The Interview

 

Who are you?

 

It depends on the day!  I wear many hats…wife, mom, coach, teacher, daughter, and friend.  I love my family and friends.  I am resilient and determined.  Focused on creating a life that gives my children opportunities to grow and a life of freedom for myself and husband.

 

What do you do?

 

I am a coach.  During the week, I work with preschoolers.  The company is called Jump Bunch.  I go to schools and teach sports and fitness to 18 month to 5-year old’s.  But it’s so much more than that, through engaging activities related to all sports I help develop their love of movement, being active, self-confidence, and body awareness.  The reaction and pride when a 4-year-old scores a goal for the first time or wins a race is priceless!

 

When I am not working with kids, I am a Beachbody Coach.  I work with people who are ready to commit to creating a fulfilling life through health and fitness.  I also work with them on personal development, setting goals, and challenging themselves to dream BIG and not give up.

 

What inspired you to do that?

 

I was in the restaurant industry for 17 years.  While I enjoyed some days, I knew I was meant to do more.  In February of 2015 I had elbow surgery that took me out of the restaurant world.  One day scrolling on Facebook, I saw friends post about not getting a job he was more than qualified for.  Someone commented that he was hiring and something told me to reply.  I am so glad I did, he is the owner of Jump Bunch.  I have always wanted to be a teacher, but working for a public school district or a private preschool just didn’t appeal to me.  My first job EVER was coaching Youth Sports.  I’ve always said if I could go back to that I would.  Jump Bunch gave me that opportunity.  I wake up every day excited to go to my schools, I have been with Jump Bunch for almost 2 years now.

 

I briefly mentioned my elbow surgery in 2015.  Surgery was definitely a blessing, as I was able to find my way to Jump Bunch.  At the same time, I fell into a bit of a depression.  I was not able to do physical activities I was previously able to.  Recovery was long, and my arm hurt for months afterwards; driving my car, carrying groceries, and folding laundry all hurt.  I found comfort in food and beer and gained 50lbs.  By January I hit rock bottom trying on dresses for my brother’s wedding; size 16!  I hadn’t been a size 16 right after my then 8 year old was born.  I don’t even know how much I weighed, I was too afraid to step on the scale.

 

My new sister-in-law saw it right away.  She knew I was desperate for someone to help me get back on track without me saying a word.  She happens to be a Beachbody Coach.  Without fail, she asked me to join a challenge group every other day.  For months I said no.  Why?  I was afraid to fail!  Then one day I saw her share a post about my mom.  My mom has never been athletic in her entire life.  She went to one training session at a gym 30+ years ago.  That is it.  Well, she completed a program called 21 Day Fix and lost 15lbs, lots of inches, and looked amazing.  It was then I knew I had to say yes.  So, I overcame my fear and called my sister-in-law.  To hold myself accountable I shared my journey on Facebook, posting my workouts and meals.  But I wasn’t coaching just yet.  I was doing the programs for me.  Eventually I started getting messages for people thanking me for sharing, telling me I was inspiring and cheering me on.  Saying yes to the Beachbody Coach business opportunity came about organically.  I realized that if my story, my struggle, and my success could help just 2 people a month take a leap of faith and just start, it was worth putting myself out there.  Now when I get messages from people who have completed a program, kicked a soda habit, need smaller clothes, and who do a push-up on their toes for the first time, I am overjoyed.  It makes my day.  I wake up every morning with a sense of purpose and the intention of just helping two people.  And by being consistent with that I am seeing my business grow.

 

If you could travel back in time to speak with yourself in your early 20’s to share the 3 biggest insights you’ve learned in life, what would you share?

 

I would tell myself not to care about what other people think of you.  Be true to yourself, don’t be who you think other people want you to be.  Find something that you love, do it every day, and disregard the naysayers.  And DREAM BIG; set high goals and stretch for them.  Don’t limit yourself to what you know is possible.  Dream of what you want and go for it.  Finally, I would tell my younger self that it is okay to take care of me first.  Being there for other people is great, but if you don’t take care of yourself, physically and emotionally, can you really help anyone else?  NO.  Life is a gift it’s okay to be selfish when it comes to self-care.

 

What are your 2 biggest challenges right now?  How do you attempt to overcome them?

 

On February 17^th I am having a hysterectomy.  It is really going to push my mental resolve, because I will not be able to do everything that I do on a daily basis for a long time.  I am going to need help, and I have been working on letting go of control.  I am learning to ask for help instead of taking on everything myself.  My dad will be coming out to help get my kids to and from school and take care of household chores.  I am going to lean on my family a lot to help.

 

Second challenge is my schedule.  I have so much going on all the time, I sometimes lose focus and don’t complete tasks.  I purchased a new planner and have begun scheduling everything.  I am inputting everything in my Google calendar and setting reminders on my phone.  So far, so good.

 

What do you consider your sturdiest roots?

 

My sturdiest roots are my family, specifically my husband.  Without his support when I left restaurant management and taking a very large pay cut to do something I love, I believe I would still be working a restaurant unhappy and unfulfilled.  Without his support, I would not have taken the leap to become an active Beachbody Coach.  He supports me building a business.  We have the same dream: FREEDOM; freedom to take vacation whenever we want, to travel, to go on our kids’ field trips, and to provide them with all the opportunities in the world.  Without being in this together, we would not stretch beyond our goals.