July 22, 2018 As I was heading down the smooth concrete of the bike ramp, the velocity coupled with a tight downturn was uncontrollable for the novice skateboarder in me. I fell hard below my knee. It hurt. I waited a few minutes for the adrenaline to numb the pain so I can try again. Moments later, I would try that advance turn again – this time, landing and overextending my knee. I hurt, but this time, I knew it…
July 2, 2018 Six years ago I created a Facebook page dedicated to fitness. Since then, most of the people I used to follow have withered away. A lot of models and athletes who I admired on covers of fitness magazines have faded into obscurity. Many well-known brands and catchy workouts are no longer popular. This isn’t shocking as I’ve seen many changes in my 22 years in the fitness industry. I know one thing for certain, if you get…
A friend recently asked me how I overcome marital challenges. I told her in my time of struggle I knew I was fighting an evil energy attacking my home and infiltrating the people around me. I told her to pray hard, to know the spiritual battle taking place and to stay vigilant if saving her marriage was her truest intent. Even though there are pretty couple pics (constantly) shared online, know that everyone struggles. After all, there are two people,…
June 18, 2018 Late December, right after Christmas, I locked myself in a hotel room, sat in silence for hours, reflected on the past year and set goals for 2018. With my mom-entrepreneur friend, Karie, we took 10 minute breaks and opened the door to our neighboring rooms every few hours to share snacks, notes and ideas. Hard to believe that mommy lockdown was just six months ago. Since then, in January I guested on the Today Show in New…
When I’m ready to zone out, lately I’ve been turning to bad reality TV. For some reason, watching MTV reminds me of my younger years bingeing on “Real World”, “Road Rules” and my fascination with “Teen Moms” – OG of course, because I seemingly only catch the first season to everything – especially now, as a busy mom with absolutely no free time. I slept 12 hours this past Sunday. Came home after an entire day filled with baseball games,…
April 17, 2018 I stopped updating my fitness blogs around the time too many people started reading it. Why? I didn’t want people to read my journey and try to emulate it. I didn’t want to misinform people who are at stage one to start at “stage seven” just because I was blogging about it. It took years for me to develop my core, perfect my form, build my endurance, increase my strength and improve my balance. Telling people to…
February 8, 2018 I was scared every day of Freshman year. I was bullied by girls who preyed on my unwillingness to fight back or stand up to their name-calling, physical threats or aggression towards my shyness. For years, I would cry alone in a dark closet, pulling my hair, deeply scratching my arms and wishing I was never born. The external pain I caused myself never eclipsed the internal pain of rejection, hatred and nonacceptance I felt from my…
I had several goals this year. I wanted to save my marriage. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I wanted to meet new people. I wanted to become a better person. I quantified these goals as best I could. I completed the Spartan Trifecta, sold out of belly balls, hosted a NEM retreat, partnered with amazing brands, traveled a lot, expanded my network and wrote a few ebooks. While these are great achievements, my greatest accomplishment was…
I cried throughout much of my first pregnancy. It was unexpected. I was unemployed and had no health insurance. I wasn’t married to my boyfriend-at-the-time and all the hopes and dreams I once had seemed to disappear. This unexpected event was a stark contrast to the person I believed I was. Growing up, I often played by the rules. I got good grades, went to a good college and a had a good job. I excelled in leadership and communication,…
August 29, 2017 Not everyone can be a leader. It takes drive, discipline, commitment and work. Above all, being a leader is self-sacrificing. Just like a parent, no one will ever know what you do to maintain and build the household. It takes perspective, vision and faith to operate your world, keep everyone focused, promote progression and encourage connection on a weekly basis. It’s a seemingly thankless job, a role that requires you to seek reward in your internal satisfaction…