To let you know a little bit about myself and why I do what I do, I’ll take you back to my late years of primary school (around 12-13 years old). I was always the bigger kid (I’m 6’4 now so was always one of the taller guys in my year level) and I struggled with body dysmorphia for basically my whole childhood. I had Gynecomastia, which is a condition more commonly referred to as man boobs (excess fat around the chest, super common amongst Men) and that really plagued me from a confidence and self worth perspective.

I was bullied for it and I went through some challenging years feeling like the outlier. I was the guy who always wore a rashy at the beach, singlets under his shirts to hide his chest and kept very much to himself to avoid as much attention as possible. Back then, I didn’t know why I was different and why my body didn’t look like the other guys that were around me. 

I lived with very low confidence in myself and doubted myself at every turn, despite in hindsight, having a lot going for me. I had amazing friends (still do), I was a very good basketballer and was universally liked (despite the few bullies, but overall, I fit in everywhere I went). But in my mind, none of that mattered because of this dysmorphia I had around my body and the negative internal dialogue that I lived with.