Since my birth, the odds have been stacked against me. My home life was difficult and my community was unsafe. At the age 8 my parents lost custody of my older brothers and myself. We lived in foster care and with several family members before our auntie gained custody of the three of us and we moved to Arizona permanently. Academics and learning was always exciting to me and gave me something to look forward to. But I was still a troubled adolescent not sure what was going on as far as leaving my parents and relocating. We started running USA Track and Field because my older cousins were apart of the team and my auntie served as an administrator. I was at the track every day. Before I was old enough to sign up for our team, I was running lollipop races. As a youth I also participated in Cross Country, Soccer, and Volleyball.
Fast forward ten years later, I graduated high school with 4 team state titles, 3 individual state title, 1 Nike nationals team title and an athletic scholarship to Southern University at Baton Rouge. I had a outline for my life, I knew I wanted to graduate college and that track and field was the only way to cover my education expenses. Still a troubled young adult filled with insecurities, doubt, and negativity I relentlessly pursued my goals because sport has always been an outlet for me. Track and Field had my heart. It gave me a reason to wake up in the morning, a reason to stay out of trouble, and reason to maintain an above average Grade Point Average.
After graduating with my Bachelor's of Science in General Studies from Nova Southeastern University in 2017 I had to figure out what was the best fit for me regarding physical activity and career. 2017 was also the first time I attempted suicide I would go on to attempt several times after. I ended up in a behavioral health center on Easter weekend in 2018. The severity of this attempt caused my family and myself to reach out to mental health institutions for professional help. My cousin came across a Wilderness Therapy program called ANASAZI Foundation in Mesa, Arizona. I was accepted into a primitive based 47 day holistic program where we lived in the Tonto National Forest and hiked five days out of the week. After getting off the trail I still struggled in several areas of my life but had to make a choice for my career and the trajectory of my life.
Growing up in athletics has taught me the importance of mental, physical, and emotional health. Yoga, prayer, meditation, and journaling became a regular aspect of my training program during my collegiate track career. A couple years later I decided to enroll into a free week of hatha yoga at CorePower Yoga and fell in love! The timing could not have been more perfect. Yoga is one limb of my holistic approach towards lifestyle. As it allows me to remain physically active, attune with my spirituality, all while embracing the motions of life on and off the mat.
With the help of my cousin again she recommended that I start embracing the wilderness as an opportunity to help myself and others. Through my shortcomings, mistakes, and imperfections We Overcome Obstacles was founded in 2019 for individuals who experience mental, physical, social, and emotional hardships.