Meet our 2022 Champions

You made 2022 Amazing!

 

11 Champions! Wow! This year’s Challenge was a master class in perseverance and positivity. Our 2022 Champions demonstrated both, proving they were ready to lead others to life-changing transformations.

This year we saw more people transform their lives than ever before and we’re so proud of everyone who made it through the Challenge and submitted. That’s a HUGE personal victory.

Every DDPY Champion, past and present, will tell you that the Challenge is simply a goal. The real victory is personal transformation and growth. Congrats to everyone who became Positively Unstoppable in 2022!

“This Challenge is always about more than weight loss. It’s about your transformation in mind and body. I’m so proud of everyone who took the Challenge to be Positively Unstoppable in 2022.”

Diamond Dallas Page

Jason Henry

Positively Unstoppable Grand Champion

“To get what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done.”

2.5 years ago, I weighed in at 435 pounds. I had gained so much weight that I lost my confidence. It hurt just to walk, and I was miserable all the time. And, worst of all, I couldn’t be the father I wanted to be for my two daughters. I knew I needed to change my life. In 2020, I entered the Challenge in hopes of changing. I put in the work but let excuses prevent me from filming myself. I entered again but plateaued without losing a lot more weight. Again, no goals met, just excuses. Now I know those weren’t failures; they were lessons.

This year I had three goals. Goal 1 – Jog a 5k (No walking!). I entered a 5k and I trained. I crushed it coming in 72nd with a time of 32:32! Did I jog the whole thing? Yep! I even surprised myself.

Goal 2 – Get Jacked using the DDPY Jacked workouts. The results? Ummmmm, I have muscles I didn’t know existed and others I have only dreamed of. The muscles and definition I’ve built from Jacked workouts are incredible.

Goal 3 – I wanted to lose another 30 pounds and get to 235 with a total of 200 pounds lost. I weighed in at 235 on my last Challenge day. I crushed all three goals!

This year, I opened up and put myself out there. I worked out on stage at the PC with Haydn (Now on the app!). I found a group of friends, #NoExcusesBrigade, who push me to improve. I’ve learned a lot this year, most importantly, that growth does not happen in your comfort zone. You must push into your fears to be great. Hard Work Pays Off!

Jade Wagstaff

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“Make time for your wellness, or you WILL be forced to make time for your illness.”

Things that controlled my life before DDPY: Diastasis Recti, bulging/torn disk, depression, Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel, Degenerative Disc Disease, Sacroiliac joint pain, weight gain, Osteoporosis, vitamin deficiencies.

All I could do was, deal with my problems, work to provide and be the best I could be for everyone else. My back issues reached a point where spinal fusion was my only option, which wasn’t guaranteed to help. Twenty years of medications, therapists, chiropractors, injections, etc., didn’t help, and I still lived every day with debilitating pain.

Through DDPY, I learned you must make time for your wellness, or you WILL be forced to make time for your illness. The DDPY app allowed me to make my path to health my own so I could heal on MY time. The program allowed me to heal while still spending quality time with my family. In the DDPY community, I found wisdom, genuine kindness, and support. All these things helped me finally overcome a lifetime of pain. 

I no longer question what I am capable of or what the power of positivity can do. I learned whatever mindset you have will make your reality. I became physically, mentally, and emotionally equipped to be stronger, relentless, and positive for myself and others. I’m finally FREE and forever will be POSITIVELY UNSTOPPABLE.

Ken Doers

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“I’ve found that I’m not just Positively Unstoppable. I’m also Positively Unbreakable!”

Progress, not perfection. That sums up my run in the Positively Unstoppable Challenge. The first three months, I had all the momentum in the world. Everything was going great. But life happens. Several nagging injuries, depression, and the devastating death of Lucky, my dog, and best friend, would have not only derailed me but possibly broken me.

Not this time. This time, I got on the mat—every day. I lost 73 pounds during the Challenge. I gained a great deal of flexibility, strength, and balance. Could I do some of the more challenging moves? Not yet. But every day, I get closer. I will get there.

