My first memory of feeling uncomfortable in my body goes all the way back to fourth grade. At just 10 years old, I became aware that I lived in a bigger body – and I was already ashamed of it. Sadly, I know I’m not alone. So many of us are taught at such young ages that our bodies are something to “fix.” After confiding in my mom, I went on my first diet at 10 years old, and dieting became a central part of my life for the next 30 years.

Despite the shame I carried, I was also very athletic as a kid. I loved playing organized sports and running around outside with the neighborhood kids. But by my teen years, socializing started to take priority, and I lost the easy connection I once had with movement.

For decades, I struggled with body image, anxiety, and self-loathing, always blaming my size. I didn’t realize how much my anxiety was fueling those feelings, or how deeply diet culture had trained me to tie my worth to my body. Even when I returned to movement in college and discovered how much it helped my stress and anxiety, I still used it as a tool to punish myself and try to shrink my body.

Movement became a constant in my life – a non-negotiable in my schedule – but not always in the healthiest way. And no matter how disciplined I was, I couldn’t escape the obsession with dieting and body image.

In 2019, I had a moment of clarity: Is this really it? Am I going to spend my whole life worrying about food, dieting, and how my body looks? I can’t imagine being 80 and still caring about this.

That question changed everything.

I began working with an incredible anti-diet guide who helped me untangle my relationship with food, movement, and my body. The journey hasn’t been about suddenly loving every photo or every reflection in the mirror – it’s been about acceptance, neutrality, and reclaiming joy in movement.

And that’s why I do what I do now: to help others find freedom from shame, discover movement that feels good, and create a life where exercise supports mental health, stress relief, and self-compassion — not punishment.