She’s lost 80 kilograms, written two books, run thousands of kilometres — and she’s still figuring it all out.

I didn’t really set out to build a business. I started writing because I had things I needed to say and experiences I wanted to make sense of. Writing my first book, Eighty Kilos of Shame (Tagtig Kilos se Skuldlas), came from my own weight-loss journey and the realisation that there was so much more to losing weight than simply changing what you eat. There was shame, identity, fear, self-worth and the complicated relationship we can have with our bodies.

Since then, writing has become a way for me to process my own experiences while hopefully helping someone else feel a little less alone. My books and my newsletter are really an extension of that.

I love the connection with people that comes from writing something deeply personal and having someone tell me, “This is exactly how I feel.”

I think that’s the most rewarding part. I don’t necessarily need to have all the answers. If something I’ve written makes someone stop and think, laugh, feel understood, or realise that they aren’t the only person struggling with something, then it has served a purpose.

Probably that you don’t have to have everything figured out before you start.

I’ve never really approached my writing as a business, and that has probably been both a strength and a weakness. I’ve learned that consistency matters more than perfection. My newsletter goes out every two weeks, even when I sometimes wonder whether I have anything worth saying. And quite often, those are the pieces that resonate most with people.

I’ve also learned that you can’t measure the value of what you do purely by numbers. One person telling you that something you wrote changed how they saw themselves can mean more than hundreds of likes.

I don’t have a traditional business plan, and I don’t necessarily want to turn my writing into something that feels like a business.

I’d like to keep writing, keep growing my newsletter and reach more people who connect with what I have to say. I’d love for my books to continue finding their way into the hands of people who need them.

Ultimately, I’d like to build a community around honest stories about being human — about bodies, ageing, motherhood, running, failure, starting over and figuring things out as we go.

There have been many people, but I think my family has had the biggest influence on who I am.

My husband and my children have seen me through some of the biggest changes in my life. They’ve seen the difficult periods, the weight loss, the running, the writing and all the things I’ve tried and sometimes failed at. They have reminded me that I am much more than any particular achievement or failure.

I’ve also been fortunate to have people in my life who have believed in me at times when I didn’t particularly believe in myself. Those people have taught me the importance of encouragement — and of being that person for someone else.

Probably people who are tired of being told that they need to have everything figured out.

My writing is for ordinary people navigating ordinary — and sometimes extraordinarily difficult — parts of life. People who are trying to become healthier, who struggle with their bodies or their confidence, who are getting older, raising families, pursuing goals, starting again, or simply trying to make sense of themselves.

I’m not an expert who has mastered life. I’m someone who is still figuring it out. I think there is value in following someone who is willing to be honest about that.

Writing and publishing two books is definitely one of them. The fact that something that started as thoughts in my head eventually became books that other people could hold, read and listen to still amazes me.

Losing 80 kilograms was another enormous achievement, but perhaps more importantly, I learned what I was capable of during that process.

Becoming a runner has also been a huge achievement for me. I started running when I never would have imagined myself as a runner, and I’ve since completed multiple marathons and run thousands of kilometres.

But some of my biggest achievements aren’t things that can be measured. They are continuing to show up when things are hard, being willing to start over, and refusing to believe that getting older means you have to stop growing or challenging yourself.

I think I’ve helped people who see themselves in my stories.

I’ve had readers tell me that my books or newsletter helped them understand their own relationship with weight and shame differently, gave them courage to make a change, or simply made them feel less alone.

That’s probably where I can help others most — not by telling them exactly what to do, but by sharing what I’ve learned along the way. I can put words to experiences that people sometimes struggle to articulate themselves.

My greatest strength is probably taking something personal and turning it into something universal. My story is mine, but the feelings behind it — shame, self-doubt, hope, failure, determination, starting again — belong to all of us.

Tamryn Lowe is an internationally award-winning portrait photographer based in Johannesburg, specialising in guided portrait sessions for women.

She believes that you deserve to exist in photographs that you absolutely LOVE!

Her portrait sessions are designed for women who may not feel comfortable in front of the camera, who think they aren’t photogenic, or who have spent years putting everyone else first.

Through gentle guidance, a relaxed experience and a little bit of fun and craziness, Tamryn helps women see themselves from a different perspective.

Because your story is still being written. And you deserve to be in the photographs, too.