about me

As much as I'd be willing to take us all the way back to my triumphant entrance into this world, none of us really have time for that. I mean, if you wanna hear my birth story + all the gritty details of my childhood, let me know + we'll get coffee or something, but for now let's just start with a more recent stop on my life journey.

Where I am now was kind of birthed out of injury, I think we're all familiar with phoenix out of the ashes scenarios in our lives. A few years ago I was dealt a blow when I tore a tendon in my rotator cuff from repetitive motion on my job (that I hated, so just sort of adding insult to injury or I guess technically injury to insult in this case). After they took their time diagnosing the issue, I finally had a corrective surgery + was then faced with what would turn out to be an arduous recovery process. Six months in a big padded sling, a year of physical therapy, finding out I needed a second surgery, more physical therapy, + lots + lots of pain. Even after I was finally cleared, the pain persisted, there wasn't a day where I wasn't in it to some degree. Then on New Year's Eve of 2015 I started having problems dislocating it. I would put on my jacket, or stretch funny, or someone would just look at my shoulder (it felt like) + out it would pop. More pain. So. Much. Pain.

I continued to do therapy exercises at home, buying equipment, determined to stabilize it + hoping it would alleviate the pain. + while I was having a modicum of success with stabilizing my shoulder, the pain was still there + over the counter stuff just wasn't doing anything so I would simply go without because I didn't want to ruin my liver on something that wasn't helping anyway.

From the beginning of this part of my life I found a passion for helping mothers as a birth doula + began my certification to follow that, I moved to Chicago + suffered through the polar vortex, lost everything at one point, found better things than the ones I'd lost, + continued to work more jobs that pretty much just paid the bills.

All of my surgeries + the pain resulted in a much more sedentary lifestyle than I was used to. Not only did this affect my body image, but my anxiety was at a level it hadn't been at in a long time. I'm a high energy breed, much like my beloved dog, Lola. Not being able to exercise the way I'd like to, being in constant pain, in constant fear of dislocating my shoulder, all these things were making me a little nutty.

A close friend had been posting about her weight-loss journey as a BeachBody coach for awhile on social media + I found myself starting to pay more attention. Having always been athletic before, up until this point I had just felt really happy for her + given it no more thought than that really. But then I started getting more curious, looking through more of her posts + realizing this might help. I didn't have the money to pay out of pocket to be seeing a physical therapist again or anything like that. I've also always loved helping people, so coaching seemed like a whole lot of fun. I finally sent off an email asking a few questions about the programs, would I be able to do this with my shoulder? What kind of support would I be getting from her as my coach exactly?

That's how I discovered PiYo, combining pilates + yoga for a serious but low-impact workout was exactly what I needed. Many of the moves were ones my physical therapists had been having me do for years, + I could start slow + somewhat cautiously while I built strength to push a little more each time. Sure enough, after a week of PiYo I was side-planking + could feel the difference in my shoulder's stability, really feel it. + the pain? I almost didn't notice that I wasn't feeling it anymore because of the great things in Shakeology. I can't tell you how amazing it felt to be able to open a door + not wince a little, something I would have paid anything to be able to do before that week.

Reaching out to my coach + my tribe connected me to freedom. Freedom to fully be myself again, from constant pain + fear of hurting myself, to use my time as I saw fit as a coach myself, + so many other things. Stepping out has helped me create a foundation of wellness. To know that being fit isn't just a physical game but a mental + spiritual one as well. I have been there, feeling hedged in + hopeless, thanks to the people on my team + the opportunity God placed in front of me this way I found a way out. It's an ongoing journey, one that I'm grateful I don't have to do alone + get to support others on as well. This is no where close to the end, but I know I'm on the right path + it's gonna be a great adventure.