“The easiest measures of my Industrious transformation are 45 pounds gone, dress size from 22 down to 14, and cholesterol down 70 points.

“My before picture was taken 7 months after walking through the Industrious doors. I don’t have an actual before picture. During the before time I wanted to be invisible. I had spent the better part of 5 years on the couch, recovering from an injury, surgeries, and the toll I let them take on my physical and mental health. I didn’t feel like I belonged most places, let alone at Industrious.

“The Industrious community kept me coming back. A simple, “Good job today!” was – and still is – infinitely meaningful. The more I came back, the more confidence I had, the more I felt I belonged.

“Some of the most significant results of my transformation are not as easy to quantify. Through consistency, purpose, and connection to myself and to the community, I see leaps in strength, motivation, and resilience. I am up for trying things that scare me!

“Industrious is the community I didn’t know I wanted or needed. During 19.1 it clicked that not only do I belong here – I have always belonged here.”