Why I Started Project Welle

My journey from fitness to whole-person wellness.

I've been in the fitness industry for 13 years now, and honestly, it feels like a completely different lifetime before I became a mother six years ago. When I look back at my journey, I realize that Project WELLE was never just about fitness. It was shaped by my life experiences, my faith, my struggles, and the personal growth that continues to shape the woman I am today.

Where It All Began 

Growing up, my life revolved around music and sports. I sang at my family’s church, played clarinet in the school symphony band, and picked up the saxophone in eighth grade when I joined jazz band. Around that same time, I discovered my love for running after participating in a Turkey Trot, which eventually led me to run throughout much of high school. I also played soccer along the way. Music and movement were such a big part of my life and became outlets that helped me navigate some of the challenges I was experiencing at home. They gave me something to focus on and helped me navigate life.  But at that age, I believed that if I worked out enough, stayed skinny, and looked like a model, I would be happy.

What I didn't understand then was how much my own experiences were shaping that belief.

Growing up, I experienced family challenges that shaped the way I viewed myself, relationships, and the world around me. For a long time, I learned to push through difficult emotions rather than truly process them. I carried a lot of emotional pain that I didn't know how to process. I learned to be strong, keep going, and channel my emotions into school, sports, and working out.

From the outside, I could maintain my composure, smile, be kind, and show up for others. I wanted to improve myself, develop my skills, and help others become better through fitness. But internally, I was navigating low self-esteem, unresolved hurt, and unhealthy relationship patterns.

I knew how to push through discomfort physically, but I was still learning how to work through it emotionally.

The Experience That Changed My Perspective on Health

In 2011, my life took a turn I never expected. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called immune thrombocytopenia, or ITP, which caused my platelet count to drop to a dangerously low 9,000.

I was admitted to the hospital for three days and underwent scans to make sure I wasn't bleeding internally. I remember being scared for my life.

What made it so difficult to comprehend was that I considered myself healthy. I was a personal trainer, I ran, and I worked out five days a week. I looked healthy to the people around me, yet I was facing a health challenge that completely changed my perspective.

I was prescribed prednisone and remained on it for two years. When I was told I might need to take medication for the rest of my life, I struggled to understand how this could be happening to me.

I kept searching for answers and sought different medical opinions. During that time, I was told that removing my spleen was another option. I remember walking out of that appointment feeling overwhelmed and uncertain. I couldn't believe I was facing decisions like these.

I prayed for answers. I wanted to understand what was happening to my body and what my future would look like. That season humbled me and challenged everything I thought I knew about health.

I eventually sought support through acupuncture and began making changes to my lifestyle. Along the way, I also started recognizing how much emotional pain, resentment, and heartbreak I had been carrying for years.

I had spent so much of my life trying to be strong that I hadn't fully acknowledged what I was holding inside.

After approximately six months off prednisone, during which I made lifestyle changes and became more intentional about my health, my platelet count returned to the normal range. That experience was deeply meaningful to me and strengthened my desire to understand wellness beyond what we see on the surface.

I don't share this to suggest that lifestyle changes cure ITP or replace medical care. I share it because that season changed my relationship with my body and sparked a deeper curiosity about the many factors that influence our well-being.

For the first time, I began to understand that being physically fit and being well are not necessarily the same thing.

My Journey With Faith

Faith has always been a part of my story. I grew up in a Christian church, and I'm grateful for the foundation it gave me. But as I navigated some of the hardest seasons of my life, my relationship with God became complicated.

There was a time when I was angry with God. I couldn't understand why I had experienced so much hurt, and I didn't know how to move through it. Instead, I allowed my pain to lead me. I rebelled, made choices from a place of hurt, and found myself repeating patterns that ultimately led to more pain.

There were seasons when I drew close to God, prayed for direction, and sought discernment. There were also times when I chose my own path, only to find myself back in familiar cycles of self-sabotage, steering away from the potential I believe God placed within me.

Looking back, I can see how much my unprocessed pain influenced my choices, my relationships, and the way I viewed myself.

My journey with God hasn't been a straight line. It's been a process of questioning, wandering, seeking, making mistakes, and finding my way back. I've had to learn that faith doesn't mean I will never experience pain or uncertainty. It means continuing to seek God, take responsibility for my choices, and trust that my past doesn't have to define my future.

I'm still growing in my faith, and I'm grateful for the ways that journey has shaped me.

Motherhood Changed Everything

Then I became a mother.

