AMBASSADORS SHARE THEIR STORIES (AUGUST EDITION)

Happy August!

In this edition of Vitae Ambassadors Share their Stories, we have 3 lovely ladies who share their stories on their struggles of feeling immense pressure from friends, family, and ultimately society. They discuss how they overcame and continue to overcome these battles by focusing on themselves and not letting the background noise get to them.

Vitae babes, meet Jade Yee, Marylou Daigneault, and Ally Forbes.

JADE YEE

@jade_yeet

Regina, Saskatchewan

All my life I have struggled to be accepted by my family and peers. As a woman in martial arts, I was never really accepted in martial arts by my classmates or by my family since back then women were not known to be in martial arts. They thought it was socially unacceptable for women to be in martial arts. I had to work hard to be accepted by my peers and family and to be respected.

During those years of hard work, I remember thinking to myself that women should not have to feel like they need to prove themselves to compete or to be in a certain sport and/or feel out of place in a sports setting. I remember telling myself before every performance or competition "Let's prove them all wrong and kill it out there".

This is why I joined Vitae as an ambassador because they empower women to be who they are and push against society's norms about women. Today, there are more women breaking world records in sports and winning championships. I love seeing women empower women to do better, which Vitae stands for. We have come such a long way since I started sports. I am so honored to be representing a company that supports such great values of women empowerment and positivity.

@Mdaigneault7

Sherbrooke, Quebec

First of all, you need to know that I’ve been adopted. For some reasons, I grew up feeling really different, lonely and abandoned. My mother adopted three kids, one that has violence disorders, he is currently in some type of detention. My older brother was bullied, so my mom tout me aside growing up. Then my parents got divorced, my dad moved to another city and I felt abandoned again.

My mom wasn’t even paying attention to us anymore trying to fight for her life against depression. When I was around 14, she started to discourage me. I told her that I wanted to have a CrossFit family and she said I could never. I said I wanted to have my car soon, she said I could never. I said that I wanted to eat healthy and she laugh at me every time I cheat like she knows I can’t do anything right. One day she even told me “when I adopted you, I thought you were going to be a little princess, a girl who likes to dress nice and curls her hair but I was so disappointed that you were just the way you are”.

I had to take care of myself without her, I studied to have the best grades I could have, and I started working out at 16 years old. It took me a long time to get over my ex, and when I finally won against the depression I had, I met a new guy and I gave him a chance. I got him hired at my job... weeks later we broke up and I got fired, AND his brother died last week. I feel like everyone expects me to be ok with this because I’m not supposed to care because he is “my ex”. Well, At 17, I have to pay my groceries, my clothes, my school, my sports, and even more - so being fired was really hard for me.

Recently I got hired at two jobs and I am now an ambassador for VITAE and I think it’s such a nice progress. I hope I’ll be able to prove my mom wrong about everything. Get my dream body, make more money, and have a lovely family.

I always felt different, rejected and judge for everything. I try my best to be confident. Yet I stay positive and I have the best mindset I can have for now, I want to be there for the others so that they never feel like I felt, I try my best to give compliments everyday so that people feel comfortable and I support everyone i know because no one supported me when I needed it.

There is so much more about me but I don’t know what to tell exactly. But here I am, a hard working little girl trying to be a better version of me everyday.

@allykatf

Ontario

As a full time student, I often feel the weight of stressors and pressure to excel. This past fall, after losing both of my jobs to the pandemic, and being a full time student had taken a toll on my physical and mental health. I had severe anxiety and was struggling to keep up with daily tasks and school work, and to prioritize health and exercise.

I sought out professional help, and my life has changed for the better! My mental health has recovered almost completely, and my physical health has again become a priority for me. As someone who lives with a physical disability, being active is extremely important for my physical wellness.

My recovery inspired me to become a Vitae Ambassador, something I never would have done before. This has given me the opportunity to connect with a huge community of women, which has been incredible for my mental health as well.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone who is struggling - your mental health is just as important as your physical health!

We hear you girls! We are so grateful that each of these Vitae babes are part of our Vitae community. Let's all say F*ck it to societal pressures, and do what's best for us!

If we are constantly living life in competition of others, or based on someone else's expectations, we'll never be completely ourselves.

Be unapologetically yourself, babe. Don't let anyone or anything tear you down!

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If you have a story you would like to share, we'd love to hear it!

Please email us at media@vitaeapparel.com with your name, IG handle, location, a photo of yourself in Vitae, along with your story. Make the subject line "Share your story" so we don't miss it!

With love,

Vitae Apparel xx