Yet she quickly faced industry pressure to play the role of the damsel in distress and to dress more provocatively to cater to male fans. Determined to become the superhero she’d always admired, AJ trained and sacrificed for years to achieve her dream of wrestling professionally. It wasn’t until she discovered pro wrestling that she learned superheroes could be real.

As her family struggled with drug addiction, poverty, and mental illness, she found escape through comic books and video games, and was inspired by the tough and unconventional female characters. Growing up AJ was a quiet girl trying to act “normal” when she felt anything but. I didn’t become successful in spite of them. Everything I was told should be my greatest insecurities and weaknesses, everything that I’ve been labeled-SHORT, NERDY, SKINNY, WEAK, IMPULSIVE, UGLY, TOMBOY, POOR, REBEL, LOUD, FREAK, CRAZY-turned out to be my greatest strengths. With humor and tremendous heart, she opens up for the first time about her harrowing struggle to understand her demons and the diagnosis that helped her gain control over her life. The New York Times Bestseller Recently retired WWE superstar AJ Mendez Brooks is a powerhouse-strong, quirky, and totally confident.

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