In this episode, I talk with Sharna Braucks who opens up about her life-long struggle with weight. She started dieting at just 8 years old and went through two separate gastric bypass surgeries. It wasn’t until she started a GLP-1 that she finally found hope.

Sharna shares what’s helped her be successful on the medication, how her mindset has shifted, and why gratitude plays a key role in her journey. This interview was originally recorded live, and I’m so grateful to share it with you here.

From Shame to Strength: How GLP-1 Medication Changed Sharna’s Life

When Sharna Brauks was just a few months old, a doctor told her mother she was overweight and needed skim milk. By eight years old, she was in a medically supervised weight-loss program with adults. That early introduction to dieting was the start of decades of yo-yo weight loss, bariatric surgeries, shame, and self-blame.

Sharna’s story is one many in our community will find painfully familiar but it’s also one filled with hope. Today, she is down 100 pounds, healthy, strong, and, most importantly, free from the relentless “food noise” that controlled her life for over 50 years.

A Lifetime of Fighting Her Body

Growing up, Sharna tried every diet, pill, and program. She had two bariatric surgeries, the first at 19, each bringing only temporary results before the weight crept back. Every regain deepened her belief that she was weak or flawed.

Even while working in health and wellness, she faced judgment and internalized shame for “not looking the part.” She knew what to do, nutrition, exercise, healthy habits, but sustaining it felt impossible. “It was never my stomach that needed fixing,” she says. “It was my brain.”

Finding GLP-1 — and Hope

In late 2023, Sharna began hearing more about new anti-obesity medications. When Zepbound was approved for obesity that November, she jumped at the chance. After a three-month wait to see an obesity specialist, she left her appointment in tears, tears of joy that she finally had another option.

She started Zepbound on March 1, 2024. The first month, she lost 20 pounds. More importantly, she noticed something new: she reached for chips, ate three, and put the bag away without a fight. “It was freeing,” she recalls. “To not have that voice in my head. For the first time, I thought, is this what normal feels like?”

In just over six months, she lost 100 pounds and reached her lowest weight since the fifth grade.

Life After Food Noise

Sharna now enjoys Pilates, yoga, and daily walks, movement she once dreaded. She’s maintained her weight loss without obsessing over the scale, focusing instead on how her body feels and performs. She’s learned to tell the difference between true hunger and old “food noise” patterns.

Her advice? “Celebrate all the wins, not just the number on the scale. The ease in which you can move, the extra minutes you can walk before sweating, the mental clarity, those are just as important.”

Advocacy and Gratitude

Sharna is vocal about her use of GLP-1s, sharing her story with coworkers, friends, and even strangers. She knows that hearing firsthand accounts changes perceptions and sparks empathy.

While she’s grateful to the manufacturers for creating these medications, she also believes in advocating for accessibility and affordability: “Gratitude doesn’t mean silence. We can thank them for the innovation and still push for wider, fairer access.”

A Vision Beyond Weight Loss

For Sharna, this transformation is about more than pounds lost. She’s creating a vision for who she wants to be, physically, mentally, and in her relationships. “I’ll always be a person living with obesity, now managing it with medication. But I’m not defined by it. I want to use my experience to advocate, educate, and help others see there is hope.”

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Disclaimer: The GLP-1 Collective Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment plan. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the GLP-1 Collective or GLP-1 Access LLC. This podcast is owned and produced by GLP-1 Access LLC in support of the GLP-1 Collective nonprofit mission.

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