Short Stays, Big Dreams: A Travel & Vacation Rental Podcast
"Short Stays, Big Dreams: A Travel & Rental Podcast" dives into the world of short-term rental management, the stay industry, and travel, offering insights, expert interviews, and actionable tips to help you maximize your rental business and explore the latest travel trends.
Short Stays, Big Dreams: A Travel & Vacation Rental Podcast
Revolutionize Your Fitness and Business: Mastering Balance with Sarah Wilson
Ever wondered how a world-class athlete manages to juggle the demands of business, motherhood, and training? Meet Sarah Wilson, a nutrition coach whose inspiring journey is a testament to resilience and versatility. From conquering male-dominated gym spaces to embracing the grueling world of international duathlons alongside her son, Sarah shares her story of transformation. Her insights on strength training go beyond the physical, delving into the mental shifts that come with embracing new challenges and methodologies, like her transition to CrossFit endurance that revolutionized her marathon times.
Sarah's journey doesn't stop at the finish line. She opens up about the profound impact of balancing athletic discipline with entrepreneurship, revealing how the tenacity developed in sports seamlessly translates into business success. From overcoming setbacks like severe accidents to strategizing around the unpredictability of family life, Sarah offers a masterclass in managing priorities. Her story sheds light on defining personal success, especially for women navigating the complexities of career and family, and highlights the importance of self-care as a cornerstone of growth.
As Sarah takes us through her evolution from fitness-inspired ventures to her current role as a virtual nutrition coach, she leaves us with a powerful message: it's never too late to embrace new beginnings. Her candid reflections on pursuing passions later in life, maintaining authenticity, and making choices that resonate with personal values serve as a valuable reminder to embrace change and pursue what truly matters. Join us for an episode that promises not just inspiration, but practical advice to empower your own journey, no matter where you start from.
All right. In this podcast, we're going to be talking about balancing business, motherhood and being a world-class athlete, and no other person better to discuss this topic than Sarah Wilson. Sarah, do me a big favor. Tell us who you are and what you're about.
Speaker 2:Hi Fernando, thanks for having me. My name is Sarah Wilson. I first met Fernando when I was starting out on my triathlon journey. I am now a nutrition coach, I'm a mom of two and I'm an entrepreneur. I've started several different businesses, some in the fitness and health field and others not. Some in the fitness and health field and others not, and I'm just a passionate you know athlete and mom and business owner.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to take Sarah back back, way back, cause I want, I want, I want you guys watching to really really get a feel who Sarah is. You know I only bring people on that, I think, can add value to you guys watching and I firmly believe that at the end of this podcast you're going to get some keen gold nuggets about the topic right, about running a business, about balancing that with motherhood and about fitness. So, sarah, let's go back to you. Know who were you in high school? Who was so?
Speaker 2:sarah was, uh, sarah was pretty shy but sarah was, um, always an athlete. Um, I got into endurance sports because I think it's just what I was naturally good at. Running was kind of my thing. I played soccer, I played volleyball, I tried pretty much everything, but I, you know, I was told that I always felt like I just had a knack for running. It came more easily to me than anything else.
Speaker 2:And so when I got to high school and you sort of have to narrow down your choices in sports just for time, the track coach was also my biology teacher and he basically forced me to join the cross-country team, which I had no interest in. I had no interest in long distance. I was a 400 meter runner, I was didn't want to run anything more than that, definitely not a mile, definitely not a 5k, which is what a cross country meet is. But he forced me to join the team and kind of threatened my biology grade if I did it. So I did, like the good girl that I was, and I think you know, my first time out running my first meet, I ran the 5k in, like you know, 28 minutes and then by the second meet I ran it in 24 minutes and I just I gradually progressed. I progressed pretty quickly actually, um, and that became sort of like the foundation of my you know, athletic, uh, you know track.
Speaker 2:In high school I really became a runner. I was also always very interested in art and design, which obviously has nothing to do with athletics, but it did influence my career path later in life. And then, yeah, I was just this quiet, skinny little runner. I, like you know, didn't do much else other than run. Occasionally I would be forced to go to the weight room. At one point my dad got me a membership at our local gym because he was worried about how skinny I was and he, you know, I think as a I have two other sisters and I think, as a father of three girls, my dad, you know, was very protective and he wanted us to be strong and he really valued, you know, strength in women, I think mostly out of, like, protection, um, which has really served me well in general.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I like that. Here's a couple of key things that that that Sarah just talked about, that I, sarah just talked about that I, especially when I was into coaching, that I always preached right, and you know, being a father myself and an athlete in my own right, one of the things that I firmly believe and Sarah kind of touched on it, but she rushed over it was the fact that as a child, she played everything. She played all these different sports and I firmly believe that that created a foundation, a sports foundation to later on, when she decided to specialize, helped her quickly progress in that, in her specific sport, which at the time was cross country. So so, sarah, let's backtrack. Do you think, like you know, do you agree with that statement and, if so, can you expand on that and, if you don't agree on it, explain why you don't agree on that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I completely agree and I think also as a parent now I want to expose my kids to as many different things as possible so that they can find what they're passionate about, what they're good at, what they enjoy. And you can't find that if you're not trying different things. And I also think in the same way that goes for education too. You know you should take as many different types of classes as you can. In high school I took a lot of really hard math and science classes, even though I was more interested in the arts. I did it because I I kind of felt pressured to.
Speaker 2:But at the same time, I think trying different things gives you confidence in your ability across many different areas.
Speaker 2:So, even though I didn't end up a soccer player or a volleyball player or in science or math, I kind of I built confidence at a young age that I can do it if I need to, and I can probably try other things without the fear of failing, because I know what that feels like. I know what it feels like to fail at things. I know what it feels to overcome challenges and get better at things. I know what it feels like to do things that I don't know if I'm good at or not, and I think, whether it's sports or school, those are all amazing skills to build at a very young age so that you're not afraid later in life to try different things. And I want that for my kids as well. You know you can see your kids gravitating towards certain things at certain times, but I always try really hard to expose them to a variety of activities and across the board. And just you know, you got to see what sticks.
