Deidra Penrose
What’s Your Excuse: Deidra has always had a passion for helping others. At the age of 14 she worked as an aide in a nursing home. Having grown up in a broken home she was able to make some needed money for her family and at the same time help others who needed help. As a child she was never able to wear the “cool” clothes and even had to watch her mother’s credit card get denied at the grocery store. At one point she even had to sleep on a blow up mattress because she was unable to afford a real bed. Also at the age of 14, Deidra wanted to fit in, and as a result found herself taking on a path of destruction. Drugs, stealing, suspensions from school, fights, and even running away from home several times became a part of her life. It was at that point that she made a decision to change her life, refusing to use the “excuse” of a broken family with no money for why she was doing the things that she was doing. After realizing the hurt that she was putting her mother through, Deidra knew she had to make a change. “We are all dealt the same cards, it’s up to us how we use them.” She quit everything that was leading to destruction and decided to get into sports. Deidra continued to work and became a person trainer to help people live a healthier lifestyle, and despite her bad grades, she wanted to become a nurse. Doing whatever it took until she was accepted into a university. She succeeded, got her BSN in nursing. She worked extremely hard making something of herself and continued to help others. Deidra found herself with a successful nursing career, was blessed with the birth of her two children, but after her second child found herself heavier than she had ever been in her life. At that point she knew she had to do something but what. She couldn’t stand to see herself in a mirror. That’s when she was introduced to Beachbody and Shakeology® by her cousin and asked to join a challenge group. Despite being skeptical at first, Deidra decided to give it