My goals were simple. I wanted to get under 260 pounds. With DDPY and intermittent fasting, I reached that goal. I wanted to improve my weight and health, so I could see a specialist and fix my heart. Goal reached. I had an appointment with my doctor in October. I’m a food addict, so I wanted to get my eating habits under control. I documented my cravings and how I dealt with them. The biggest goal of all for me was to complete and turn in my submission to this Challenge. I accomplished that goal and boosted my confidence.

I NEEDED to finish this and turn everything in. Submitting is something I’m hugely proud of. With everything that has happened, I know I’m not just Positively Unstoppable. I am Positively Unbreakable! While the Positively Unstoppable Challenge is over for me, I’m still in the beginning stages of my health and wellness story. It’s a story that will never end, and it will only get better. BANG!!!

Vanessa Ledbetter

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“Anything is possible when you realize you are worth it.”

When it came to my health and weight, I had lost hope. I hurt too much for exercise and could never stick to a diet plan.  After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, my doctor suggested filing for disability, but that felt like I was giving up. Then a friend told me about DDPY. Arthur Boorman's video opened my eyes. His amazing transformation and recovery brought me to tears. But even though I saw the results, I still didn't think it would work for me. After all, it's hard to believe in anything different when you've been the same way for years. However, joining the DDPY community on Facebook changed everything. 

There I could see regular everyday people like me sharing their results. The group cheered when people succeeded and comforted them when they struggled. It's a support group like no other. Seeing everyone in the community made me realize that if you put in the work, you can make it happen. So, I hit the mat—every day. Even on days I didn't want to do it, I did it anyway. Then one day, it finally clicked, and I started to realize that I was worth it. 

Slowly but surely, I got stronger, I got healthier, and I started losing the weight. Surprisingly though, I gained so much more. The absolute joy of feeling great for the first time in my life, combined with a newfound confidence to try and do new things, has given me a whole new outlook on life. DDP always says just because you can't do something today doesn't mean you won't be able to do it someday. Where there were once limits to what I could do, DDPY has taken all those limits away. DDPY isn't just a program; it's a way of life. Anything is possible if you want it enough. Anything is possible when you realize you are worth it. I may be 45 years old, but I have started a new beginning, a new life with endless possibilities.

Aaron Coker

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“The word "journey" insinuates there's an ending. Believe this; there is no end. This is a lifestyle.”

In six months, I have truly learned to love myself. I started this Challenge as an alcoholic, and I am proud to say that I've now been sober since Dec 29, 2021. I did this for myself. I made a promise that I would get and stay sober. I wanted to help inspire and motivate others, to let them know that ANYTHING is possible. I've done that and so much more. I'm amazed at how many people have reached out to me daily, and I am blessed to be able to speak to so many phenomenal people. This Challenge has been astronomical to my mental health, and I've learned so much. I've learned that my body can do things I never thought possible, that I don't need alcohol to have a good time, how to live life at another level, and how to live in the 90%.

Running a restaurant, I'm challenged every day to stay positive, and I do. My biggest accomplishment through it all has been staying sober. Staying sober is hard but understanding what it takes to own yourself mentally is the real secret. By owning myself mentally, I've found something I thought I had lost; I found my smile and my confidence.

Discipline, determination, and perseverance have been three words I've lived by over the last year. I've finally answered two questions; "Who do you want to be?" and "How will you get there?". The word "journey" insinuates there's an ending. Believe this; there is no end. This is a lifestyle.

Pam Riley

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“01.20.2022. The Day I embraced hope & had the guts to get back up and REBUILD my health.”

I’m Pam “Rebuild” Riley, and I’m 67 years young! When I started this journey, I was battling injuries, 250.3 lbs. of morbid obesity, and could no longer live an active life. I used to be a leader, speaker, and trainer, staying motivated by the 1,000’s of lives I helped empower and inspire.

