My eating disorders began in middle school. Over the years, that included anorexia and bulimia. For me, those struggles weren't about wanting to be thin or change my body. They were about trying to find a sense of control when so much else felt out of my control.
Later, my relationship with food changed in a different way: I began overeating and turning to food for comfort during stress and difficult emotions. I thought the answer was more restriction, more discipline, and more control.
In my twenties, I dealt with severe depression and anxiety. From the outside, you probably wouldn't have known. I was working, excelling, and looking like I had it together, even when I was struggling internally.
Hope came before change.
In 2015, I saw a transformation photo from someone I actually knew. Not a celebrity. Not a filtered ad. A real person with a real life.
And for the first time in years, I felt something I had almost forgotten: hope.
Hope that I could feel comfortable in my body again. Hope that this cycle wasn't permanent.
That hope got me moving. Over time, I found food freedom, learned how to work with my emotions, and built a career helping other people make changes without fighting themselves.
I followed a ping.
In 2022, I followed a ping I'd felt for years and decided to stop drinking alcohol. I wanted to experience being fully myself without it—to dance, go on dates, attend weddings solo, and meet new people, even when I felt nervous.
Following that ping felt like staying true to myself.
EFT changed how I worked with stress and emotions.
During a difficult chapter, I found Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT ("tapping"). While I knew a lot about mindset and behavior change, this event was something I couldn't think my way out of. I understood what had happened, but talking about it left me feeling worse.
EFT gave me a way to process and integrate what had happened. It was the tool that helped me reengage with life in a way that felt meaningful and exciting again.
That experience inspired me to become a Clinical EFT Practitioner. I completed three years of private EFT mentorship and am certified through EFT Universe.