The Girl Who Became my Reason WHY
The little girl who became the reason Strongselves Studio is what it is today.
Tonight my little girl turns 10.
And as I sit here writing this, I can't help but think back to the little five-year-old who unknowingly changed the entire course of my life... again. The first change was finding out I was pregnant by a total surprise during my last year of my Master Degree. I was 8 months pregnant when I walked the stage to accept my diploma, not realizing that because of her I would leave Miami and never look back.
Most people assume I started my health journey because I wanted to lose weight. The truth is... I started because of her, my daughter Mello Rose.
Five years ago, I was in one of the hardest seasons of my life. I didn't recognize myself anymore. I was exhausted, overwhelmed, disconnected, and honestly... I wasn't very kind to myself.
Then one day I looked at my daughter. Not just at her—but really saw her.
I realized that every single day she was learning what it meant to be a woman by watching me.
Not by listening to my words, but by watching my life.
She was watching how I spoke to myself in the mirror.
She was watching whether I believed I deserved rest.
She was watching whether I prioritized my health or always put myself last.
She was watching how I allowed people to treat me.
She was watching what love looked like.
She was watching what boundaries looked like.
She was watching whether a woman was allowed to take up space... or whether she was supposed to quietly accept whatever was left over after everyone else had taken their piece.
That realization broke me. I still get chocked up thinking about it and how far disconnected I was from her for those first 5 years of her life. Because if she became the woman I was modeling then... I knew I would have failed her as a woman.
Growing up, I loved my mom deeply, and still do (Hi Denise Matos!!!, she reads my emails) but I never saw her choose herself. I never saw her prioritize her own health. I never saw her make time for friendships, hobbies, or simply caring for herself without guilt. Everything she had she put into us and my dad.
She taught me what sacrifice looked like. But somewhere along the way, sacrifice became self-abandonment, she is doing much better and learning to find herself now after a mirror session at the studio! lol ... love you ma! I am so proud of you!
But that was the cycle I knew had to end. At the beginning of my journey, I honestly didn't believe I was worth changing for, worth investing in, worth starting from scratch for.
But I believed Mello was. So I borrowed that belief, and held onto it for dear life until I could let it go a little and start believing in myself. I leaned on the hope that maybe if I changed my life, she'd never have to spend years trying to unlearn the things I had.
I wanted her to grow up believing that she could have a family, build an incredible career, fall deeply in love, chase impossible dreams, and still never lose herself in the process.
I wanted her to know that taking care of herself isn't selfish.
It's leadership.
It's responsibility.
It's love.
So I started changing.
Not perfectly.
Not overnight.
But consistently.
I started moving my body with ease and to listen, not just to change and mold. I learned to fuel myself instead of punish myself. I learned to speak to myself with compassion. I started setting boundaries.
I started becoming someone I was proud for her to watch.
Because our daughters and sons don't become who we tell them to be. They become who they see us being now in the present moment, not later when we think we can or when "the time is right" - NOW.
Today she turns 10.
And I look at this incredible little girl with tears in my eyes. Literally I am wiping the mascara off my face right now.
She is confident. Kind. Strong. Curious. Compassionate.
She celebrates other women and girls.
She has grown up attending every workshop I've ever hosted, yes even the vagina sip and paints!
She asks questions about her changing body without shame.
She knows words like pelvic floor, hormones, confidence, and boundaries aren't embarrassing conversations—they're just part of being a woman. She pretends with her barbies that she leaves the kids with the grandparents (that's me lol) and she goes on a retreat or a girls night!
She has watched women at the studio laugh together, cry together, lift each other up, and remind one another that none of us are meant to do life alone.
She believes women can be powerful and soft.
Independent like her mama and still be deeply in-love like her parents.
Strong and feminine.
She already carries herself in ways I am still learning every single day how to do for myself, with a love and passion for living and being alive and completely authentically herself.
And I don't believe that's an accident.
I believe children become what they consistently witness.
The greatest gift I've ever given my daughter wasn't a birthday party.
It wasn't a vacation.
It wasn't a toy.
It was giving her a mother who decided she was worth fighting for.
A mother who showed her that growth doesn't stop when you become an adult.
That healing is possible.
That confidence is built an practiced.
That it's never too late to rewrite the story.
Happy 10th Birthday, my sweet Mello.
Thank you for becoming the reason I finally chose myself.
You will forever be my greatest inspiration, my biggest blessing, and one of the greatest teachers I've ever had.
I love you more than words could ever hold.
Forever your best friend.
Forever your biggest fan.
Love,
Mama
Amanda Matos,
CEO Strongselves Studio for Women ... and little girls (our future)
If this inspired you to start becoming the role model
Comments