“I haven’t always treated myself the best. Shortly after I became a candidate for the school board, I had a wake up call. I had too much on my plate and I wasn’t taking care of my health. When I first entered that public sphere, I did not set up an adequate support system for myself. I had so many people willing to help me, and family members doing anything they could for me, but internally I didn’t necessarily have the support I needed for myself. There were some really tough moments with that. I was entering adulthood and entering it as a semi public figure, and that was tough, both mentally and physically. I put a lot of stress in my body, which led to unhealthy decisions. Since then, I’ve become very intentional. Working out doesn’t come natural to me, so I’ve really had to make the time for it and make it a priority. If I’m not taking care of myself, I’m not going to be the person that I need to be for people. I’m not going to be able to take care of the needs in the community that I’m supposed to be addressing and I’m not going to be the positive role model I can be for kids. So when I do things above and beyond for kids, outside of my job and the school board, whether it’s cooking classes or whatever, I need to practice what I preach, so I talk to them about being healthy, taking care of themselves, eating the right foods and also being a good person. I really try to live that as much as I can. Working out with others helps me be more accountable. When I have people to do things with, it’s easier. I’m not an introverted person nor do I like to be alone. I like being with people. I like to learn from people and help other people. Knowing that has been really important for my health. I want to live a long life because I have a long bucket list.”