Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money. My mom, who had a total of five children, “liked spaghetti” so much that we ate it three times a week. With so many mouths to feed and a home daycare to run, convenience was king. Most of our meals came from a box, a bag, or a can. From an early age, I was told I was “big for my age.” It became very evident that I wasn’t built stick-thin like my peers. This girl had hips, curves, and a chest that was, to put it mildly, very obvious. So, when my mom went on diets, I would do them with her.

 

There were the SlimFast shakes and bars, the low-fat diets, the grapefruit diet, and the diet her best friend swore came from a nurse. It started with dry toast and black coffee and ended with a small apple and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. As an entrepreneur, she was always selling vitamins, shakes, or special potions. One time, she invested in these diet cookies. They were chalky and not as delicious as you might think, but that didn’t stop me from trying every single one. And, oh yes, let’s not forget the cabbage soup diet. I remember going grocery shopping, and our stomachs were growling. We caved and ended up buying some “fat-free” ice cream because if there wasn’t any fat, then it didn’t count, right?

 

I would see my mom do step aerobics at the Health Club, circuit training at Curves, and come home and sweat to the oldies. But no matter how hard she worked or how little she ate, the weight always came back vigorously, and she would end up weighing more than when she first began. I felt destined to be overweight and addicted to sugar, just like the rest of my family.

 

It wasn’t until I moved out and got a place of my own that I learned how to cook things from scratch. I would find my childhood favorites and create a scrapbook of simplified versions made with less sugar and more vegetables. I learned to nourish my body with whole foods and frequently experimented with elimination diets to see how my body responded. I found exercise that I enjoyed and used it as a tool to clear my mind and bring me joy.

 

Back home, my mom continued to get older, fatter, and sadder. I really thought that was just how it went. You graduate high school, and your waistline goes up; there’s just nothing you can do to stop it. But by this time, I had lost some weight. The inflammation that once held in my face had disappeared. I learned how to read labels and discovered that certain foods didn’t agree with my stomach. I began listening to my body, becoming more in tune with my cycles, and realized things I had never known about myself before.

 

I looked at my mother’s house and saw the Pepsi cans stashed all over, the fast-food wrappers, the empty boxes from the Schwan’s man, and all those groceries bought with manufactured coupons. I had this wild idea to start a coaching business. I would march into people’s homes, open their pantries, and throw away all the poison. I knew I could help others, and my mom was going to be my first client.

 

Unfortunately, I never had that opportunity. With all the neglect my mom did to her body, she also failed to take care of her physical and mental health. Pouring herself into her family, begging for others to love her the way she loved them, and never sharing the shame from her past, as our family didn’t talk about our problems. My mother was under an incredible amount of stress, she was always worried, rarely slept, and didn’t take the time to work on herself. In 2011, my mother unexpectedly passed away from multiple aneurysms.

 

The trajectory of my life completely changed. Instead of being an active enthusiast, I became obsessed with health and wellness. Since then, I have dedicated the last 13 years of my life to researching diets, exercise, and understanding human anatomy. I received my certification in personal training, learned about the importance of personal growth, and how our minds, bodies, and souls are connected. Most recently, I received my certification in Healthy & Wellness Coahing.

 

Dreadful things happen for a reason. Sometimes, it’s to teach us a lesson, and other times, it’s to help others who went through something similar. I see too many people struggling—struggling to know what is healthy, struggling to keep their heads above water—and I want to help uncover some of the untruths we need to relearn. If you are reading this and you are tired of being stuck, please reach out to me. Together, we can embark on a journey to better health and well-being.