Hi, I’m Briana McCarthy but you can call me Bri.  I am a pastor’s wife and mother from Chicago, Illinois. I’ve been married to my husband Glen for 12 years and we have two stubborn beautiful children together (Cainan, 11 and Cai, 9). Speaking of children, after I had mine I had a very difficult time losing my “baby weight”. After struggling for many, many years I was finally able to break from the bondage of food and make a permanent lifestyle change that focuses on eating and exercising to take care of my temple and to honor God.

I want to help you do the same.

Whether it be through chatting on social media, through coaching, or through one of The Brilliant Lifestyle classes, I would love to walk alongside you on your journey to freedom and health. Don’t let discouragement keep you from taking the first steps to freedom. You are not your past failures, my friend!  Try again…. This time with WITH GOD. 

MY STORY…

It all started nearly 10 years ago. I had my first child and was at the heaviest weight I had ever been in my entire life. I lost some of the weight after delivering my son, but when the pressures of being a new mom began to weigh me down I turned to food for relief and gained back every pound I lost and then some.

It was at this point in my life that I believe my unhealthy relationship with food began. I ate when I was happy. I ate when I was sad. I ate when I was bored. I ate when I…well, you get the picture. Food was my everything. I turned to it before I turned to God. And because I was eating tons of processed foods that were full of chemicals and refined sugars I became addicted to it.

I tried countless times to lose weight in the past. I’d lose weight but eventually, I’d gain the weight back. Each attempt failed because I didn’t have the self-control necessary to stick to any lifestyle change. The moment anything stressful happened I’d abandon ship and go back to my unhealthy way of life. One day I grew weary of the fight to lose weight and I cried out to God for help.

I’ll never forget that day. I was on vacation in Mexico and my husband left to go to the pool. I sat in our room and cried my eyes out. I told that Lord that I was tired of my battle with weight. I asked Him to take the lead in this area of my life and I promised to follow his command. God showed that I was focused on the wrong thing.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20(NIV)

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

The Lord showed me that I was looking at weight loss all wrong. I was focusing on trying to “be skinny” when I should have been focused on honoring God with my body. At that point, I took my focus away from the scale and put it on honoring God with my body. I started eating clean and exercising as an act of worship to God and I asked God to give me the discipline I needed to make healthy choices.

He took me on a journey through scripture that was absolutely life-changing. Through his word, God reminded me of the power and discipline that is available to me as a believer. He also renewed my mind and set me free from my struggle with food. Since then I’ve lost nearly 40 pounds and I am free from the burden I once carried.

I believe with my whole heart that God can and will do the same for you. Are you ready to live brilliantly? Let’s get started.