Jen’s Journey: From Suicidal to Stronger, Seen and Proud
Some photoshoots are about creating beautiful images.
Others are about marking a moment in someone’s life.
Jen’s shoot was both.
This was no ordinary gym photoshoot. It took place in the Glasgow gym where Jen trains and works — the place she found after reaching one of the lowest points in her life.
The place that helped save her.
(Although she absolutely saved herself)
Jen has lost more than eight stone.
But her story is about so much more than weight loss.
There was a time when Jen found herself feeling suicidal. She wasn’t sure what to do, and she didn’t know how to ask for help.
Then, one day, she blurted out how she was feeling to her health visitor.
She still doesn’t know why she said it.
But that moment changed everything.
It was the moment someone could finally understand what was happening and help Jen access the support she needed.
It was also the beginning of Jen helping herself.
Finding boxing
After that conversation, Jen searched online for a boxing gym near her.
That search led her to the gym in Glasgow where she now trains and works.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Boxing became part of her life. The gym became a place where she could build strength, confidence and routine. It became somewhere she belonged.
It gave her something to focus on and somewhere to go.
But most importantly, Jen kept showing up for herself.
That is the part of her story that deserves to be recognised.
The gym may have given her the space, the community and the tools, but Jen was the one who walked through the door.
Jen was the one who kept going.
Jen was the one who changed her life.
Learning to love the person in the mirror
Losing more than eight stone is an incredible achievement, but significant weight loss can also bring unexpected challenges.
Like many people who have experienced major changes in their body, Jen has had to navigate insecurities, body hang-ups and the complicated feelings that can come with seeing yourself differently.
People often assume that losing weight automatically means you feel confident all the time.
It doesn’t.
Confidence isn’t something that magically appears when you reach a certain number on the scales.
Sometimes, your body changes before your mind has had time to catch up.
Sometimes, you still see the person you used to be.
Sometimes, you’re learning how to look at yourself with kindness instead of criticism.
Jen is still on that journey.
This photoshoot was part of it.
A gym photoshoot with meaning
Photographing Jen in the gym where she trains and works made the session incredibly personal.
This wasn’t a styled studio shoot in an unfamiliar location.
It was her space.
The place where she had worked hard, pushed through difficult days and built a new chapter of her life.
The photographs were about strength, but not just physical strength.
They were about resilience.
They were about survival.
They were about the courage it took to speak honestly about how she was feeling.
They were about the decision to keep going.
And they were about helping Jen see herself as other people see her: strong, capable, beautiful and completely deserving of pride.
She didn’t need me
The truth is but I’m very glad I could help her see how amazing she is.
Sometimes, we need someone else to reflect something back to us before we can believe it ourselves.
That is one of the reasons I love photography.
A photoshoot can give someone the chance to pause and see their own story from the outside.
Not just the things they’re insecure about.
Not just the parts they think need to change.
But everything they have overcome.
After the photoshoot, Jen and I attended a Kynoch boxing event together.
Watching her show people her unedited images was an absolute joy.
She wasn’t hiding them.
She wasn’t apologising for how she looked.
She wasn’t waiting for someone to tell her she was allowed to feel proud.
She was showing people the photographs.
And she looked amazing doing it.
That was the ultimate job satisfaction.
Not simply creating images that Jen liked, but seeing her own reaction to them and watching her share them with confidence.
More than a before-and-after story
Jen’s story isn’t a simple before-and-after transformation.
It isn’t just about losing weight.
It isn’t just about boxing.
It isn’t just about the gym.
It is about what can happen when someone finally says out loud that they are struggling.
It is about finding support.
It is about taking one small step, then another.
It is about discovering that strength can be built in many different ways.
And it is about learning that you are more than the body you see in the mirror.
Jen is still learning to love herself.
But she is getting there.
And I hope these photographs remind her of just how far she has already.
Robyn Allan Photography — creating empowering portraits, boudoir photography and personal branding images for women across Glasgow, Perth and Scotland.