If I'm honest, I asked to lift weights before I was in pre school. I begged my parents to let me lift. Dad entertained me for about 5 minutes but never really let me lift. I got started around age 10. My school advocated for building strength for sports. An older athlete told me that if I was going to be good at sports, I had to lift. My whole world changed at that moment.

Lifting has been a part of my life for a long time. Strength seemed to come easy for me. There were attainable school records and state powerlifting records when I was in high school, and pursuing those records meant everything to me. Lifting gives me something to focus on, a direction in life. Lifting has given me strength mentally and physically to shape my life in a positive manner.