A Letter To My Team
Back in September I had mentioned that I was stepping back a bit from coaching but that I wasn’t giving up my “coach” title. There were several reasons why but the truth is a lack of community was for sure one of the bigger ones. No ones fault but my own. Well almost exactly a month a go I actually did decide to let go of that title and for the first time in YEARS I decided to become a challenger in an accountability group instead of running one.
I figured I would just share the letter I sent out to my team because it best explained my reasons and heart on the matter….
“OK yall…It’s gonna be a long one. Bare with me please!
I’m making some changes for the new year and while I have to do what’s best for ME, I feel obligated to let all of you know because it will effect you.
I began my health and fitness journey at 264lbs. I hesitantly started coaching in September of 2012 at 244lbs. I say hesitantly because I wasn’t sure of my ability as an overweight person to “coach” anyone through this getting healthy process. To my surprise people literally across the world reached out to me for help. I was blown away. It made my heart so happy. I was bringing in new coaches of my own and PROUD to let them know they were joining a team under a Top Coach in the business (not me lol my upline). As you know I shared EVERY bit of my journey…all the sweaty pics, meals, workouts, etc. I grew a pretty large following, we had an online team and presence, I had team members joining me on company trips, we had team shirts lol we were official (haha) some folks recognized me outside to the Insta world. I was even approached about a small piece in our local paper. As with any business, my coaching business started to have some ebs and flows… until I felt like there wasn’t much flow at all. It was feeling less and less like a “team”. I have tried to build a solid community here within this team and In the beginning it was going awesome. However, through the years I do believe somewhere along the way I kind of lost site of things. The number game got me. The “likes” got me. I needed to “help” aka bring in as many folks as I could. Things started to slow down tremendously and being 100% honest (because yall know I keeps it real lol) it was super discouraging to me as a coach…the encouragement to one another stopped, no one was posting, coaches stepped down, some switched teams. I felt angry and hurt. I felt like a poor coach. I wonder if it was because folks didn’t trust me anymore…if I wasn’t relatable since I had lost the weight. All kinds of thoughts ran through my head. I optimistically tried different things to get more members active. I made less “rules” for groups thinking that if I made it easier to receive support that we could get folks back in action. I tried to do online group workouts, etc. Things just weren’t working.
I think it is important to note that somewhere along my journey in my own health and fitness and as a coach that God began to speak to me….or maybe I JUST STARTED LISTENING??? At the end of 2014 I was being pulled to start going back to church. I hadn’t been since I was a child and so in January of 2015 I did. I began to look for God more. I created a new profile that wasn’t so much based around my health and fitness journey. I followed faith based accounts online. I even found other coaches that had built businesses based around GOD. Not saying that my current uplines wasn’t based around God but there was just something different about the ones I came across. The community felt different. In the space I was moving toward I needed that sort of community. I even tried to create that kind of community within my own group..but again I felt I failed. Somewhere during this time I also began and new business and decided to stop “trying” so hard with the coaching. I decided to focus more on my photography…while still continuing my on journey of course. I began attending a new church and started really feeling the sense of community I was needing. Folks that loved Jesus and were interested in the same things as I was and giving praise to God through our talents (photography). However, health and fitness is still a large part of my life. I still enjoy being a part of others journey. I still try to help people along when I can but I don’t get the sense of community I really want and need within my team.
I’m not blaming…just sharing my feelings. I feel I can be 100% honest with all of this because I’m in a new place now. This new year I’m letting go of the pride, ego, letting go of past offenses and just ready for a new beginning. I have kinda been all over with my own journey lately. The beginning half of this year I was ON IT! but I’ve been struggling lately to get my footing. I feel like I need that strong sense of community right now in the health and fitness world….but I also need a lot of JESUS. I’ve been trying to get a balance on it all. Along the way I have admired this one coach in particular…who just happens to be local to me. Her team has the kind of connection I want from my own team. I admire her as a follower of Jesus, a mama, a coach and a leader, etc. And so I finally made the decision (I’ve been thinking about it for a while) to reach out to her about switching to her team. Remember being apart of this particular Top Coaches team I’m on now was pretty cool for me from the beginning…but her team is MASSIVE and I don’t even feel I can turn there for community any longer.
So I reached out to the local coach and she was all for it…but there is a catch. In order for me (a COACH) to switch upline coaches. I have to step down as a coach for 6 months. which means that all the team and customers I have made for the past 6 years move to my current upline coach. Meaning I will not be your coach any longer. At first I was like NO WAY! I’m not doing that. I’ve worked to hard to build this. I immediately thought of what I was “losing” …500 something customers…some of which who are even active.
I eventually made the decision that I will indeed make the switch…which is why I’m writing you this looooong message. Since I honestly don’t want to leave YOU feeling left behind…My soon to be new coach has agreed to add you to her community once I make the switch. So you don’t get lost in the shuffle of things so to speak and I will still be able to check in with you…even though you wont necessarily be under my team at the moment. I’ll be a sort of acting coach or something??
Once I return as a coach you can then switch back to me as your coach. I KNOW this seems like a lot and I don’t expect 500 something people to come along with me. I just have to trust that who or what is for me with stay/find me. In my switch I’m actually putting myself back in the place of a challenger…which I haven’t done in years. I’ll be starting from scratch letting someone else lead the way. Again…letting go of that pride and ego.. I still have a lot to learn as a coach and leader and I’m willing to do so. I’m actually excited for a new beginning and being placed in a student type role. I will be joining my new coaches team in doing the Transform 20 group and kinda geeked out in not having to RUN a group be just to participate.
As I’m writing this I am also reminded that everything and everyone has a time and place in our lives. A few weeks ago while I was with my husband in the grocery store…someone approached me. She actually stepped out of the line from the register… “you don’t know me but I know you.” She told me how she followed my old account and the later found me on my new one. How she enjoyed watching my family grow, how I helped her and how she just wanted to let me know that all that I do isn’t in vain. She gave me a hug and continued on her way. I’m kinda of awkward in situations like that HAHA and wished I had gotten her name so I could stay in touch but It meant a lot. I know even though I may not have stewarded all this well that it had a purpose. So I’m happy about that and excited for whats to come ”
Gossssh I talk a lot lol…So yeah there’s that. I’m a customer for the time being, in a new group doing Transform 20, with my new AMAZING coach and my cup is so full right now between that, home and church <3 Soooo That’s all for now…that’s enough right?! haha