I Bet Everything on My Dream— And It Paid Off in the Most Beautiful Way
- Oct 2
- 2 min read
By Taryn Marie Stejskal, Ph.D.
I can still see it—the moment that split my life into “before” and “after.”
I was standing in my kitchen, coffee gone cold, staring at a to-do list that felt like it belonged to ten different people. I was a single mom, raising two boys, working full-time, and trying to keep my dreams alive in the space between bedtime stories and late-night emails. The safe thing—the reasonable thing—would have been to keep my head down, collect the paycheck, and settle for “good enough.”
But I knew deep down… good enough was never going to be enough for me.
I wanted to build something that mattered. Something that would change people’s lives in a lasting way. I’d already spent years studying resilience—what allows people to rise from the hardest seasons and step fully into their potential. I’d written a #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, spoken on stages around the world, and founded the Resilience Leadership Institute. But there was another calling growing louder: helping people amplify their health, vitality, and longevity.
In 2023, my fiancé, Mike, and I took a leap. We dreamed up BodycareMD.com—a platform to help people not just avoid illness, but optimize their healthspan. We wanted to make medical-grade treatments, weight loss solutions, hormone therapies, and longevity protocols accessible to anyone ready to live with more energy, more confidence, and more life in their years.
It was risky. We poured in our own money, worked 16-hour days, and took on challenges that would have made the “before” version of me turn back. We navigated strict regulations, built a medical team we’d trust with our own families, and crafted a brand that people could believe in.
Some nights, we collapsed into bed too tired to talk. Other days, we looked at each other across the kitchen table and said, “This is going to work. It has to.”
And it did.
In just 18 months, BodycareMD grew from an idea on a whiteboard to an 8-figure business serving thousands across the country. We’ve watched clients shed the weight that held them back, reclaim their energy, heal their relationship with their bodies, and rediscover their confidence. Every “you changed my life” email reminds me why I chose the harder road.
But here’s the truth: the real win isn’t just the revenue. It’s showing my sons—and myself—that you can rewrite your story at any stage. That you can be a devoted mom, a visionary leader, and a founder without cutting any of those pieces away. That the life you want is almost always waiting for you… on the other side of a bold, terrifying leap.
For every woman reading this who feels the whisper of a dream:
Don’t wait for perfect timing. It doesn’t exist.
Surround yourself with people who believe in your vision as fiercely as you do.
Stay rooted in your why. It will be the anchor that holds you through the storms.
The day I stopped playing small, I didn’t just change my life. I created the possibility to change thousands of others. And that’s the gift of going all-in—you don’t just rise for yourself. You rise, and you pull others up with you.
Connect With Taryn
Instagram: @drtarynmarie
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