What I do as a full time Beachbody coach

Happy Wednesday!

I’m still thrown off by the long weekend, anyone else? Ben and I traveled down to central Illinois for Memorial Day to visit my family and celebrate my brother’s and sister’s graduations from college and 8th grade. My siblings are growing up, so weird!!

It was a wonderful break from the fast pace of the city. I love getting back to the peace and stillness of the cornfields and my parents’ lush peony-filled backyard in early summer.

We threw a graduation party on Sunday afternoon, which brought up plenty of opportunities for me to explain what I’m doing with my life to old family friends, relatives, and neighbors. Ah, yes. I know that “online health and fitness coach” is really hard to explain and understand so I thought I’d write a little more about what exactly I do as a full time Beachbody coach!

“What is a coach? To me, a coach is a person who is your friend, someone who really cares about you. A coach is committed to helping you be the best that you can be. A coach will challenge you, not let you off the hook. Coaches have knowledge and experience because they’ve been there before. They aren’t any better than the people they are coaching. Sometimes a coach doesn’t even teach you something new, but they remind you of what you need to do at just the right moment, and they push you to do it.”

— Tony Robbins

In a nutshell

There are two broad components of my job: health and fitness mentoring for my clients (aka “challengers”), and business mentoring for the coaches on my team.

Health and fitness mentoring

The main thing I do as a Beachbody coach is help women grow their confidence and develop a positive body image by providing them with tools, resources, and support they need to prioritize their physical and emotional wellbeing. I provide accountability and support via group and individual coaching and help them work towards specific health and fitness goals and/or bigger picture life goals based on how they want to feel about themselves. This is all online, and the location independence is great! I set up private accountability groups on Facebook every month for my group coaching, and provide individual coaching to my clients through weekly emails. Once you enroll in one of my groups, I’m your workout buddy/life coach/cheerleader/mentor/breakthrough facilitator for life...as long as you need me!

How the process works

First I help women get to the bottom of their goals and over-arching “WHY,” or motivation for making a change. Then I recommend a home fitness program and nutrition plan that meets their needs and lifestyle, and finally provide them with emotional support as they get started on their program and for as long as they need me.

Because let’s face it -- whether your goals are to lose 5 pounds, lose 30 pounds, establish a consistent workout routine, break a plateau, eat healthier, curb cravings and cut out junk food, gain positive body image, lose the baby weight, focus on yourself in spite of the demands of being a busy wife/mom/student/career woman, moving out of your comfort zone is HARD and SCARY! Especially if your friends and family don’t support you or understand why you want to change.

In my monthly Facebook groups, I create a space in which women can find support, community, and guidance as they make healthier changes so they can stop the yo-yo/diet cycle, stop beating themselves up, and learn how to nourish their bodies with real food. It’s not about deprivation or crash diets or quick fixes, it’s more about what you can ADD to your life to uncover the best possible version of yourself. I post a motivational quote or mini-challenge everyday, and every night we all check in with our progress and how we're feeling.

You can learn more and apply to my next challenge group HERE.

Business mentoring

I also provide personal business mentoring to women who decide to join my coaching team and become a Beachbody coach too. My coaches usually come straight from my challenge groups, because once you discover how amazing you feel when you start treating yourself and your body with respect, it’s easy to want to pay it forward and help others. Coaching is a great way to share something you’re passionate about, align your life with your unique strengths and talents, earn a side income, work towards financial freedom, join a family of closely knit like-minded people, and design a life that is custom tailored around things that bring you joy.

Through coaching, you gain permission to be successful at life by simply being yourself and sharing your story with others.

You don’t have to "try" or hustle products, you don’t have to change or improve or be at your goal weight, you most certainly don’t have to be perfect! It’s our scars and mistakes and rock bottom moments that connect us to others, and showing that you’re simply working towards a bigger and better vision for yourself and your life is the most inspiring thing you can share with others.  

It sounds too good to be true, but it’s not! I’m living proof. Even if I still have a hard time believing that I’m literally living my dream of working for myself and making a bigger impact by sharing my gifts and creativity!

