A Physical Therapist’s Journey to Online Fitness Coaching est 2015
In 2015, we were in the middle of a year long deployment…
I had this philosophy that if my boyfriend was fighting for our country overseas in a war zone, that I was obligated to work myself into the ground in order to “be productive,” during this time. I became over-worked, exhausted, & frustrated that I wasn't any closer to achieving the "American Dream.”
I was sacrificing my health in order to work full time, pay off $151,000 in student loan debt all from Physical Therapy school, and try to pay all my bills by living by myself in a state I moved to a year and a half earlier. I had about one actual real life friend that BATMAN introduced me to before he left for a year.
Over the course of it all, I realized I had gained 15lbs, felt uncomfortable in my skin, lacked energy, & wasn't exactly clear on how to feel success while doing this adulting thing. I mean when you’re trying to hold it all together by moving 100mph, when you start to realize you need a change, there’s not too many ways to slow down.
Batman & I at the end of that year long deployment at Camp Lejeune, NC in 2016.
On the inside, I was filled with fear, stress from the deployment, self doubt, & anxiety
Eventually, I quit my job in North Carolina and Moved to Alaska..
So there I am, in Alaska, alone, with no friends, a deployed boyfriend, and feeling super frustrated that I cannot get myself to go running in the morning when my alarm goes off. Instead, hitting snooze every single day feeling like a miserable failure & hypocrite (ya know, because I tell people they should exercise all.day.long as a Physical Therapist).
Marcie & I at a Beachbody Sponsored Coach Retreat in Riviera Mexico in 2017
When my bff from high school & college, Marcie, told me about the fitness/nutrition plan she was using, I told her that I would probably hate the workouts but that I might be interested in this shake thing that might help my bloating. In fact, I was so skeptical, that I didn’t even buy dumbbells (the only equipment needed) for the full first three weeks of 21 day fix (the workout program) because I thought I’d never do them.
Marcie, the brilliant bestie that she is, added me to this online fitness group where the other ladies were doing home workouts too — what I didn’t realize, what that was going to be a game-changer for me. I finished three rounds of 21 day fix without skipping a beat & Shakeology ended up helping me feel less sore, which made getting up to get in a morning workout 100x easier. In total, I lost 15lbs of bloat and haven’t had any consistent bloating issues since. I still commit to 5x/week home workouts & daily Shakeology.
In total transparency, I did end up “gaining back” those 15lbs, but it was ALL muscle including having a cute booty that I wished for since High School, so even though I’m actually HEAVIER than I was when I started, my confidence is THROUGH the roof. Like prance around the house in a sports bra all weekend, when I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror on day 1.
So that’s cool, but How did you become a coach?
Once I got results I couldn’t stop talking about how right Marcie was, & how I’m “so glad I listened.” Marcie then told me about the coaching opportunity, which would allow me to earn 25% commission on any products I sold + an added “bonus” structure if I chose to build a team of other coaches (don’t let the bonus structure scare you, it’s just like getting a % of what your coaches sell if they choose to). For more info, check out the disclaimer here.
At first, I was nervous about what others might think, but I realized it could be my vehicle to stop drowning in student loans & help others feel empowered to live their healthiest lives, so I said yes. The coolest moment early on in being a coach, was when my Beachbody commissions check for one week ended up being MORE than one of my student loan payments (I had 7+ loans at one time before I refinanced). I was like THIS is something I’m loving & has so much potential.
I honestly love how much Beachbody fits into my life as a Physical Therapist. As Physical Therapists, I truly believe we need to do a better job at Health Promotion & partnering with a company like Beachbody makes that seamless.
They take care of the world class fitness that gets people amazing results & have online courses to teach people about nutrition from Registered Dieticians and Certified Holistic Coaches from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.
In total honesty, Exercise IS Medicine and the healthcare field needs to start doing a better job at treating it as such. Being a Beachbody Coach is my first step toward owning my part in that.
One unexpected part of coaching that I didn’t realize I would get, was the community of women who inspire me to stay consistent & grow in this journey — they give me a place where I finally feel like I belong. I always struggled making friends as kid and having a place of uplifting, positive, fun women is something I treasure. & it’s something that is worth passing on.
A few members of The Girl Squad: Marcie, Julie, Kristin (hiding in the back) and Me at Beachbody’s Annual Fitness Coach Conference in New Orleans, LA in 2016.
Our big team, Dynasty United, run by Elite Coach Brittany Legette in Indianapolis, IN (2019).
If you’ve ever considered partnering with Beachbody to create your own online fitness biz, grab our free guide to coaching to learn more.
