Leigh-Anne Sharland is the founder of Suddenly Different and a powerful voice for those carrying unseen wounds from childhood trauma. Having grown up in a home affected by physical and verbal violence, Leigh-Anne witnessed firsthand how the same environment can shape lives in profoundly different ways.

While she found ways to survive and rebuild, her brother internalised the trauma as a deep sense of unworthiness—expressed physically through morbid obesity. His struggles were repeatedly misunderstood as laziness rather than recognised as trauma, and he passed away at 53 without receiving the compassionate, trauma-informed care he needed.

Leigh-Anne now courageously shares their story to shine a light on the long-term impact of domestic violence on children, the deadly consequences of untreated self-worth wounds, and the urgent need for compassion across healthcare and society.

What if the behaviours we judge most harshly are actually survival responses to unseen trauma?

In this deeply human episode, Leigh-Anne Sharland shares the long-term impact of growing up in a household affected by domestic violence—and how childhood trauma can echo through adult life in devastating ways. While Leigh-Anne and her brother shared the same violent environment, their paths diverged dramatically.

For her brother, trauma manifested physically. His morbid obesity was not a failure of discipline or motivation, but a body carrying pain, shame, and a profound lack of self-worth. Repeatedly misunderstood by the medical system, he was pressured to change without receiving trauma-informed care or emotional support. He died at 53.

This conversation challenges harmful narratives around obesity, responsibility, and worth. It highlights how unresolved trauma can embed itself into the body, and how judgment—especially in healthcare—can deepen harm rather than heal it.

Leigh-Anne’s story is a call for compassion, understanding, and a shift toward trauma-informed thinking in all areas of life. It reminds us that what we cannot see still matters—and that compassion is not a luxury, but a necessity for survival and healing.

🎯 Three Key Takeaways

1. Morbid obesity is not a choice—it can be a physical expression of unresolved trauma.
2. Deeply rooted lack of self-worth, often formed in childhood, can have life-threatening consequences.
3. Compassion and trauma-informed understanding are vital for human survival, healing, and dignity.