My own transformation
Learning that consistency needs more than willpower — and that a smaller body isn’t the whole story.
ABOUT / THE LONGER VERSION
I know what
starting over takes.
I lost 100lbs, became a women’s wellness coach, and started building Maibel. Different chapters. The same question: what helps us keep going when knowing what to do isn’t enough?
The detours
were the point.
At 16, I weighed 118kg. I tried the quick fixes. The punishing routines. The whole “I’ll be happy when…” deal.
Losing 100lbs took years. Learning how to live in my body took longer. Somewhere along the way, that experience became AMFIT Academy and a career helping women build strength and sustainable habits.
Before coaching, I was a teacher. Before building AI, I studied English literature. I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to understand how people learn, what they leave unsaid, and what finally makes something click.
Turns out, that background is surprisingly useful when you’re designing a companion that needs to understand context, subtext and when to back off.
MY OWN FIRST CHAPTER
Same me.
A different relationship with myself.
MORE THAN A BEFORE & AFTER
The photos show one part of it.
I lost 100lbs. What you can’t see here is how long it took to stop making my body a problem to solve.
That experience became my coaching work. And eventually, the question behind Maibel: how do we help women feel supported through the part that doesn’t fit neatly into a progress photo?
What this taught me about buildingA FEW CHAPTERS, ONE THROUGHLINE
Coaching women
Helping women get stronger, rebuild their relationship with food and create habits that fit actual life.
Building the support
Turning what I learned into an AI companion, and teaching myself the technical work to make it real.
My word?
Audacity.
I used to think readiness was something I’d eventually feel. Now I think it’s a decision you make, then keep making.
The live demo. The Mandarin pitch. The first version that breaks. The decision to try again, with better questions this time.
I write about all of it. If you’re building something before you feel qualified to build it, we’ll probably have a lot to talk about.
Read the founder notes