I like when good unexpected things happen.

Finding some spare cash in an old purse. An extra quarter from the laundry mat change machine. When I have enough bonus points at Jersey Mikes for my free Sub.

…..I swear not everything unexpected has be money related to be good…..

That just happens to be what comes to mind first. And who doesn’t like Free?!

Anyhoo! My journey to this moment, to this website, to this blog, was unexpected to say the least. And man has it been good. I shall now regale you with the tale!

At the age of 5 I declared I wanted to be a ‘singer, dancer, actor, cheerleader’.

Upon graduating high school, I declared I was going to major in theatre and I had a special love of musicals. I was never a cheerleader. But beyond that, not much had changed in those 13 years. Here I am in Los Angeles, chasing the acting dream, dancing three times a week, and singing like a rock star in my car everyday on my commute. The ‘unexpected’ good part: I’m a wellness coach, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor. I NEVER saw that coming!

I’ve always loved sports, been competitive, and I’m surprisingly athletic. What I was never the greatest at was working out. For instance, if I was at volleyball practice, great; that type of working out was different – I was active, I was focused, but basically, I didn’t realize I was working out. I was having fun! That was all well in good until college when my physical activity was a dance class here or there. Suddenly PE wasn’t mandatory (which I LOVED PE!) and I didn’t have practice every night…..well, I did, but rehearsal is different than volleyball/basketball/softball practice.

My senior year of college we had a course called “Senior Seminar”. Basically, it was the business side of the acting business: how to look for auditions, figure out which market you want to be in, and, most importantly, how to survive in the real world. Some times we would Skype with working professionals in the industry, and in one particular session we were speaking with our guest about ‘good day jobs for actors to have’. I actually came across my notes from this class a couple of years ago and here’s what it looked like:

Waitressing

Bartending

Personal Trainer

Group Fitness Instructor

Temp-ing

Barista

........except the "Personal Trainer" and "Group Fitness Instructor" each had big 'ol X through it......At that time, working in the Fitness/Health/Wellness industry was NOT an option! (See where that ‘good unexpected things happening’ part comes in now?)

Fast forward a year later when I asked if my local gym had a cardio dance class (again, love to dance and don’t like to know that I’m working out). The response was,

“No. But would YOU like to teach one?”

My thought process here went a little something like this:

‘Hmm. That seems like a lot of responsibility. And I really don’t know what I’m doing. But I’d have to show up. And I’d get paid to work out….”

So I said, “Ummmm, ok. I guess.”

I taught that particular class for 3 months. Then I learned of Zumba® Fitness. And I loved it. I mean, their motto is “Exercise In Disguise”! I quickly learned that I wasn’t the only one who had to exercise in this way.

From here, I kept learning and diving into the Zumba® world more: Conventions to learn about different programs and expand my class offerings, events with fellow Zumba® instructors to learn different ways of teaching and choreography, and constantly learning about different music rhythms. Before I knew it, Zumba® was my job. And I loved it.

With my expanding Zumba® career came questions about Personal Training. I was intrigued. And terrified. But I decided to go for the Personal Training certification. I discovered I loved helping people work out: more often than not they leave class exhausted but PROUD. Committing to a work out is hard work! Walking in the door is an accomplishment in itself for a lot of people! So I did it. And it was hard work! And totally worth it! I love my job. I still love that feeling of helping people accomplish what they think they can not do. I love seeing them see themselves differently. As I always tell my clients: I give you the tools – you’re the one that does the work”.

Now, I’m on another adventure in the health industry with Wellness Coaching. Working out is just one piece of the pie…. (pun INTENDED!). There is much, much more that goes into one’s Wellness – and I am excited to help people find that balance.

As for me, well, my journey is just like everyone else’s: I still have to walk into that gym and do the work (outside of teaching classes). I still can’t eat cookies and pie and candy and nachos all day every day. I’m still working on the work/life balance while I chase my dreams. I still have to tell myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to – the choice is mine – and I chose to believe I’m worth it. My dreams are worth it. It may be scary, but sometimes good unexpected things can happen.

And here we are now. Let’s see what else happens!