In 2020, Connie Stowers appeared to be living the dream. She had a high-paying job as a retail store manager, a husband, a beautiful newborn daughter, and a stunning home. Inside, however, she felt trapped and uninspired by her work. She turned to alcohol to combat her unhappiness, which eventually led to her weight ballooning to nearly 300 pounds. Then she discovered roller-skating. She explained that when she skated down the roller rink for the first time, she felt a feeling of freedom that she had never felt before. Once she became more confident in her skating, she visited the rink almost every day. She found that it was a better workout than any of the other exercise programs she had tried, and it felt less like exercising and more like just having fun. The 28-year-old went on to explain that skating challenged her and built up her confidence. Before long, she had shed 100 pounds and was no longer numbing her feelings with food and alcohol. She also quit her job and now runs a successful real estate business. Connie’s advice: “You don’t have to settle, you don’t have to stay stuck, you’re capable of thriving.”