Speaker 1:I love that and I agree with that 100%. I mean, in my house, one of our. One of the rules in my house for my son was every summer he had to pick a sport that he hadn't played and then he had to stick with it for that entire summer Whether he liked it or not. He had to follow through on that decision to pick whatever sport it was, and I think it served him well today and I know for sure that for you, what you did when you were much younger definitely served you well now. The last thing I want to talk about that you mentioned is the importance that your father pushed you to with strength training.
Speaker 1:Now I'm a firm believer that as a CrossFitter, I believe in the 10 general physical skills, but for me, one of the primary ones is strength and it doesn't matter if you're a male, woman and young or old. I think the number one fitness component that if you had to, had to pick one, I would always favor strength over anything else, favor strength over anything else, and I used to say this all the time when I used to, when people used to tell me, oh, you're being hyperbolic or you're exaggerating, but I used to tell people all the time, because I witnessed it is if you look at statistics and you go to a nursing home, the majority of people that are in nursing homes they're not really there because of illness. They're there because they don't have the physical strength to do what you know to live a normal functioning life. So what was your experience with strength training and do you think it helped you as an athlete later?
Speaker 2:on. Yes, I mean, I think one of the biggest benefits to starting so young, especially, you know, in the 90s as a young girl, was overcoming that stereotype that lifting weights was for the guys. It's, you know, muscles are manly. All of those kinds of negative stereotypes about strength training and women just are not a part of my vocabulary. I was, of course, like I said. I was very shy, I was reluctant to go to the gym. It felt really uncomfortable. I was definitely the only teenage girl in the gym. Absolutely, it felt really uncomfortable. I was definitely the only teenage girl in the gym, absolutely. But I just kept showing up and I learned the basics of strength training and it created a foundation moving forward. Granted, I really never get that strong as a teenager.
Speaker 2:I mean, my body was my body as I got older and I think by the time I met you, I had really doubled down on the endurance stuff and I had done marathons and I had. I was a runner, you know. I still went to the gym and I lifted weights in my own way, but I was still pretty weak and I think you know we discovered that through racing and I remember specifically how just awful I would feel at the end of the race I would feel like I couldn't hold my own body up. I, you know we would go on runs together for training and then at the end of the runs you would have us try to do the monkey bars by your house and I, at first, like I couldn't even cross the monkey bars. You know I was. I was weak, despite all of my strength training in the past. Like I was still pretty weak. I maybe had some muscle tone, but in terms of actual strength I was really lacking.
Speaker 2:However, because I think I had that background training, I at least knew what to do and I knew I was familiar with the environment of a gym, which I think people underestimate for a woman how important that is, because a lot of women are intimidated by those spaces because they are male dominated. They don't know how to use the machines necessarily. And I knew, I knew since I was 15, how to use all that stuff and I overcame that weird fear of being in a male dominated space. So when, when you and I started training and you introduced me to CrossFit, I was excited. I was like, cool, this looks. I want to be able to do that. And again back to the confidence you build as a. As a younger person, I knew that, even though I couldn't do it then, that I could get stronger and I could learn and I could get better, and I had enough confidence in my ability to learn and adapt to. You know, stick to the program and, you know, just change my body completely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's amazing, and I saw especially towards, towards them. We're gonna get into this Now how, how faster you got, the stronger you got. So let's fast forward, because I want you you know, if you can share an experience or something within your athletic past prior to getting into really competitive, uh like duathlons but share, give me a story of, of an athletic event or something you did, uh, that that at that point, either shifted your mindset or or something that's memorable to you yeah, I mean yes, I think, like I said, I ran a couple marathons when I was in college and I ran I think I ran the Chicago Marathon and then I ran the San Diego Marathon.
Speaker 2:I trained for both of them pretty much the exact same way Long distance runs, kind of like long, moderately paced distance runs, and that was my training. And I ran both marathons in the exact same time and I was like I didn't improve at all, like that's annoying, you know. So I was like, okay, cool, I guess I know how fast I can run a marathon, like that's my time. I don't remember what the time was. And then, years go by, I met you and Tom. We start training together and you guys say, hey, let's do the Miami Marathon. And I was like, no, I'm over it, I don't do marathons anymore. I already know, I know what I'm capable of. You know I'm not doing it. And you guys eventually convinced me. So we trained together and at that point we were training in more of what was called at the time of CrossFit endurance style, which was a lot of interval training, not a lot of mileage at all, and a lot of strength training. So we drastically reduced the mileage that I was used to running drastically increased the strength training that I was used to doing and we trained for the marathon in that way and I remember, throughout the process, being like I don't feel like we're running enough, we're not doing, where are the 10, 15, 20 mile runs? Um, and I was a little nervous, but we well actually I think both of you guys got injured and ended up not running the marathon, so I had to do it by myself.
Speaker 2:Correct me if I'm wrong, but I did run the marathon. Uh, I, I improved my time dramatically. I don't again I'm. I should go back and find the times. I don't remember it was, but I remember being in complete shock, like a. I was, you know, maybe five years older than I had been when I ran those first two marathons at the same time and I had been running significantly less for training, and yet I crushed my old time and I was just blown away and I was. I recovered much more quickly and I didn't feel like a complete mess at the end of it. I bounced back really fast. I didn't feel like I destroyed my body and I was faster. So that was really my first experience with really seeing the effects of increasing my strength training and reducing the long, slow distance training.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember that. Now, if we're thinking about the same race, I ran that race, but I ran it with Brian. It was Brian's first Brian. For those that don't know my son's name, that's my son, and my son never even trained with us. Yeah, but he was. Yeah, I said, nah, you're going to do something hard today. And we went out and ran that. So that was an interesting story. I made a couple of other people do that race too, which just cost for training. But anyway, now let's fast forward to when we were training specifically in duathlon and you competed. Correct me if I'm wrong. The qualification for Worlds was in Washington, correct?
Speaker 1:It was in one of the carolinas oh for for the carolinas, I don't remember doing.
Speaker 2:Um, anyway, drove down, yeah, we drove down to like south north carolina or something for the for the duathlon national, the national fire race, the national nationals, yeah nationals.
