Five years ago, when I released my memoir Leaving Large, I had no idea where that story would lead.
Five years of writing. Five years of speaking. Five years of sitting with people in the truth of their food stories — not just what they eat, but what eating has been asked to hold: stress, grief, loneliness, survival, celebration, memory.
When I wrote my book, I did not have a roadmap. I had a question:
What if behavior change is not about willpower, but about healing, strategy, and systems that fit real life?
Everything I have built since — the workshops, the writing retreats, the mindset frameworks, the BRAND NEW method — came from that question.
And then, I had a two-hour conversation that shifted how far this work could reach.
My interview with fitness icon Tony Horton was supposed to be a conversation. It became an alignment.
We did not talk about quick weight loss. We talked about burnout. We talked about recovery.
We talked about why people start strong, disappear, and then blame themselves.
At one point, he spoke about the danger of the all-or-nothing mindset — how people push hard, break down, and think they failed when what they actually lacked was a sustainable system.
I remember thinking: This is the emotional cycle I have spent years helping people understand.
Different disciplines. Same truth. Sustainable change requires preparation, not pressure. Recovery is part of performance. Consistency is built through systems, not motivation. That conversation repositioned my work.
At the time, I was simply telling the truth of my life: more than 40 years battling obesity, gaining and losing over 700 pounds, and learning — often the hard way — that food was never the real issue. Emotion was.
What I didn’t know then was that this deeply personal work would eventually place me inside one of the most recognized fitness brands in the world.
Today, I’m honored to share my belief system and mindset coaching and work with Tony Horton’s 90-Day Challenge, an elite wellness platform known for results, rigor, and longevity. It’s a full-circle moment — one rooted not in image or weight loss, but in transformation.
For years, I have been saying that food behavior is not a discipline problem — it is a nervous system, identity, and environment problem. Hearing one of the most recognized voices in fitness talk about patience, modification, and meeting your body where it is confirmed that this work belongs inside performance spaces. Not outside of them.
That is why being part of the Goo Fighter Spring Fling 90-Day Challenge is such a full-circle moment for me. This is not about joining a fitness program. This is about integrating mindset and movement in a way that respects real lives.
Inside this 90-day experience, you will get access to Tony’s training platform — but you will also get my 90-day mindset and behavior strategy:
How to reduce food noise
How to stabilize energy through nourishment
How to align habits with your real schedule
How to prepare for stressful days instead of restarting after them
How to build self-trust through small, repeatable decisions
Because workouts build strength. But strategy builds follow-through.
If you have ever started and stopped…
If you have ever felt like plans were built for a life you do not have…
If you have ever believed you lacked discipline when you were actually overwhelmed…
Five years ago, I leaped without knowing where it would lead.
Today, I can see the throughline:
The writing.
The healing.
The behavior science.
The storytelling.
All of it prepared me for this collaboration.
This is what it looks like when emotional healing and physical performance stop being separate conversations.
The 90 days begin on March 2.
If you want to understand why this collaboration matters, listen to the full conversation between Tony and me. It will give you context for everything we are building together and why this approach is different.
Then join us. Because the next 90 days are not about chasing a number on a scale. They are about becoming someone who:
Plans
Pauses
Prepares
Follows through
Five years in, I can say this with certainty:
This work changes lives. And it is worth the work.
Michelle Petties is a TEDx speaker, Food Story coach, and award-winning memoirist whose work explores the intersection of food, trauma, culture, and healing. After gaining and losing 700 pounds, Michelle discovered the secret to overcoming stress and emotional overeating. Her free workbook, Mind Over Meals, reveals her core principles for losing weight and keeping it off. She is available to customize The Weight We Carry workshop for churches, sororities, civic organizations, and community groups.