I Struggled With Chronic Pain for 4 Years — But This Workout Changed Everything

My senior year of high school, I felt like I was on top of the world as I prepared to start a new chapter of my life. I had just wrapped my biggest theater role to date, and I was about to begin college as a drama and dance major, focusing on musical theater. Then, before moving to my new school, I got into a car accident. At the time, doctors confirmed I broke my collarbone, but there weren't any other major injuries. I noticed one of my ribs also didn't feel right, but I was told they were fine.

After recovering from my collarbone injury, the pain and discomfort in my rib didn't go away. The sensation was often like being on a roller coaster, I would feel like my stomach was lifting, and I couldn't take full breaths. I saw multiple specialists, but no one could explain what was going on. So I went on to college, kept performing, kept dancing, and kept pushing myself.

But nearly four years after my car accident, my rib was getting worse. There was something so jarring about the fact that it was right in my midsection, in the center of my body, the area that was supposed to give me power and balance while performing.

I was young, and I had trouble advocating for myself, even though deep down I knew something was wrong in my body. However, it was so hard to know what to do when specialists were telling me I was fine.

That is, until the day I passed out onstage. My rib had shifted so it was pushing against my lung, and I couldn't breathe. I went to the emergency room, where the doctors confirmed my rib was broken. They guessed that during my car accident, there was a slight break, and then it got worse and worse and worse until it was a full break. Again, they reassured me it would heal itself. But it hadn't happened previously, so I was skeptical.

This wasn't the first injury I'd experienced as a performer. I'd hurt my knee a couple of times in the past, and while I was recovering, I did Pilates. I immediately connected with the practice, and it always helped me feel better. While my rib was healing, I decided to take the time to get stronger and learn more about my body, so I started back up with Pilates.

During this whole time, I kept assuring myself I'd be fine, and I was going to get better. Of course, I was lying to myself—I had no idea what was going to happen, and I was scared. But I needed to mentally get myself through this healing journey. Ultimately, I knew on the other side of this recovery, I would get back onstage.

After experiencing such a major change from this specific kind of movement, I wanted to pass that assistance on to other people—so after college, I decided to get certified as a Pilates instructor.

The joy I got from relaying that knowledge was so much more than I could have ever expected. I wouldn't have chosen to go to Pilates if I hadn't been injured. But because I did, I discovered that working with other people gave me so much gratitude and fulfilled me in a way that I didn't experience when I was just performing.

While I didn't initially expect to make Pilates my entire career, I soon experienced a light bulb moment: I realized I could fuse so many of the things I love (performing, moving my body, etc.) to help other people with their wellness and longevity.