Why I Started The Pep Talk Diaries: Raising Confident Girls Starts Earlier Than We Think

We’ve all heard it

“When you know, you know.”
“When work doesn’t feel like work, you’ve found your passion.”
“You’ll just feel it.”

People say that like it happens in a lightning bolt.

For me, it didn’t.

Something Was Missing from my Worklife

I’ve had jobs I loved. Really loved. I traveled the world launching the Reebok | CrossFit Games when they were still unknown in emerging markets. I built training programs alongside athletes like Alex Morgan and coaches like Mark Verstegen.

I worked in rooms where ideas mattered. I was proud of the work.

And still, I’d crawl into bed buzzing with energy and carrying a quiet resentment I couldn’t quite name.

I also had roles that did exactly what they were supposed to do. They paid well. They invested in me. One company even certified all its managers as coaches because they believed strong leaders listen, pause, and respond instead of react.

Each role gave me something real: skills, confidence, discernment. None of it was wasted.

It just wasn’t the thing.

When Motherhood Changes the Questions

Then I became a mom. And then she became a young girl.

Suddenly, I didn’t know where to go.

I realized that if I wanted my daughter to grow into someone confident in her body and her mind, she would need to learn to trust both. And what she would need from me would evolve as her questions grew more complex.

It’s cute when she asks about body odor.

It’s sobering to realize how close that curiosity sits to conversations about puberty, boundaries, consent, and safety.

As parents, we often wonder:

• When do we start talking about bodies?

• How early is too early?

• How do we explain consent in age-appropriate ways?

• How do we help girls build real body confidence before middle school?

Education Leads to Empowerment

Age eight, it isn’t “too early.” It’s foundational.

Bodies. Emotions. Friendships. Language.

When girls understand what’s happening in their bodies and emotions, they’re more likely to:

• Trust themselves.

• Recognize unsafe situations.

• Ask questions instead of hiding confusion.

• Build confidence that isn’t dependent on outside validatio.n

If we build that foundation early, there’s something steady to stand on later.

Because the alternative? Kids turning to the internet for answers, and God knows what they might find.

The Beginning of The Pep Talk Diaries

There are moments when love is so big you feel unprepared. Those are the moments you realize you have to do something.

I didn’t set out to build a company.

It started with conversations at soccer practice, walking club, and in text threads with other moms asking the same quiet questions:

“How are you handling this?”
“Have you talked to her yet?”
“What did you say?”

Those conversations turned into ideas I couldn’t stop thinking about, or working on.

The Pep Talk Diaries was born from that tension: capable, loving parents who want to raise confident girls. And, girls who deserve language, ownership, and trust in their own bodies.

We are building guided tools, workbooks, and conversation frameworks that help parents:

• Start age-appropriate puberty education earlier.

• Teach body safety and consent in practical ways.

• Support emotional regulation and self-trust.

• Raise informed, confident girls who know how to advocate for themselves.

This project pulls together everything I’ve done: leadership, coaching, education, team building, and points it toward something that matters more than any launch or title ever did.

It Wasn’t a Lightning Bolt

So no, I didn’t just know.

This wasn’t random, easy, or overnight.

But the work doesn’t feel like work. It feels like joy.

And if you’re here, maybe you’re in that in-between space too. You’re wanting to raise a confident, informed girl and wondering how to start the conversations that matter.

You’re in the right place.