For most of my life, I was fighting a battle that very few people could see clearly, including me. At my heaviest, I had lost nearly all confidence in my body, my health, and my future. I had tried countless times to fix myself through willpower alone, believing the lie that if I just worked harder, everything would change. Instead, I stayed stuck, physically, emotionally, and mentally, until I was forced to confront a hard truth: survival requires humility, support, and the courage to choose change even when fear is loud. In that moment, I also began to realize I needed something greater than myself to lean on.
In this talk, I share my journey of losing nearly 400 pounds, not as a story about weight loss, but as a story about identity, resilience, and rebuilding a life from the inside out. I walk through the moment I realized I could not do it alone, the decision to undergo bariatric surgery, and the daily discipline required afterward, especially when motivation fades. Along the way, I discuss what it meant to undergo this transformation publicly, documenting the process on television in front of millions of viewers around the world. Walking through this journey in full view of the world forced me to fully reconnect with my faith, not as a background belief, but as the foundation that sustained me through fear, pressure, and uncertainty.
Today, my life looks radically different, not because I found a shortcut, but because I learned how to lead myself first, anchored in faith. My faith reshaped how I see my body, my purpose, and my responsibility to others. I now focus on strength training, health, faith, and serving others, especially young people and communities navigating their own challenges. My hope is that this story reminds people that change is possible at any stage, that setbacks do not disqualify us from purpose, and that true transformation begins when we stop pretending we are fine, place our trust in God, and take the next faithful step forward. This talk is about hope, ownership, faith, and what happens when you decide your life is worth fighting for.