#StrongAsDia

"We know owning a business together is hard. Maintaining friendship is hard. Running a company is hard. And when we reflect back on our friendship and what we have been “through” together - we know that we can survive it."

"As a survivor of childhood trauma, I consider myself a fierce advocate whose personal experience with the impact of gender-based violence has translated into a lifelong goal of listening to, and then advocating for, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault."

"I am a full-time mommy of three little ones, a full-time speech-language pathologist in public schools, a full-time wife, a full-time friend and a full-time Wonder Woman."

"I've gone through making something out of myself with a parent who was addicted to drugs, and a parent who was abusive. After a family showed up for me and took me into their home showing me love and support, it changed the trajectory of my life."

"You only have what you give. I focus on that and keep giving. Because through lifting others we lift our self."

"I moved to Kirkwood Ski Resort just outside of Tahoe less than a month later with about $200 in my pocket. I was absolutely broke, freezing my butt off everyday, and the happiest I’ve ever been."

"As a fat, queer woman, I have spent a lot of my life feeling like I was “too much” — too boisterous, laughed too loudly, took up too much space. I’m learning that loving my fat body is, in itself, an exercise in challenging expectations."

"I have had a privileged upbringing and appear very conventionally successful. Appearances are not the whole story, though. I struggle with severe anxiety; I’ve had depression; I’ve struggled with harmful coping mechanisms."

"As a black, female, immigrant founder of a sustainable and ethical fashion brand, I have a lot stacked up against me; but through it and because of the mission of my brand, I strive to be the best I can be."

"When you hear the word "scoliosis," you most likely don't think "powerlifter". But here I am, after wearing a back brace as a teenager in an attempt to halt the progression of my 29-degree curve, to training to break records and be the strongest I can be."

"For so long I kind of accepted things as they were–went with the flow, and tried not to be the squeaky wheel. in 2020, I started talking about the things that didn’t make sense. Finding the courage to step into my voice and tell my own story has changed everything."

"We went through an almost two-year long custody battle that drained me financially, physically, emotionally and mentally. I went to therapy as an act of desperation and it was used against me in court. As we neared the end I knew I was going to lose..."

"After losing my dad to a very quick fight with cancer in 2014, I began to reflect on my own health and how food made me feel. I had dealt with gut issues most of my life and never had an answer to why my stomach always hurt after I ate."

"I challenge the fact that a job title defines you. I challenge that your productivity = your self worth. I challenge punishment culture of America. And I especially challenge that those that have been incarcerated can’t live a healthy, joyful, abundant life full of choice."

"I've always been a rebel. I question the way things are all the time. Why do I have to buy a house? Why do I have to have kids? Why can't I do things that make me a happier person? Why do I have to wake up at 5am to be a good CEO?"

"We’re taught that winners don’t quit. And so we stay STUCK because we think it’s on US to make a bad thing work. But the truth is? Winners never quit on THEMSELVES."

"Infertility was the hardest thing we have ever gone through. But that struggle shaped me into the mom and woman I am today. My appreciation, patience, and outlook on motherhood would not be the same without that journey"

"When I was struggling with irregular periods, facial hair growth, migraines & IBS I thought I was the only person on the planet struggling with this. I thought that all these "random" problems were isolated. I had no idea they were all connected & coming from 1 root cause."

"I find it very important to learn and unlearn many things that have been passed down as acceptable behavior. Educating myself and fellow employees on how to add diversity into the fitness community while learning anti racist teachings to help myself and my company grow."

"Two years after moving to the US, my family had to move back to Egypt, and I made a very hard decision to stay back by myself and explore the opportunities I had here. As painful as it was... I am still proud of that moment of standing up for myself and for my future."