The Office of my Dreams

Ya’ll, I’d like you to meet the office of my dreams.

What’s funny about me having an office is that I never, NOT EVER pictured me being the kind of girl who needed an office, or even wanted one.

From the time I was a little girl and all the way up through high school and college…I ONLY ever wanted to be a mama.

I know that’s not very popular to admit these days. I know that women (and men) are encouraged and pushed to be more, do more, make more, dream more, all the MORE things.

But being a mama WAS MY DREAM. And boy, was that dream fulfilled in the sweetest, most fulfilling of ways…“more than I could ask or imagine”.

So when it started to feel hard, like really hard (i.e. three babies two years old and under), I felt guilty. I felt guilty for feeling like it was hard. I felt guilty for feeling like there was no end in sight. I felt guilty for looking ahead to an “easier” season of life. I felt guilty because I knew I wasn’t enjoying them the way I should. I felt guilty because I knew how crazy blessed I was, yet I was struggling with the thought, “Is this it?”

I knew I wasn’t being the mama they deserved, the wife my husband needed, and the woman God had called me to be.

Something needed to change, I needed to change, so I joined an online fitness challenge and decided to do this network marketing fitness business called Beachbody. Not because I wanted an office (#workperk). Not because I wanted to build our forever home. Not because I knew Matt would be retiring from baseball and we would need the extra income (God knew). Not because I had an entrepreneurial spirit or had a social media following (I don’t and I didn’t).

I started because I knew the change needed to start with me. I started because I needed to do something, ANYTHING. I started because I needed to re-build my confidence with small wins and remember WHO I WAS. I started knowing I might fail, but also knowing I might not, and either way, I would be better off than if I hadn’t tried.

And now here I am. I am a work from home mom with her own office (who would have thought?), with the insane blessing of serving my highest calling as a wife and mama with a little something for me on the side.

Mama With a Mission

I’ve been the overwhelmed, exhausted, barely keeping her head above water mom.  I’ve looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the girl staring back at me…not her body, not her soul.  

In 2014, married for six years, with a two year old and twin two month old sons, this is who I was.  All I had ever wanted to do was be a mom, and yet somehow, I had completely lost myself in the mission of motherhood.  

Something had to change, so I started with my physical body.  I partnered with Beachbody, using their at-home fitness programs for the very first time.  Within just three short months, I felt more like myself than I had felt in the previous three years. 

 I found that in the discipline of showing up (in my living room) for my workout each day, I began to believe in myself again.  I found that discipline bred more discipline in my daily life.  I was going about the tasks of my day with more enthusiasm and energy.  My confidence grew and as my body transformed, more importantly, so did my mindset.  

Now, almost six years later, as a mama to four sweet babes, it is my mission and privilege to help other overwhelmed mamas.  I want you to remember how strong you are.  I want you to know what your body is capable of.  I want you to enjoy your family, enjoy your LIFE right where you’re at, not wishing the long days away continually repeating, “When they’re sleeping through the night, when they’re potty trained, when they start school...”  

I want you to live your best life today.  Starting now.  

Go Do It!

“We serve an intentional and purposeful God. If He gave you a talent, it wasn’t because He was bored. He desires you to use it. It’s not ‘humility’ to refuse to use the gift that God has given us. It’s disobedience.” Michelle Myers

I didn’t want network marketing to be my business. I didn’t want Beachbody to be the platform where I shared my love for fitness. I had been looking for a part-time job, that I could do from home, that had decent compensation…but I didn’t want Beachbody to be my answer.

💪 As a former personal trainer, I felt “better than” some gimmicky at-home fitness product.
🙅🏼‍♀️ As a very non-confrontational person, I didn’t want to “sell” like that.
🤳 As someone who used to be quiet on social media (can you even imagine?!), I couldn’t fathom putting my life out there in that way.
🙈 As someone who DOES care what people think, I was afraid of the eye-roll scrolling and rejection.

But after years of resisting, it was the obvious answer. It was always the answer. It checked off every single box I was looking for in a part-time job.

