#MYSTORY
SO GET YOUR
Popcorn out, as this is not a short one. My name is Denise van Erven Dorens, and I am the founder of PurePure™ & Private DetoxBox™ and a certified nutritionist & holder of other funky university degrees. I am, hence, a so-called perfect all-rounder. About four years ago, I was at that famous point: "If you are tired of your own sh*t, change it." But how does one change and even change fast? While being an entrepreneur and juggling daily tasks. It did not make it look like a fast fix or even a good idea back then! And for sure, without a high success rate.​​
But then, I committed myself and broke free from the shackles of life. I embarked on a self-love journey called 'walk, journal, and find yourself.' My chosen path was the way of St. James, Camino di Compostela. Initially, I aspired to walk the Pacific Crest Trail, like Reese Witherspoon in 'Wild.' However, my humble ego reminded me that camping and wild animals were too much. So, I embarked on my trail. It took me over 1500 km across the picturesque landscape of Portugal and the north of Spain. All by myself, with my too-heavy backpack, as one still needs a laptop... It's almost comical, as it's not my usual style. ​
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I walked for more than nine weeks. Was it challenging? Yes, but not necessarily physically, though walking in a 39-degree heat wave in the middle of the summer in Spain and Portugal could have been better organized. It was a daily battle—me against me—to keep going daily, persist, and never give up. But as a brave bulldog, giving up is never an option, right? The walking had a healing effect and made me feel good.
But the journey changed me. It empowered me to see things differently, and I began to accept and forgive myself for the last twenty years of my life. The journey made me re-uncover well-hidden secrets of my past and forced me to heal. Based on the slogan, "The shoemakers always wear the worst shoes," I had to face my mirror and ask myself, "What do I want?" And what I wanted forced me to change my entire known, maybe even comfortable, life.
But the journey was not without its challenges. I had to confront some harsh truths about myself. My life story is complex. I've struggled all my life with my weight, battling an eating disorder that led to a severe form of body dysmorphia over the years. I've tried every diet under the sun. I can say without pride that I've lost over 100 kg, maybe even more, during my weight loss' career '. Yes, you heard me right! Even though I successfully helped hundreds of clients lose weight, I couldn't make it work for myself in the long term. I lived a lie that haunted me every day. Hiding from the public & pretending that I had it all together while I felt ashamed of who I was in terms of appearance. ​
But today, I can finally say I made it because I found myself. I am free & do not need to hide anymore who I am. After 30 years of struggle, I finally overcame my eating disorder & body dysmorphia, and I am at my natural happy weight (the one I always wanted to be) for the first time in my life! I lost these nasty final 27 kg in literally no time & no effort, which was always my deal breaker to my happiness! Remember, I was at an "acceptable" weight after my walk, but still far from my happy weight. And these last four stones made the difference for me! And the key I searched for so long & never found even it was just in front of me.​ As you can see in my pictures from before (at my highest-ever weight ever), there is a tremendous difference now. This visual evidence is a testament to the transformative power of my journey.
Even though my work as a nutritionist taught me a long time ago that an eating disorder, which is yo-yo dieting, is mainly mental, I knew it was a thing that is primarily addressed in therapy if it is as dominant as it was with me. However, this approach only works for some people and differs from everyone's preference. You must understand that at several points of the journey, I believed I could never reach my happy weight and gave up on myself, which led to a horrible yo-yo dieting cycle over all these years. Hence, I thought I was punished in every area of my life, as no one could ever really love & accept me the way I looked, as I hated my body and, therefore, myself.
My process of searching, failing, and retrying to find myself made me realize that there must be more people out there who need help to find their key. Over time, I became a perfectionist in the journey, which made me create our fantastic program and everything that comes with it to provide you with perfect nutritional and healing tools. You will be surprised how great life can be if you start to love and believe in yourself.
If my story resonates with you, I encourage you to take the first step toward your journey of self-discovery and healing. Now, for the first time, you will hear me say: Namaste!
Love,
Denise