@sofia_giussani here to tell her story #strengthmeansmore 💙 "My best friend passed away in January. My wonderful, energetic, happy and goofy friend left us too quickly. Cancer killed her in only four months. Nobody is ever prepared to live something like this. I certainly wasn’t. I did not cry at her funeral. I did not shed a tear. I still haven’t been able to cry. I feel bad about it. When this tsunami hit my life, I was already a customer of Solidcore, in Midtown Atlanta. I have always been very sporty and active, but this time, my soul was lost. I wanted to quit everything and just eat junk food on the couch. What is the point of exercising, eating healthy, refraining myself from having an ice cream or two, if something so terrible can happen to a young woman in great shape? I felt guilty. I felt sad. I felt useless. I felt meaningless. I wanted to do nothing but sleep. I didn’t go to class for almost three weeks, but then I tried. I went back, I do not know why. That day was a Wednesday, and our coach, wonderful Shannon, said something that resonated, something that stuck to my soul and heart: “Be kind to yourself”. I felt guilty for the death of my friend. I was still alive. She was not. I do not have children. She does. Why her and not me. “Be kind to yourself”... I had to be kind to myself to keep going. The following day I was back in the studio: same time, 8:45am. Lindsay: her classes are super tough, “massive” as I describe them! She pushes me to the limit every single time: I love physical fatigue; I love the feeling of it. She told me about a new class that focuses on strength: I needed strength like I need oxygen. I needed to hold on to something, me in the first place. “Be kind to yourself”...I found in my coaches, allies who helped me looking for my forgotten inner happiness and, with their constant motivation, I managed to become [the stronger version of myself], I started healing, facing my guilt and my sorrow. Thank you, Shannon, Lauren, Lindsay and Neda! You do not even know how impactful your classes, your words and your smiles can be and what you have done for me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!"