Everything changed when I became my mother’s caregiver and had to dial back my career. A few years after, I was in a severe accident that damaged my knees and left me in chronic pain, forcing me to give up my career. Over the last 11 years, I had given up to the point where I made pre-funeral arrangements and had gravestones installed. It wasn’t until my son introduced me to DDPY and the Positive Unstoppable Challenge that things changed. It was the lifeline I needed.

Immediately I set my goals; minimum of one workout a day, intermittent fasting, one hour of mindset teachings, and documenting everything. Throughout my journey, I surpassed every goal I set for myself, from averaging 10,000 steps daily to losing 60.7 lbs. six weeks ahead of my goal date! Nothing had changed in my World; all the demands & pressures were the same. But EVERYTHING CHANGED in my Spirit, knowing I had found my new purpose! I’m a DDPY Warriorette for Life! Forever grateful DDPY rescued ME!

Myron Eyre

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“This challenge has changed me in more ways than physical. Now, I’m actually enjoying my life and doing so much more.”

Before DDPY, I considered myself lazy because I never had the energy, nor desire, to do anything. I weighed 363lbs, had high blood pressure and was borderline diabetic. Furthermore, I had a degenerative disc in my neck and was in so much pain, that I couldn’t perform basic tasks. Even walking was hard. When my nephews would ask me to go outside and play, I had to say no. I wanted to cry because I hurt those boys’ feelings. However, a chance meeting with Jake the Snake at the airport would soon change my life. He informed me about the DDPY program, and I signed up that night. Within the first 3 months of sticking with the program, I was almost completely pain free, was taken off both my high blood pressure and diabetic medications and haven’t look back since!

After losing my initial 100lbs in January of 2021, I kept doing the workouts but not eating healthy. As a result, I gained 30lbs back. I finally gained control over my bad eating habit during The Positively Unstoppable Challenge and developed a passion for running. I combined intermittent fasting, participated in the 90 day Jacked Challenge and the weight was dropping fast After losing a total of 150lbs in all, I now live my life at 90, enjoy playing with my nieces and nephews and run up to 5 miles daily. Through DDPY I’ve learned that “you can’t out train a bad diet” and that moderation and self-control are key to success!

Margo Leonforte

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“I have fought harder for this than anything I’ve ever done, and I intend to live every day forward to its fullest.”

I chose my goal weight of 140 lbs. specifically because it was what I weighed when I began my lifelong struggle with a restrictive eating disorder, eventually being hospitalized at 109 lbs. in my senior year of high school. I had been an athlete with dreams of going to the Olympics, and now my hair was falling out. 

The years that followed were filled with desperate attempts just to be normal. But even on my best day, I was tortured. For me, nothing is comforting about food. Though I learned to make indulging in unhealthy eating look an awful lot like “self-love” after all those years of restriction and deprivation. Eventually, I blew up to 235lbs. 

I began to lose the ability to participate in my own life. It affected my relationships with my kids, the farm, and work. I felt like I was slipping away. But I didn’t fight so hard and overcome so much to go down that easy. So, I began to use DDPY consistently. I got active in the DDPY community group. I was willing to do whatever it took to stay consistent, and I finally learned what it meant to love myself TRULY. Through this program and with the support of this DDPY community, I have reclaimed 140 lbs. for myself. I have finally found the freedom I’ve been chasing for 30 years, and I’m back to living life to its fullest!

Justin Dorey

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“I feel a daily desire to get outside, move my body, achieve better at work and on personal projects. The greatest part is I love all of it.”

I've always been a 'bigger guy', and I had kidded myself that I 'carried it well', and when I moved to the United States from England in 2015 my diet and lifestyle took a nosedive, I tipped the scales at over 360lbs., I had little interest in my working or social situations, and yet I continued knowing full well this was a recipe for a much shorter and more miserable life.

