Hi, I'm Shelli.
For decades, I was a yo-yo dieter with an eating disorder — weighing over 300 pounds at my heaviest. Then about ten years ago I'd had enough.
Enough with diets and food rules that were making me feel crazed. Enough of losing weight only to gain it back. And enough of the shame that came along with what I perceived as a personal failure to keep the weight off.
Since then, I have shed over 160 pounds and maintained that weight loss for more than eight years. I no longer have a fear of food, gaining the weight back, or being seen.
I help women who struggle with food, body image, and/or weight issues.
I help you make peace both with food and with yourself so you can become the person you envision yourself to be.
I empower you to create a life that you love and a body that feels like home to you.
I believe:
- you are the expert of you.
- your body is full of wisdom and it knows best how to heal itself.
- you have all the answers inside yourself to save your own life.
- you are powerful, strong, tenacious, intelligent, and fully capable of creating what you most want.
I will teach you to:
- trust yourself and listen to your own intuition.
- trust your body and listen to its wisdom.
- let go of those people, places, and things that no longer serve you.
- break cycles that you may be trapped in.
- make the choices you need to make so you can live a life aligned with your highest values.
- discover your gifts, talents, and passions so you can pursue them.
- overcome fears that may be holding you back.
- empower yourself to become the hero of your own story.
- transform your life into what you want it to be.
TRAINING & EXPERTISE
The particular expertise and training I have came from living and experiencing morbid obesity and freedom from it firsthand.
At my largest, I weighed 304 pounds and wore a size 26. As of this writing, I weigh 130 pounds and wear a size 2. I’ve been within twenty pounds (because I fluctuate and that’s okay) of that weight for more than eight years now.
I lost the weight naturally. I’ve had no bariatric surgery. I didn’t starve to get there. I don’t take diet pills or diet supplements other than a few vitamins. I do exercise but not like a maniac. I eat whatever I want as long as I’m not allergic to it. I no longer have a raging eating disorder. I am no longer afraid of food.
I no longer live trapped in a body that doesn’t feel like me. I am finally (finally!) comfortable in my own skin. I don’t live in fear that the weight is going to come back and I won’t know what to do about it. I don’t live in confusion and desperation and frustration and panic and humiliation and shame.
Food is no longer the focus of my life. I got free.
Your life can be that way too. I will teach you how.
WHAT READERS SAY
KIND WORDS FROM MY LOVELY READERS
“Shelli isn't the only person I know who's lost over 100 pounds, but she's the only one who's kept it off. She says she can get you off the diet-go-round and she can, and she'll do it with compassion, straight talk, and no shame.”
“Reading this is like having a best friend who has been there and knows exactly what to do to help you get out. No judgment. No shame. Just the encouragement and guidance you need.”
“The exercises made me look at my feelings, motivations, fears, and some memories that were causing me to overeat. Writing my answers and reading them made me realize the reasons that I was using food to try to fix some things in my life. It was so helpful because now I can address the real issues instead of trying to hide them with food.”
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
I have a bachelor's degree in Journalism and a master's degree in Fiction Writing.
I used to be a sports journalist at a major metropolitan newspaper, where I won a Hearst National Journalism Award & two departmental Associated Press awards for my reporting.
I'm a freelance editor.
My debut novel, Small as a Mustard Seed, was awarded a grant from the Weisman Fund, was the Grand Prize Winner in the Writer's Digest International Book Awards, & also won a Silver Medal for Literary Fiction from the Military Writers Society of America.
I've done artist’s residencies at Ragdale and Hedgebrook.
I'm currently writing a novel about World War II from the point of view of the Germans.
SOME OF MY PROJECTS
WORKS THAT I'VE PROUDLY CREATED
WHAT READERS SAY
KIND WORDS FROM MY LOVELY READERS
“A story that will run you through an emotional marathon at a sprinter’s pace . . . the most powerful novel I’ve read in many years . . . one of the most significant reading experiences I’ve ever had.”
“It's like Shelli is in my head writing to ME . . . saying exactly what I've believed about myself and sharing exactly what I need to do to get out of abusing myself with food. Just when I think it could not get better . . . it does. Every chapter is rich. Rich in awareness, compassion, and no-nonsense advice.”
“This book tells a great story of friendship and bravery. It also teaches kids that it is important to express how we are feeling and not keep it bottled up . . . children will feel inspired by Bigsby and his ability to make new friends and will take that lesson into their lives.”
“I really love how being creative is paired with self-care. The book is an uplifting journey with practical, easy-to-follow steps and beautiful illustrations to color. The journal pages are wonderful for self-reflection and self-exploration.”
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ME
I'm a slow-cooker fan (find recipes here).
I love riding horses.
I train in Krav Maga self-defense.
I have a passion for photography.
I'm a fan of pugs.
One Wild Life
A bunch of things I want to do while I'm still around.
My Creed
