Stephanie's Story of Reclaiming her Health, Identity, and Culture

This powerful story shares the journey of Stephanie, a proud first-generation Bronx-born patient as she reclaims her health, identity, and voice while navigating PCOS and insulin resistance. After years of being dismissed by the healthcare system, she found validation, understanding, and culturally-rooted care through Allara. Her story is one of resilience, healing, and self-trust—proving that true care is about embracing who you are.

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Tell us a bit about your background.

I’m a proud first-generation American—Bronx-born, Indigenous Latina—with deep roots in Guatemala and Mexico. My life’s work has centered on uplifting culture, language, and community. My health journey mirrors this same purpose. Healing for me has meant more than lab results—it’s meant coming home to myself and advocating for care that honors every part of who I am.

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What is your PCOS journey and when were you diagnosed?

I was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance in my late 20s, but I had been living with the symptoms for over a decade. I started experiencing irregular periods, unexplained weight gain, and deep fatigue around the age of 15. Despite voicing my concerns to doctors for years, I was often dismissed or told to simply lose weight—never tested, never truly heard. Everything came to a head when I broke my ankle and was bedridden for several months. That period of stillness forced me to confront just how disconnected I had become from my body. I was at a low point mentally, physically, and emotionally.

One night, I came across a video of someone sharing their PCOS journey, and for the first time, I saw myself in their story. That video led me to Allara, and it changed everything. 

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Why did you decide to sign up for Allara?

I was tired of shrinking myself to fit into a system that never made space for me. For years, I knew something was off in my body—but every time I asked for help, I was told the same thing: “Just lose weight.” “Cut carbs.” “Come back when it’s worse.” 

I was dismissed so many times that I started to doubt myself. I thought maybe this pain, this fatigue, this confusion was just something I had to live with. But deep down, I knew there had to be more. Finding Allara was like taking a deep breath after holding it in for years. It was the first time I felt truly seen—not just as a patient, but as a whole person. I didn’t have to translate my culture, my upbringing, or my experience to get care. I could show up exactly as I am—Bronx-born, first-gen, rooted in my community—and be met with compassion, knowledge, and respect. 

Allara didn’t just help me get a diagnosis. They helped me reconnect with my body. They taught me that I wasn’t broken—I was navigating a system that didn’t understand me.

If you’re tired of feeling ignored or ashamed of your symptoms, please know this: You deserve care that honors every part of who you are. You deserve answers. And you deserve to feel good in your body. Allara gave me that. And I want that for you, too.

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How has your experience been with Allara?

Transformational is an understatement.

Within the first few months, I had my insulin tested for the very first time in my life. The results were the worst I had ever seen, and it terrified me. But instead of being met with shame or judgment like I had so many times before, Allara met me with compassion, education, and hope. For the first time, a provider asked me about me. About my culture, my access to food in the Bronx, what felt realistic, and what felt nourishing—not just physically, but emotionally. My

dietitian didn’t ask me to erase who I am. She helped me embrace it. Together, we created a plan that honored my roots, made space for my healing, and put me back in control of my health.

Since starting with Allara, I’ve lost over 50 pounds. My hormones are more balanced, my energy is back, and I finally feel connected to my body again. I started at 230 pounds—now I’m inching closer to a goal I once thought was impossible. But the biggest win isn’t the number on the scale. It’s the trust and confidence I’ve rebuilt with my body from understanding what’s really going on beneath the surface. Allara didn’t just give me tools—they gave me myself back.

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What has been the most helpful advice you’ve received about hormone health?

That my body isn’t broken—it’s just been misunderstood. For years, I internalized the shame. I thought I was lazy, unmotivated, or simply not trying hard enough. Every symptom felt like a personal failure. But when I finally learned how insulin resistance impacts hormones, metabolism, and energy, it felt like someone had turned on the lights. I wasn’t the problem—my body was trying to speak to me all along. No one had ever taught me how to listen.

The most liberating advice I received was this: work with your body, not against it. That mindset shift—from blame to understanding, from control to collaboration—is what changed everything. It gave me permission to stop fighting myself and start trusting my body again. And that changed my life.

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Is there anything non-negotiable in your routine for managing your PCOS? If so, what is It?

Strength training, sleep, and honoring my cultural food. Lifting weights has become a form of medicine for me. Movement isn’t about punishment anymore, it’s about power. Sleep is non-negotiable. It’s one of the most underrated tools for hormone balance, and I’ve learned to treat it like the sacred part of healing that it is.

But most importantly, I’ve stopped abandoning my culture in the name of health. For too long, wellness spaces told us to erase our traditional foods, to trade flavor for restriction. With Allara, I’ve learned how to nourish my body with the foods I grew up with—just in ways that support my healing. 

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Is there any advice you would give to someone struggling with PCOS and body image?

You are not broken. You are not lazy. And you are not alone. PCOS can make you feel like a stranger in your own body. Your body is not the enemy—it’s your home. And it’s been doing the best it can with what it’s been given. 

You deserve answers. And you deserve to be surrounded by people who see you, support you, and remind you: you are not broken—you are becoming the greatest version of yourself.

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