Having my son was one of the greatest gifts of my life. In him, I witnessed one of God's most beautiful miracles: the creation of life. I experienced a kind of gratitude that was difficult to put into words, and I never took the responsibility of caring for another human being lightly.

Motherhood changed me in ways I couldn't have anticipated. It challenged me to look at myself more honestly, because I wanted to become the kind of mother my son deserved.

I thought about the example I wanted to set for him. I wanted him to see a woman who understood her worth beyond her appearance, who could acknowledge her pain without allowing it to define her, and who continued to grow through life's challenges.

Being his mom has helped me move toward forgiveness and begin releasing resentment and pain that I had carried for years. Not all at once, and not perfectly, but little by little.

It taught me that healing isn't just about what we want for ourselves. It can also be about what we choose not to carry forward and the kind of environment we want to create for the people we love.

Motherhood gave me a deeper sense of purpose. It made me think beyond my own goals and consider the kind of impact I wanted to have on the world around me.

It was also a turning point in how I viewed my work in fitness.

I began to see that helping someone transform their body could be a starting point, but there was so much more to wellness than physical appearance. I wanted to help people feel stronger, move better, build confidence, and develop a healthier relationship with themselves.

Understanding the Connection Between Mind and Body

As I continued my own personal development, I became increasingly interested in how our brains work, how our nervous systems respond to stress, and how difficult experiences can influence our thoughts, behaviors, and relationships.

I began to recognize that when we don't have the tools or support to process painful experiences, the effects can carry into other areas of our lives.

Sometimes, we develop patterns to protect ourselves that eventually hold us back. Sometimes, we become so accustomed to pushing through that we forget to listen to what we need. And sometimes, we spend years trying to change what we see on the outside without understanding what's happening beneath the surface.

I started looking at wellness through a wider lens.

I realized that lasting change requires more than physical effort alone. It also takes self-awareness, consistency, accountability, and a willingness to challenge the beliefs and habits that no longer serve us.

I'm still learning these lessons myself. My journey has required me to confront emotional barriers, rebuild my self-worth, recognize self-sabotaging patterns, and learn to set boundaries.

I don't believe growth means having everything figured out. I believe it means being willing to keep showing up, even when the work is uncomfortable.

This understanding continues to influence how I approach fitness and the people I coach.

Why I Started Project Welle

After 13 years in the fitness industry, my passion for movement has never left me. But my understanding of wellness has evolved.

Movement has been a constant throughout my life. It has challenged me, strengthened me, and reminded me of what my body is capable of. As a trainer, I've seen how intentional movement can help people build strength, improve function, and develop confidence in their physical abilities.

But I also believe our health deserves a more complete approach.

I created Project WELLE to bring together my experience in fitness and my belief that wellness extends beyond aesthetics. I wanted to help people build strength, move with confidence, and develop habits that support their well-being throughout different seasons of life.

Through personalized training, functional movement, mobility, and a holistic approach to coaching, my goal is to help people become stronger and more capable, not just in the gym but in their everyday lives.

I want people to understand that fitness isn't a punishment for what they've eaten or a way to earn their worth. It's an opportunity to invest in themselves, honor their bodies, and build the physical foundation for the life they want to live.

Because wellness isn't about chasing perfection. It's about learning to care for yourself, recognizing your potential, and continuing to grow.

For me, Project WELLE represents the connection between movement, personal growth, and the way we show up in our lives. It's an extension of the lessons I've learned through my own experiences and the purpose I've found in helping others.

I'm a mother, a personal trainer, and a woman who is still learning, growing, and doing the work. My story isn't one of having everything figured out. It's about continuing to become a stronger, healthier, and more grounded version of myself.

And that's what I hope to encourage in others.

Fitness has evolved over the years, and somewhere along the way, the focus became heavily centered on aesthetics—looking leaner, having a certain body type, and chasing an image often promoted through marketing and advertising.

But what if we looked at movement a little differently?

Humans have always moved. We walked, ran, climbed, carried, played, and explored long before fitness became an industry. Movement was simply part of life.

I believe we can bring some of that back. Not every workout needs to be about burning calories or changing your appearance. Sometimes, it's about getting outside, feeling your body move, building strength, clearing your mind, or doing something you genuinely enjoy.

That's the heart behind Project WELLE. Let's get back to moving because we're meant to move—and because life feels better when we do.

Movement is medicine. Keep moving, keep exploring, and keep pushing forward.