Speaker 1:But but you made it through worlds and you qualified for worlds through dc, wasn't it?
Speaker 2:no, I qualified for worlds. It was both times was in north carolina. I qualified for worlds twice right. The first time I qualified I ended up getting hit by a car a couple of weeks before the race and then I had to recover, train qualify again for the following year.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so walk us through that. How was number one? How was your experience competing in nationals?
Speaker 2:So let's talk about that. That was really exciting. I mean, again, this was the highest level of competition that I had attempted and you had encouraged me to try it to do it to just sort of see where I stack up against the rest of the country. Basically, we had done only like CrossFit, endurance style training, a lot of interval training, a lot of strength training, and I mean I love that experience it was. I never felt better. I shocked myself with the fact that I qualified. I don't know if you expected that, but I don't think I expected that to happen. It was very exciting. It was definitely. That whole time was definitely a highlight of my athletic career, for sure.
Speaker 1:Cool and that, yeah, it was super exciting. Like I, I, I knew right off the in fact, let me just backtrack for, for when I met Sarah, you know I knew right off the bat that she was special. Like I knew I'm like this girl, uh, has the talent, has the mindset, more importantly, to to be successful in whatever she puts her mind to it and keep in mind people. She jumped into duathlons and I refer to it as a rookie because she didn't do that in the past. She was a runner but she wasn't a cyclist, but she had the power output that could be successful on the bike as well as on the run, that could be successful on the bike as well as on the run. So I had confidence that she was going to do very well from a national standpoint.
Speaker 1:Now, worlds is a different story. We're going to get into worlds now as an endurance athlete, as a US endurance athlete. Very, very difficult to do really, really well in a world competition and this is just my opinion. I don't have any evidence other than what's reported. But endurance athletes internationally have a leg up because they don't get tested. Internationally have a leg up because they don't get tested. They don't have all, the, the, the, the rigor that we have in the U S, hence why it's very difficult to find a U S athlete do really really well on an international level. So let's talk about when you went to compete in worlds. How was that experience?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, before we talk about worlds, I just need to. You made me think of something when I when I moved to Miami that was when I got into triathlon and I had never done anything and I had never done a multi-sport event ever. And I just remember I signed up for your team and I didn't even own a bicycle. I did not own a bike team and I didn't even own a bicycle. I did not own a bike. And I just remember laying in bed the night before the first training and saying to my husband, like I think I'm going to be really good at this, like I, just like, I think I'm. And he's like, yeah, I'm sure you'll be great. I'm like, no, I like I think I'm going to win stuff Like I had never. I had never raced on a bike before and I was just like I don't know why I had this feeling. It was something that had been on my mind for a long time. It's like to the point where I think my first bike was I borrowed one of your racing bikes to try out. I took it home you have to clip in which I had never done before. I started out riding a racing bike just with my sneakers. That was how I started. And then, the first time I clipped in, I just wrote it down my street and I just all of a sudden like fell over. I so for me to go from that to now. Well, of course, I didn't think I was going to qualify for a world championship race, like I was just such a newbie still, it felt like. But you know, and I owe everything to you for that, for the coaching, for the encouragement, for the belief in me, because I didn't, I didn't, didn't consider that as an option for me and I was just like, I just think this will be fun, I'll be good at it. You know, and you know you had your eyes set on something much bigger for me, which I will never forget, for me, which I will never forget.
Speaker 2:And so, going from nationals to worlds, well, first of all, the first time that I qualified, I had to back out because I got hit by a car. I had major vertigo, I was pretty banged up and I couldn't do the race. That was, that was disappointment number one. And then I train, you know I also, in the meantime, like, when I got hit by the car, they discovered that I had nodules on my thyroid that could have been cancerous, that had to be removed. So I get hit by a car, I have my thyroid removed and then I have to get back to training so I can qualify again for worlds. I remember being on the track with you like not being able to breathe because my the healing took a while on my thyroid, with the vocal cords and the airwaves or airways, so it was not a perfect journey to worlds. That being said, I felt as ready as I could be.
Speaker 2:All things considered, it was an incredible just to be there. It was in Scotland, Edinburgh, scotland Edinburgh. Yeah, it was. It was. It was incredible to be there. It was in Scotland, edinburgh, scotland, edinburgh. Yeah, it was incredible to be there. It was on a beautiful site. Arthur's Seat is what it was called. People from all over the world were there. My husband was there with me and one of them was like, wow, you know, he's like this is really cool. He's like we should do this more often. And I was like, well, it was really hard and I almost died, so I don't know how often we're gonna be doing this. Um, but we, I did the, I did the race and, unfortunately, in the first I did.
Speaker 2:The run was good. On my run split got on the bike and within a couple minutes on my bike I blew a tire, um, and so I took my bike off the course. I had to fix the tire. It just it, really it just took me out of the race. You know, sadly, in terms of placing I was, you know not, it was not happening for me. I still gave it my all.
Speaker 2:I had an incredible experience. It was the like. It almost like brings tears to my eyes, like how beautiful that experience was and just the views from those up on those. You know, it was kind of like a cliff, like uphill bike, and I mean it felt really special and really it was like the, you know, the crown on my endurance journey. And it was good timing because David and I, my husband and I, were at the point where we wanted to start a family and I was like I need, I need to do this so that I can feel ready for that next phase of my life, which was going to be having kids for us. So it was kind of like I knew I knew that was it, like I knew that was my chance, because I knew that I was, after that, going to start focusing on my family, which was going to change the way that I trained and thought about training and racing. So, despite the injury and the surgery and the flat tire, still one of the most incredible experiences of my life experiences of my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I know, I know the feeling about the flat tire because my last I my best shot to qualify for worlds, um, and this was in DC. That's why I don't know why I thought you were with me at this time, but, um, I was like I was on cloud nine because I was ranked. Um, and I was ranked. I was in the best shape of my life. I had my first run, I was number three coming into the bike transition, get on that bike and bam, I get a flat within the first two miles.
