Iza Calzado Instagram – Cosmo Cover Girl 💖 In the year 2004, I landed my very first major magazine cover and it was for Cosmopolitan Philippines. It was the very first time I shared my weight loss story publicly. 20 years and a few covers later, here I am back on the cover of Cosmo for a very important issue — the one for women’s month. Also so grateful and honored to be part of their Women of Influence list. It is a testament to how God’s plans for us are far beyond what we could ever imagine. When I first did the shoot in 2004, I was a very insecure girl who thought I was not good enough. Through the years, those insecurities made me do a lot of things to my body, to myself, that have compromised my over all health and well being. I hated my body. Until I started to realize that it was time to go on a journey to loving / embracing it. It was time to rewrite the narrative in my head. In 2018 our group, She Talks Asia, launched a campaign called #thebodyloverevolution borne out of my struggles and the collective struggles of every woman who had their own insecurities they were dealing with. That year, we held a conference aptly called The Body Love Revolution. I still remember looking at the copy of that first Cosmo cover in my hands, excitedly flipping the pages to see my photos and read the final article that was published. Little did I know that my weight loss battle story would one day turn into a body and self love journey that would be the most impactful part of my career. Moreover, it was through a lot of grace from God and other people that I am able to use not just my body, but all of God’s blessings not just for myself but in the service of a common and greater good. Now, there may be no physical copy of the magazine but in my hands I treasure these awards given to me for something so meaningful and so priceless — my purpose. Grateful for this opportunity to inspire more people by sharing my struggles and the successes that emerged from them. May we always remember that we are not victims of our circumstances, we are victors of our stories.