287 lbs. That was on the scale staring dead in my face in April 2023. I had tried though! I tried every diet under the sun and every exercise regime but nothing stuck and I felt like the ultimate failure. My last-ditch effort was put on Dr. Parth Patel, a bariatric surgeon in my area with stellar reviews. Shout out to him! He told me that this road wasn't pretty, it was hard work and I would work at it every day for the rest of my life and boy was he right. I was terrified of the unknown with the surgery but at this point, me wanting to get back to feeling myself again was stronger than any fear I had. So in July 2023 I completed surgery and started the real hard work, adjusting to this new life. I am now 115lbs down now and still going! I can finally bend down and talk to my toddlers, jog a mile, and much more. Though the physical change was amazing, I still had a hard time adjusting to the mental change. I had joined tons of bariatric communities, and it only brought a crazy amount of drama. I turned to my husband for guidance which had helped for some time but something was still missing.

I founded Shadow Work Studios to provide the kind of support I wish I had during my own journey. Bariatric surgery is not just about weight loss—it’s about identity shifts, emotional healing, learning new habits, and navigating a completely new relationship with food and yourself.

Today, I help individuals both before and after bariatric surgery navigate the challenges that often go unspoken.