Ambassadors Share Their Stories (July Edition)

Hi babes!

It's July, and you know what that means...

Another month of Ambassadors Share Their Stories!

We are so excited to introduce you to our Vitae Babes who were willing to share their self-journey with the Vitae community.

These girls are strong, determined, confident, and ultimately amazing - but like their personal journeys, this isn't always an easy path.

Let's get to know these lovely ladies and hear their stories!

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My fitness journey is so incredibly important to me for so many reasons - but a huge one being that it’s helped me overcome SO much mentally. I used to struggle so much with self-worth, and that translated into over-exercising and under-eating.

But as I’ve poured my energy into reshaping my relationship with myself through personal development, meditation, exercise, and learning about how best to nourish my body - I have started to love the person that I am. This whole journey has also showed me how much more we are than our just our physical bodies and it’s inspired me to keep getting to know myself and continue learning what inspires me to live a happier and healthier life every day!

I love waking up and prioritizing whole foods, lifting weights, focusing on strength, properly hydrating, and focusing on my mental health - it’s something I’m really passionate about, especially since it used to be something I struggled with.

Keep going! This whole journey gets easier as you continue finding what makes YOU feel your best.

ANNIE CUSACK
IG: @annieecusack
Leesburg, VA, USA

I have suffered severe depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember and it led to borderline anorexia during high school.

There were a lot of factors that affected my depression and eating disorder, among those being social media, work environments, peers, and others I had relations with. For some reason, as some may eat more when faced with stressful situations, my body refused food and physical activity.

High school, especially my junior and senior years, was the most difficult time of my life. I drowned my mental anguish in working 30-50 hour weeks on top of being a full time student because I could not trust myself to be alone for too much of the day, plus constantly beating myself up for “not being good enough” and believing that maximizing my income would fix that problem for me. However, this was not the case and being so disappointed in myself (for no good reason, might I say) led to suicidal thoughts and worsening depression. I stopped sleeping, I stopped eating, and I almost did not graduate high school due to being so out of it all the time.

I kept hearing people tell me, “It gets better!” but was left wondering “WHEN??”

The answer is: when you make that decision to be better to yourself.

Over the past two years, with a change of scenery and friendships, I have come to find that things DO get better. When you surround yourself with people who celebrate you for YOU and who love you for YOU, and you don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not, it DOES GET BETTER!

In high school, I was a whopping 90 pounds. Yup. Nine. Zero. 90. Getting into fitness was difficult, I won’t lie, but it was the best decision I ever made for myself. Just to get up and moving every day, whether it be walking in the park or strength training, any sort of physical activity has helped me to keep the negativity in my head at bay — I see it almost as a therapy session. Working out has also helped to keep me from ignoring when I’m hungry. Today, I am 115 pounds and happy about it. I like to think I’ve gained 25 pounds of pure muscle in the last couple of years, but I know I eat WAYYYY too many french fries for that.

These pictures are a mix of ones taken two years ago during my most difficult mental period and the past three months — the best few months of my life so far. (In the third and fourth pictures, I am actually wearing the same pair of shorts. You can SEE the difference!!) I feel the best that I have ever felt both physically and mentally because of how I have managed to discipline myself into getting moving every day, eating well, and putting MY well-being above everyone else’s.

I have learned that it DOES get better. You just have to be gentle and patient with yourself!

DEZRAE TIMMERS
IG: @dezraetimmers
Chilliwack, BC

My name is Dezrae Timmers and I am 19 years old! I want to share my story about how I overcame both physical and mental health challenges in my life.

Since a young age I’ve struggled with attachment issues, depression and anxiety. High school was hard for me in the sense I wasn’t good at making good, real friends and that led me later to make ever dumber choices that have messed up my health. I was overweight in high school because of a car accident I was in and with the depression, life threw a lot of curveballs my way and my family’s way. In my senior year of high school I decided I had a choice everyday to get up, be better, be more physical and feel better about myself. I weighed 172 at my highest and now I am a healthy 128-130 and always gaining more muscle.

I have a lot more to overcome with the injuries from the accident and the pain is still there on the daily but I choose to be happy and grateful for what I do have.

And Vitae has helped me feel better about myself in the gym and more confident in my own skin! I’m so happy to be a part of the community!

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We want to thank these ambassadors for expressing their vulnerability and sharing their stories for the Vitae team to share.

These girls are so strong and we couldn't be prouder to have them as part of our Vitae Family.

If you can relate to any of these ambassadors, please know that you are never alone and there is always support available for you.

Our mission is to build a community that encourages body-positivity, self-confidence, health for the physical and mental, inclusivity, and women empowerment.

If you share the same values, join us as an ambassador!

You can sign up here.

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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