Carre Otis

Exposing any subject that is unpleasant or controversial means risking judgment and making some people feel uncomfortable.

I delight in my family obligations, but they leave little time for breaks let alone quick trips across the country.

My days are jam-packed with carpools, classroom assistance, tending to chickens, dogs and seven acres of olive trees!

In the past, I often found that when I reached out for a fast cure it led me down a slippery slope of more medications, hopeful dependence on the next prescription and ultimately a much longer drawn-out illness.

I've found that balance is key. I'm no longer an extremist in any one direction.

My own path towards wellness has been a long and dynamic one. It's taught me that healing from the inside out takes time and there can be great value in various sources of guidance.

I grew up on antibiotics. Every ailment - sore throats, earaches, flus - warranted a trip to the doctor and in most cases some kind of prescription.

Life is full of change and uncertainty. We know this. We experience it on a daily basis.

There comes a moment as a parent when you realize you will no longer be the center of your child's universe.

My daughters, your daughters, our daughters deserve safety, protection, and the freedom to make their own choices about their personal lives and their physical selves.

I bicycle 12,000-foot mountain passes, run, cross train, skate-ski, hike and mountain bike.

But I would assert that despite the wide variety of yoga options and individual preferences, there is one universal element: the union of consciousness and movement, breath and awareness.

I'm proud that today, at 43 years old, I've come to value the aging process and focus on inner rather than outer beauty.

Eating disorders, body dysmorphia and a general dissatisfaction with one's life and body seems to ail too many young people.

Motherhood has brought me many joys and insights, but the new perspective it granted me on the role I had inadvertently played in young women's lives for the 2 decades I spent in the modeling industry was downright sobering.

My weight fluctuated when I was 30, and I did the unthinkable - I stepped out as a plus-sized model.

I feel like it's my responsibility to honestly cover a lot of subjects in part because I have two little girls and I really want them when they grow up to have a voice.

You have to find a balance with food in your life - you can't take out food. It can be absolutely terrifying.

Part of treatment for drugs and alcohol is you abstain from these, but with eating disorders you can't abstain from food so the treatment is longer than drugs and alcohol.

Anorexia was there for me before I got into modeling, but because of the arena and the demands, the disease really got out of control for me. It's like being an alcoholic and going and being a bartender.