"Glow-ups don't happen overnight. They happen one choice at a time.”

- JanThaDoll

You know that urge you get at 3am to rebrand your whole existence? That whisper that turns into a roar: “enough is enough; I deserve better than this mediocre life I’m living.”

That was me.

I was tired of waking up already exhausted. Tired of shrinking myself in rooms that didn’t match my hunger. Tired of forcing connections with people who couldn’t even reach my standards. I always knew I wasn’t designed to stay small, so why was I living like I was?

The Breaking Point

A few years ago, I was in a job that drained me so badly it warped how I saw myself. Every morning felt like dragging cement. I’d stare at my reflection before work and not even recognise the woman looking back at me.

One afternoon, I called my dad in tears and told him that if I was still in that job by the new year, I’d kill myself. His response was simple, almost casual:

“You’re not a tree. You can move.”

It landed like lightning.

That one line became my anchor. I left that job in a heartbeat. And ever since, whenever I’ve felt stuck or suffocated, I’ve reminded myself: I can move. I can move out of mediocrity, away from the old version of me, into a higher frequency.

“You’re not a tree. You can move.”

The Shift

But the glow-up wasn’t just about quitting a job. It was about quitting the lies I told myself.

I was sick of saying I wasn’t beautiful.
Sick of cancelling plans with my girls because nothing in my wardrobe fit.
Sick of living like life was happening to me instead of through me.

I had to get my shit together, and fast.

Still on the Journey

Let me be clear: it hasn’t been easy. Glow-ups aren’t neat. They aren’t instant. They’re gritty, unsexy, and often lonely.

But they’re worth it.

Because every choice, every workout when I didn’t feel like it, every time I said no to people who drained me, every time I pushed through instead of shrinking became proof that I was moving.

And I’m still moving.

I haven’t “arrived.” I’m still unlearning, rebuilding, becoming. Still piecing together discipline, confidence, and a body that feels like home. The glow-up is not a destination, it’s a decision you keep making, day after day.

The Reminder

Glow-ups don’t happen overnight. They happen one choice at a time. One shift at a time. One small act of self-respect at a time.

I’m living proof not because I’ve figured it all out, but because I refuse to stay the same.

✨ If you’re on your own glow-up journey, my book Beauty, Body & Bag Elevation was written as the guide I wish I had when I started. It’s a nurturing companion full of the tools, habits, and mindset shifts that keep me anchored when the process feels heavy.

You deserve your own glow-up, and you don’t have to do it alone.

👉 [Discover Beauty, Body & Bag Elevation here.]