Speaker 2:I'm like also, I had never gotten a flat in a race before. That was the first time I had ever gotten a flat. Like what are the odds? You know?
Speaker 1:Same here, same here, and then after that I never had another chance to qualify for Worlds. So when you qualify for Worlds like I was living by, curious through you, I was like yes, we made it.
Speaker 2:We made it.
Speaker 1:Yes, we did so. I want to transition now to business, right, and can you explain let me see how I word this question being an athlete, do you think everything you learn about being an athlete, do you think that actually helped you to change your mindset to attack business the same way? Or explain to me how that experience of being, you know, a high-level athlete how did that transition into entrepreneurship?
Speaker 2:How did that transition into entrepreneurship? Yeah, I think there's definitely a correlation between you know the skills and experiences of an athlete and you know being successful at anything in life. You know you develop just a certain type of resolve and a certain type of grit that I think is really important when you're running a business, I think, especially as an endurance athlete. It when you're you're running a business, I think especially as an endurance athlete, it's a very, it's a solo sport, it's it's just you and you know, in the same way as being an entrepreneur, you have to balance a lot, wear a lot of hats, be responsible for a lot of different things all across the board, for a lot of different things all across the board. And you know, I think there's definitely a connection there. Yeah, I don't think I would just, I just don't think I would be who I am as a person without my experience in athletics and fitness. And a lot of that does come back to the confidence that is built when you push yourself like that in a really physical way, and the mental, you know, struggle that competing like that is. I can't really think of another life experience that builds those types of character traits. And I think also, I always say you know, I had a really nice childhood, I have a family that loves me, I have, you know, my life was beautiful and easy and in a lot of ways and I'm extremely fortunate. And so I think for me, you know, sports and athletics created this environment where I had to struggle. You know sports and athletics created this environment where I had to struggle, you know, and I didn't have to struggle in a lot of other areas of my life.
Speaker 2:Growing up, I was, you know, taken very well care of. You know, my parents looked out for me. But I think when you're forced into an environment where you have to be a leader, you have to struggle, you have to make sacrifices. It builds a type of grit that is essential for running a business.
Speaker 1:Man, I can't agree with that statement more so for me. There's two things in life that really shape you. It could be negative or it could be positive, but most of the time it's going to be positive, and that's being in sports, right. And then, for me, is being in the military right. Those two things really set the tone for a lot in life Challenges, obstacles, ups and downs, forcing you to really like the Marine Corps always says, adapt and overcome, right. Those things are fundamental. Those are things that you cannot learn in a classroom, it's impossible to learn in theory. You have to practice that. You have to practice that. You have to live that you know.
Speaker 1:Another quote that I always take from Mike Tyson is you know, everyone has a plan until they get freaking punched in the mouth, right? So if you're not, or if you're never put in that environment, it's very, very, very difficult to understand what it is to be there. So you know business. For me it's no different than, you know, playing a sport. It may not in business, it may not be difficult, but you're still. You're going to have competitors, You're going to have, you're going to have ups and downs. There's going to be times where you like, you know, as an athlete, you can overtrain and miss the mark, and in business, right, you can do the same thing. The parallels are there.
Speaker 1:So you know, and I'm glad you recognize the fact, that you wouldn't be you if it wasn't for your childhood right, you wouldn't be you for the experiences you had as a child. And in sports, right, it's like I wouldn't be me without sports or the Marine Corps, Just, I mean, right behind me, right, Right up here, when is it at Right there, right, that set my foundation very, very young in life. So I'm glad you experienced that. Now you said something very interesting and I want to, I want to go ahead and go into that as well. You say you wear many hats, and I firmly believe that you were. You know you do wear many hats, right, You're a mother, you're running a business, you're trying to keep your fitness up. So tell me, how do you manage that? How do you manage time? You know, what strategies can you give us or tips can you give us to help manage and balance those three components of your life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean that that's. That is a hard question, because it is something that I feel like I am figuring out and and working with every day. I mean this is because you know, things change so much year to year, and it's really been for me about getting very clear on my priorities and also managing my expectations. And what I mean by that is, you know, I want, want to be, because I am the competitor that I am like. I want to be the best at everything I want to do. I do. I want to be the best athlete, I want to be the best business owner, I want to be the best mom. And you can't, you can't, I'm sorry. You have to establish what is what is good enough and all, and in the categories that you are most passionate about and that matter the most to you, there are a lot of things that I don't get to do because I put so much time, effort and energy into those three buckets of my life and there have been times where the balance has the equation. I shouldn't say balance, it's never balanced, it's the energy directed towards. Each thing has shifted.
Speaker 2:Before I had kids, I was competing at the world level, I was running a successful business. And then you know, I had to change my relationship with fitness in order to make room for the family that I knew that I wanted. And for me personally, that meant that I wasn't going to compete at that level anymore. I was still going to train. I'm going to train like I'm ready to compete. I'm ready to go Like I want to train at that level, but I don't put that pressure on myself to be a, you know, nationally ranked anything in athletics anymore, and that is something that I was mentally prepared to accept when I decided to have a family. But it is a conscious decision that you have to make, because I think what I didn't realize, you know, before having kids was how many times I would have to make decisions like that over and over again. You kind of have to like whittle away. If you want to add to one bucket, you got to take something away from another.
Speaker 2:And then I think what happened with my business after my first son was born? I was still going full steam ahead. I was like I got this, I'm gonna crush it as a business owner, I'm the best mom. And then you know, I have another kid and it gets a little harder. And you realize, I realize I'm compromising more family time than I really want to be. And then you have to ask yourself these honest questions Okay, what is what do I do? What do I want out of both of these things, and am I realistically going to be able to achieve it? Well, what I wanted was to be spending more time with my kids, but I also wanted my business to be like way up here still, and that wasn't going to happen for me because there are only so many hours in the day. So I pulled back on one area so I could put my energy into more energy into another area that felt right to me.
