I thought I was doing everything right.
I started working out as a teenager, and by the time I was 23, I was teaching group fitness to hundreds of people every week. Health and fitness weren't just things I did — they were a huge part of who I was. I loved being active, I loved helping people, and I genuinely believed I understood what it meant to take care of my body.
But I also grew up right in the middle of diet culture. You know, the era of low-fat, fat-free, diet everything, and the constant message that if you wanted to be fit, you needed to eat less and move more. And I bought into it completely.
In my twenties, I was teaching 10 to 12 fitness classes a week while getting by on protein bars, yogurt, salads, and small meals. I exercised constantly, ate very little, and honestly thought I was the picture of health. Looking back, I can see just how much I was asking of my body while giving it so little to work with. But at the time, I didn't know any better. I thought I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
When I started having trouble conceiving, I began searching for answers. I was diagnosed with PCOS, but even then, I questioned whether that diagnosis really explained what was happening. I didn't have many of the typical symptoms, and something about it just didn't add up for me. I eventually conceived naturally and had my son in 2015, but the habits I'd developed over the years — overtraining, under-eating, and believing that pushing harder was always better — hadn't really changed.
Then came one of the most stressful seasons of my life. My son has a rare disorder that resulted in frequent hospital stays when he was very young, and like so many moms - I just kept going. I had a child who needed me, a business to run, and responsibilities that weren't going to take care of themselves - which meant that taking care of myself wasn't at the top of the list.
Eventually, it caught up with me. I was exhausted all the time. My body ached, my hair was falling out, and I was gaining weight that made absolutely no sense to me. I started struggling with food sensitivities, and even exercise became difficult.
I remember feeling so frustrated and confused. Here I was, someone who had spent her entire adult life in health and fitness, doing all the things I thought were right, and I felt terrible. How could I be working so hard to be healthy and feel so unhealthy?
I knew something wasn't right. So I went looking for answers.
I saw an endocrinologist, had the standard bloodwork done, and didn't get any real answers. But I knew my body, and I knew something wasn't right. I wasn't willing to accept that everything was fine when I clearly didn't feel fine.
So I started doing my own research, asking more questions, and learning what else might be worth investigating. I went back to my doctor and requested additional testing based on my symptoms. That's when I finally learned that I had Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid.
What happened next was probably one of the biggest turning points in how I viewed healthcare. Despite how awful I was feeling, I was told that I didn't need thyroid medication yet and that when my thyroid eventually stopped functioning well enough, we could address it then.
Wait. What? I was already struggling with symptoms that were affecting my everyday life, and the answer was essentially to wait until things got worse?
I understood why medication wasn't being prescribed at that point, but I couldn't accept that there was nothing else I could do in the meantime. I didn't want to sit around waiting for my thyroid to fail. I wanted to understand what was happening in my body, what might have contributed to it, and what I could do to improve my health. I wanted to get to the root of the problem.
That's when I really started digging into functional wellness and taking a different approach to my health. I spent countless hours learning about nutrition, autoimmune conditions, gut health, stress, lifestyle, supplementation, and how interconnected all of these things really are.
And what I learned forced me to rethink so much of what I'd believed about being healthy. I had to change the way I ate, the way I exercised, and the way I took care of myself outside the gym. I learned how to properly fuel my body instead of constantly restricting it. I made changes to my nutrition and supplementation, worked on improving my sleep and managing stress, and started recognizing that recovery was just as important as the work I was putting in.
For someone who had spent years believing that more was better, that wasn't always easy. I'd built a career around fitness, and now I was realizing that some of the habits I'd been so committed to might actually have been working against me.
But I was determined to feel better, and I was willing to do the work. It didn't happen overnight. It took years of learning, making changes, paying attention to how my body responded, and adjusting along the way. But gradually, things started improving.
My thyroid antibodies, which had been over 6,500 when I was diagnosed, eventually dropped to around 200. The symptoms that had been affecting so much of my life resolved. My energy came back; I could exercise and feel strong again, and most importantly, I finally felt like myself!
I can't tell you how much that meant after spending so long wondering if I would ever feel good again. And the experience changed me — not just personally, but professionally. It completely changed the way I thought about health, wellness, and what it really means to take care of our bodies.
I take care of myself differently now.
Today, I'm in the best shape of my life, but my approach to health looks very different than it did in my twenties. I still love to work hard. I lift heavy weights five days a week, stay active, and genuinely enjoy challenging myself.
But now I also understand the importance of fueling my body to support what I'm asking it to do. I prioritize nutrition, make recovery a priority, and pay attention to my sleep, stress, and the signals my body gives me.
I've learned that taking care of yourself isn't always about doing more. Sometimes it's about recognizing what your body needs and being willing to do things differently.
And yes, I'm navigating perimenopause now, too! Hormone replacement therapy has made a tremendous difference in how I feel, and it's been another reminder that our bodies are constantly changing. What worked for us at 25 isn't necessarily what we need at 45, 50, or beyond.
That doesn't mean we have to accept feeling miserable as a normal part of getting older. It means we need to understand what's changing, ask better questions, and be willing to adjust our approach.
And that's exactly what I want to help other women do. Because when you tell me you're doing all the right things but still don't feel like yourself, I believe you. When you tell me you're exhausted, frustrated with changes in your body, or struggling to understand why the things that used to work aren't working anymore, I get it.
I know what it's like to put in the effort and not see the results you expect. I know what it's like to leave a doctor's appointment feeling like your concerns weren't really addressed. And I know how discouraging it can be when you're trying so hard to take care of yourself but feel like your own body is working against you.
I've been there. And I also know what can happen when you start asking different questions, looking a little deeper, and learning how to work WITH your body instead of constantly fighting against it.
You don't have to convince me that something feels off. I want to hear what you're experiencing, understand what you've already tried, and help you figure out where to go from here.
I still absolutely love helping women get stronger, build muscle, improve their fitness, and feel more confident in their bodies. That will always be a huge part of who I am and what I do. But my own experience taught me that there's so much more to health than exercise and eating well.
I want women to understand their bodies and feel confident advocating for their own health. I want them to know that they have options, that their symptoms deserve attention, and that they don't have to settle for feeling less than their best simply because they're getting older.
Most of all, I want women to feel supported and empowered to take an active role in their health, because I know firsthand how much of a difference that can make.
I believe women are meant to THRIVE at every stage of life, not just survive it. And if sharing my story helps even one woman recognize that she doesn't have to keep accepting the way she feels, then it's worth telling.