It's time to tell the truth.
No nonsense. All truth.
Me: Est. 1984
I am an 80s baby, in every way. I look back on that era with warmth and nostalgia. For my fellow elder-millennials out there, you remember the vibe: no socials, landline phones, playing MASH, jamming to Ace of Base, and running the hood until it was dark. It was simpler... more "free" in so many ways and for the most part, pretty epic. Enter the sea witch disguised as Ariel: diet culture. Low-fat, non-fat, cabbage soup... you name it. The more drastic, the better. Eat less, weigh less, and shrink. However you need to do it, just be small. This was the way. We expended endless energy desperately trying to burn and reduce calories through diet and insane amounts of cardio. This followed us through early adulthood and into our 30s. For far too many, this thinking still looms heavy today. I am now in my 40s and I think our time has come for something different, something healthier, something...so much better.
Enter: Motherhood
In 2017 I gave birth to my beautiful daughter, followed by my amazing son in 2020. After kids, not much changed as far as how I viewed my body and what I needed to deprive and put it through it in order to maintain the status quo. Then, right before my eyes, my babies started to grow up. As they grew, so did their awareness of everything and everyone around them, including and especially...their mom. I realized I had to do some soul-searching. I could not- would not pass this toxic mindset on. They, especially my daughter, would not suffer the way I and so many of my friends and family had. I had to be the example I wish I'd seen. But how?
Old Dog, New Tricks
On a whim, I started following, of all people... influencers! Right? I'm a millennial for God's sake, and an old one at that- but here we are! I started listening to the next generation of women...my minors. They had heard a different story growing up and I was intrigued. I started learning about building muscle, prioritizing protein, and how they impact our bodies. As a professionally trained teacher and a self-trained cook who grew up on Rachel Ray, I felt moved to combine my knack for imparting knowledge, my love of food, and my bone to pick with what I had been told about my body for decades into a little "crusade" of sorts. I became a Certified Personal Trainer and a Nutrition Coach through NASM, and I am putting all the pieces together- the way I wish they had been put together for me all those years ago. I am here to help reframe thinking and change the narrative. And as an added bonus? I'm going to help women build banging bodies.