08/18/2026
Before & After ❤️
This picture of me holding my oldest son, Michael, as a baby takes me right back to that season of my life. He’s 35 now! 😅
I was a young mom working 3 jobs, going to college, raising a baby, and trying to juggle a million things.
I already felt like I was failing at life.
Then one day, I couldn’t fit into an outfit I wanted to wear for a family photo.
I stepped on the scale…
20 pounds heavier.
I was devastated.
My confidence was ZERO.
So what did I do?
I joined Jenny Craig and bought their prepared food. I lost the 20 pounds.
But here’s the funny part…
I learned absolutely NOTHING. 😂
So I decided I needed to actually learn how to take care of myself.
Back then, we had these things called LIBRARIES. 😂📚
I taught myself about nutrition—what a healthy meal looked like, how to prepare it, how to grocery shop, and how to make better choices.
Then I joined Bally Fitness.
I did cardio, classes, and occasionally hired a personal trainer when I could pretend I could afford it. 😂
I wanted to learn how to train smarter and get better results.
And then there were the workout videos…
Nautilus aerobics.
Richard Simmons.
Billy Blanks.
My 40- and 50-something ladies…YOU KNOW! 😂🙌
Then Pilates came into my life in the ’90s, and everything started coming together.
I began combining Pilates, aerobics, running, strength training, cardio, and everything I was learning.
And slowly, something bigger than weight loss happened.
I became stronger.
I felt better.
I understood nutrition.
I understood my body.
And most importantly…
I started believing in myself again. ❤️
Looking back at this picture, I don’t see a woman who was failing.
I see a young mom doing the absolute best she could with what she knew at the time.
And THAT is the real before & after.
Not just the body.
The knowledge.
The confidence.
The strength.
The belief that I was worth taking care of, too. ❤️
If you’re in your “before” right now, please remember:
You are NOT failing.
You may simply not have learned what you need to know yet.
And you can learn.
You can start.
You can change.
You can become stronger than you ever imagined.
YOU. CAN. DO. THIS.❤️💪
