I wasn’t always a fan of fitness. For the better part of my teenage years and early adulthood, I viewed exercise and wellness as exclusively linked with thinness—a message bolstered by toxic, media driven narratives from the time. Each time I set foot in a gym, it would be to lose weight. Unsurprisingly, that method never seemed to work as I’d hoped.
But when I began to use exercise as means to get out of my tiny apartment as a transplant to New York City, movement began to morph into something else entirely. I found community as a participant (and eventually instructor) in group fitness classes. I developed a newfound appreciation for what my body could do, versus simply what it looked like, when I pulled a weight off the floor that I had no idea I was capable of lifting.
That readjusted mindset—that movement should no longer be tied to beauty or any other marker of societal status—transformed my life. And as an innate storyteller, I knew I wanted to share this realization with others. I wanted to upend toxic narratives about bodies and exercise that have permeated our televisions, magazines, and now social media apps, for far too long.
Today, I feel privileged to contribute stories rooted in inclusivity and truth to some of the world's most respected health and wellness brands. If just a single person reads one of my stories and alters their viewpoint on fitness, or gains a better understanding and admiration for the amazing feats their body is capable of (no matter their age, gender, or level of mobility), my entire career will have been worth it.