Health means checking in with yourself first.

Wellness used to feel like a word I saw on Pinterest or on a water bottle in Target. It felt pretty, curated, and just a little bit out of reach. But over time, I’ve realized that wellness is more than a product, it’s a practice. And for me, that practice includes rest, reflection, boundaries, movement, and most recently, getting curious about what’s going on inside my body.

This week, I want to talk about what wellness actually looks like in my world. Not just from the outside, but from the inside too.

What Wellness Looked Like as a Cheerleader

For 17 years, cheerleading shaped so much of how I understood wellness. From Pop Warner days to cheering under Friday night lights, and eventually representing the University of Florida on the sidelines of National championships, my life revolved around movement, fuel, and performance.

Even as a young athlete, I knew that rest, hydration, and nutrition mattered. I learned quickly how skipping meals or overtraining could impact how I showed up. What I didn’t fully grasp yet was how deep wellness goes. Things like hormonal health, lab testing, mental recovery, and stress management weren’t conversations we were having. And yet, those are the things that often determine how we feel long after the season ends.

Cheer taught me resilience, structure, and how to listen to my body. Now, I’ve taken those lessons and expanded them. Wellness isn’t just a checklist for performance, it’s a relationship with your body, mind, and future. It’s understanding what’s going on inside, not just how you look or how fast you recover.

A Wellness Partnership That Changed My Perspective

Through my partnership with Function Health, I had the opportunity to take a deep dive into my own health using their 100+ lab test panel—a comprehensive look at everything from hormone levels to nutrient deficiencies to inflammation markers. And the best part? It’s preventative.

Function doesn’t just wait until something goes wrong to take action. They help you see potential issues before they become problems. It’s exactly the kind of proactive, personalized care I want more people, especially young women, to know exists.

This partnership reminded me that being well isn’t just about how you feel on the outside, it’s also about paying attention to what your body is telling you on the inside. And that awareness is power.

Wellness From the Inside Out with Function Health

Function is a membership-based platform that provides access to over 100 lab tests across seven essential categories:

• Heart health

• Hormones

• Nutrient levels

• Metabolism

• Liver and kidney function

• Inflammation and immune response

• Disease risk factors

This is testing that would typically cost thousands out of pocket or require multiple specialists and referrals. Function packages it into one affordable membership, empowering you to access data that helps you stay well, not just get treated when you're already sick.

In a world where routine blood work often skips over deeper insights, Function bridges that gap. You get access to tests that go beyond the basics, like vitamin and mineral levels, thyroid health, and inflammation markers, so you can make informed decisions with your physician, or bring insights to a care provider who might not have ordered those tests otherwise.

For me, this is more than a health perk, it’s health equity in motion. Sharing my experience through this partnership aligns directly with CROWN of Health’s mission to make wellness proactive, accessible, and real. Because the more we normalize preventive testing, the more we help others reclaim their power over their health.

Why It Matters

Preventive care is one of the most effective, underused tools we have in public health. When people have access to early screenings, lab testing, and wellness resources, we reduce hospitalizations, manage chronic illness better, and lower overall healthcare costs.

But access matters. Not everyone can afford 100+ lab panels or even one appointment with a specialist. That’s why I believe in using my platform to not only advocate for prevention, but to share opportunities when I receive them.

Function gave me the chance to see a full picture of my health, and I hope to help others do the same by raising awareness around preventative care and access to testing.

How CROWN Is Taking Action

The Wellness pillar of CROWN isn’t just about fitness or food, it’s about agency. About helping people feel confident asking questions about their health, prioritizing self-care, and taking action before they hit a breaking point.

From hosting classroom conversations on stress and balance to using brand partnerships like this one to make wellness more visible and accessible, I’m committed to showing young people that wellness isn’t something to chase, it’s something to reclaim.

Get Involved

Whether you're a student exploring health, a parent looking for answers, or someone just beginning your wellness journey—you belong here.

DM me “WELLNESS” to get access to resources, preventive care tips, and health equity tools inspired by this week’s post.

Want to learn more about Function Health or partner on a wellness campaign? Let’s connect.

Or simply follow along every Wednesday, share these posts, and help us make wellness the norm—not the exception.