My team is growing into a powerhouse tribe little by little, and watching my coaches spread their wings and fly is my absolute favorite thing about my job. The sense of self worth that you gain when you start immersing yourself in a positive culture of empowerment, personal development, and a community of big-hearted women who have your back is INSANE! In the past 12 months alone, my coaches have already been able to leave soul-draining jobs and land their dream jobs, move to their dream cities, achieve their “happy weight,” tackle huge life bucket list dreams, make a side income to pay off loans and vacations, and are growing their own businesses and creating financial freedom for themselves and their families too. It’s like a ripple effect. We focus on helping one person at a time believe that they’re worth more, and the positivity spreads like wildfire.

You can read more about our team Inspire Joy HERE.

A day in the life

A "typical day" in my life as a full time Beachbody coach varies a lot and I love having flexibility and freedom, but I am consistent with a few important things. Every day I'll make sure to workout, eat healthy, drink my superfood smoothie, journal and work on personal development, write content for my blog or groups, post on Instagram and Facebook, catch up on messages and emails, check in with my coaches and challengers in our Facebook groups, and work on building relationships with potential coaches and clients. Every week I schedule one-on-one coaching calls with my team, tune into our team webinars, listen to our national training call, and will absorb as many random business or coaching podcasts, webinars, or YouTube videos as I can handle. 

Building your own business is a giant roller coaster, but I do my best to keep it real!

I've been working hard to establish work/life boundaries, and have been doing my best to stop work by 3 or 4 pm and take weekends off! Once Ben is home for summer I definitely want to open up my schedule more so we can enjoy the city, travel, and random adventures.

Something big I've been learning is that with coaching, more hours worked does NOT equal more success. The most crucial component to success is to keep myself inspired, enthusiastic, and motivated every day. Sometimes that means unplugging and taking a day off to paint, draw, read, drink coffee on the deck, watch mindless TV, or hang out with friends or family!

The ironic thing is that I worked more hours on my business while I was still working my full time job, than I do now! I'm learning how to work smarter, not harder, so I can maintain sanity and joy and leave lots of room for my Etsy business, hobbies, and life.

I'm learning that I don't have to be productive 100% of the time to build a thriving business. As a recovering perfectionist, over-achiever, workaholic, it's been a tough but oh so amazing pill to swallow, and despite the challenges of being an entrepreneur, I wouldn't have it any other way. My heart is full, I'm learning more and more about myself every day, and I've definitely discovered my bigger purpose in life! 

My personal coaching mission

One of the best things about Beachbody is that you have complete freedom to create a business that revolves around you and your unique strengths and interests. My personal mission as a coach is to enable women to reach their health and fitness goals, gain confidence, and learn how to love their bodies while working towards uncovering their “best selves.” Because the better you feel about yourself, the happier and more productive you can be, and the more you’ll be able to fully SHOW UP and be present in your life and for the people you love.

What is your “best self”? It’s different for everyone, but I believe that feeling your best starts with taking care of your body through nutrition and exercise.

Overall wellness, confidence, and joy are rooted in health and fitness. When you move your body, push your physical and mental limits, and nourish yourself with fresh nutrient dense foods you feel ALIVE. It doesn’t matter where you’re starting from, what you weigh, or how far you are from your “goals.” All that matters is that you’re making an active intentional choice to invest in yourself, to feel better and do things in the present moment that bring you energy and joy. It’s about taking CONTROL of your life, releasing the victim mentality of “I’ll never be good enough,” and making small changes.

I help women learn how to enjoy the journey and the process of life by sharing my own story, complete with the ups and downs. I’m not motivated or perfect every day and that’s ok. That’s what life is all about! If you can’t learn how to love your body, yourself, and your life right now (no matter how much of a crazy hot mess you think it is…) you’re never going to find happiness or joy in the future, no matter how much weight you lose or how “perfect” your diet is.

So stop waiting, stop postponing your happiness, stop thinking “once I can finally lose 10 pounds I’ll be able to have fun at the weddings/concerts/beach this summer” and start LIVING!

Surround yourself with women who are on the same path.

And for goodness sake do NOT ever believe anyone who tells you that you have to give up wine, carbs, chocolate, ice cream, pizza, burgers, your social life to be happy. Do more of what brings you joy, but listen to your body and respect it along the way.

"Progress, not perfection" is my motto. Closely followed by "treats, not cheats."

You were created to be vibrant, happy, energetic, joyful, and strong, to wake up every morning with a sense of excited possibility, inspired to take on each new day, and you deserve it.

Everything you are desperate to be, do, and feel already exists inside of you.

