How roller-skating inspired me to lose 100lbs, quit my six-figure job and leave my husband

A woman has revealed how roller-skating completely turned her life around, ultimately resulting in her shedding 100 pounds as well as inspiring her to quit her job and leave her husband.

In 2020, Connie Stowers, now 38, from Lincoln, Rhode Island, appeared to living the dream.

She had a 'high-paying' job as a retail store manager, a husband and a 'beautiful' newborn daughter, as well as a stunning home... but inside, she felt 'trapped' in her marriage and 'uninspired' by her work.

She turned to alcohol to combat her unhappiness, which eventually led to her weight ballooning to nearly 300 pounds.

But everything changed after she discovered roller-skating, and it ultimately gave her the confidence she needed to leave her husband, quit her 'six-figure' job, and follow her dream of launching her own business.

Connie - who has since shed nearly 100 pounds - is now a real estate mogul and avid roller-skater dedicated to 'showing others that true life transformation is possible at any age.'

She spoke about her impressive transformation exclusively with DailyMail.com. 

'Four years ago, my life looked fine from the outside. I had a high-paying job, a marriage, a beautiful daughter, a home - everything I was supposed to want. But I felt trapped,' she explained. 

'I was in a situation that was breaking me down instead of building me up. I was pouring myself into a job that [had] a great income but felt like a dead end and just not an inspiring fit for me.

'I was a retail store manager, making close to six figures. It was a good job. It was stable, had security, and plenty of room to grow. 

'But I wasn't growing. I wasn't building something of my own. I wasn't making a difference in my life or anyone else's... Deep down, I knew I was meant for more.'

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Connie said she started 'using food and wine for comfort,' and her weight began to 'spiral,' with her gaining almost 100 pounds in a year.

'I wasn't thriving. I wasn't even surviving. I was stuck. And when I finally admitted that to myself, everything started to change,' she explained.

'I remember standing in the back of the store one night, exhausted, looking around and thinking, "Is this it? Is this what my life is going to be?"

'And the answer - the one I had been avoiding - was only if I let it be. That was my turning point. 

'I decided that day that I wasn't just going to exist anymore. I was going to transcend everything that had kept me where I was... unhappy, unmotivated and stuck.'

After that realization, Connie explained that she decided to try various hobbies - which is when she discovered roller-skating, and everything changed.

She explained that when she was skating down the court for the first time, she felt a 'feeling of freedom' she hadn't ever felt before. 

'Skating saved me. It was the first thing that made me feel like myself again,' she explained. 'It challenged me. It built [up my] confidence.'

Once she became more confident in herself, she soon realized that she 'deserved something better,' so she decided to leave her husband.

'It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I had to choose myself. And once I did, my entire life changed,' she said.

She also did it for her daughter, as she added, 'I knew my daughter deserved better. I knew she deserved a mother who was present, healthy and a positive role model.

'She was my most compelling motivation to stop numbing myself and start facing myself. And that's when my true transformation began.'

While leaving her husband and then her job were certainly scary, Connie explained that 'for the first time in her life' she 'wasn't running from change,' but 'running towards it.'

Since she started skating, she has lost almost 100 pounds, but she insisted the sport has been about much more than her weight loss.

'At my heaviest, I was 297 pounds. I've lost close to 100 pounds - but more than that, I gained strength, confidence, and an entirely new life,' she said.

Now, Connie runs a successful real estate business and roller-skates all around the world. But her biggest passion is helping others. 

'[I want to] show people that true life transformation isn't just about changing one thing - it's about stepping into the life you were meant for,' she explained.

'You don't have to settle. You don't have to stay stuck. You are capable of thriving.'

She concluded with a message to others who may be struggling: 'I see you. I was you. And I need you to know that it's never too late. 

'Change doesn't happen overnight. You don't have to fix everything at once. You just have to take one step. And then another. And another. 

'That's how you change your life - not by waiting for the perfect moment, but by deciding that this moment is the one you're going to start.'