Over the past year, we’ve had the pleasure of featuring some pretty remarkable women on The Everygirl. Tomorrow marks our one year anniversary, and today, my co-founder Alaina Kaczmarski and I are sharing our stories. What we did post-graduation, how we launched The Everygirl, and what it’s been like to work full-time jobs while running a website. Our feature is a little wordy, but that’s only because we wanted to be as open and honest as possible.

Being this open about what I’ve been through brought up a lot of not-so-great memories. It also reminded me of how far I’ve come. When I found myself feeling lost and unhappy in my early-mid twenties, I held on to the fact that one day I’d be able to share my story with someone and hopefully give them a little hope that things can change. I never imagined I’d share my story in such a public setting, but here I am. While things weren’t easy, I am so happy that I went through what I went through. Had I not gotten to a point where I was so miserable that I needed a fresh start, I never would have moved to Chicago, met Alaina, and launched The Everygirl. And we all know how happy I am that I’ve found CrossFit, too.