As a Beachbody coach, I will believe in you until you learn how to believe in yourself!

xo Anna

p.s. Curious to see if coaching might be for you? Click here to learn more about my team!

Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach's income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill. See our Statement of Independent Coach Earnings located at https://images.beachbody.com/coach-office/downloads/statement_of_independent_coach_earnings.pdf for the most recent information on our Coaches' actual incomes.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (book review)

I’ve never thought of myself as a naturally organized or tidy person. I leave my clothes on the floor, I’ll start doing dishes but won’t finish them, I ignore piles of old papers and random junk, and folding laundry is the woooOOOoooOOrst! I’m more of a big picture thinker, and don’t like to focus on details, which is why when I was applying to graduate programs I quit biology for geography, trading microscopes for landscapes.

However, I’m type-A enough that I know I feel best in a clean, uncluttered, and organized space, and my Pinterest boards reflect that inner desire ;) But I haven’t been able to bridge the gap between who I am and who I want to be, so “purge closet,” “de-clutter,” “organize office” have been items on my to-do list for literally months and years and I end up feeling stuck and trapped. Mostly because the sheer thought of decluttering is so overwhelming! I don’t want to face the emotional investment that comes with deciding what to keep and what to discard. I’m a very sentimental person and I also have a resourceful side (which I credit to reading all the Boxcar Children books when I was little), a talent for creating something out of nothing, for looking at an object and imagining a dozen different possibilities or uses for it. Plus I have a physical aversion to waste! So if something might be useful down the road or is attached to memories or sentimental value, I can’t bring myself to throw it away! 

Do you get it?

Ben and I always complain about the lack of storage space in our apartment, but our apartment is not even that small. I just have so much random CRAP from past phases of life wasting all the storage space, stuff that we haven’t even touched since we moved here three summers ago. So the things I actually use on a regular basis are just crammed into shelves and corners. It’s stifling!

Now that I work from home, I’m learning just how important my physical environment is to my confidence, mood, and general ability to get shit done. I can’t think or work in a cluttered, messy space, but decluttering the apartment has been on the backburner as I’ve been focusing on building my business and figuring out my life. You know, the big picture things. Decluttering and organizing doesn’t feel important or urgent, so I just avoid it.

Over the past couple months I'm finally reaching a good place with my confidence, business, health and fitness, and social life, but I still felt “off,” and was still struggling with anxiety and dissatisfaction. Everything was good, I knew it was good, but it still didn’t FEEL good and I couldn’t pinpoint why. In April I took a coaching business training course with my Beachbody team. One of our assignments was to complete Chalene Johnson’s balance assessment, in which you rank your overall satisfaction in 10 core areas of life. My lowest score was "environment and surroundings" because I’ve never really loved our apartment, even though I spend almost 24/7 in it. 

Wait. Could my cluttered, messy apartment really be the last thing holding me back from accepting myself and finally overcoming the self-doubt and anxiety? BOOM! It was like a giant lightbulb went off in my head.

Enter: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

Have you heard of this book? It's apparently wildly popular right now, and was recommended to me by my friend/old supervisor, my life coach, and a couple bloggers I respect, so a few weeks ago I picked it up at my local bookstore on a whim.

OH MY GAHHHHHHH it’s legit, you guys. Magical, life changing, the whole shebang. I read the entire book in one weekend, then took three full days to tackle some major tidying. I went through my clothes, personal possessions, books, papers, fabric and art supplies, and office. I still have to deal with the kitchen and bathroom, but I already feel like a whole new person.

I won’t give too much of the book away, but it’s written by Marie Kondo, a Japanese personal organization consultant. She describes her method of decluttering and tidying a home for the long haul--no more just rearranging your stuff, hiding clutter in drawers, or falling back into old habits. Her system WORKS. It’s not emotionally overwhelming, and the sense of zen she infuses into the process makes donating or throwing things away feel respectful and oh so good.

Basically, you tidy by category, not by room. You start with clothes and accessories, then move onto books, and on down the list, going from items with least sentimental value to more value so you can be objective and don’t overwhelm yourself from the beginning.

When you begin a new category, you find everything that fits that category in the house and dump it onto the floor. Then you go through each item one by one, touching and handling every single object, and make a split second intuitive decision by asking yourself “Does this spark joy?”

If it doesn’t spark joy (or hold intrinsic value or necessary purpose), it goes bye bye! It’s as simple as that.

