NOTE FROM TED: Please do not look to this talk for medical advice and consult a mental health professional if you are struggling. This talk contains a graphic discussion of eating disorders and exercise addiction and only represents the speaker’s personal views and understanding. Some viewers may find this alienating or objectionable. We've flagged this talk because it falls outside the content guidelines TED gives TEDx organizers. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf More than ever, the outside pressures of today’s world are having a huge impact on our teen women and young adults. Research now shows 50% of teenage girls have unhealthy weight control habits and eating disorders. Mandy Dimarzo shares her own struggle with anorexia and how her journey turned tragedy into triumph. In her TEDx talk, she shares 5 vulnerable truths that changed the trajectory of her future, including how anorexia actually saved her life. It's what she calls redefining your “strong.” Mandy DiMarzo has been a passionate athlete her whole life. As a former division one soccer player who later transitioned into distance running and triathlons to keep her competitive juices flowing, she knows a thing or two about pushing the body’s limits. She has built a world-wide community through her health and wellness expertise that now spans over 80 countries and 2300 towns/cities across the globe. She empowers women to achieve their highest potential and has gone on to work with companies to motivate, inspire, and cultivate a high-performance community that works as a team to unleash their full potential. Mandy DiMarzo has been a passionate athlete her whole life. As a former division one soccer player who later transitioned into distance running and triathlons to keep her competitive juices flowing, she knows a thing or two about pushing the body’s limits. After enduring countless overuse injuries, as well as overcoming an eating disorder, Mandy made a conscious decision to stop striving for the unattainable and unhealthy. What started out as her personal journey to make her the strongest version of herself, quickly metabolized into being a role model for others. Mandy has built a world-wide community through her BURN classes that now span over 80 countries and 2300 towns/cities across the globe. She empowers her BURN tribe to achieve their highest potential and has gone on to work with companies to motivate, inspire, and cultivate a high-performance community that works as a team to unleash their full potential. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx