Stephanie M.

Daughter, sister, girlfriend, business owner, coach and fighter. I'm 100% an introvert. My greatest gift is my ability to see things in people they can't see for themselves. I love to be in nature because it grounds me. My greatest life struggle has been healing from over 20 years of chronic back pain. The pain started in my early 20s and I didn't start recovering until my early 40s. I used to feel defined by my pain, in retrospect, I think it became a limiting belief for me. I've used mind-body, behavior based interventions to heal. Now that I've recovered, my pain is just part of my story, not part of me. At 46 years old I won my first boxing fight at Boston's House of Blues, that was my best day. I used to live by the old story that I need to prove my worthiness. Now I know that I am worthy just as I am. I'd tell a 12 year old me that she has a good heart, that she is strong, smart and beautiful. I'd tell her to stop worrying about what others think of her! I have definitely felt not good enough throughout my life, it's something I still work on every day. I wish there was more peace and less judgement in the world. Judgement prevents true connection from happening, as judgement is a by-product of fear. You can't connect with fear, you can only connect with love. Success is freedom. The ingredient to happiness is gratitude. We're happy because we're grateful, not grateful because we're happy. I wish women emulated female celebrities less and female role models more. I believe everyone has an inner badass, she's just waiting for you to be willing! I was not born a badass, I became one because I was willing to work on my fear. In 10 years I hope to be running pain recovery retreats somewhere warm and sunny. I'm proud of my empathy that allows me to connect with others. I value courage, kindness and patience. I'm excited for the future. I am Stephanie and I am a fighter.