Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amanda. In October of 2018, I stood on the ledge of a Canadian hotel room, ready to end my life. A song playing at the right place as at the right time brought me down and I made a pact with myself. I was going to give it my all for one year. If I still felt the same desolation after that, I gave myself permission to jump. The only problem was that I had no idea where to start. I’d seen the counselors, take the medications, journaled and read as many self-help books as my brain could handle. I’d even turned to the less admirable options of alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes and self-harm.
I eventually concluded that it was time to get back to the basics. It wasn’t eating a salad or taking a Yoga class or reading a book. It was reconstructing my lifestyle and way of thinking as a whole.
I majored as a Mind-Body Wellness coach with a specialty in Holistic Nutrition at the award-winning Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, Arizona. I received my Associate's in Psychology at Mesa Community College and am currently pursuing my Bachelor's in Forensic Psychology at Arizona State University.
I'm a certified fitness instructor, a spokesmodel for The Abs Company, Nimbl and I've been featured in publications such as Cosmopolitan, Oxygen, Yoga Journal and Women's Health and on podcasts such as The Gratitude Podcast, The Lindsey Elmore Show and We're Talking Shift.
I have over two decades of personal experience with mental health. I was diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) and considered SMI (Serious Mental Illness). I battled addiction and suicidal tendencies most of my teenage and adult life.
I've worked with the It Gets Better project. I also volunteered as a crisis prevention operator for The Trevor Project and RAINN.
I'm a passionate vegan who is involved in animal rescue and championing for fair treatment for animals. I've helped get legislation passed to restrict the sale of animals in pet shops to that of only rescues in her county. I even taught myself French in order to better serve girls in Africa through my humanitarian work as a Days for Girls chapter leader.