I was always drawn toward athletics and fitness. I played softball from 4 years old all the way through college, my first part-time job was at a Lifetime Fitness, and I started posting outdoor workouts when I was 16.

Fitness was a bumpy road for me. I was introduced to weight lifting in high school and spent all of my spare time in the gym or on the diamond. Unfortunately, things started to slip when I went to college. I started to lose sight of my values and who I was. I didn't find myself in the gym often during my first year, but I discovered powerlifting sophomore year and everything changed... I was obsessed.

After putting in over a year of work, the doctor told me that I needed a second knee surgery that would end my powerlifting journey and that's where things went to shit. I started to spiral - constantly drinking, smoking, eating, and practically sedentary. I gained over 40lb and was very depressed.

One day I looked at myself in the mirror as I was getting ready for bed and felt pure disgust. I didn't like what I saw but more importantly, I didn't like who I saw. That's when I decided it was time for a change. The next day I found myself at the university gym. After crying in the parking lot, I somehow made my way in with no plan. I wandered around for a minute and decided that bodyweight movements were probably the safest bet considering I was still recovering and very deconditioned... that's when I unintentionally discovered calisthenics.

I learned calisthenics as an adult and it completely changed my life.

It gave me a sense of empowerment, control, and pride that I hadn't felt before. Now, I am able to strength train with weights and train calisthenics... a dream come true! I once thought that calisthenics "wasn't for people like me" because I was too big, too old, or too inexperienced - all limiting beliefs.

Every day I show up to prove that version of myself wrong.

And you can too.