Lighten Your Life.

People often think I started out strong, and that I always loved fitness or that I loved lifting weights.

The truth is, I hated it.

I hated everything about weight training and fitness.

I spent my childhood being told I was overweight and that weight training was something men did, not me. It was a world I never wanted or needed to belong in.

I grew up in a country and culture where being small was a cherished prize. And everyone around me had that prize, so I was always left desiring it.

And if I ever forgot that being thin was the prize, there was always someone out there to remind me that’s what I should be chasing.

Otherwise, I lived an incredibly protected life in a place where girls needed to be protected.

My only exposure to fitness was watching sports with my four brothers. They all loved to play sports, and I got to watch them.

But what happens to a child when they’re not consistently exposed to movement or play?

They may put on weight. But more importantly, they may not develop a mind-muscle connection, baseline strength or the spatial awareness that helps them understand how to move their body.

And as I was falling in love, something else was happening.

I realized that shifting my focus from “How do I lose?” to “How do I gain?” led me, unexpectedly, to the most cherished prize: losing weight.

Then began the real journey.

The shift took me from the dance room to the weight room and eventually into a full-time career coaching women, educating personal trainers and growing into leadership.

Along the way, I taught, powerlifted, coached, refereed, pursued the education I needed to excel in my career, raised a family, maintained relationships and pushed for change within corporate fitness.

I was now in my 30s, and life was incredibly full. But it was also exhausting.