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About Me

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If you're reading this, thanks for taking the time to learn about me! My name is Joey Baroni, and I want to help you improve your mental, emotional, and physical health. Since 2018, I've followed a vegan lifestyle, eating mostly whole-food plant-based in the process. In that time frame, I've put on over 25 pounds of lean muscle mass, and coached myself, as well as others, to under 10 percent body fat. Health, however, is not simply an outcome. Health is a journey, and my journey did not start with where I am today.

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I grew up in an Italian household. I played sports and was fairly active, but food was a central part of my family's life. Food was a means of connection, celebration, mourning, and coping. Food was woven into many of our experiences. And how couldn't it be? Eating is something we do multiple times per day. Food was part of my family’s culture. Even though I was active, overconsumption of food was natural in an Italian household.

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From a young age, I also struggled with anxiety, and in adolescence, I struggled with depression as well. Naturally, I looked for outlets to cope, and some of those outlets were healthier than others. My dad and my best friend, Danny, helped instill my love for working out, but that was not my only means of coping. I also turned to different substances to cope with my anxiety, depression and low self-worth. I used pleasure as an escape from my pain. Early in college, I started to get my footing, but was significantly derailed when Danny died of a drug overdose. Overwhelmed with grief, I struggled to process the pain that surrounded me, but with time, I started to heal.

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My journey has taught me a lot. It has taught me that health and wellness can be incredibly complex. It has taught me that there is a difference between doing something healthy and being healthy. It’s taught me that diet is not only what you eat, diet is also what you read and watch. Diet is how and who you spend your time with. It has taught me to audit the relationships I have with each element of my diet. It has taught me to be kinder to myself. It has taught me that growing through your pain can offer healing for not only you, but also others.

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That is what I want to offer you. I want to use my experiences to help you. I want to help you reach your goals, while reminding you that your health comes first. I want to help you see that you are worth caring for, and that you are far more resilient than you know. I want you to see that health is a journey, and that it’s ok to fall along the way. I want you to rise, and in doing so, become that much stronger. Today, I am on the other side of my pits. Though I am proud of what I’ve overcome, I know that there will be other battles that I'll face. However, now I have the tools to heal and grow through them. I’ve grown through my adversity, not because I did it alone, but because I had teachers, mentors, coaches, and support along the way! You are not alone in your battles. You have people who want to help you, and I am one of them!

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