What is the story you tell yourself and the world about who you are? As a parent, employee, boss, athlete, friend, lover.
And, is that story consistent? Are you living it?
My story is a bit circuitous, but at the end of the day my story is what led me to leave my six-figure management consulting gig to help people.
How did that happen?
Honestly, I’m not sure. I think I’m a fairly unlikely candidate; I grew up with a whole host of allergies and asthma. I was the kid who spent her summers in her room reading while her friends played outside, I was always picked last for sports teams, and spent years in and out of the hospital with asthma and other respiratory disorders. But, maybe that is what got me here. I’ve had to constantly fight to be healthy, become athletic, and to lose weight.
In college everything changed…
My Mom died unexpectedly of a heart attack at 47, my grandfather had a quadruple bypass and I watched him struggle to recover. Shortly after college I had a close friend die of breast cancer in her mid-20s. And somewhere in there a switch flipped. I went from being completely non-athletic to searching out the Fountain of Youth — researching, reading, and trying just about everything. All I knew is that I wasn’t willing to die in my 40s, didn’t want to ever go to an assisted living facility, and desperately needed to be healthy to remain independent. I went through everything from step aerobics to Tae Bo to Tai Chi to Tae Kwon Do to Pilates and Yoga, the Bowflex, and just about every exercise video ever made. “Abs of Steel” anyone?
I’ve always been game for just about everything, but athletic endeavors have never come naturally to me. Even now, I’m a Master Practitioner movement coach, but still fall down the stairs with alarming regularity. But, I continue to work at it, to learn, to improve, and yes, to struggle. For me, Persistence is King.
Becoming a Health Professional
In 2006, I got my first personal trainer certification, the RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certification). I never actually intended to teach – but when I decide to learn something, I’m going to learn from the best so had to go through the course. I started getting phone calls, got my first couple of clients, and I LOVED it. Since I was already a consultant, the shift was fairly easy. At the end of the day both are about helping people make changes in their lives – this is just another tool.
In 2007, I found, Z-Health, which is the current trajectory I’m on. I instantly fell in love with the system because it just made so much sense to my extremely pragmatic and scientific brain. Instant assessment? Sold. I didn’t get the whole nervous system thing, but I’d figure it out. Fortunately for me, Z-Health turned out to be a good match on both sides, and shortly after meeting the system founder I started working for them in a consulting capacity to help the company grow.
Pursuing my Dreams
In 2008, I left corporate consulting for good, and now am lucky enough to be able to chase my dreams and passions. I work for a company whose mission statement is, “We help create professionals in the top 1% of their respective fields.” I also get to build my own coaching practice filled with individuals of all ages and all walks of life who just want to get in shape, be pain free, and live longer, healthier lives.
I know this may sound really idealistic, but it’s something I believe in. I love helping people become who they want to be. And, it’s not nearly as altruistic as it sounds – working with my clients gives me the energy and inspiration to continue to work to make myself better.
So, that is my story. Every day I work to align my actions to it. There are days that I fall down, but I always get back up. Because really, what other choice is there?