Speaker 2:And I think you just have to constantly be reevaluating yourself and your own values, your own value system, so that you can feel okay with these, these sacrifices, with these hard decisions that you're going to have to make over and over again. So when I, you know, I took the gas off the career pedal a little bit so I could put more into the family. It's still something that I struggle with because, like I said, I want to be, I want to be, I want to have the best business I can have, and I constantly have to remind myself that I made this choice to be this type of a parent. It is extremely fulfilling and it's okay that that that means that for now, I have to pull back somewhere else. And I think the other important thing that I have to remember is that, if we're lucky, life is very long and we're going to live through a lot of different phases where different things are going to come into the foreground and different things are going to go into the background. And right now, this is a family foreground moment for me, and I still have other things going on that I'm passionate about, that I'm trying to build, but I'm allowing myself the time to to do that in a in a slower way than I would be if I didn't have my family obligations.
Speaker 2:And you know I sometimes joke that like, oh like, by the time my kids are in college, you know, then I'm, then I'm going to.
Speaker 2:By the time my kids are in college, you know, then I'm, then I'm going to really crush it in my career. I'm going to be a different person, you know, and I just think it's important to to just be honest about how much time you really do have and what are your priorities and what's going to what's going to take the front seat in this moment, and understand that just because what you have to focus on or want to focus on now doesn't mean that in five or 10 years that can't change. So you're never going to lose an opportunity to pursue something that you're passionate about. If you're truly passionate about it, it will stay with you. And if you just have to like, keep, keep nurturing it, maybe it's on the side and it'll be when you're ready for it, when you're ready to come back for it, it'll. It'll be there for you and you know you'll be able to spend more time and energy on that side of things.
Speaker 1:My God, first of all, you gave me chills and I'm going to tell you why you gave me chills, right, Um, I'm actually a little emotional as well. I think. Number one what you just said is probably the most mature thing I've heard someone say in a long time. Because you're 100% right, there is absolutely no. You know, I hear people say all the time you know, I want work-life balance. Listen, I get that right, but there's never really balance. You really have to understand what are your priorities and focus on your priorities. Everything else is second plate. There's no way you can be a super successful parent and run a super successful business. They don't jive people right. They don't jive people right. They don't. They don't crisscross, um, and I, I for one, and I'm sure your, your husband, your, your kids will 1000% appreciate you.
Speaker 1:You know, five, 10 years from now, that you did sacrifice certain things because you're and you said something very important it was your decision right, it was something that you wanted to do and that is to prioritize your family. I think so many people today I'm going to raise my hand because I'm very guilty of this Very few people today really sit down and ask themselves those tough questions because, man, you know you're right, you cannot be very good at many things. You can only be very good at one thing, only be very good at one thing. You know, I always use the example of tom brady. You know, tom brady sacrificed his family to be the best quarterback on the planet. Right, that was his decision. He wanted to be the best quarterback on the planet, but he but as, as a result of that, he sacrificed his family, he's no longer married to. Just well, you. It is what it is right, but I don't think Tom Brady would change anything.
Speaker 1:And 20 years from now, I think you're going to look back and say the same thing that you wouldn't change anything, right? So I mean, what you said is powerful. I hope people caught that. I hope people realize how important that is. So my next question on that and it's related to what less you know as a mother now, as the world knows, now, your priority was your family. World known. Now, your priority was your family. So what lessons did you learn as you start to shift gears, having more priority to your family? You know, what lessons can you tell us you learned from that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I think a lot of the lessons. It's interesting because a lot I've gone through a couple different shifts career wise, just because it's something like I said, I'm always trying to from my family more than I'm comfortable with, and this isn't to say everyone should operate this way. First and foremost, you have to decide what level like, what is your comfort level? And I think one thing that I've loved about, you know, just having female mom friends is that you get to watch people operate in completely different ways and find fulfillment and enjoyment, regardless of how many hours a week they work or how many hours they spend at home or if they choose to work outside the home at all. And I'm always most impressed with and in all of the women who they they, they know what they want, they make that decision and then they accept that. They accept whatever the you know end result is whatever the sacrifices are and and they don't look to anyone for approval or, you know, support, kind of kudos.
Speaker 2:It's just I chose this because it works for me. It's not what you're doing doesn't really matter, and I have a very diverse friend group in terms of their relationships to their work and home lives. So I think that the most important thing that I have learned is that you just really have to do. It sounds cheesy and cliche, but you just have to do what's true to you and ignore any sort of external you know expectations of what it means to be a strong woman, what it means to be a successful woman, what it means to be a good mom, because it doesn't matter, you know. What matters is what's happening in in your, in your house. You know in your head, in your heart, and it's really hard to not try to go by somebody else's playbook, whether it's the other moms in your circle, whether it's your own mom. But that is the I think that is the most important thing is to just you know, get clear on who you are and what you want, and then be confident in your choices, moving forward and it's definitely not something that I've always been good at um, I think that my I've had to sort of change my definition of what career success is, and I think it's only in hindsight that I realized that I was really taking a step back from my career when my kids were little.
Speaker 2:I don't think that's something that I was comfortable admitting at the time, that I was doing it and I wish that I had been able to admit that at the time because I think I would have had a better experience in that career. I was trying too hard to make it bigger than I actually wanted it to be Because I felt the pressure to be successful. I felt the pressure to be not just a mom, so that in building this business I was it it. It was not at first, an authentic reflection of my values at the time. I was doing it. I was, I was doing, I was partially doing it or making some decisions because I was just trying so hard to be like textbook successful and that's not what I should have been doing.
Speaker 2:And so now, in this kind of career path that I'm going down, I'm trying to be more aware of that, more aware of am I doing this because I think it's what I should be doing and what other people expect from me? Or am I doing this because it makes sense for my life? And I think like a lot of that ties into the way that people make decisions about fitness and health. You know there's so much noise out there about you should be doing this and you should be eating that and technically it might be correct and accurate advice, but what? What sense does it make in your life?
Speaker 2:You know it doesn't make any sense at all. Does it support your goals? Does it have anything to do with your values? And if the answer is no, it doesn't matter how many people are preaching this like perfect diet, this perfect workout plan. Don't. It's not for you. Like, move on, find out, find what is you know? So that's kind of how I feel about my career at this point is I get to decide what success is? I get to decide what I need financially, what I need, you know, in terms of my family, in terms of how my time is spent. And if you don't consider that to be successful, then why do I care?
