Each one of us has a unique story, a path that was most likely not an easy one. I have found that we often look to women in their current states, successful roles, happy families, healthy, or whatever it might be and I promise you they did the work to get there.
Behind every strong woman are some serious struggles they had to overcome. Let me share a little bit of my story with you. I grew up in a very sheltered, homeschooled, Christian home. I got married against my parent’s will in my twenties and went through nearly six years of being disconnected from my family. This is a painful experience for anyone and especially for me as I was beginning my own family. I distracted myself with working out in my free time by running races and found it to be a great place to mentally escape.
After my first son Christian was born I continued working out. Then, halfway through my pregnancy with my second child, my daughter was stillborn. My world was ripped away from me and I was left with maternity leave and no baby to take care of. A very dark and isolating experience as I closed myself off to the world for quite some time. Eventually, I had a moment of realization that I had my son and husband who needed me, and I need to be strong for them. I decided to compete in a fitness competition to again distract myself and give me a goal to work towards.
Little did I know, that simple decision would change the trajectory of my whole life. Walking across the stage as an empowered fit woman for the first time was one of my proudest moments, not because my body was great, but because I picked myself up off the ground and climbed over all the obstacles to get there. Waking up earlier to work out, being disciplined with my nutrition, learning to control my mental focus, and dismiss defeating thoughts. There were so many tools I learned from that experience that I was hooked and went on to compete for the next few years.
I grew like a giant beanstalk and unfortunately outgrew my marriage. We parted ways shortly after and again it was time to pivot and redefine me. There were so many highs and lows, but one of the biggest things that helped me get through was surrounding myself with other strong men and women. I don’t mean muscle strong; I mean mentally and spiritually strong. We all have stories, we all have hardships, and no one needs a reminder that we are living in stressful times, I think we are all fully aware. However, we could all use a reminder on how to combat stress and the important role wellness plays in dealing with stress.
What I love about the Women’s Inflection Point is that they recognize the need for health and wellness in our lives and have incorporated it into their events. As women, we are often pouring from an empty cup and this is the perfect opportunity to have it filled. As a health and wellness expert, I work with a lot of different women. I love seeing the changes in them when they begin taking control of their health. It’s not just the physical appearance but an overall change from the inside out that excites me the most. When we take care of our bodies the rest of our world benefits immensely.
