From eating disorder to opening a business in Bali: How she rebuilt her life

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From a restrictive bodybuilding prep at 15 that spiraled into an eating disorder, to discovering healing through CrossFit, to taking the biggest risk of her life by moving to Bali and starting a business from scratch - Holly's story is about what happens when you stop living for other people's approval and start building a life you actually want.

Holly grew up in a fitness-focused family where bodybuilding culture and appearance standards were normalized from a young age. At 15, during a school trip to Malaysia, she became hyper-aware of how her body looked compared to other girls. That trip became a turning point where she decided something had to change. What followed was a brutal 16-week bodybuilding prep - chicken, cucumber, broccoli, rice cakes, extreme restriction - while also managing a PCOS diagnosis that actually required the exact opposite nutritional approach.

The prep ended, but the damage didn't. Holly gained 15 kilograms rapidly and found herself in the hardest year of her life, caught in a cycle of restriction and binging, using food as both comfort and punishment. Her relationship with eating had become completely disconnected from nourishment or enjoyment.

Everything shifted when she discovered CrossFit in her first year of university. For the first time, training became about what her body could do, not how it looked. The focus moved from subjective judgment to measurable performance, from isolation to community. Combined with rock climbing and ultimate frisbee, sport became social, functional, and genuinely enjoyable again. This mindset change wasn't just healing - it was transformative.

But Holly's journey didn't stop with physical recovery. After completing her degree in Speech and Language Pathology, she did her required community service year in rural South Africa - a professionally challenging experience that taught her hard lessons about workplace dynamics, authority, and setting boundaries as a young woman. Despite the difficulty, those friendships and experiences shaped who she'd become.

Then came the biggest risk: moving to Bali without a clear plan and starting a social media management business. Her first client paid very little, but the experience proved something crucial - if you believe in what you do and have the confidence to sell yourself, there will be a market for it. That belief became the foundation for everything that followed.

Throughout our conversation, Holly reflects on growing up as a people-pleaser, always wanting approval from authority figures and peers, often at the expense of her own needs. With time and intentional growth, she learned to take life less seriously, recognize that other people's behavior reflects their own struggles, and release the self-blame that had followed her for years.

When asked to describe her current season in one word, Holly chooses "space" - reflecting the clarity, freedom, and room to grow she's created for herself. This is a story about healing that goes far beyond just fixing your relationship with food or exercise. It's about learning to trust yourself enough to take risks, bet on your own potential, and build a life that doesn't require escape.

Whether you're struggling with body image, considering a major career change, dreaming of location independence, or just trying to stop people-pleasing your way through life - Holly's story offers both hope and practical wisdom for what's possible when you choose yourself.

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