Update on June 19th, 2024: I didn’t win, but I don’t feel like a loser!

Original Post:

I am so excited to be competing in the Ms. Health & Fitness 2024 competition, and to have made it to the 4th round! I really cannot thank my family, friends, followers, and community enough for all your votes, and for all your support throughout this competition. ❤️🙏🏼💪🏼

I’ve been sharing a lot on social media but I wrote this blog post to go into a little more detail about the competition, and to go into further detail about why this competition means so much to me, and why I feel I deserve to win.

The Ms. Health & Fitness competition is an online fitness contest where women worldwide showcase their dedication to health and fitness while raising money to fight childhood cancer. The contestants compete in various rounds of voting and challenges to win the title of Ms. Health & Fitness. The woman who raises the most money/has the most votes wins the competition.

The competition supports the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, which provides financial assistance to families, funds childhood cancer research, and raises awareness about the fight against childhood cancer.

The winner receives a $20,000 cash prize, a professional photo shoot, and is featured on the cover of Muscle & Fitness HERS Magazine.

My health journey is very relatable, and I know that many people would benefit from my story. I’ve learned far more than I ever expected and it gave me big dreams of helping to heal the world through nutrition and fitness while building stronger, healthier communities. That’s why I started my Fuel Good Feel Good blog, and why I’m so excited to be competing for the title of Ms. Health & Fitness 2024.

There are many other reasons though!

• My love for nutrition, and eating nutrient-dense foods for fuel

• My love for fitness and celebrating what my body can do

• My focus on hormonal balancing, mental health, and gut healing

• My forward-thinking, problem-solving, positive mindset

• My drive to keep learning and growing

• My passion for children’s health and nutrition

Most importantly, my deep desire to help, inspire, and empower others. I want everyone to find true health and healing from the inside out.

My passion is fueled by my past, my present, and the future.

From an early age, I struggled with being overweight. As I grew and developed into adolescence, so did my struggles with mental illness, self-image, insecurities, and an overwhelming desire to be anyone else but who I was. I was extremely depressed and even suicidal. I dreamed of being fit, beautiful, and healthy like the women I saw online and on TV.

After years of learning, failing, and trying again, and again, I’ve finally achieved a level of health and fitness I feel proud of, inside and out . I’m 100% medication-free, stronger, and more fit than ever. I’m healing a leaky gut, balancing my hormones, and living free from the anchor of mental illness that used to constantly drag me down.  My daughter and I are also healing her health issues through diet and lifestyle. It’s an incredible feeling to heal and grow healthier personally and watch my daughter do the same.

Today, my passion is fueled by my desire for everyone, of all ages, to be fit and healthy. It’s fueled by my desire to be a great educator and role model for my daughter, my family, my friends, my peers, my community—everyone!

We have a huge health crisis in the United States. It pains me to see so many people struggling with autoimmune problems, gut issues, chronic disease, obesity, hormonal imbalances, and mental health disorders. I fear for our children too. It pains me to see what we feed our children and the rates at which anxiety, ADHD, and depression are affecting them.

My passion for health and fitness is fueled by my desire for a healthier future for us all.

How can I possibly pick a favorite?! I have grown to love kickboxing, boxing, and lifting, but I love other activities too. Snowboarding, paddleboarding, snorkeling, hiking, rollerblading, longboarding, quad riding, walking—anything that allows me to use, challenge, and celebrate what my body is capable of. Even though I am in my 30’s I still have plans on learning and exploring more activities.

Being fit and healthy is not all about working out though. Nutrition is SUPER IMPORTANT, for physical and mental health. My daughter and I enjoy a nutrient-dense, nutrient-available diet. We also focus on breathing, posture, and intentional movement throughout each day. And we never stop learning. All these things have had a huge impact on us throughout our health journeys and go a long way in helping us stay healthy & fit.

I’d use the money to invest in my calling to help heal the world and build stronger, healthier communities.

My ultimate dream is to open a one-of-a-kind community center/gym focused on whole-family health and fitness. I want to create a space where individuals of all ages can learn how to fill nutritional gaps, manage mental health, and achieve their fitness goals. A place where I can start teaching kid & parent fitness classes so the whole family can work out together, grow stronger together, and bond together, in a healthy way. I want a space to educate people with information based on true human biochemistry—not epidemiology studies. I want a place to host community events that bring people together, spread positivity, and motivate others to be their best selves. I want to take part in creating a healthier future for everyone.

I’m also hoping to go back to school to get a certification in coaching and nutrition. I don’t plan on becoming just another health or fitness coach, but I value higher education. I think I would benefit from it / might need it to achieve my ultimate goal.

I’m currently a full-time single mother and a full-time UX designer who wants to make a difference in the world. I truly believe it’s time for me to chase my greater purpose. Winning this competition would give me the funds needed to invest in my calling.

Please know that your votes are helping fuel my dreams and getting me one step closer to making them come true.

How to vote

You can vote 1 of 2 ways.

1. Everyone gets one free vote every 24 hours. So you can vote for FREE! If you choose to go this route, I would really appreciate it if you set a daily alarm and vote for me every day. That might be asking a lot, but it only takes a few seconds to vote, after the first vote. I know voting every day takes up some of your time, but the competition only runs until July 11th, 2024 and if you would be willing to vote for me every day, it would mean the world to me!

2. Purchase votes by donating to the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. I get 1 vote for every $1 spent. Every week, usually on Sunday or Monday, and Wednesday they do a 2x the votes for a limited amount of hours. Meaning I would get 2 votes for every $1.

Note: You will have to verify your identity via Facebook or card—this is to help keep the voting fair and make sure people aren’t cheating. You can delete your card after, or save it to your profile for easy voting the next time.

I need to be in 1st place by June 13th, at 7pm PDT

I’m currently in 4th place, trying to get as many votes as possible to get me in 1st place by June 13th so I may continue in the competition. So please share my voting link with your friends and family. Share this blog post on your social media. Any and all votes, shares, and support is welcome!

Please follow me on social media for more updates and insights. :)

Thank you all so much.

To everyone who has been voting and supporting me so far. I cannot thank you all enough for all your support, love, shares, hero votes, and daily free votes. Your time and money spent on votes and donations on my behalf, really mean the world to me. I would not be able to compete in this competition without all your votes, support, and love. I certainly couldn’t have made it this far without you all either. I feel so blessed to have such a dedicated and loving family, friend, follower, and supporter base. You are awesome, and I hope you know that!