In the end, you’ll only keep your absolute favorite things. You don’t have to worry or be afraid of being forced to give up what you really care about, because it’s totally up to you, the decision is literally in your hands. The point is to live simply, surrounded only by objects that bring you joy and happiness. It is SO liberating!

I ended up donating three garbage bags full of clothes, dozens of books, downsized my shoe collection to around 23 pairs, organized my fabric stash, and have a space for everything! My once-small closet feels organized and spacious.

What I learned about the tidying process

-How to get rid of gifts or sentimental items without guilt.

-How to overcome the “it might be useful” or “I might wear it someday” trap.

-How to be systematic and productive instead of getting distracted, spending 2 hours down the rabbit hole of looking at old books and pictures, and giving up.

-How to finally say goodbye to old books, notebooks, and course materials!

-How to fold and store my clothes to take up less space and make everything visible.

(Here's a visual of the "vertical folding" technique, featuring my pj's/tank tops and bottoms.)

-How to say “thanks but no thanks!” without feeling guilty when a family member tries to pass down stuff to you.

-How to turn decluttering and tidying into an ART, not a chore.

What I’m learning about myself in the process

+ I am an "all or nothing" person, and that is OK!

I'm an enthusiast, passionate, all-in. When I do something I do it right, no holds barred. I love Marie's philosophy that you can't use the Pinterest approach of tidying for 20 minutes a day because you end up driving yourself crazy with a never-ending to-do list. You have to go all-in and take on your entire home in one fell swoop.

This helped me release a lot of guilt about how I think I "should" be running my business and life. Breaking things down into small daily actions sometimes is MORE overwhelming to me than getting it all done at once. (even follow ups, business stuff.) Having a huge daily to-do list with lots of little things gives me tons of anxiety, while having one or two main focuses everyday helps me stay calm and fulfilled! So I've re-structured my work schedule to create weekly and monthly systems instead of trying to do everything every day.

+ I have a personal style!

It emerged after I purged my closet of all the clothes I don't care about. I love black and dark colors, ivory, lace, florals, stretchy pants and leggings, flowy tops, comfy-classy-boho-sporty. I do not like to wear jeans, buttoned downs, brown, or pastels.

+ Deep down I AM a neat and organized person, and I do have the power to take control of my life and happiness instead of playing victim!

It’s SO liberating to say good-bye to past phases of life, old memories, and trappings of previous stages that no longer serve me. I got rid of all my grad school and college papers and articles...it was hard because so many years of blood sweat and tears went into those things, but they also were infused with so much stress.

I shared my 3 day tidying binge on Facebook and inspired several of my friends to read the book too. It’s an emotional process and I think it would be really fun to have an accountability group for support, so I’ve decided to add an optional Book Club component to my June Bootcamp for anyone who's interested in tackling a total life overhaul next month! We'll be making room in our lives for POSITIVE changes and habits by removing negativity and clutter.

We’ll set healthy habits, learn how to fuel our bodies with delicious nutrient dense food, build self esteem and work on developing a positive body image, learn how to love ourselves for who we already are, motivate each other, and most of all have fun! 

Make room for the good stuff in your mind, body, and life. You owe it to yourself and the people you love!

+ You can learn more about my Bootcamp here.

+ If you’re interested in joining us, please contact me here so I can get to know you and chat about your goals!

+ Enrollment is open until June 2nd.

Have you read this book? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

xo Anna

An insider's guide to the perfect Chicago girls' weekend

This past weekend my friend Kaite flew into the city from her little town in the tippytop of northern Wisconsin to visit our  friend Kathleen and me. The three of us originally found each other through the magic of Instagram, drawn to our shared love of health and fitness, nature, and the trials and tribulations of navigating life as complicated late 20-into-30-somethings. We hadn’t all been together since Labor Day weekend last summer, when Kathleen and I road-tripped up to Bayfield to see Kaite’s world. That was the first weekend after I quit my job at the zoo, and so much has happened in the last eight months! It felt amazing to catch up and explore the city, and the weather ended up being spectacular, warm, breezy, sunny, 70’s and 80’s. It felt like summer! 

Kathleen and I have both lived in Chicago for a few years now (crazy!), so we basically packed our favorite things to do and see in the city into two epic days and nights. Lots of walking and adventures interspersed with wine and deep conversations on life. Perfection!

