections are definitely more potent. 

I selected the tirzepatide injections and then entered my credit card information. It’s important to note that Josie does not charge your credit card until your medication is actually approved and sent to the pharmacy. I like this about Josie because if the doctor doesn’t give final approval, you don’t have to worry about waiting for your refund to process. I also had to upload a copy of my ID.

From there, I got an email and text confirmation of my order as well as a login to get into the Josie portal (https://joinjosie.careglp.com/login), where I could see that my information was submitted and was awaiting the next steps. I ended up needing to re-upload my ID before they could process my request, but doing so was easy because I could do it right in the system thanks to my login. Once my ID was entered, my case was assigned a doctor, and he approved the medication within 48 hours of being assigned, which I felt like was pretty fast. 

Here is part of the message I received from the prescribing doctor from Josie: 

“Your current BMI falls within a healthy range, but we can consider utilizing GLP-1 therapy as a supportive tool to promote healthier eating patterns, improve nutritional choices, reduce inflammation, and enhance overall metabolic health. The primary objective would not be significant weight loss, but rather the optimization of your metabolic health. We will closely monitor your progress to ensure your weight remains within a healthy range and will adjust the treatment plan as needed to maintain balance and support your long-term health goals.”

As a personal trainer and women’s weight loss coach, I really respected this approach. The Josie team understands that they might have patients coming to them with normal BMIs but who are struggling with various symptoms. GLP-1s have been shown to help with far more than just weight loss, especially for women in menopause or perimenopause. I also love how the doctor put me on the smallest dose - this felt very responsible and the messaging around what to expect from weight loss was spot on and very sustainable. 

I also like that Josie shared with me some resources for strength training and eating a high-protein diet, both of which are essentials for me and my clients. Once I was approved by the Josie doctor, I was sent a note from a team member letting me know that the medication was sent to the pharmacy and that it would take 7-9 days to process, which seems to be pretty standard industry-wide.

So, Which Is Better For Women Over 40, Josie or Willow?

While I was approved for medication from both Willow and Josie and felt as though the process was very similar with both brands, I definitely felt more supported and understood by Josie. I like that they narrowed down their target audience to women over 40, as it’s a highly underserved niche and one that can be full of misinformation, judgment, and untreated symptoms. 

I am confident that I would be getting similar medications and results from the medications regardless of which brand I chose, but I connected more with my Josie provider and the messages they share on social media and on their website. Willow is great, but their messaging can be a little off-putting as a personal trainer. I saw one ad that suggested people can “quit the gym,” which is not the case at all. Continuing or starting a strength training program while on a GLP-1 should be a requirement and is indisputably one of the key factors in success and maintaining a healthy, functional body. 

As a woman nearing her perimenopausal years, my choice would be Josie for compounded GLP-1 medication, but I am also not opposed to Willow at all. In fact, I think they’re providing a great service that’s breaking down many barriers that have been faced by those who don’t quite meet the standard BMI requirements but would still like to explore GLP-1s. 

From a pricing perspective, both Willow and Josie are near equals. They both charge a flat fee for medication and don’t have any additional costs for consultations or anything. One important note is that Willow’s pricing will increase as you get to higher doses, but Josie does not, so if you’re someone with a lot of weight to lose who might need a higher dose of the medication, be prepared for increased pricing if you choose Willow.

Wrapping Up

If you’re debating between Willow and Josie for GLP-1 medications, I hope this article provided some context and information that will help you make the final call. Honestly, I find both brands and their processes to be really similar, and I think you’ll get great care regardless of which you choose. That said, Josie ultimately gets my vote as the better option for women in menopause simply because that’s their target audience and who they cater to. 

My one hope is that, regardless of which provider you choose, you adopt a healthy lifestyle to go along with it. This means, in part,  eating enough protein and making strength training a priority - both of which I can help with! Join my app, Simply Strong, for simple, at-home-friendly weight training and high-protein recipes that will feed the whole family.