From Shadows to Strength: Sam’s Story - Customer of the Month

Sam has always lived a little on the darker side, black eyeliner, heavy boots, and music that rattles the bones. But somewhere along the way, she lost herself.

Becoming a mum to twins was the most incredible, chaotic blessing of her life. She gave them everything she had… and forgot to leave anything for herself. Then came Covid. Sam caught it hard. Her body struggled to recover, and the harsh truth was impossible to ignore, she was overweight, exhausted, and barely holding herself together. Her mental health hit an all-time low, and she hated the person staring back at her in the mirror. She couldn’t keep up with her kids, let alone feel like herself anymore.

The gym? That was her personal hell. Anxiety held her in a chokehold. The mirrors, the judgmental stares she imagined, the machines she didn’t know how to use, it all became unbearable. It was easier to shrink into the background, to disappear beneath oversized clothes and excuses, pretending she was content carrying the weight, physically and emotionally. She ignored the pain in her knees, her back, and even the breathless struggle of simple movement. But deep down, Sam didn’t want to disappear. She wanted to rise.

Everything changed when she got the chance to work with a personal trainer, PB Fitness. Her trainer helped shift her mindset: life wasn’t about being skinny, it was about being strong. Petrina showed her that lifting was about more than weights, it was about lifting herself.

Then Sam discovered Unwonted Apparel, fitness gear that didn’t demand she fit into a bright, perky mold. Clothes that felt like her.

Wearing Unwonted gave Sam the courage to show up authentically, unapologetically herself. It helped her claim her space in the gym, to push past fear, to own every bead of sweat. It gave her permission to cry when she needed, to scream inside when it burned but to keep going anyway.

Over time, Sam shed 26.1kg. But more importantly, she shed the doubt, the fear, and the shame. For the first time in years, she looked in the mirror and saw someone powerful staring back. She saw herself.

For the past two years, Sam has been rising before dawn, waking at 4am to hit five workouts a week. It hasn’t been easy, but consistency has been her greatest weapon. Now, when she walks into the gym, she doesn’t hide, she strides in like a vampiric warrior. She isn’t just working out. She’s reclaiming her fire.

Because power isn’t born in comfort, it’s forged in the darkness and worn like armour.

Sam is strength.
Sam is shadow.
Sam is Unwonted.