I did it...I clicked the button...

One click: Submit.

33 was a big year for me, and I was very sorry to see it go.

As I have been going through my mental checklists of my big accomplishments this year- including but not limited to: transforming my body, discovering healthier ways of managing my disabilities, making new friends and culling people from my life who took my energy and did not replenish it, deepening my relationship with my kids and my husband/co-captain and learning what is means to truly love and accept myself- a weight has been hanging over me...

What's next?

I know that I have other goals to accomplish, some of which are coming up soon (my triathlon and half marathon, for example), but these feel more like natural progressions and continuations of this year's goals rather than new goals in and of themselves.

And I've always been an adventure seeker.

I knew that it was time to seek out my biggest adventure yet.

Professionally, I have worn a lot of hats. I have worked as a political/lobby operative in multiple capacities and have held high level roles of the Corporate world, managing staffs of several hundred employees. I have managed small level outfits, ranging from retail to hospitality and even into manufacturing. I have worked as a business strategist, analyst and consultant, and built franchises from the ground up...There is no doubt that it has been busy fifteen years...

And yet, I have never been happy in my career.  I have always told myself that one day, I wanted to do something more meaningful...something that would make the world a better and happier place.

For the past several years, I believed that this direction was laid out for me; that I was destined to take my back ground in policy and political science, and do something meaningful with it. I contemplated taking my masters in Counselling or in Policy Development or in Disability Studies. I even pursued actual course work in these fields.

But those worlds are heavy, and I have learned that I need to carry a lighter load in my career in order to keep my strength for the heavy lifting on the home front.

And yet, I want to help people. I want to help them feel good. I want to help them love themselves, and challenge themselves to great things. I want to be there when they achieve goals, overcome obstacles, climb mountains and discover the very ends of their limits.

In short, I want to help others do for themselves what I was so fortunate to do last year.

So, I have made the leap. It's official. In the fall, I will be pursuing full time studies at NAIT for their Personal Fitness Trainer program. I am going to spend the next two years filling every knowledge gap that I might have from my own experiences, and crafting a program that is centred around self-care, self-love, and self-discovery.

And I will do this with one mission in mind: Breaking down the barriers of shame and exclusion that currently dominate the fitness world, and focusing on finding ways to accommodate every body, every need, and every life style who seek to find greater physical and mental health. 

Shame Free Wellness. This needs to be a thing.

But I can't do it alone. I will need my community- those of you who have been there with me every step of the way, and those of you who are just joining me today. I will others to share thoughts, ideas, learnings, practices and questions with.  I will need friends to keep me going when I feel like full time school and family and work are making me drown.

A few of you already know that I have taken on this new adventure. Your continuous support leaves me breathless, and deeply filled with gratitude.

For those of you who didn't know, I hope you'll consider joining me on this journey.

And perhaps even consider beginning one of your own.

We are all on the same team, and I have your back.

The sky truly is the limit.