“I needed to go into this journey for HEALTH, not because I wanted to look like this person or that person. It has changed my whole perspective. I am happy with my body again, and I am confident again.”
Amanda Doulos
‘After the abuse stopped, I looked at myself in the mirror and hated what I had done to my body. So I started to hurt it even more.’: Woman shares body positivity journey after abuse, eating disorders
‘I sent my husband home while I delivered our baby girl. I could tell he wasn’t coping. I knew my life was about to get worse before it got better.’: After husband’s suicide, mom shares journey to find self-love
“I texted my mom. ‘We can have the kids,’ she replied. It was time to finally let go of my past experiences with love and open myself up again.”
‘When COVID-19 first broke, I was a 44-year-old woman pregnant with my first child.’: Mom shares shift to being a stay-at-home mom, importance of resolutions
“I poured a lot of myself into family life this past year with some beautiful results and some really crappy ones. Resolutions are a promise to yourself, and I’m starting now.”
‘The teacher said he envisioned me digging trenches when I grew up.’: Former gang member shares self-improvement journey
“I began working for a drug dealer at the age of 15. I might not be able to change the world, but I can be a better me and hopefully inspire others.”
‘I hated my life, hated being different. I’d hit rock bottom, to the point where I didn’t want to live anymore.’: Mom survives sexual assault, toxic marriage to find self-love
“This little baby woke up a dormant side of me I had been too afraid to show to the world. I knew then that I couldn’t be the best mom to my child by living in fear. It was time for me to learn to live authentically.”
‘I was refused service. I lost my wallet, most of a weekend. More importantly though, I lost patience with the whole cycle.’: Woman shares journey to 6 months sober
“I drank to oblivion almost every day and woke up often not knowing whose house I’d slept in until I opened my eyes. But with my wedding coming up, I wanted a clean break.”
‘She said no one would ever hire me again. I quit college and gave up on my dreams.’: Woman with amniotic band syndrome shares story, ‘I wouldn’t change anything’
“I thought my family and friends would be better off without me. Living with scars and all of the pain, insecurities, and fears they caused felt too hard. I felt like a burden, without purpose or worth.”
‘I went to uncurl the fingers on her left hand and realized she had none. I couldn’t sleep not knowing what this meant for her.’: Mom shares journey learning about daughter’s limb difference
“‘At least you know she’ll be right-handed!’ the nurse joked. There was a wave of grief when I realized someone may pull back their outstretched hand when her nubbins reached for it. Education is the key out of the shadows.”
‘I shook her hand and—BAM—lightning! I literally felt a shock when our hands met. I couldn’t stop thinking about her.’: Woman comes out later in life, urges ‘it’s never too late’
“We texted every day. I’d never met someone I clicked with as much. A part of me knew we would get married someday. I felt fully known and seen by her.”
‘I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I had used the bathroom. The more I tried to go, the more pain I was in.’: Lupus warrior shares journey with multiple chronic illnesses
“I needed my boys to know mommy was okay, and we would get back to normal. But nothing was normal. I still had no feeling in my bladder. I thought my life was over, but I was so wrong.”