And what about all the reasons I didn’t want to do this?
I found my own way. I overcame fears. I chose to focus on the vision I had for my family and clients instead of my doubts. I pursued personal growth. I realized that these “gimmicks” were the REAL DEAL. And most importantly, the blessing of using a gift God gave me to serve others outweighs every doubt and fear.

Ya’ll, if you are daily seeking God, and there has been a desire, a dream, or an idea that you can’t seem to get rid of, and it lines up with the natural abilities God gave you…stop delaying and go do it! ❤️

Famous at Home First

“Let’s seek to be famous at home first. We can trust God with the when’s, how’s, and the what’s of our influence outside of our home. But let’s not belittle the influence He has given us inside our homes…We each have callings on our lives that we never have reason to doubt because there are certain assignments God has given to no one else.
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No one else can handle your walk with Christ.
No one else can be the wife to your husband.
No one else can be the mother to your children.” @michellelmyers @sheworkshisway
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This is the mission. I am proud and grateful for the opportunity I have been given as a Beachbody coach. I love what I do. But I know my greatest impact will be made in my role as a wife and mother. It is my daily prayer that the goals of my business will never overshadow the priority of my family.

In This Business

What I’m about to say is not what you’re used to hearing from someone who does what I do. But I think it’s important to put it out there.
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Not ALL of the coaches on my team stay. 
They take a step back. 
Priorities change. 
They move on to other things. 
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But can I tell you the absolute coolest part? So many of the “former” coaches on my team have come back and said, “I never would have taken this NEXT step if it wasn’t for Beachbody. Beachbody gave me the courage and training I needed to move on to where God was ultimately calling me.” 
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Not everyone will be a lifer like me. I understand that. And maybe to some, those coaches seem like “failures”. But I don’t see it that way at all. I think sometimes our next step IS our final destination and sometimes it’s just the first step of many next steps that we will need to take to find our true calling. 
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But in this business, we aren’t just teaching fitness and sales. We encourage and challenge you to dream bigger, step outside of your comfort zone, pursue personal growth, and put people first. 
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So I am proud of what I do. I’m proud of the girls who have stuck with me, I’m proud of the ones who have moved on, and I’m proud of my new girls who take that first, bold step, and say, “I’m ready.”

I Am Not Immune

I am not immune to the comparison game. 
I am not immune to trying to do TOO much. 
I am not immune to wanting to take control. 
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So on the days when I take my eyes off of Jesus and start looking around at everyone else, at my list of projects, at all I’m NOT getting done, I remember this verse: 
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“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.” Proverbs 4:25-26
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In addition, I think this excerpt from Valerie Woerner’s book, “Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday” sums it up: 
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“Comparison can sideline us from our own mission when we start feeling responsible to do things God has called other people to do. And the thing is, God doesn’t give out extra credit if we finish our mission and start working on someone else’s. We please God and glorify Him most when we listen intently for His leading and obey Him. Isn’t that refreshing? 
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God doesn’t cram things in, so I know His mission for us, if we choose to accept it, will be a breath of fresh air compared to what we might attempt on our own.”

Marriage

“One of the reasons we prioritize our children over our spouse is because our kids’ needs are usually more obvious…If we feel like we’re in survival mode, our instinct is to respond to the loudest noise. Our days are often determined by which fires need to be put out instead of by our priorities.

My husband rarely has the loudest need in our home. Because of that, I have to be really intentional about hearing him. I have to be diligent in asking how I can serve him. If I don’t, I forget that he has any needs of his own and simply see him as a workhorse.” Valerie Woerner

Guilty. 🙋🏼‍♀️

I especially love the part about how our days are typically spent putting out fires instead of attending to our priorities. I feel like that in my marriage and motherhood and business.

The thing is, the fires are going to come and they ARE going to have to be put out. So as always, it comes down to intentionality. Carving out specific times in your day to focus on priorities…making them non-negotiables and no matter whats, while also acknowledging that everything can NOT be a priority.

Easy, right? 🤷🏼‍♀️🤪

But your marriage? It should always make the list. ❤️