In January of 2022 things changed - by simply stepping awkwardly to avoid stepping on my cat that had gotten underfoot, I injured my back and found myself virtually unable to walk for three months as the pain was so intense. I tentatively searched for 'Yoga for recovering from injury' online. Enter DDPY. I also found out about the Positively Unstoppable Challenge on the very last day that entries were open - and, feeling I needed something short of a miracle, I took the 15 seconds of courage needed to sign up. This time I would hold myself accountable and promise myself that this would be my first step on my journey to owning my life.

In the six months following I went from an injured immobile wreck of a person who cared little for his lifestyle, to a man who chooses to hit the mat every day for the love of it, feeling stronger, more flexible, and more energetic every day. I finally had control of my life. Right now, I'm feeling more confidence than I can ever recall having in my own body, and I want nothing more than to share this experience and help others to find the courage to become Positively Unstoppable!

Laura Ellsworth

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“Now, I approach everything in life head-on, my head held high, with the confidence of 1000 beautiful warriors.”

I am the sole caregiver for those I live with, but I never took the time to care for myself in the past. My husband recently had surgery to remove cancer in his pancreas; my son is 14, and I am the caregiver for my mother. It has not been easy to balance everything that goes with being a caretaker and still have something left over to fill up my own cup. I allowed past trauma to control me and let negative thoughts mold the image of myself.

I became a self-loather, with the fear of failure behind every thought. “I don’t deserve to be happy.” “I’m not good enough.” Last November, COVID hit our family hard. The combination of depression from COVID, my husband’s hospitalization, and my mom and son having COVID was too much. I found myself hoping to catch COVID so it could take me out. I didn’t want to die; I just didn’t want to wake up. Something had to change.

I have been overweight since I was 11 or 12 years old. My heaviest was 275 lbs. I tried every diet, but they didn’t work. The weight piles back on! From November to April, I put on 50 lbs. I was at an all-time low when I got invited to a DDPY class. I did my first class and fell in love. I found it hard but started considering it my “me time.” What began as “me time” has blossomed into a form of self-love I didn’t know I had in me.

DDPY continues to help me maintain my emotions and has cleared up years of unexplained back pain issues. I realized I was the one stopping myself all these years. DDPY has changed my life, helping me cope with stress and depression. It has helped me make a 180O turn in how I approach everything in life; head on, my head held high, with the confidence of 1000 beautiful warriors.

Wendy Ilski

Positively Unstoppable Champion

“I hope to motivate others to overcome any obstacles preventing them from being the person they were meant to be.”

Before the Positively Unstoppable Challenge, I weighed 316lbs. I couldn’t walk or stand up without help and was in constant agonizing pain. I considered myself useless, worthless, and a burden to those around me. Then I watched “The Resurrection of Jake the Snake” and “Relentless.” I was inspired, and I CHOSE to rise up.

I started with DDPY Rebuild Chair Force and worked my way up to Rebuild Stand Strong. I would lose 121 lbs. over the next ten months. I changed when and what I ate but didn’t change WHY I ate, so I regained weight. I feared weighing less than 200 lbs. I was a prisoner in my mind and body.

Enter: “WuShu Wendy!” As a result of being in the Challenge, I reinvented myself as a whole new person while connecting back to the person I was always meant to be. In addition to losing 50lbs., I also managed to drop all the mental baggage weighing me down and holding me back. Being lighter has helped me take flight. Every aspect of my life has improved.

To be successful during the Challenge, I had to do three things: FORGIVE my younger self, BELIEVE in my current self, and CREATE my future self. I gained strength, determination, and courage to face the past by hitting the mat. I forgave myself and others, freeing myself of misery, hate, spite, fear, and anger. With discipline, I learned to love myself through working out. I was able to change the way I spoke and thought. Now I only tell myself and others positive things, helping me to soar ever higher. As a result of placing my trust in Dallas and taking a chance on the DDPY program, I learned to trust in my own decisions and could envision who and what I wanted to be. I’m currently pursuing my lifelong dream of studying martial arts! I challenge myself to be better every day. I’m alive today, fulfilling my life’s purpose of serving others because you believed in me. Now, I believe too!