Happy anniversary to me!

A year ago this month, I bit the bullet and signed up as a Beachbody coach. I had no idea that this was even a job that existed until I stumbled on my own coach’s blog a few months before that.

I was thinking about this the other day – there are so many jobs out there that we just have no idea even exist. Teacher, doctor, lawyer, engineer…those are clear jobs, they make sense, we are able to envision what they entail. Online health and fitness coach? That’s a REAL thing? I never would have thought it until I got a coach myself and discovered just how awesome it is to have someone to support, mentor, and be there for you, regardless of your age.

Just think of what your childhood coaches did then and then carry it over to adulthood. Life is WAY more complicated between work, family, slower metabolisms, more challenges, stress and often less support since we are supposed to BE the support for our own kids, friends or aging parents. People hire life coaches, job coaches, so why not have a health and fitness coach?

We all too often let our own health play second or 10^th fiddle to everything else in our life. What my coach does and what I now do for people is help them figure out how NOT to let that happen, how to make their health a priority. I work with people to figure out how to make eating healthy and staying active fit into their day along with everything else. It’s hard enough getting everything done that we need/want to do every day so it’s sometimes helpful to have someone working with you to figure it all out.

Two years ago, I didn't even know Beachbody coaches existed. Now it's become an integral part of my daily life - a part of my life that has added value and connections to people I never would have thought possible a year ago.

Tomorrow morning, I'm heading south to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Beachbody's annual coach Summit. I'm part excited, part nervous all rolled into one.

I'm excited to finally meet all of these amazing coaches with whom I've been in challenge groups and who I have gotten to know through coaching. It's totally crazy to me that I have become so close with all of these people who I've never actually met in the flesh. The thing is though, it's hard to make new friends. As an adult, it's even harder to find people who you want to be friends with, who have common interests, and who have the time to develop new friendships. That seems crazy to say but it's so true! We're all so busy with our jobs, families and life that it's hard to make the time for cultivating new friendships.

One of the things I've loved about coaching is that it's helped to bring me in contact with so many new people. Some of whom were old friends with whom I'd lost touch and have now rekindled new friendships with as adults and others are new friendships with coaches and challengers I've met through Beachbody.

In Nashville, I'm staying with a fellow coach, Kristina, a mom of 4 from Washington who I've never met in the flesh but feel like I've been friends with for years. We've gotten to know each other over the past year as coaches, partners and now friends. I'm also finally getting to meet a ton of other coaches who I've become close with and my amazing coach, Melanie Mitro, who while we're there, is being awarded top coach in the company. So much to be excited about.

Why then the nerves? 30,000 people in one location, for one conference is a lot of people. The idea of traveling so far away, by myself to this conference is overwhelming, terrifying to me, the one who struggles to make small talk, who's shy in large groups, who until a few months ago considered myself an introvert. I KNOW that I will have fun, learn a ton, meet new people and come back invigorated but it's the getting there part that scares me.

If there's one thing I've learned this year thought, it's that by confronting your fears and taking the time and mental space to explore what they're about, you can not only overcome them but use those same fears as a tool to grow. I've done my wholehearted best to embrace this way of living.

That which does not scare you does not change you, right?

Instead of letting my fears paralyze me in inaction, I'm choosing to confront them head on each day. Yes, it's totally terrifying at times. Yes, I often worry that I'm revealing too much, being too honest, putting myself out there more than maybe people want to hear or need to know. Why share then? I do it FOR ME - so I can speak my own truth. Because in saying it out loud, it's me acknowledging it for myself. It's also my hope that even if only one person relates to what I'm saying, finds strength or comfort in my thoughts and words, that that is more than enough.

I'm embracing the changes in me and learning day by day to love the person I am. Who am I?

Mom
Teacher
History nerd
People pleaser
Mentor
Coach
Food lover
Chocoholic
Amateur chef
Newfound lover of fitness
Trashy tv addict
Organized (borderline OCD)
List-maker
Lover of kid noise, chaos, & fun
Part-time housekeeper, chauffeur, and home manager
Reluctant extrovert
Someone who hates public speaking but who landed in jobs that center in some way around this skill
Living with Lupus
Learning to love my body, muscles, fat, mind and all

For this, I have Beachbody to thank. It's been a long road and we all have different paths. I just hope that in the end, whatever path you take, that it takes us all to a place of self-acceptance, friendship, and appreciation. For me, Beachbody started me along that path, coaching has encouraged that development further and created a mechanism for me to nurture and support both myself and others as well.

So I'm taking my fear and excitement and hopping on a plane to Nashville tomorrow. Here's to new adventures, new friends and transformative experiences! Stay tuned for updates from the sweltering heat!

Hey, if you're curious about coaching or just want to talk Beachbody or workouts, I'd love to chat. Fill out the info form and I'll get right back to you. 

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