In a true rags-to-riches story, Dr. Kelly Lamoreaux, a cosmetic dentist and business owner from Denver, Colorado, is proof that with enough time and perseverance you can turn your life around to be everything you dreamed it to be. At the age of 43, this mother-of-four has already been featured on an array of national publications and programs including the popular talk show, The Doctors.

“It took a lot of struggling to get to this point,” Dr. Lamoreaux told ICON in an exclusive interview. “People see where I’m at now and assume I come from money and had it really easy, but the truth is, I’ve been through a lot of hard times.”

Lamoreaux recalled that watching her parents struggle with money as she was growing up was really the driving force behind her success.

“I grew up in a small town with parents who were business owners. We often lived paycheck to paycheck,” she said, furthering that at some points it got so bad that they were without enough money to pay for heat in the winter.

“I remember this one time in the winter [after my father had lost his business] that my mother was tucking me into bed and we didn’t have any heat. I didn’t want to get out of bed because it was so cold,” she noted.

Struggling through years of financial uncertainty, Lamoreaux decided that it was in her hands to make a better life for herself. After high school, she put herself through dental school — another thing that she said was harder than it should have been.

“When I was applying to the program, I tried to ask one of the women on the approval committee what I could do to ensure I was approved. She was actually really mean and discouraging towards me,” but Lamoreaux wouldn’t take no for an answer.

In a sort of poetic justice, Lamoreaux noted that she did end up getting into the program and saw that same woman who talked down to her nearly every day after that.

“She was nice to me then,” she laughed. “But it’s unfortunate that women do that to each other.”

However, Lamoreaux wasn’t going to let that situation jade her. Instead, she made it her mission to encourage other women to do great things not only on a personal level but also through her incredibly successful fitness program, AbsAfterBabies.

Lamoreaux started the program to help other post-partum mothers reverse the damage of ab separation from pregnancy without the need for surgery. It’s been an incredibly successful endeavor, garnishing plenty of media attention along the way.

Though this dentist, mother and fitness program director is constantly busy with what she has already going on, she doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. She was recently featured on the cover of a national magazine, something that she said she has always wanted to do. Well — at 43 years young, she made it happen.

“Everything I have going on can be stressful at times, but I thrive on what I do,” Lamoreaux says, furthering that she’s proof that you’re never too old or have a start that’s too bad to make your goals for yourself a reality.

“There’s never a bad time to start chasing your dreams,” she says — and we like to think she knows what she’s talking about!

You can connect with Dr. Lamoreaux and learn more about her through Instagram.