It was New Year’s Resolution time, and I had made up my mind that I needed to lose 30 pounds. I joined a challenge at the local rec-center and took it all very seriously — determined to become a new person. What I didn’t anticipate was how this would happen. The weight loss allowed me to discover lumps in my breast… It was cancer.

The first step in my treatment, like so many other survivors, was a bilateral mastectomy (the removal of both breasts). In surgical recovery, I was shocked to learn that I actually missed going to the gym and was even frustrated that I had to wait until I was given medical clearance. Who was this person that needed the gym? I hadn’t met her yet.

About a year after my surgery, I began to feel a strong discontentment with my everyday life. I learned that cancer had changed me, and I sought more than the sameness of my daily routine. I needed something big, something new to conquer that wasn’t surgery or illness.

So, what did I do? I joined a triathlon team. Nope, I couldn’t swim, and I didn’t even own a road bike, but I had a supportive team who believed in me, and this made it easier to believe in myself. Even still, I would never have imagined placing second among all of the 1st time competitors in my first race. This was when I realized I can do hard things. We can all do hard things! I wanted to be able to motivate and inspire women the same way.

My next aspiration was studying to become a Certified Personal Trainer and Cancer Exercise Specialist. As I was learning, it became clear to me that I wanted to do it differently than big box gyms do. It was important that I create a place where women feel no shame from the number on the scale. At MCL, exercise is never a punishment for anything we did or didn’t eat, or did or didn’t do that day. MCL members feel safe that while I will do my best to coach them through their programs and provide accountability and encouragement, I will never require diet plans or measurements. What is important to me is that MCL members feel a part of a team/community in which exercise is empowering and spirited.

I know that my confidence after a heavy lift, an endurance race, or a new movement carries into everyday life. If I am fighting in the gym, then I am actively fighting cancer and actively fighting the mind game. I created Move Conquer Live with this vision in mind: a shame-free place where women and cancer survivors can move their bodies, conquer anything, and push through life with strength, grit and confidence.