‘Fundamental to the way I am wired, is that I desire, deeply, to know people deeply. Likewise, I desire, deeply, to be known deeply…’

‘The unstoppable force being a deep passion and desire to be great, to be recognized for something, to achieve, to bring financial freedom and pride to my family. And the immovable object being an innate lack of initiative, having a persistent lethargic nature, and a very real lack of belief in myself.’

Though challenges persist, I diligently nurture my mental health by channelling my creativity each day. In this journey I’ve come to embrace not only who I truly am but also the excitement of what I can become in the future.

‘My identity was rooted in the unstable and fragile foundation of being ‘thin’ and therefore being attractive. I finally fit in, or so I thought. I needed constant validation, affirmation and praise to supplement the lack of self confidence and identity. I knew something needed to drastically change.’

“I’d like to be able to look back someday and feel confident that I threw myself into each experience wholeheartedly - that I saw as many sunsets, shot as many shoots, and rounded the Common as many times as I possibly could.”

“…Doing everything to implement these personal measures and boundaries is important to bring about the best possible version of yourself. At the end of the day this is also how we show up for others, by trying to look after ourselves first.”

“Mental health is still a dynamic and daily struggle as I understand it is for most people, but I am slowly changing my mindset and opinions and growing into the person I believe I truly am.”

“The kids have taught me a lot, that’s one thing I can always say. When you teach kids you’re teaching yourself. When you teach them the right way they always give you joy.”

“The river was simply gracious enough to teach humility, to listen and dance with the natural world and glimpse within. Your own river is out there too, just travel light and follow the blue lines…”

“These things are hard, but we need to allow our conviction to outweigh the fear. We need to value the boys in our lives enough to teach them how to love themselves, others and the world around them…”

“I talk about these struggles and battles with running because I have and continue to experience these little battles every single run. Just like mental health is something we all work on every single day. But what I love is that every day I have the chance to fight these little battles…”

“Groundhog Day isn’t about achieving the perfect day, or the perfect life. It’s actually not about being perfect at all. It’s about seeing happiness as a quality rather than a goal, which once employed into daily life, is life-changing…”

“Listen to black people when we tell our stories. Black people are not supporting characters, a diversity quota, a tragic plot point in the arc of humanity's time on this planet. Our stories are real, are important, our own, and they deserve to be celebrated and told as intended…”