One year ago from today I was spending my final night in Massachusetts at my parents’ house. The next day, on January 1, 2017 I got into my car and started my cross-country journey to my new home, and new life, in Las Vegas.

I can’t believe it’s already been one year since then… time flies.

After running our training gym, Iron Body Studios, for 5 years, in October 2016, Eric and I decided to close our business and to move on to other professional endeavors and to make room for more personal enjoyment together as a couple.

“Endings are not only part of life; they are a requirement for living and thriving, professionally and personally.” ~Dr. Henry Cloud, Necessary Endings

As coaches, over the 5 years that Eric and I owned Iron Body Studios, we helped many people of all ages and various goals, move better, get stronger, live healthier, happier lives, and ultimately achieve their strength and fitness goals.

As business owners, over the 5 years that Eric and I owned Iron Body Studios, we had experiences, overcame challenges, and learned lessons that we would not have otherwise learned had we not owned a small business… and boy do we have stories. Often times we joke that we should write a book with all the tales we could tell.

Over the 5 years that Eric and I owned Iron Body Studios, professionally, Eric learned that his passion truly lies in Athletic Training and my career led me to many opportunities outside of Iron Body Studios’ facility, such as teaching workshops, speaking engagements, writing, and online training clients.

After we shut the doors of our training gym, Eric had a clear path set out for him working as a Head Therapist for Cirque du Soleil, but at that time I did not.

After building up my career as a fitness professional and strength coach for almost 15 years, by taking this drastic professional leap; it was a scary and exciting time. I had no idea what was in store for me professionally or in Las Vegas.

One thought that I held onto was that when it ends, it begins. When you close one chapter in your life it opens up another chapter of brand new opportunities. If approached with optimism, it can be a clean slate from which you can rebuild, bigger, better, stronger, and more magnificent than before.

By the end of 2016, after a crazy schedule of traveling, speaking, teaching, and running a business, I was burnt out – holding onto a thin thread just waiting for it break and for me to come crashing down. It was time to take a break, time for a radical change.

2017 has been a year of rejuvenation and rebuild. I have had time to rest, read, learn, and do things that I had not done in years like take an indoor cycling class! Which was how I got started in this industry in the first place – as a spin instructor in 2003.

This change has not been easy, as no change is. You must have courage to make drastic changes for a better life, to grow, and to continue to thrive. I have had to start all over again here in Las Vegas. I went from living and working in professional circles where my experience, skills, accomplishments, and capabilities as a strength coach, fitness instructor, and speaker were well known to living and working in an area where most people don’t know anything about me as a strength coach and fitness professional. Therefore over the past year, as I have started over, I have eaten my fair share of humble pie. I’ve been the student, and started doing “my time” all over again while those in these new fitness circles get to know me, over time, as a strength coach and fitness professional.

You must be brave to take the leap, as the life we build is about the choices we make and these decisions are never easy, but as the Virgin Atlantic slogan reads, “Life does not come to you, so go to it”. So grab that parachute and take that calculated risk that will change your life for the better, for the extraordinary!

With this year of change, I secured a part-time position as a strength coach for Cirque du Soleil, built up my online training business, dove deeper into the skill of barbell lifting with the StrongFirst Lifter certification, added pilates to my training routine, and will soon add it to my fitness instructor schedule, made fitness fun again by bringing back more group fitness into my life, and completely revamped the curriculum for my women’s strength workshop I Am Not Afraid To Lift®.

After taking a one year hiatus from teaching I Am Not Afraid To Lift®, I’m bringing it back, better than ever, with a brand new lifting curriculum to include barbell lifts along with kettlebell lifts. The re-launch of I Am Not Afraid To Lift® will be on March 11, 2018 at Barbell Republic in Las Vegas, Nevada. Learn more about the new curriculum and register HERE.

Also, remember you have 24 more hours to get 25% off all online training programs with the code ‘HOLIDAY25’ through 11:59 PM PDT on January 1, 2018. Purchase your online training program HERE.

As 2017 comes to a close, I leave you with this thought,

Do not fear endings. Embrace them as they open the door for change and new opportunities and allow you to continue to reach your goals and dreams and to live life to the fullest because when it ends, it begins 😉 …