Hello hello! If we haven’t met yet, I want to introduce myself. My name is Amber Boyd. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with a license to see therapy patients in the states of California and Texas. I am also a bariatric patient, podcaster, and author.
Are you looking for a safe space and community to share your bariatric journey, whether out of curiosity or as a patient in the pre-operation or post-operation stage? If so, then you have come to the right space. You are very welcome here!
As a bariatric patient, I understand the various health settings surrounding this weight loss surgery transformation procedure. We go through mental, emotional, physical, and even spiritual health challenges that, on many levels, only a fellow bariatric patient would understand. So I come here to normalize the perspective on the bariatric community and mental health.
My word for this year is INCREASE. I started choosing a word for my year instead of making resolutions because resolutions tend to have a stricter idea of what something is supposed to be, such that if you cannot do it, disappointment follows. I intend that this year, I will have an increase in my bariatric community, in the resources that I give and receive, and in embracing the bariatric community and mental health to normalize how this is processed and/or managed.
The year 2023 is also the nurturing of that idea in my spirit, the “sky's the limit”. To me, it means that I need to start the thing that I am fearful of doing but which I also deem as important. I started to live out the mantra “Do it Afraid” when I launched my podcast Moments of Authenticity, and now I’m already in season 3! This year, starting my own YouTube channel is one of the things that I almost talked myself out of due to fear... I feared that it would not work or it won’t be appreciated. But I also recognize that stepping out of my comfort zone results in growth, so here I am.
So this year, I want to increase my bariatric community, that is, my weight loss surgery community, my financial freedom, and my ability to give and receive mental health and bariatric resources. I cannot wait to build INCREASE with you all and recognize that the sky's the limit! I look forward to connecting with you and co-creating a space of safety where we can talk about mental health within the bariatric community and all other ideas of well-being.
Stay tuned to my podcast, MOMENTS OF AUTHENTICITY, streaming on Spotify, Apple, Anchor, Amazon, and Google podcasts. If you are also on a journey of healing or are looking for online therapy for folx of color, I would love to be of help! Head on to my website to learn how else I can serve. I appreciate you!