It seemed the more I did the bigger my mission became. Now, I wanted to create a place or build a community that would be an inspiration to others to live a healthier and happy lifestyle.
Not having any plan and no experience on social media, I created a PRIVATE Facebook group called, the bridge. This felt safe. I started out posting everyone else’s inspiration because I was TERRIFIED. I SLOWLY grew my group and started to get a little more confident in myself.
Then the pandemic. When COVID hit, the hotel industry that had been my entire career, was shattered in what felt like an instant. So many people I care about were hurting, scared and uncertain about the future. My blessing; the company I had worked for so many years, continued to employ me. However, my daily activities were so different. I knew that I needed to find peace to get through such an uncertain time. To find peace, I needed to help others.
A friend of mine, who was going through similar times and had a similar interest in helping others live a healthier lifestyle, and I decided to sign up for a Nutrition Coaching Certification. What we didn’t know, initially, was that we had to become Certified Personal Trainers first. With a mission to help others we signed up! I will always be grateful to Trisha for her friendship, that day and so many others. To this day, with every conversation we have, our mission to help others becomes even greater!
My nights and weekends were filled with studying. I would study at the lake, in the car, at the farm and anywhere I had extra time. It was HARD but I loved it! My family supported me every step of the way.
The day had finally come for the Personal Training Certification Test. The exam was proctored so I was in a locked room with a camera and one other person. My belongings were in a locked zipper bag and I was sitting in a cubicle, ready to cry because I wanted this so badly. IT WAS HARD!
When I was finished, I thought for sure that I had failed. It was so hard! I went into the bathroom and cried, got myself together and went to find the proctor. She gave me back my belongings in the small room where we first met and the printer with my results. I told her I didn’t think I did well, then I looked at the printer as my results came out and all I could see was the word “PASSED”. I cried again but this time with tears of joy. I gave her the biggest hug and ran out to my car to call everyone.
Next up, my Nutrition Certification. I was back to studying but this time it was my passion, food. The thing that had created so many challenges and so much joy for me. Test day for this one was much different than the other. I was able to take it home. I passed!
During this time the hotel industry began to thrive again. My hotel career for 20+ years began to rebuild, offering me new opportunities with True North Hotel Group. So grateful for the new challenge and loving my new endeavors with True North, I also wanted to continue on my faith walk with the bridge.
After completing my certifications I began to coach more people, eventually giving me the content for my program “Fundamentals for Creating Healthy Habits”. My first clients deserve a big shout out because they took a chance on me when I was just starting out and learning how to be the best coach I could be, which I am STILL learning so thank you! Thank you to EVERYONE that has supported me on this journey and has been by my side through my story.
emi – coach kristen
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