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Inspiring Change: What does it take to turn a challenge into a transformation? | Sponsored by Molly Kimball

Inspiring Change: What does it take to turn a challenge into a transformation? | Sponsored by Molly Kimball

Change is difficult, especially when it requires changing years of habits.

Even if you know you’ll feel infinitely better after making the change, it can seem almost impossible to stay focused enough to truly experience that transformation into a stronger, healthier version of yourself. Yet we all know people who have done it and made healthy, sustainable lifestyle changes that benefit their minds, bodies, relationships, and work lives.

So what’s the secret formula? Why do some people find it so easy to flip the switch, while others live in a constant struggle?

Today I’m featuring three inspiring people who each turned a personal challenge into a transformation that took years.

Lauren Haydel, CEO of Fleurty Girl







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Lauren Haydel


In 2009, Lauren Haydel was a single mother of three when she founded Fleurty Girl, which has since grown into a hugely popular retail store with nine stores in Louisiana and Mississippi.

But with greater success came more stress, and Haydel often turned to alcohol to relieve the stress of the day.

“I realized there was a problem when I became upset when we didn’t have wine or vodka in the house,” explains Haydel. “I felt like I needed alcohol at the end of the day to relieve stress.”

When she completed Ochsner’s Eat Fit challenge “40 Years Without Alcohol” in 2019, it was the longest time she had gone without alcohol in over a decade.

“The social support was incredible. I could see the difference immediately and feel how good I felt without alcohol,” she recalls. “But secretly I was counting the days until I could drink again and it wasn’t long before I was back where I was before the challenge. Alcohol had a stronger grip on me than ever before.”

After a particularly boozy bridal shower on the morning of July 15, 2023, Haydel says something finally clicked: “I don’t want to live in regret anymore. I really wanted to be sober, with every fiber of my being.”

By starting each day with the mindset, “Today I will not drink,” one day turned into two, then a week, then a month. In July 2024, she celebrated one year of sobriety.

“Not spending my evenings drinking has also given me a lot of time back,” says Haydel, who began studying at LSU last year and will graduate in December with a degree in mass communications that she has been working toward for over 20 years.

“With sobriety comes so much clarity,” says Haydel. “This was the year that changed me the most mentally, spiritually and physically.”

Phil De Gruy, General Manager of Fortune Fish & Gourmet







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Phil DeGruy


Gregarious and fun-loving, restaurant owner Phil DeGruy didn’t necessarily place much importance on his well-being. His diet consisted mainly of burgers and pizza, tempered by a little exercise.

In 2015, DeGruy was diagnosed with stage two colon cancer and was treated with surgery and chemotherapy, but it wasn’t until the cancer returned a year later that everything changed.

“When we learned that the virus had spread to my lungs, I started taking my health more seriously,” says DeGruy. “It changed my life.”

He changed his diet to a Mediterranean diet, exercised regularly and took part in marathons and triathlons.

“I read a study that linked endurance training to resistance to diseases like cancer,” DeGruy recalls. “Cancer patients need hope. And that was the hope I needed.”

DeGruy has now been cancer-free for seven years and has turned his passion into the Running For Dreams Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting children who have lost a parent to cancer.

Nikki Carter, Fitness trainer

Nikki Carter was beautiful inside and out and was athletic as a child. But when she went to college—and stopped exercising—she struggled with her weight and gained 60 pounds.

“I felt terrible, lacking energy and self-esteem,” Carter recalls.







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Nikki Carter


A meeting with Ochsner’s Lifestyle Nutrition team (more than 20 years ago) was the beginning of her journey back to health. Today, Carter is 47 years old and works as a group fitness instructor supporting others on their journey to health.

“Over the years, I’ve had to remind myself to be gentle with myself,” she explains. “I have to allow myself to make mistakes and focus on progress, not perfection.”

What do I hope you take away from these stories? Real-life evidence that lasting change is possible, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Ultimately, our motivation to change has to come from within, and I hope you find something here that inspires you to finally commit to a lifestyle change you’ve been thinking about.

Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, is a registered dietitian with Ochsner Health and founder of the nonprofit initiative Ochsner’s Eat Fit. For more wellness content, listen to Molly’s podcast FUELED Wellness + Nutrition and follow @MollykimballRD and @EatFitOchsner on social media.

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