Speaker 1:You know, it's just that is that once again, I got chills because that is so spot on. You know, I always, you know, I tell myself my wife tells me all the time too that I'm wired different and I firmly believe, within today's day and age, I'm 1000% wired different because I don't give a crap about other people. Right, I do what's best for me, I do what's best for me, I do what's best for my family and you said it correctly the definition of success is what you decided, is Not what society is telling you, what the definition of success is. What you decided and I'm glad you realized that and you mentioned this as well is that you feel more fulfilled. Yeah, because it was your freaking decision.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you wanted to do that and I'm glad you brought that Again. I'm glad you touched on that, because the problem today, especially today, because of social media and everything we all want to you know we not that we all want to fit in, but we all have a skewed perception of what a mother should be, what a successful woman should be or successful person period should be. That's outside noise. You have to be happy with you. You have to define success. Don't let other people define success for you.
Speaker 2:You have to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think any time I feel bad about myself or something, or I feel conflicted about like I should be doing this and I should be doing that, that is that type that anxiety is like my cue to be like whoa, slow down, is that what you really want?
Speaker 2:Is that, is that feeling because you actually want that, or is that feeling because somebody else is making you feel bad about that? You know, and I think for me, I guess the other like advice that I would give or something that's worked for me is in those moments of self-doubt and kind of just confusion or feeling bad, just slow down, slow down and pick it apart. Pull it apart and just get to the root of what is the thing that's bugging you. And sometimes the thing is like oh, you know what, actually I do want to step up my game here, like that's making me feel annoyed because, like, I want that for myself, and then you can direct your energy in that way. But if you pick it apart and you're like you know what, that's just making me feel bad because it looks good on paper, I can put that to the side.
Speaker 1:I can forget about that and move on with what does matter to me. Yeah, a hundred percent. And then you said something else that I want to I want to emphasize right and that is is you know? You hear people say you know, this is the perfect workout, this is the perfect diet. You know, this is what you should be doing to be successful.
Speaker 1:And, like you said, I don't I don't necessarily agree there is anything perfect. The perfect diet is the one you're going to follow. The perfect workout is the one you're going to do. The perfect business plan is the one you're going to focus on, right? So everything else is just noise, and there's many different paths to get to to a specific location. You just have to decide which past path is good for you, which one you're going to stick with, because if you're not going to stick with something, it's irrelevant. Yep, so what? What? I'm going to switch a little bit in terms and talk a little bit more about motherhood, because I think it's very important and as it relates to fitness as well, right? So what influence as a mother? Has that influenced your approach to fitness and, if yes, how?
Speaker 2:I'm definitely not one of those people who says I work out so I can be strong for my kids, I work out so I can play with my kids. No, I work out for me. That's all that's for me. And I first just want to say that that's okay. Like you don't. Just when you become a mom, you don't have to suddenly like do everything in the name of your children. You know and I think that is women, I think, a lot of times feel like they have to be martyrs for their children. And if they are going to, if they are, if I'm going to spend time on myself, it better benefit my kids as well. No, I don't believe that. I think you spend time on yourself because it benefits you and you get to exist in this world as a complete human, just like your children do. So I work out for me. I think that of course, I do like that. My kids see how I value health and fitness. I think it definitely will impact. You know their relationship at some point with health and fitness.
Speaker 2:I know my parents' dedication to health and fitness influenced me, whether it was directly or indirectly. But at the same time, they're still at the age where, like, they don't want to do what I'm doing. They don't care. You know it's like kind of. I know they know their mom is strong. They talk about my muscles. You know there's all that. But at the end of the day, like they're kids Like my son, my older son recently joined this like fitness club at school where every Wednesday morning you go to school like an hour early and they learn how to use weight machines and all that stuff. I go to school like an hour early and they learn how to use weight machines and all that stuff. I was like Ryder, do you need, do they need, a volunteer? I could come in and I could volunteer and help you guys train, you know, and he was just like I'll pass, thanks. So they don't really care. They don't care much. I know they'll appreciate it later. I think it does benefit them indirectly, but that is not why I do it.
Speaker 2:I do think being a mother makes it harder to stay fit and, if anything, it's just forced me to be better at time management and it really has forced me to say the thing I just said, to say you know, it's okay for me to be selfish with my time sometimes.
Speaker 2:It's okay for me to do things that are just for me, and I think every mother could benefit from hearing that and hopefully embracing it. It is, it's it's absolutely necessary and absolutely okay for you to do things for yourself that have nothing to do with your family, and for me, fitness is kind of one of those things and I will always prioritize it, and I've definitely had to learn how to. You know you have to relearn how to. I had to relearn how to prioritize my health and fitness after, as my kids were getting older, because it does. It's not easy and it does take a lot more planning and a lot more. You know, there are times where I feel like I'm disappointing someone because I'm around for one hour less of the day or I'm not available for one thing or another, but I just think like the practice in prioritizing yourself in the name of your own physical and mental health is extremely important.
Speaker 1:I 100% agree. So talk to me about what you're doing now. Talk to me about your business. What got you inspired to start your fitness coaching thing? Let's talk about that.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I mean, I don't know how long of an explanation you want, but I am currently a nutrition coach, I do virtual coaching and I started a podcast with my sister. It's called the Fit Sister. What inspired me here? I mean, obviously, my relationship with nutrition and fitness has been a lifelong thing. What inspired me here? I mean, obviously, my relationship with nutrition and fitness has been a lifelong thing. It's been part of my career in and out over the course of the past, you know, 20 years probably. I was sort of at one of those turning points where, in between these fitness careers, I was teaching woodworking to children, which is a whole, obviously separate story because it has nothing to do with health and nutrition.
Speaker 1:Anyway, that's what I was doing when my kids were little and it kind of Wait wait, wait, sorry, yeah, because you just reminded me of that, and I want because I think this is important. So what was it?
Speaker 2:It was something it's called Maker Monkey Workshop. What was it?
