Meet Micha Rivas

Micha, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hops that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
I have dealt with social anxiety and PTSD, I was diagnosed at the age of 16 while in high school and shortly after I dropped out. I tried medications and therapy, and for me, none of it worked. At 17 I started running to lose weight, it wasn’t long before I realized, I was in control of how far I ran, I could set a goal, and reach it. I started to feel peace when I ran, a peace I didn’t feel any other time. When I started using physical fitness as a tool, an addition to therapy, I began to have a better understanding of my mental health issues, and was able to take control of them. I knew I wanted to share that with everyone, it drove me to open up about how fitness helped my mental issues. While I still struggle, my passion for helping others pushes me to persist through it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
As a survivor of physical and sexual abuse as a child, I have struggled to heal from those traumas for most of my life. It wasn’t until I found physical fitness that I learned how to slow my mind down, clear it long enough to learn how to actually face my traumas. But it hasn’t all been about past traumas, I founded Curves Ahead to empower people, particularly women, to love themselves through the journey that is life. Society has taught us that while we’re young we must look a certain way, and that when we age we are disposable, I intend to use every tool that I can to help women, women of color, aging women, and young girls learn that our value isn’t in how we look, and that we can all use fitness to be healthy while being proud of whatever our bodies look like. I believe to my core that our mental health can be directly effected by how we feel when we look at ourselves in the mirror, by how we carry ourselves in the world, and by where we seek validation. We all deserve to be proud and I founded Curves Ahead to be every woman’s champion.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think my PASSION for helping others has always been my greatest quality, and I think that has had a direct impact in the journey of started my own business. Through that passion I developed a skill for hearing and seeing people for where they are, not for what they think they should be, and helping them to find that in themselves. Taking the knowledge I gained from interacting with all kinds of people from different walks of life helped me to find the common ground we all share. Curves Ahead is an extension of me, of the women I’ve learned from, and the journey I’ve taken myself. I think the best advice I could give is, find something that brings you joy, find the thing that you could talk to someone about for hours, and then figure out a way to deliver that to others. Turning that idea into a brand, a business, takes a lot of time, patience, persistance and a lot of dedication. But if you can really understand your why, and how it can impact others lives, you are already half way there. The rest is a plan in logistics and marketing.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
As Curves Ahead is approaching its 4th year, I am still growing and still facing challenges every day. Where fitness is concerned, the world has been evolving and the popularity growing, and while that should seemingly be a good thing, and has been, for a fitness company, it can be easy to get lost in the crowd. With popularity comes trends, and with social media anyone can become a fitnes incluencer, making it easier to spread trends that can do more harm to our self esteem than good. I have found it difficult to stand out because what Curves Ahead is promoting isn’t the most flashy, or trendy. What I have learned and how I intend to overcome this is to continue to share our motto of self love, acceptance and a healthy lifestyle. Curves Ahead will continue to promote something that is meant to enhance your life, not just change your body in its current state, because our bodies will change, and when the “trend” changes as it does with time, Curves Ahead will still be a brand that has never wavered in its purpose that i believe will stand the test of time. Persistence, commitment to my beliefs and Curves motto is for everyone of all ages at all stages, and I believe that by standing firmly by that and collaborating with others who share those philosophies, together we can overcome this challenge.