When I was in the ninth grade, I picked up my first calorie-counting book. I was overweight, had reached my full height of 5’10” and was taller than the boys, and bigger than the girls. I desperately wanted to be 5'2" and size two; however, God did not make me that way.

I grew into a 300-pound woman. Ironically, I spent 20 years working in the fitness industry attempting to teach private facility owners, hospital wellness centers, and large fitness facilities how to make their facilities user friendly to an obese crowd as well as the fit crowd. The obese clients would well serve them financially, but more importantly, the facilities would help those who needed it most.

In 2003, after years of failed attempts of all types of diets, I put together four ideas. With these four components, I lost more than 100 pounds in nine months. I decided I'd had enough of the fitness industry and headed to law school. While an undergrad, I was assigned a 25-30 page research paper. I decided to write the paper on obesity and upon its completion I thought, "How can I do nothing to make a difference in society when this is something I’ve lived?" I decided that if I could write an effective 30-page paper, surely I could deliver my message by creating a program to change the course of obesity.

That’s when I decided to implement my plan. I created the “Onion Camp” and built the “Onion Factory.” Initially, I worked with 30 women who completed the eight week camp and graduated with success, with honor. Since that time, hundreds of women and men, all diverse yet sharing the same story, have achieved success with the Onion program.

So, no matter where you are in life, someone shares your story. Read the short bios. They will inspire you to change your life.