Speaker 1:It was something it's called Maker Monkey Workshop. Yes, yes, I love that. And you, before we go into your new venture, because I thought that was so cool. More importantly, because when we talked about it, you wanted something to incorporate your kids with that.
Speaker 2:So walk us through that, because I think that's cool so when I transitioned to maker monkey workshop, um, I had a jewelry, a jewelry business prior to that. That was my, that's what I was going all out with before I had my kids. It was a fitness inspired jewelry company. I'm a metalsmith, uh, by trade. And I had this moment when my kids were very little, where I realized if I wanted that business to be successful, I was going to have to double my time investment in it and I wouldn't be there for them when they came home from school and I wouldn't. You know it was going to. That was going to be the trade off. I was like do I go all out on this business or do I pull back and refocus on my kids? I decided there were a lot of other things involved in that decision that had to do with the business, but I decided to pull back there so I could focus on my kids. But I was kind of like, well then, what am I going to do? Because I wasn't going to do nothing. I still had to earn some money and have a fulfilling life outside of being a mother. That's just funny what I wanted. So I started Maker Monkey Workshop, which is DIY for kids, and it started because I went into my he was then four. I went into my four-year-old's classroom and showed them how to make jewelry with hammers and stuff and they were just so enamored with the tools and I was like, oh, this could be, I could, this could be something I could do. So I built this whole business around teaching kids how to use tools and I love I mean I love, I love everything about it. It's, you know, it was such an incredible experience. I'm still doing it on a, on a small level. This is one of those things where I'm like I'm gonna keep my, my toes in the water there because I love it so much and one day, when I have more time, it's going to be, it's coming back, it's going to be a thing. It's operating on a small level at the moment, anyway, diy for kids and I've had so many incredible experiences with my own children through it, with other families, with my community children through it with other families, with my community.
Speaker 2:Um, and then, as I realized that was that was the career that I had that I was like this has to blow up, this has to be huge, I have to be. You know, I kind of like forgot that I started it in order to be home with my kids and then was like I need to make this gigantic, um, and then I was like whoa, that's not why you're doing this. So I kind of got it to the level where I felt that it was a success, by my definition. So proud of myself for learning that lesson, I was like this doesn't need to be bigger. I love it. I will keep doing it on a small scale. However, I need to figure out what is next, because I do want something more in terms of my career, and so I had. I'm also getting older, as we all are, and I could tell that my body is different, the way I respond to my training is different, and that was just really for my own knowledge. I was just like I need to know the answer to all these questions because everybody keeps asking me, and I got to figure out for myself too.
Speaker 2:So I did my women's coaching, specialist certification, and I talked to my sister, natalie, on the phone all the time. You know she calls me for fitness advice. We talk about nutrition, we talk about our hopes and dreams, like literally everything, and so she was talking me through this transition and I'm you know I had been lamenting about how I wasn't sure what I was going to do next and she was like you know, I feel like you should get into nutrition, be a coach. She's like I follow these women on social media and they just remind me of you. I just it's something I could see you doing. So I was like you know what that is kind of like piquing my interest at the moment. So I did. I was, I did a course um a nutrition coaching certification.
Speaker 2:So I became a certified nutrition coach and in the meantime, in these phone calls with my sister, she kept being. She kept telling me I should start a podcast, because she teaches podcasting at her high school, where she also teaches English. And she kept saying you should start a podcast. And I was like no, we should start a podcast, we should start a podcast. And she's like I don't have time for that. I have three kids and a full-time job. I'm going to start a podcast. I was like okay, well, I'm not either. So unless you do it, I'm not doing it. So she kept kind of bugging me to do it and I kept nudging her to do it with me and finally she gave in. She's like all right, fine, this could be fun. She's like I'm teaching this course. I should probably, like you know, practice what I preach.
Speaker 2:So we decided that the format was going to be, basically you know what all of our conversations have always been, which was her coming to me as sort of this she she refers to herself as the normal person, um, with her normal person problems. You know, she's like I'm a busy mom of three and I kind of I want to be healthy but I don't want to be like as hardcore as you and I don't know what to do. So that's kind of like the, the foundation of the format of the podcast, um, and it's our sisterly dynamic, which is me, the big sister, trying to help her make good choices without changing who she is as a person. And that has been, it's been awesome. I mean, talk about a fulfilling experience I get to, you know, bond with my sister, create something with my sister, talk about something that I'm passionate about, and it definitely kind of like plugs in with my coaching business and I.
Speaker 2:I've always loved writing and that's something that I've always wanted to. I've done it for every business that I've run, but it's something that I want to continue to get better at and that I want to. I want it to be, you know, a big part of whatever I'm doing, moving forward, and so this has also given me the opportunity to do that and I don't know, it's been awesome. And I think, no matter what I've done, there's always been this element of like health and creativity and trying to merge those two things together, because same the same girl I was in high school is like that Track runner, artist girl and you know, in a lot of ways I'm still that person and those are the things that are coming through in my latest business venture.
Speaker 1:So I love it. I love it. What um did you guys cause it's fairly new. How long have you guys been?
Speaker 2:at it now Um we have 10 episodes, so 10 weeks.
Speaker 1:Any uh? What challenges have you guys uh had to overcome so far, or, if any, the biggest challenge was just like putting ourselves out there.
Speaker 2:You know I I don't want to be I don't have any aspirations to be an influencer personality. I just want to do something that I love and help people. However, you know, we've chosen this platform. That is very we do we video, we do video podcasts every single time. We started off just doing audio. We do video podcasts every single time. We started off just doing audio. We do video podcasts every time and I'm not used to being this like out there with my you know, I'm kind of an introvert and a lot of the work that I've done in the past is stuff that's behind the scenes and, despite the fact that I'm like talking to you on end right now, it's not my comfort zone at all.
Speaker 2:It's not my comfort zone to project myself as the expert on anything. That's definitely not something I'm comfortable with. But I care so much about health and I care so much about other people that that sort of overrides those fears. But honestly, that's been the hardest part has been just putting it out there.
