I've always admired strong people, not only those who are strong physically, but also mentally Having been overweight as a child, and again later in life, I always struggled with my weight and body image. This was something that carried over, even after becoming more fit. I also never considered myself as being "strong" or athletic.

One day I came to the realization that I needed to change for the better and lead a healthy life, not only physically, but also mentally. No going back and no shortcuts. I decided to join a bare-bones gym...nothing but iron, basically. I had a trainer who was an ex-bodybuilder and introduced me to weight training and lifting heavy. I fell in love and gained a lot of knowledge, which gave me a great foundation to build on!

I love to challenge myself. I danced for 16 years, and was always involved in competitive sports growing up. Now my competition is myself! I decide how I want my body to look, and I apply the tools and put in the hard work it takes to get there. NOTHING feels as good as seeing and feeling hard work pay off! Progress is progress...even if it's small. No one can truly fail until they give up. Lifting weights and training has given me another way to become my "best self" and appreciate the ups and downs that may come with the path to success!