Taylor Gage ​It's the beginning of the month and here on Alpha Maiden, we have a monthly feature highlighting another strong woman who is doing great things in the world! I am honored to announce the Alpha Maiden of November, Taylor Gage!Taylor a Crossfit and weightlifting coach, and she owns and runs her business, She Thrives, where her mission is to make others feel strong, capable, healthy and confident in their own skin. She is also an extremely talented photographer, and is the behind-the-camera woman who took all the photos to date for Alpha Maiden!Who is Taylor outside all the amazing stuff she does on the daily? Check out her responses to the questions I asked her below: Q: Please tell me about your story and what got you into health and fitness:1. Write about your story and what got you into health/fitnessA: I was a competitive swimmer in my youth and enjoyed it until I didn’t, and then quit swimming around the age of 12.I dabbled casually in workouts throughout my teens and 20’s, but never became fanatical about health, fitness and overall wellness until I discovered CrossFit in 2012. When I worked out before CrossFit, it was usually doing either group classes at the gym or at-home style workout videos, because [...]

Katherine Streeton​ I went on my first diet at the age of 13 which led to years of eating disorders. I was never happy with my body nor appearance. When I was in my early twenties I lacked the confidence to truly be myself. I would dress according to the way I thought my boyfriend at the time wanted me to dress. I would diet in order to fit into what society was telling me I should look like. It has taken me many years to build up my confidence to where it is now. 4 years ago I decided to try something different and lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. I wanted to find a form of exercise I enjoyed. Not knowing what to do, I bought an exercise DVD. After completing the 2 month program I decided to hire a personal trainer. The rest is history, and I am now a personal trainer myself. I'm most passionate about helping women find enjoyment in exercise and empowering women to train for strength. One of the most empowering decisions I ever made was starting that strength training program.Being strong physically has had enormous benefits and transferred directly to my mental toughness! I feel my strongest when I look back and see the [...]

Sally Willoughby It would be easy and inspirational to say that I am now fully cured of anorexia and bulimia. Or, with the snap of the fingers, my life was suddenly perfect again! Unfortunately, you can't take a magic pill to undo your eating disorder. There is so much more involved than most of the general population understands. What I can say is that I no longer revolve my life around food and negative body image thoughts. Do I think about those things from time to time? Of course! I am human, and I am a woman. It is nearly impossible to escape the standards of "beauty" and expectations of how we should look and act as women. However, after doing some major soul searching, getting professional help and implementing the skills I learned daily, my eating disorder is no longer in charge of my life.I am in charge of MY LIFE!About 6 years ago, when my eating disorder was at its worst, my now husband and I finally decided that I needed to get professional help. I began seeing a therapist. She gave me all sorts of things to work on. Every time I would feel the urge to binge, I began finding some other distraction to take my mind off [...]