Welcome!

I’m so happy you made it.

Wow. If you had told me three years ago, or one year ago, or even 6 months ago, that I would be here, I probably would’ve rolled my eyes and laughed. Never did I think that I would ever find a passion in fitness, let alone make a CAREER out of it.

But here I am, and here you are, and here we are, DOING THE DAMN THING! I’m so grateful for your support. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.

Okay, clearly I’m new to this blogging thing, so let me just explain how I ended up with Nourish (cue the “you’re probably wondering how I got here” meme):

I went to for music therapy, which is an unbelievably fascinating field if you ever get the chance to look into it! The workload, however, is intense. I was taking an average of 8-10 classes each semester, and I participated in WAY too many clubs (I had a wonderful time, but DAMN, I can’t believe I didn’t explode from stress). With so much on my plate, my health wasn’t a priority. I have always had a rough relationship with food, and never really got into exercising after I stopped playing sports in high school. Nearing the end of junior year, I was constantly exhausted, irritable (Katie, if you’re reading this, I’m well aware of my crappiness as a roommate at this time, I’M SORRY), and I just felt terrible all the time. I finished my junior year and knew I needed to change my habits if I wanted to feel good again.

That summer, I began my “fitness journey.” I got a gym membership, I learned how to use the machines, and I walked on the treadmill. I created my wellness page on Instagram; what is now Nourish was a private page called Perry’s Health Journey, and I had one follower. The page was to hold myself accountable, never to gain a following! I went to gym almost every day after work, dragging my best friend with me after our 8 hours days chasing children around as camp counselors (hi Ethan, thanks for dealing with that). By the end of the summer, I was packing up for school 25 pounds lighter, and feeling on top of the world.

The beginning of my senior year was one of the best periods of my life. I celebrated my 21st birthday, ran a 5k, was vice president of the student body, and choreographed a number for the dance club on campus. At the same time, it was one of the hardest semesters I ever experienced. I was working on two separate research theses, planning events, and consistently drowning in work. And I STILL found time to make to the gym 6 times a week. I was burning the candle at both ends.

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Coming into my last semester of college, I was already aware that I may not want to be a music therapist full time. I had found a passion in fitness, and wanted, at the very least, a career in fitness on the side. I still pushed through my program though, but my mind was somewhere else: weight loss.

Losing more weight became one of my only thoughts going into 2020. I know I had gotten a good start, but the progress was starting to slow down, and I hated it. I started eating less and less during the week, which ultimately led to more and more bingeing on the weekends. The cycle was killing me. I got insanely sick at the end of February 2020 (crazily enough, not COVID), and I remember being excited because I hit my lowest weight. I PHYSICALLY COULDN’T STOMACH ANY FOOD, AND I WAS EXCITED ABOUT IT.

Then lockdown happened.

There’s not much to go into here that you all didn’t experience yourselves. I had no sustainable routine in place, and I fell apart. I stopped exercising consistently about a month or so into quarantine. I finished my college career on the computer, sitting at my kitchen table at 9pm on Friday night. I graduated in my living room. I tried to keep my horrible, restrictive eating habits, but to no avail. I gained weight, I got upset, I coped with food, and the cycle continued.

But overall, I can’t be completely resentful towards 2020, because a lot of good happened to me as well. I spent a lot of time alone, no distractions and it became so clear to me that I did NOT want to be a music therapist. I did my research, read a lot, and learned about what wellness really is (and Y’ALL, there is SO MUCH we don’t talk about). I got my personal training certification. I got a full time job at Trader Joe’s. More than anything, I began to realize that I was worth investing in. I was worth of living the life I wanted.

What I wanted to do hit me like a truck as I was driving home from work one random August day (I still have a voice recording of me explaining it while I was driving so I wouldn’t forget). That’s when Nourish was born.

Now, I was well aware that while I was gaining my knowledge in fitness, I had no idea how to run an aesthetically pleasing social media, let alone one for a BUSINESS. My little health page on Instagram had grown a little, but my posting was sporadic and not very high quality. But with some help, I started to learn the basics (Mia if you ever see this, you were a godsend, THANK YOU). My goal was simple: keep being authentically me, keep being vulnerable, and start to build a community centered around empowerment and self-love. AND THAT’S WHAT WE DID BABYYYYYY.

Thanks to people like YOU, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of being able to share my authentic self online and build of a community of people who share the same goals: to live well with sustainable habits, love themselves and their bodies, and find a love for fitness. I’m so grateful to have this tiny little platform, because it connects me to the most amazing people.

Overall, I am living my best life right now. I’m working on my relationship with food and getting better every day. Going to the gym is my favorite pastime, especially since my goals have shift from “weight loss” to “I want to be able to crush a skull if necessary,” (I’m a lover not a fighter, but the CONFIDENCE that comes with skull-crushing is phenomenal). I have a wonderful support system, a wonderful job, and now my dreams are becoming reality. So yeah, things are pretty great.

So, with that, welcome to Nourish. I can’t put into words how happy I am that you’re here. Take off you’re coat, stay awhile, and get ready to build the life you’ve always wanted. It’s GO TIME, BABY.

Love and Light,

Emily