In spring 2019 I hit rock bottom. I was lucky if I could eat anything all day. I couldn’t sleep. I weighed 97 pounds. To say I was unhealthy in every way would be an understatement.

Enter my OB/GYN. She connected me with POEM and I started counseling. Slowly I was able to start my way towards being healthy again. The wins were little in those early days, they looked like “I ate one full meal.” Slowly I started gaining and maintaining weight again. But something was still missing.

In May my family went to the Powell Memorial Day parade and I saw this group called FIT4MOM. One google search later I found the group I saw. And I thought about signing up for that first class. But I was not in shape. I didn’t have a jogging stroller. I couldn’t tell you the last time I worked out. After thinking about it for A MONTH, I woke up one morning and decided to just do it.

I tried my first class that morning. It was Stroller Strides at the Columbus Zoo with an amazing instructor turned friend. My daughter was about 22 months old at this point and she was not the happiest during class. But from that first class I knew I didn’t feel alone anymore. I bought a membership that day. That night I told my husband and he was like “you did what?”

I started going religiously, like 3 or 4 times a week. It didn’t happen overnight but slowly I became the strongest, healthiest version of myself to date. I become a better mom, wife, and partner. And in the fall of 2019 I applied to be an instructor. I remember chatting with our previous owner about instructing and she told me, but you should also know I’m moving and am going to sell the franchise. I went home and told my husband this and he said “so are we going to buy it?” I officially took over April 30, 2020.

Flash forward and I’m pregnant with baby #2 in the middle of a global pandemic. The connections with Our Village kept me going. They were there for me as I was diagnosed with perinatal PTSD from my first and worked through the anxiety leading up to my son's birth. Did I still end up with postpartum depression? Yes. BUT with the help of my counselor and this village, it was not as bad as it was the first time around.

I am now 3+ years postpartum and I can tell you that I have never felt so much like myself. I have never felt so much support and love. For me. For my kids. For my family.

So if you’re reading this as someone who has been part of Our Village, from the bottom of my heart thank you.

If you’re reading this as someone who is watching from the sidelines…come try a class. My only regret? Not trying that first class sooner.