Hi, I’m Diane.

My story begins in October 2007, I had a tragic event occur in my life. My parents disowned me because of my interracial relationship with my now husband Keith Hughes. My parents had never met him or even knew his name, the fact that I was so disposable to the two people I love the most, destroyed me. Not knowing how to deal with this heartbreak, I began to consume myself with work to ignore the thoughts and began to feed my emotions with food.

In December of 2011, I looked in the mirror and did not recognize the woman staring back at me. I weighed in at over 300 pounds! I was severely depressed, frustrated, overwhelmed with stress, extremely unhealthy, filled with sadness, pain, felt completely defeated, hopeless, had a very bad relationship with food and frequent thoughts of suicide.

In January of 2012 as a New Year Resolution, I decided to embarked on a journey to lose 100 pounds in one year and regain my life back.

My journey wasn’t always easy, I was faced with many challenges and obstacles in my path including depression, self-doubt, physical body limitations but my biggest challenge was my career!

I was a corporate professional working as a Senior Software Consultant and my career was extremely demanding, stressful and required me to travel out of state on a weekly basis. I traveled 4-5 days per week throughout the United States and sometimes internationally. I was living out of a suitcase, in and out of hotels and airports, working 12-15 hour days which left me with limited time to focus on myself or anything other than work.

I didn't have a normal schedule, I didn't have time to go to the gym and I didn't have a kitchen because I was living in hotel rooms throughout the week!! I was faced with several challenges to say the least, but I had made a promise to myself that I would do anything in my power to focus on my weight-loss goals and so I did! Where there is FAITH, there will always be a way.

As I embarked on my journey, I was introduced to Beachbody and it has been one of the greatest blessings and gifts I have ever received. Beachbody's fitness programs, meal plans and nutritional products were the exact tools I needed to transform my health and my body! Their programs were perfect to incorporate into my busy schedule. They were simple to follow and I could do them from anywhere at anytime including the comforts of my home and/or hotel room! They gave me the structure and knowledge I needed to build a healthy lifestyle.

In one year, I successfully lost 100 pounds.

Today, I'm proud to say that I have lost over 140 pounds and have maintained my weight for 9 years. Most importantly, I love the woman that I have become in this journey.

In 2015, I was chosen and recognized on stage as one of the top 8 finalists out of 20,000 entries for the Beachbody Grand Prize Challenge for best transformation of the year. It was the proudest moment of my life knowing how much I had overcome.

It is amazing how one little decision to lose weight can empower someone to transform their whole life! Since then, I have decided to pursue my passion for wellness and continue my education. In 2017, I graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition as a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach with advanced certifications in gut health, hormone health and emotional eating.

In addition, I have also partnered up with Beachbody as a Coach so that I could continue to learn and grow in my own journey, but also help other people reach their health, fitness and wellness goals with the knowledge and tools I have been given. It has truly been the gift that keeps on giving and one of the most meaningful, rewarding and purpose filled career choices I have ever made.