Meet our newest PainPod ambassador and our first Community Ambassador, David Stowers. A proud husband and dad to two daughters from Gladstone, Queensland, David started sharing his journey online to show that rebuilding yourself doesn't happen overnight, and that you don't need to have everything figured out before you begin. What stands out most is his heart for community. He's passionate about helping bigger people, and Islander men especially, feel more comfortable asking for help and taking that first step, whether that's a walk, a conversation or walking into a clinic. Honest about the good weeks and the hard ones, David is a reminder that the small steps still count, and we're proud to have him as part of the PainPod family.
My name is Talagivalu David Stowers. I’m a husband, a dad to two beautiful daughters, and I work as a Sales Manager at Harvey Norman here in Gladstone.
For me, community is about knowing you don’t have to do everything alone. It’s about having people around you who encourage you, check in on you, and remind you of who you are when you’re struggling to see it yourself.
My wife, Calissa, and our two daughters are my biggest motivation. My wife has stood beside me through some of my lowest moments, and I’ll always be grateful for that. My girls are a big reason why I want to keep growing and become the best version of myself.
My faith in God also keeps me grounded.
Since sharing my journey, the support from the community has been amazing. Even the messages from people who tell me they’ve started taking steps towards their own journey because of something I’ve shared - that means a lot to me. It reminds me that sometimes being open about your struggles can help someone else feel less alone.
I want people to understand that asking for help isn’t a weakness. Whether it’s going to the gym, seeing a doctor, speaking to someone about your mental health, or walking into a recovery clinic, taking that first step can be intimidating.
As bigger people, we can sometimes feel like everyone is watching or judging us. For our Islander men especially, we’re often raised to be strong, look after our families, and push through things. Sometimes we carry so much that we don’t know how to talk about what we’re going through.
I’ve been that person. I’ve struggled with my mental health, and I know what it’s like to feel uncomfortable taking that first step.
But we need to understand that looking after ourselves isn’t selfish. We can’t keep pouring into our families and everyone around us if we’re neglecting ourselves.
You don’t have to wait until you’re at your lowest to ask for help. You deserve support now, and there’s no shame in that.
When I came back to social media, it wasn’t originally about weight loss. It was about my mental health and the healing I’d been working on.
I’d spent a long time struggling, and I knew I didn’t want to keep living the way I was. I wanted to work on myself, break some of the cycles I’d been stuck in, and become a better husband and dad.
When I started sharing, I realised there were other people going through similar things but keeping it to themselves.
I started at around 256 kilos, and I’ve had to learn that rebuilding yourself doesn’t happen overnight. There have been good weeks, bad weeks, setbacks and moments where I’ve had to start again.
I share the good and the bad because I want people to see that you don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin.
If sharing my story helps even one person feel understood or encourages someone to reach out for help, then being vulnerable is worth it.
For me, looking after myself starts with being intentional about the choices I make each day.
That means working on my mental health, staying connected to my faith, being present with my family, making better food choices, and getting some movement in where I can.
I’m learning that self-care isn’t always about doing something big. Sometimes it’s going for a walk, getting a workout in, making a better decision with food, or recognising when I need to slow down and give myself time to recover.
I’m also learning to listen to my body. I’ve spent a lot of my life pushing things aside, and now I’m learning that looking after myself means knowing when to push and when to rest.
I’m not perfect with it, and I still have days where things don’t go to plan. But I’m learning not to let one bad day turn into a bad week. I just try to reset, learn from it, and have another crack.
A typical week is a balance between working full-time, spending time with my wife and daughters, and finding opportunities to stay active.
I work as a Sales Manager, so there are responsibilities that come with that, and family always comes first. Around those commitments, I try to fit in my walks, strength training and some cardio.
Lately, I’ve also been challenging myself by introducing jogging into my sessions. For someone my size, that’s something I never imagined I’d be doing, so even giving it a crack is a big step for me.
I have to be realistic, though. Some weeks go better than others, and sometimes work, family or recovery means I need to adjust my plans.
I’m learning that consistency doesn’t mean doing everything perfectly. It means finding a way to keep showing up while still looking after the people I love and myself.
My biggest goal right now is to get under 200 kilos by the end of the year. It’s a big goal, but I’m committed to giving it my best shot.
I’ve already lost over 40 kilos, and I’m proud of that, but I’m trying not to make this journey all about the number on the scales.
I’m working on building better habits, improving my fitness, getting stronger and becoming more consistent with my nutrition.
Beyond the physical goals, I want to keep growing mentally and emotionally. I want to be a better husband, a better dad, and someone who can use his experiences to encourage other people.
For me, the real goal is to build a lifestyle I can maintain, break the cycles I’ve struggled with, and show my girls that it’s never too late to make a change.
What drew me to PainPod was the opportunity to talk about recovery and looking after your body as part of the bigger picture.
When you’re on a weight-loss and fitness journey, a lot of the focus is on exercise, nutrition and the numbers on the scales. But recovery is important too, especially when you’re putting your body through changes and challenging yourself in new ways.
As a bigger bloke, I also understand that not everyone feels comfortable accessing certain health and recovery services. Sometimes it’s the environment, sometimes it’s anxiety, and sometimes it’s simply not knowing what to expect.
I want to help make those conversations more approachable, particularly within our Islander communities, where people might not always feel comfortable speaking up about pain or asking for help.
As a Community Ambassador, I hope to share my genuine experiences, help people understand the recovery options available to them, and encourage them to take their health seriously.
I’m not here to tell people that one product is going to fix everything. For me, it’s about sharing what I’m learning, being honest about my experience, and reminding people that recovery and self-care deserve a place in their journey too.
My advice would be to stop waiting until you feel ready, because sometimes that feeling never comes.
Start where you are, with what you’ve got. You don’t need to join a gym straight away, change everything about your diet overnight, or have the perfect plan.
Your first step might be a five-minute walk, making one better food choice, talking to someone about how you’re feeling, or simply getting out of bed and trying again.
I’ve been over 250 kilos, and I know how overwhelming it can feel when you look at how far you have to go. But you don’t need to figure out the whole journey today. You just need to focus on the next step.
And please, don’t think you have to do it alone. Reach out, ask for help, and surround yourself with people who want to see you grow.
You’re going to have good days and bad days. Don’t let one setback convince you that you’ve failed.
Just keep showing up, even when the steps are small. They still count.
I’d tell my younger self that he doesn’t have to carry everything on his own.
I’d tell him that it’s okay to not be okay, that talking about what you’re going through doesn’t make you weak, and that he doesn’t have to hide his struggles behind a smile or pretend to be strong all the time.
I’d tell him to take care of his mental health, to ask for help sooner, and not to wait until things become overwhelming before he starts making changes.
I’d also tell him to be kinder to himself. There will be mistakes, setbacks and times when he feels like he’s going backwards, but those moments don’t define who he is or who he can become.
Most importantly, I’d tell him that God hasn’t given up on him, even during the times when he might have felt lost.
And one day, the things he went through might become the very things that help someone else.
Keep going, David. There’s still a lot of life ahead of you, and you can rebuild.
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