Growing up, she was constantly being told she had to be a certain size and maintain a certain physique. Constant poking and prodding would have been enough on its own, but coupled with people saying things such as, “Oh that looks like a little fat right there…you look a little fat over there,”  it was a body image calamity waiting to happen. Molly says, “It just gets in you and you just don’t see yourself right in the mirror anymore.”

When Molly became a mom she made a conscious decision not to pass her body image struggles onto her children. She wanted to be a positive model, rather than continuing to shoulder a burden of insecurity and self doubt. Having such critical adult role models in her own life, it was an important step for her. “I didn’t want them to have that voice in their head for themselves.”

But learning to feel more positive about her body is a work in progress.  One step she and her husband took was removing full length mirrors from their home for a long time. She also avoided using scales. “I just get dressed in what I feel comfortable in, and I don’t go by a scale. I go by how comfortable I am in my clothes.” Sometimes after holidays, for example, things start to feel tight and Molly recalibrates,  trying to eat and exercise in a more mindful way. “I’m just doing what I can, I’m not going to make myself crazy, I exercise and I take care of myself. I’m active with my kids and active at home.”