hi,to be honest school can be a friggin harsh place. the biggest problem is that it is full of kids and kids can be soooo mean. i am 33 and looking back on school i was bullied and actually bullied quite badly. somehow tho i didn't really notice at the time. it wasn't all bad, infact my overiding memory is good and i think the reason i didn't notice the bullying is that i didn't care. i was into mountain biking all through my teenage years. its all i wanted to do, and i didn't care about anything or anyone else or their opinion. i think at school that was a good thing.
my point is if you have a dream and a plan , which at a young age is pretty amazing in its self, you should focus on that. you learn the most when you are young. take advantage of the teaching. get as much learning as you can, its free. knowledge is power. everyone is socially inadequate when they are young and if they think they aren't then they are probably a bit of an idiot. you are exercising which is fantastic.stick with that. it will heip confidence and as you get better and better at cooking so your confidence in that will grow. as your confidence grows your will be able to talk to people. food is a great way to meet people and travel. if you are interested in food then expoit it.its a basic human requirement and so you will always be in demand. the world is your oyster (literally). ok that was a bit cheesy but hopfully you get the idea. go for it.

You can do it!!Keep us posted on how everything goes!!!

Hi Lee,

Before you tear yourself apart about a job/career, you need to take care of yourself. I'm really impressed that you're eating well, exercising, and trying to lose weight- those are really hard things to do when you're depressed. I know, I gained about 20 pounds at the worst point of my depression, and it's been a struggle to stay healthy. Secondly, good for you for staying in school despite your depression; you're obviously doing some things really well. In your self-care, I really encourage you to work with a therapist and your doctor. More importantly than making yourself "appealing" to perspective clients, you'll feel better about yourself and maybe find the source of your depression. Likewise, talk with your doctor ASAP to discuss possible medications. The Catch 22, is many anti-depressants can cause weight gain, but it's worth a few extra weekly runs to feel better about yourself.

About your career: it sounds like you have a great goal that would not only help you but other people as well. As for being a quiet person or even socially awkward, I wouldn't dismiss that as a bad thing- many people (ie. me) find exercise and healthy cooking gurus really annoying when they're always so damn peppy. Be yourself, and you'll eventually attract clients with similiar personalities- the whole world isn't full of hyperactive bunny-like people- Thank God!

I think it's really cool you're doing kickboxing; I also love it- great for the bod and the self-esteem. Would you ever consider trying to teach a class, even in front of the mirror, to a friend or 2, or to a community class. Try doing it in front of the mirror, if nothing else you can laugh at yourself for looking ridiculous (everyone looks kind of stupid when kickboxing.)

As for not being very "good at talking"- maybe you just need to find your voice. Have you thought about starting a public blog where you share your weight loss journey, your career/life goals, what you're learning in your classes and books, and maybe even upload a few videos of you demonstrating healthy cooking techniques. It could be a great way to start marketing yourself, and in creating a blog you have all the time you need to decide what to say and you can have a friend edit.

A final thing about your career goal: it's nearly impossible to start a successful business without prior experience in the industry. Could you look for a job or even a volunteering gig working with a company/individual that does the type of work you'd like to do? You can learn what they do well, how your personality/ style fits into the industry, and decide what you could improve. You could also give free (for them) practice (for you) cooking classes to your family, friends, or classmates.

I wish you the best; you're really making a lot of healthy life choices when depression makes it really hard to do so. Please reach out to a therapist, your doc, and maybe a support group. You're working really hard, but depression is too big for one person to tackle alone. Keep us updated; best of luck!

People in the real world will like you, I mean, out of school. You have a talent to help people so they will appreciate your help and will like you for who you are, not about having interesting conversations, just plain talk, the help with cooking, your personality will come out fine. I feel like you are a good person with a lot to give. Go for it! Let us know how you are doing! Please.