Today we’d like to introduce you to Brejon Patrick.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story started at the beginning of 2021. I was mentally, physically, and emotionally drained from being stuck in the house for almost a year and wasn’t really prioritizing my health the way I knew I should. I was highly insecure about my body and saw it directly affect my confidence. I was so tired of feeling physically and mentally inadequate, so I looked in the mirror and asked myself what I was going to do about it. What was I willing to do to change my life and what was stopping me from finally committing to change?
That day in January I committed to showing up for myself, to proving my own doubts and self-sabotaging fears wrong. I made a promise to myself that I would not be the same person in 12 months. My goal was to gain weight. No specific number, but just to see some growth and transform my body. I knew that if I wanted to strengthen my body and improve my health I needed to get serious about fitness and wellness. I started with Youtube home workouts for about three months until I built up the confidence and maintained a consistent routine to get in the gym. I spent time researching and learning about food so I could understand how to nourish my body and where to focus my energy.
Six months later and I was watching myself and my body change in front of my eyes. It was the most empowering experience I’ve ever been on and I would do it again and again because it changed my life. I wanted to film my journey not only to keep myself motivated but to hopefully give one other woman the motivation and encouragement to take control of her life and body.
I started posting my journey on TikTok and before I knew it girls were commenting saying that they finally felt seen and that they never related more. It made me realize that weight gain is so taboo. It’s not spoken about as freely as weight loss because we live in a society where being thin is idolized. Beauty is subjective and not everyone subscribes to societal beauty standards. I think that’s really what my internal mission became. To somehow be a voice for my fellow skinny women struggling to gain weight and creating a safe space of information and connection for women to be free to grow as they choose.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I always say the mind holds the real power. If you can learn to tap into your mind and in some way, rewire your thought patterns and ways of thinking, everything gets easier and more fluid. At the beginning of my weight gain journey, I was so focused on weight gain that I also neglected my overall health. My gut health was suffering from eating right before bed in hopes of getting the weight to “stick more”. It was a really toxic way to go about weight gain. Before I knew it, I developed stomach issues such as gluten intolerance and protein intolerance. My body couldn’t digest either for a few weeks and I was so discouraged because I thought that meant it was the end of my weight gain journey. Once again, I looked at myself in my mirror and asked what I was willing to do about it and if I was going to give up just like that.
I spent days straight researching gut health and healing foods in hopes of helping myself. That low period taught me about my strengths but also how important it is to recalibrate and pull back and assess. We must constantly reassess when needed so that we can always continue to grow. I healed my gut health in a few weeks and was back to slowly incorporating gluten and protein powder. The research taught me new and more efficient ways to get calories and protein and I’ve never found myself in that position again. The lows in life are learning periods. Now when I’m feeling down, I instantly go into question mode and ask myself what lesson am I ready to learn now. It has completely changed my outlook on life and has given me so much power over my life. Our thoughts have absolutely no meaning other than the meaning we give them so why not choose positive thoughts or thoughts that push us to be better versions of ourselves?
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a fitness and wellness content creator and it’s still sometimes hard to process. I never thought I would be working in this space. Almost two years ago and I knew next to nothing about the gym and building muscle and weight gain. I create content for skinny women who struggle to gain weight. I post a lot of recipe videos, tips, advice, and workout routines on my TikTok. I share the ups and downs of my own experience to show the real process of a fitness journey. I’ll share products that have really helped me on my journey so that other women out there have not only a safe space to learn about weight gain but a surplus of resources to guide them and keep them motivated.
My TikTok started out as a way for me to keep myself accountable and it quickly grew into a beautiful community of strong women. I’m really grateful to be working in the content creation space. I got my Bachelor’s in Broadcast Journalism so I’ve always loved talking and had a lot of experience with filming and editing, so it’s really insane that I get to apply my degree in an entirely different way than I imagined. I went to Penn State and honestly, if it wasn’t for that university, I’m not sure if I would be living in LA to be living out the life of my dreams. I was accepted into a Communications internship program through Penn State to intern in LA, moved here permanently right after graduation and that was the beginning of my California life.
What does success mean to you?
Success is about balance to me. It’s not just financial but mental, spiritual, and emotional. I feel most successful because I am doing something I absolutely love that I never imagined doing so I’m rooted in gratitude. I spend time with my friends, family, and loved ones so I don’t feel any lack of human connection which is truly a blessing. I’ve curated a life centered around happiness.
Whatever makes me happy, I give energy to and what doesn’t bring me happiness, I don’t give time to. It’s allowed me to become highly intentional with my time and energy. The people in my life are the people who add more joy to it. It’s a reciprocal connection. The opportunities that come my way are easily vetted because I know what is for me and what could never be regardless of the paycheck attached to it. Taking control and accountability over my energy and the energy in my life has led me to levels of success I used to wish I could have. No matter how big or small, I find a way to practice gratitude every day. Even when I shower in the morning, I am so grateful to have hot water and to have a safe space to live and thrive creatively. I’m grateful to work on my own terms and fuel my bank account with money that I earned through my skills and talents which is something that can’t be taken from me. Success is layered and ever-evolving just like you and me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brejonalyse/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaieVtU1QHZ-3y25CPbLY8g
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brejonalyse?lang=en
