CANDACE MAKI 
My self-discovery journey began in 2018 when I started lifting weights as a way of coping (when my friend passed away). I always had a deeper sense about life and was never the one who partied every weekend. I never fit in, I feel too much and always run my own lane. "Don't force yourself to fit where you don't belong."
Our jobs often hold huge stereotypes, but we can break out of this mold. We don’t need to be one-size-fits-all robots who think, act, and speak identically. We are uniquely passionate, enthusiastic, and gifted people who can have as many goals and hopes for the future as we can imagine. Don’t let anyone dampen or stunt your ambitions. They have no right to take away your dreams, and you have every right to make them happen.
It's always going to be the hardest right before you start seeing the good things happen. Being a mom of three, I competed and won my first natural bodybuilding show in 2021. Be vulnerable, be courageous, and find comfort in the uncomfortable. Everyday is an opportunity to learn one step past the lesson, and then you'll start to appreciate those lessons. It's okay with not being good at things, as long as your willing to learn that there's nothing you can't do!
While it's good to have drive, remember that you are on your own path. The greatest contribution we can give to the world is how we carry ourselves in it, simply by being you.
