MY STORY AS A COACH

Many of my formative years were spent rising above onerous obstacles that left me deeply scarred. In my youth, I was tall, lanky, and quite uncoordinated. I struggled with shame stemming from a discouraging stuttering problem and severe asthma. I felt like an outsider amongst my peers as I struggled to find my place in society. A lack of confidence and a plethora of insecurities made it impossible to accept my true self, which shattered my self-image and left me feeling unworthy of love.

Hoping to overturn my respiratory condition, I focused on my fitness. I began lifting weights and participating in sports. Much to my dismay, my adolescent clumsiness left something to be desired from my athletic performance, which attracted even more torment from my fellow schoolmates. Despite it all, I continued with my weight lifting in private, holding tight to my goal of clearing the asthma and achieving optimal wellness.

At a tender age, my worldview had been shaped by these lamentable experiences. I began to hide from the outside world, hoping to fly under the radar and avoid detection. Although my issues were more common amongst other youth than I had been aware of at the time, it was a lonely place to be, and I wondered if it would ever get better. Little did I know that all of it was preparing me for even bigger challenges I would face in adulthood.

Eventually, a defining moment occurred when I happened upon an opportunity in Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). Because the job required so much verbal communication, I instantly recognized its potential for helping me overcome the stuttering issue that had plagued me for so long. Although I was a little fearful and quite intimidated, I committed to the challenge and embarked on an epic adventure.

Putting on my suit of armor and picking up my hefty sword, I turned to face my enormous, fire-breathing dragon. Somehow, I was able to transcend the anxiety and achieve catharsis, liberating myself from one of the biggest hindrances to my quality of life. I became my own knight in shining armor as I courageously slayed that towering beast and walked away with flawless speech and a reinvigorated perspective.

Empowered by this achievement, I finally realized that I was capable of anything I set my mind to. Network marketing was a game-changing experience with rewards far greater than I had ever imagined. For the very first time ever, I believed in myself!

I boldly stepped out of my comfort zone and took a leap of faith by moving to the Los Angeles area, a place I had never been before. Of course, the shift posed a whole host of new challenges; however, I was equipped with the power of confidence. And with it, I was able to build my career, survive a painful and devastating divorce, overcome financial ruin, conquer shingles, and smash my fitness goals. Resiliency became my middle name.

Life is an emotional rollercoaster filled with crazy twists and chaotic turns that can make you both nauseated and elated at various points in the ride. You never know what may lie around the next corner. Personally, I never could’ve imagined that a beautiful but grief-inspired trek to the summit of Mt. Rainier would culminate in my survival of a fatal and disastrous avalanche. But that is what happened!

The event tested me on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. It pushed me to my absolute max! Adrift in a shifting tide of numbness and despair, everything suddenly became less important. So much had happened! Yet, despite the anguish of two failed marriages, the abashment of two bankruptcies, the stress of life-threatening ailments and a debilitating knee injury, the heaviness of survivor’s guilt, and the overwhelm of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), I somehow managed to find peace by staying in the present.

Hitting rock bottom isn’t fun, but what matters is that you don’t let it consume you. Everything that has happened to us up until this moment has shaped the individuals that we are today. At this stage of my life, after everything I’ve encountered, I’ve learned how to lean into the hardships, embrace their wake of destruction, and focus on the ensuing victories. However, I couldn’t do any of that if I had never been forced to develop my physical and mental fortitude, courage, self-assuredness, and the discipline I needed to achieve success. I’ve been blessed with incredible tenacity and determination – and I’m not taking them for granted.