I Was 56 Pounds & Doctors Gave Up On Me—Here’s How I Took My Life Back | Brittany Burgunder (Fan Fav)

Women of Impact

Impact Theory

Education, Society & Culture, Mental Health, Relationships, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 657 Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Fan Favorite: This episode originally aired on January 29, 2019. What up, homies! It's your girl Lisa Bilyeu, and welcome back to another awe-inspiring episode of Women of Impact. Today, I'm thrilled to sit down with Brittany Burgunder, a true warrior in the battle against eating disorders. Brittany has faced the heaviest of struggles, going from a terrifying 56 pounds due to anorexia to battling binge eating at over 220 pounds. But here's the kicker—she discovered that it wasn't about the food, it was about the mind. This episode is a raw and unfiltered journey through Brittany's incredible transformation. Trust me, if you've ever felt lost or battled with accepting yourself, you need to hear what she has to say. Brittany's revelation that her struggle was rooted in self-worth, not body image, will hit home for so many of us. We are diving into the real work of healing, finding validation from within, and reshaping our thoughts. We're not just skimming the surface here. Brittany sheds light on how she took control of her own mind, moving from self-sabotage to self-acceptance, and how we can all rewrite our stories. So grab those tissues, because Brittany’s bravery and honesty are going to touch your soul and kick-start your own journey to recovery and self-empowerment. And remember, if this episode resonates with you, show some love by rating, reviewing, and subscribing. Share this with your squad. Let's uplift each other because together, we're unstoppable! SHOWNOTES 00:00 Introduction and Brittany's Journey 02:09 Early Struggles and External Validation 06:23 Control and Anorexia 10:11 Realizing the Desire to Live 13:26 Internal vs. External Validation 20:48 Breaking Identity and Recovery Journey 25:48 The Power of Imperfection 32:38 The New Normal and Self-Sabotage 38:54 Coping with Challenges and Finding Strength 45:14 Writing Her Memoir and Importance of Sharing Stories 51:53 Finding Purpose Beyond Recovery FOLLOW BRITTANY BURGUNDER: Website: https://www.brittanyburgunder.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittanyburgunder/ CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS Audible: Sign up for a free 30-day trial at https://audible.com/WOI Vital Proteins: Get 20% off by going to https://www.vitalproteins.com and entering promo code WOI at check out. Quince: Check out Quince: https://quince.com/woi OneSkin: Get 15% off with code LISA at https://oneskin.co Netsuite: Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning at https://NetSuite.com/women NPR Fresh Air: Tune into Fresh Air from NPR to hear some of the most insightful interviews anywhere—wherever you get your podcasts. ********************************************************************** Listening to Women of Impact on Amazon Music is about as easy as it gets. You can listen on the app, which is super freaking easy to navigate, or you can just ask my homie, Alexa. it's that simple. So if you're ready, my homie, to be a freaking badass, then listen and follow Women of Impact on Amazon Music. ********************************************************************** FOLLOW LISA: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisabilyeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisabilyeu YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/womenofimpact Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lisa_bilyeu?lang=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:52.9	Every 62 minutes, at least one person dies as a direct result
0:57.0	from an eating disorder. That's basically every hour. Every hour someone has struggled so profusely
1:03.7	with mental illness that it has resulted in them losing their life. But today's women of impact
1:08.7	refused to be one of those statistics. And even while lying in a
1:12.1	hospital bed at terrifying weight of just 56 pounds, unable to walk from anorexia, she refused to let the
1:20.1	doctors be right when he told her parents to plan her funeral. She refused to allow this to be the
1:26.0	end of her story. So she fought and she slowly took
	...

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