I want to share Bri’s CRAVE story with you because, I was personally so moved by her story, and her strength and I know you will be too! Bri came to CRAVE in 2022 on the year of her 38th birthday after going through a TON of various life transitions.
In 2010 she had moved to Washington. At 5’0” and 265lbs, she decided to start doing Cross Fit. She lost 135lbs. WOW! She quickly became the local “poster child” for the Cross Fit community. She had found something that she felt really defined her. It was her identity. She did competitions and coaching and was someone that everyone looked up to and strived to be like.
Well, that all came to a screeching halt! In 2017 she was diagnosed with Achalasia where her esophagus totally stopped working. Now, her body would hold on to every calorie (even though there are so few because she could hardly swallow). She sarcastically but truthfully described it as, “Gaining weight just by sleeping.”
She also has a very hard time exercising because of her diagnosis. Exhaustion messes with her esophagus, which exacerbates the issues. So, she gained back the weight she had lost.
This change caused a shift in her involvement in Cross Fit. People who she considered to be her friends distanced themselves from her. She found that she no longer fit into this community that had once defined her. She felt lost, disappointed in herself, and alone.
She felt very down about how she looked physically, not mention the mental and emotional toll this change had on her.
So, she found that she thinks about herself less when she is giving back to others and is totally distracted from the voices in her head.
Following this transition, her teenager had recently come out as non-binary. Bri and her husband of four years (who also has epilepsy) found themselves navigating what this means and how they can support their child. In addition, Bri also had recently lost a dear friend to cancer who had also recently come out to her. In her desire to help others, she decided to create a non-profit scholarship business (Kaylees Kamp Foundation) to help raise money for LGBTQ kids to go to inclusive and affirming camps where they could get the support and love they so desperately needed longed for.
She has gone through a lot and feels that she is a survivor and is proud of herself for that. Her CRAVE Session was about celebrating that she is still moving forward and isn’t giving up. She wants to look and feel powerful in her photos.
She “wants to see herself standing in her own power”