Speaker 2:Starting something new at the age of 44 has also been a huge challenge, because I was talking about this with a friend the other day is. I feel like I should be, I should be doing the thing that I, that I've been doing for 20 years now. You know what I mean. I feel like I should be established in my career and that's another one of those you know, external um pressures where, um, I'm uncomfortable, but I'm not this thing that I think I should be because of this pressure that I feel from society. Like, a lot of my friends have been established in their careers for 20 years and they are experts in their field and I'm like, I'm literally like posting a podcast, episode number one, you know, a couple months ago. I'm like how can I be in? I don't like the feeling of being new at something, especially at my age.
Speaker 1:But isn't that exciting though? Don't you also think that that is exciting? I mean, it's new. It's it's because I yes, I started a completely different career. Yeah, uh, and older because I was. I started my company. Uh, started my company in 2016. So how old was I? I was probably 48, 49, uh, when I started my company in my new career. Uh, it's exciting. Be excited, you're good, I know I know, and you're doing phenomenal on the camera. Much I mean very very well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I think I think it's one of those things where, like several years from now, I'm gonna be really proud of us for doing it too, because I don't think it's something that a lot of people would do. I don't, you know, and I think we also this feeling of, and the same goes for I'm going to make a fitness parallel in a minute, but anytime you oh shoot, I just lost my train of thought it really sucks to have to put out a version of something you care about. That, you know, is not your best work, because how could episode one be my best work? I've never done it before. You know what?
Speaker 2:I mean, but I care so much about it and I have such high hopes for it that it's a very uncomfortable feeling to put it, and I'm you know you're really putting it out there to the world, but I have to put this thing out there, get feedback on it, even though I know it's not the best I can do, simply because I haven't had the time to become the best I can be, and that's a hard thing to do, and I think that is I'm proud of myself for overcoming that barrier, because think of all the missed opportunities if you don't put yourself in those situations. I'm excited to see what happens if I just keep plugging away at this, for you know what's gonna. What's it gonna look like a year from now? What's it gonna look like five years from now? That's that is exciting to me, and I think the same can be said for people who are trying to get into fitness, who are afraid to start from zero because it is so uncomfortable.
Speaker 2:You're, you're an adult, like to be a newbie at something feels really uncomfortable and you know, you know, you know you're, you know you're better than this and you know you can do more, but you actually can't because you haven't trained yet. So that first step is so hard and the older you get, the harder it gets. So I think that's been, it's been a really as hard as it's been it's also been. I think it's really good for me, I think it's good for anybody to go through that. I think it's healthy, I think it's you know, I don't know it's a necessary evil, I guess.
Speaker 1:I don't know. It's a necessary evil, I guess, I don't know. I agree, and that's great advice that you just gave, and that is you just have to start. I mean, it doesn't matter where you are in life, you know, you just have to take that first step. If you don't take that first step, you're never going to know. And the other thing I want to add to what you just said is that you also have to have a little bit of patience.
Speaker 1:Nothing is going to happen overnight. It's going to take time, it's going to be hard, but where you are today is going to be vastly different where you will be in 5, 10, 15 years from now if you stay consistent. Just like in fitness or business fitness and in life in general, consistency is key. Just have to keep going. And, just like in relationships, there's going to be ups and there's going to be downs, so just have to just hammering along. So, yeah, that's that's. Uh, let's try to wrap this up. Let's try to land this plane a little bit. Uh, give me some. Well one, let's start with this. What is one of the biggest misconception that people have about nutrition and fitness?
Speaker 2:Ooh Um that people have about nutrition and fitness. I think that a big misconception is that it has to be perfect to be worth doing, you know, meaning that you have to know exactly what to eat. You have to know the specific way to eat and a specific way to work out in order to have any success with it, which is absolutely not true. I think a common misconception is that you have to do big, dramatic things to get any results, which is absolutely not true. I've seen firsthand how very small changes in behavior and decision-making can lead to incredible results in fitness and health. Let's see if I can think of anything else.
Speaker 2:I think that there's a misconception that it's easy. It's easy for the people who are doing it well, it's not easy for anybody. And I think, on the flip side of that, there's this misconception that I'm a failure if I can't get a handle on it. You know you're not a failure. You're. The fact that you're even trying, you know, makes you, makes you a success already. You just haven't. If you, if you've been stuck and you haven't figured out how to, you know, cross over to the next phase of who you want to be, you're not a failure. You just haven't figured it out yet and it takes time. And back to your point of patience, you know. So I just think that that's one of those things that people give up too easily on themselves, and it makes me sad. So don't give up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm with you, I'm with you. One last question what big advice would you give someone that, and specifically a woman that you know is older? Their kids are either already out of the house or almost out of the house and they want to explore and try something new, but they're hesitant. What advice would you give that person?
Speaker 2:I think that the key word there is explore and get curious and don't get so fixated on whether or not you're going to be successful at doing the thing, because the success is is just getting up and trying the thing, not whether or not you're any good at it. You can try it, you can love it, you can hate it, you can be good, you can bad, be bad, and you can decide to proceed or you can decide to stop. But but the limiting factor shouldn't be whether or not you think you're gonna be good at it. You know you should. You should embrace the curiosity and treat that, this phase of your life as you know, your own personal, personal quest, and try to alleviate some of the pressure or stress you might feel from whether or not you're going to be good at the thing and just say, hey, I just get to, how lucky am I? I just get to try these things and you know, see how it feels. And that should be the only assessment.
Speaker 2:Not did I? Did I do a good job? Did this change my life? Did this change my body? Just, you know, how did this make me feel? Do I want to proceed? Do I want to try something new? I mean, it really is a gift when you think about it, and it shouldn't be a task, it should be an exploration.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that. Well, my beautiful people, this is going to conclude this. Sarah, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's been fun, it's been educational, inspiring. I mean. You gave me the chills a couple of times. So, for those watching, if you haven't subscribed, subscribe, follow me on Instagram. I'm going to have all of Sarah's information in the description below. So if you want to get a hold of her and if you're looking for a nutrition coach, there's no one better than Sarah. Highly recommend it. Love you guys. See you in the next one. Sarah, hold on one quick second.