From Diagnosis to Advocacy: How Dr. Keith Hersey is Guiding Patients Through Diabetes and GLP-1 Therapy

When Dr. Keith Hersey walked through a vendor fair at a pharmacy convention nearly two decades ago, he had no idea a free blood sugar test would change the course of his life. A simple prick of the finger revealed dangerously high glucose levels, a diagnosis that pushed the young pharmacist into a battle with type 2 diabetes that would reshape both his personal and professional journey.

"I was shocked," Hersey recalls. "At first, I thought maybe it was because I had just eaten lunch. But the representative told me it was much more serious. That moment was my first wake-up call."

Hersey, a pharmacist, coach, and educator, is now the founder of Master Your GLP-1, an education and coaching platform designed for patients prescribed GLP-1 medications and for people living with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. His mission: to ensure patients don't feel lost in the healthcare system the way he once did.

Before building his business, Hersey spent over a decade working as a clinical laboratory medical technologist at Duke University Medical Center and LabCorp. But in his early 30s, he realized he wanted to connect more directly with patients. "I wanted to make a change and work with people face-to-face," he says. "So I went back to pharmacy school. It wasn't easy being one of the oldest students in class, but I knew it was the right decision."

In 2004, Hersey became a licensed pharmacist. He went on to spend 14 years at a community pharmacy before opening his own independent pharmacy in 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic upended the world. "It was a curveball," Hersey admits. "We had no idea a pandemic was coming. We pushed through as long as we could, but eventually, the challenges became too great."

Despite the closure of his pharmacy, Hersey turned his focus toward education and coaching, areas he felt were sorely lacking for patients starting on new medications.

The explosion of GLP-1 prescriptions opened Hersey's eyes to a troubling trend. Patients were walking into pharmacies with little to no guidance. "Most people were told by their prescriber, 'just take it once a week,' and that was it," Hersey explains. "But no one explained the side effects. Patients would come back saying they were constipated for weeks, or suffering with diarrhea, or nauseous. They didn't know what to expect."

That gap inspired Master Your GLP-1, a program where patients receive guided education and coaching to manage side effects, track progress, and build sustainable lifestyle changes.

Hersey offers three tiers of support: a self-paced online program with tools for tracking blood sugar, weight, and food diaries. The second tier includes group coaching with weekly sessions to share challenges and solutions in a supportive environment. The one-on-one coaching is where Hersey works closely with clients for personalized guidance. He further recommends a minimum of 90 days, giving patients time to see results and adapt to new routines.

For Hersey, the work is deeply personal. After his diagnosis, he struggled with denial, something he says is common among healthcare professionals. "It was hard to admit," he says. "I was supposed to be the one helping people, not the one with diabetes."

But the reality of his condition became unavoidable when his doctor delivered a sobering warning: 'Do you want to see your son graduate?' "That was my second wake-up call," Hersey says. "From then on, I made a real effort to manage my diabetes and prevent it from progressing."

His own experience with the disease allows him to empathize with patients, especially those who are prediabetic and unaware of the risks. "So many people walk around not realizing they're prediabetic until something serious happens," he warns.

In addition to his coaching practice, Hersey extends his advocacy through a podcast and YouTube channel. His show, Destroying Diabetes, launched two years ago and features conversations on treatment options, lifestyle changes, and patient empowerment.

Looking ahead, Hersey is slated to speak at an international conference in Orlando and will address a local diabetes support group in Raleigh on October 1. He is also preparing new podcast episodes with guest experts. "I know what it's like to feel lost, frustrated, and overwhelmed," he says. "That's why I created this program, to guide people step by step so they don't have to figure it out alone."