A little piece of me: Why I chose the Holistic Path

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"From pain, came purpose. From struggle came strength. From healing came my calling"

When I was little, people always had something to say about my body.

I remember being 10 years old when my grandpa looked at me and said, “You look like you put on weight.” Around the same time, the neighborhood boys started calling me “Shamu.”

The worst part? I wasn’t even big. But those words stuck.

At 15, I contracted a severe case of mono that landed me in the hospital. When I finally went back to school, a classmate said, “Wow Kelly, you’re looking really thin.” That comment became a trigger I didn’t fully understand at the time. It planted the seed for an eating disorder that would shape the years that followed.

The Struggle

I was always active and athletic, but inside I was grieving the loss of my dad. That same year, my eating disorder began to take hold. Exercise became my escape. On the surface, I looked like the girl with “great habits.” In reality, I was eating less and less, shrinking myself both physically and emotionally.

During this same time, I entered a relationship with someone older. What began as a lifeline turned into one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. By 23, I finally made it out. And while I had already fought—and healed—my eating disorder on my own, the aftermath of trauma hit hard.

The Turning Point

In the years that followed, my body began speaking louder than ever. I dealt with depression, CPTSD, leaky gut, autoimmune, memory loss, chronic pain, inflammation, and food intolerances that seemed endless.

Traditional medicine’s solution? Pills, band-aids, more prescriptions.

But I didn’t believe my life was meant to be managed with Advil and medication. I wanted healing, not silencing.

So I chose a different path. I chose to rebuild myself through functional medicine and holistic healing.

The Healing

Piece by piece, I supported my body through nourishment, nervous system regulation, functional supplements, movement that restored me instead of punishing me, and lifestyle practices that allowed my body to reset.

I had to relearn how to eat and feel safe in my body again.

Through love, patience, consistency, and hope, the symptoms slowly became dormant.

Today, I can proudly say I live with little to no symptoms. My body feels like my home again.

My Why

Becoming a trainer in those early years was my saving grace it gave me purpose and hope for my future. But it was choosing the holistic path that truly became my calling. I know firsthand how many people silently struggle with the same challenges I faced for years.

Because I know what it feels like to be broken down by your body.

To feel like you’re stuck in survival mode.

To think that maybe this is just how life has to be.

And I also know the freedom that comes when you choose to heal.

That’s why I do what I do. To guide others back home to themselves, stronger, safer, more aligned, and more whole than they ever thought possible.

If you’ve been searching for answers, please know: there is another way. You don’t have to do it alone. Healing is possible. Your body is waiting to meet you again.

And now, standing here as a certified Functional Nutrition Practitioner, it feels like a full-circle moment. I took the hardest parts of my story and turned them into my purpose. Adding this into my business doesn’t just give me more knowledge: it makes my mission shine even brighter.