“My passion for strength was out of self-defense. I used to get picked on a lot because I was different in the way I dressed and expressed myself. As you’re an adolescent, social cliques form, and I didn’t fall into any one of those. I got tired of getting beaten up. I asked my dad for a weight set, and he got me one at 13. I started working out, and I haven’t stopped. I was doing it to protect myself, but that time spent in my little home gym was also balancing my mental wellness. It prevented me from doing harm to myself. It prevented me from fighting back and wanting to get revenge. It’s been balancing me out since I was a teenager.”
