Dana Volkov

L'AMOR WOMEN OF POWER

The main goal of L'amor is to encourage every woman to love herself as she is. Every woman is worthy, full of power, strength, and beauty - she simply needs to look within herself and let it radiate to the outside world. This page spotlights women whose life story serves as an inspiration to others.

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Dana Volkov

For years, I hated what I saw in the mirror—not only my outer appearance, but also what I felt inside. Instead of being my own best friend, I became my own worst enemy. I judged myself, I was angry, I hated, I was never satisfied, and I was always trying to be someone else—someone I was not. The world of fitness and nutrition had always been an integral part of my life. It began with my childhood as an athlete and later turned into an obsession and an unusual disorder. At a certain point, all I cared about was how my body looked and how thin I was—and, of course, I was never satisfied. I wanted to lose as much weight as possible, and my entire self-worth depended on just one more pound lost. Things spiraled out of control quickly. In what felt like a single moment, I went from being a skinny girl to someone completely enslaved by a compulsive eating disorder that never left me for a second. Incessant binge eating, desperate attempts to purge in any way possible, loss of control, self-starvation, overcompensation, and even depression.

All the attempts to be someone I wasn’t and all the self-hatred led me to a realization: if I didn’t learn to love myself exactly as I was, I would never be able to live a free and happy life. And I certainly wouldn’t reach any goal I set for myself along the way. I understood that any action taken out of self-hatred—rather than love—would only lead to negative and even destructive consequences. At that moment, I decided to change my life. I took control of my own journey and started learning, day by day, to love every part of my body and every part of my personality. And if something didn’t feel right and I wanted to change it? Then I would learn to do so with compassion and love, always prioritizing what was best for me.

Today, I am in a completely different place. The little girl inside me is amazed every single day at where I am and what I am doing in my life—because she never believed she could get here. And for that, I am deeply grateful. I love every part of myself, both inside and out. I now guide others toward true self-love and a life of freedom. I love me, and I love you. So now, it’s time for you to love yourself too.