About Us

My friends called me “Thunder Thighs” from the age of 12, and after that, I spent most of my life hiding my legs from EVERYONE until I met my husband.

That was over 30 years and 4 kids ago…

Hi. I’m Siouxie (pronounced Soo-zie). The mom.

That’s me in the middle. That tall handsome guy is my husband, Grant. And all those other lovely people are the 4 “kids” I mentioned earlier. 🙂

This photo was taken on a family holiday trip we took to Colorado a couple of years ago. My girls curled my hair and did my makeup and we decided to do an impromptu photoshoot since we were all together for a change.

The kids are grown and mostly married and pursuing their own careers and passions which can make it challenging to have coordinated get-togethers, so this was kind of awesome.

Though the kids are on their own, we have fur babies. First, we have our sweet little Silky Terrier named Spike. And his cat-brother named Boots. You will likely meet them here and there on this blog because they’re family.

Also, Spike helped make me aware that something was off years ago when he’d jump up on my lap and the pressure from his little feet would hurt. Who would have known then that this was a symptom of lipedema?

I’m a writer and content creator and have been blogging since 2015. I don’t lead a very active life because I’m sitting and writing a lot. But I have managed to log over 160K miles in travel just since 2016 with my husband doing speaking engagements and pursuing humanitarian endeavors. Prior to that, we owned a digital marketing studio for 18 years that we started in 1999. Again, mostly sitting for hours on end. This is not awesome for lipedema.

I’ve been a Girl Scout Leader, homeschooled my kids for a few years, and successfully run a digital media studio as the CEO. I’m not a domestic goddess, but I can follow a recipe pretty well and I research like a beast. I believe that beauty is wherever you look for it, and I know from personal experience that life is what you make it.

I was diagnosed with lipedema in 2013. This was after spending most of my adult life dieting to try to manage a laundry list of symptoms.

BUT, I refuse to let this condition define me. This blog is where I will share my story which has not always been a happy one. I’ve had surgeries for Lipedema, diet failures and successes, been so sick I could hardly function and triumphed.

That diagnosis led to a more direct path that made sense in finding lasting health. I’ve stumbled along the way, but I continue to get educated and live a full life anyway.

These are my daughters.

We’re all creative and artists and believe in making a difference.

Meet Amber

Amber has a different lipedema story than mine which you can read about here.

She’s just turned 30, and happily married to the love of her life and expecting their first child this summer.

She’s been around to see my journey from the beginning but managed to navigate her own symptoms pretty well. She loves good food and snuggles, and reading and feel-good movies with happy endings.

This is the daughter that was always more bookish and sensitive to the state of the world. She’s also the daughter who tidies the kitchen after family gatherings, cooks at home and does meal prep for the week. She keeps a tight schedule, collects planners and journals, and is shockingly organized. So, of course, it makes sense that she ended up as an administrative executive working long hours and passionate about what she does, no matter the pressure.

She’s always had thighs more like mine–bigger and curvy. She runs and tries to keep active in her lifestyle, and takes care of herself. Her style runs more on the vintage side, and she definitely owns her curves.

Body Confidence Wins!

I may have passed on lipedema, but I’ve also raised these girls in a home where our curves are celebrated and we jam to songs like “Baby Got Back” and “All About that Bass” and there have always been jokes about never having “too much junk in the trunk” because this is a family where that is a thing. Hallelujah!

That’s why I decided to create this blog.

My girls have watched my journey, and they see it in themselves and are conscious of it. And aside from the practical aspects of treating it, they also know that the attitude and approach in managing it is everything. And we are all agreed that lipedema does not define who we are.

We hope to collectively raise the awareness of lipedema by sharing our journeys and inspiring others to do the same.

We hope to change the landscape when it comes to lipedema, and that more of us will step out and shed our layers of protective wear and actually own our unique curves. And someday soon, there will be enough of us that others will know that they are not alone too.

Confidence. Self-love. Education. Understanding. Compassion. These are the swords we wield as Lipedema Fighters, and this is where we will share it all.

Welcome to the conversation.