I have had the honour of knowing Kathleen Cameron since I was 12 years old. A time when you are trying to figure out who you are and where you belong in the big bad world of junior high. I personally struggled during this time, and the more I speak to people as adults, it feels as though no one leaves this age unscathed — hormones area hell of a drug, intoxicating and stirring up all kinds of drama. 

As prepubescent teenagers, we tend to be very focused on ourselves. I knew nothing of Kathleen' s troubles during this time because I was wrapped in my own. 

We were privileged enough to be placed in the same dorm room in University. I cannot express the amount of fun we had and the trouble we got into, but it was some of the best times I have ever had. I miss those days, where the only responsibility we had was to show up to class on time, which I failed miserably on occasion. 

Kathleen is a fighting force who is changing how she feels about her self inside and out, focusing on her health first. The most moving part of her complete transformation of self is she is motivating and inspiring others to fight for themselves too. 

Love you girl. xoxo

I started hating myself when I was seven years old. I remember not knowing I was overweight until kids at school started calling me “fat” and a “pig.” My parents had always told me I was beautiful, and I believed it until someone told me otherwise. I started wearing big baggy clothes and was that girl who wore a t-shirt in the swimming pool to hide my body. I refused to do any sports, dance or swimming because I couldn’t handle the jokes. I started starving myself when I was 11 years old. I would throw my lunch in the garbage and drink water all day long. I started binge eating when I was 13 years old. Someone would make fun of me at school, and the only thing that made me feel better was food. I would eat whatever I could find until I felt sick. I started smoking, drinking, and doing drugs when I was 13 years old. I don’t remember much about high school because I think I blocked a lot of it out. I do remember I went into class one day a found a picture that my two best friends had drawn of me, and in that drawing, they were making fun of how I was “as big as a house.” I became their friends again because what other choice did I have? No one liked me, and I would rather be friends with them again then be

Alone. I smoke, drank, and did drugs because I would at least fit in somehow. I yo-yo dieted for the next ten years.

I started loving myself at 35 years old.

After the birth of my second daughter, I suffered from crippling postpartum depression. Being alone all day with two kids was miserable, and I became hopeless. I started planning how I would end it all, feeling like everyone would be better off without me. I refused to get help until one day; I reached out for help after putting my plan in place. I started on medication, and within a couple of weeks, the cloud began to lift. After hitting over 300 lbs, I decided to start my health journey and start a business and do it all on social media. The next year was life-changing. I dropped 100 lbs, made hundreds of new friends and renewed old connections, and grew a successful social marketing business. The support I received kept me going, and human connection brought me out from under hating myself. I was 36 years old when my 6-year-old daughter came home and told me she is being called fat at school and dance and doesn’t want to go back. I thought to go through this myself growing up was hard, this felt much worse. All the emotion came back, but this time with anger. I bare my stomach for the first time with pride to advocate for and change the social stigma associated with being overweight. I am making it my mission to change the paradigm and inspire people to love themselves more.

For 28 years, I thought I was fat, ugly, and unwanted. It wasn’t until I started sharing my story that I realized I was not alone. I have since learned that through sharing our stories, we come together and support each other, so for that reason, I share.

*Update: Kathleen is now a successful Mindset Coach, helping others shift their paradigms in their self-image. She is our in house mindset coach and is the CEO of her coaching business the Diamond Academy .

- Kathleen Cameron

LES WOO Mindset Coach

Kathleen's story and mindset work inspired us to create the Paradigm Shift Collection. Sometimes it takes a small shift in perspective to make the biggest changes in our lives