I absolutely love my city, especially in the late spring when the flowers and trees are exploding into color and the weather is warming up but just before the official crazy tourist season kicks into gear. There are endless places to go, restaurants to try, shops to visit, and sights to see, and it can be extremely overwhelming if you’re visiting for the first time! We skipped the typical tourist sights (the “bean,” Millenium Park, museums, Michigan Ave, deep dish pizza) this weekend, although they’re always fun too. Here are just a few of my recommendations for an epic girls' weekend...aka a quick snapshot of my life in Chicago crammed into 2 days.

If you came to visit me for a couple of days in May, this is how it would go...

DAY ONE || SATURDAY

We crashed at Kathleen’s condo in Lincoln Park Friday night, so Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a barre class at her studio, Pure Barre River North! We decided to walk the three miles to the studio, stopping for some coffee and passing through the Green City Market.

After a killer class in which we felt more like floundering baby deer than elegant ballerinas (omg those tiny pulses are no joke), we quickly freshened ourselves up and walked over to Beatrix for brunch! I ordered an egg white omelette with tomatoes, turkey bacon, and whole grain toast with a side of green juice and it was quite possibly the best breakfast meal I’ve ever had. Maybe anything would have tasted like ambrosia after such an intense workout...but Beatrix is a must-stop for brunch in River North! The menu is full of healthy options and the atmosphere is bright and beautiful.

We hopped on a bus back up to Lincoln Park and walked around Nature Boardwalk and through the Lincoln Park Zoo. This is my happy place, an oasis in the middle of the city, and the zoo is one of the best (and the oldest!) in the country. Plus it’s free! I might be biased, but it’s beautifully landscaped, full of historic buildings, and places a big behind the scenes emphasis on local and global conservation initiatives, animal behavior research, and education.

If you walk through the zoo, you also have to stop into the Lincoln Park Conservatory right next door to bask in the tropical wonderland of the giant palms, ferns, orchids, and flowering plants. Another one of my favorite nature spots is the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond, a hidden oasis off of Fulletron Avenue, right next to the entrance to the zoo parking lot. It’s a historic garden featuring a Frank Lloyd Wright pagoda and even a redwood tree!

After walking a bajillion miles, we were desperately in need of another break so we stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up veggies, hummus, pita chips, guacamole, and cheese and meandered our way over to the lakefront for a picnic! When the weather is beautiful, a lake visit is non-negotiable, and Kathleen and I have perfected the art of the picnic. Diversey Harbor is our favorite spot, there’s ample parking and unbeatable views of the skyline.

After recuperating from our hyper-active morning with a few glasses of rose and snacks, we cleaned up and headed over to Wicker Park for the evening! This is one of my favorite neighborhoods. There are so many fun boutiques, bars, restaurants, and the best people watching! We ended up going to Bluelight for after dinner drinks. I had never been there but was pleasantly surprised! It has a really fun diner themed atmosphere, board games, and delicious martinis. We ended up playing Jenga and Never Have I Ever until midnight, when I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

DAY TWO || SUNDAY

Sunday was supposed to be cloudy and thunderstorm-y, but we woke up to another beautiful day! After some yoga and stretching at home (ouch, barre…) we met up at Frasca for a patio brunch. EPIC. This is one of my favorite restaurants for pizza, and the brunch is amazing! I got a delicous egg sandwich and Kathleen got the breakfast pizza. I can’t wait to go back with Ben!

Seriously. I WANT IT!

After brunch we walked through Roscoe Village, full of adorable shops and more brunch restaurants, and then made our way over to Southport for shopping. Wicker Park is good for vintage and indie boutiques, and Southport is good for specialty brand names and fun chains. David’s Tea, Paper Source, Anthropologie, Athleta, and Lululemon are my faves!

Sunburned and tired, we wandered over to Kathleen’s place again for rose and snacks on her deck. Ben met us again for dinner at Standard Market Grill, one of our favorite go-to places for amazing salads, delicious burgers, and a solid beer and wine list! I had a steak salad and a delicious Wyders Pear cider. After dinner we had to make a stop at my all time favorite froyo place, Forever Yogurt.

Aaaaand that’s how you pack three months worth of fun into two days! I think I’m still recovering.

I’m planning to share more of my favorite places and things to do here in Chicago, especially as summer gets rolling and Ben finishes school. Summer in the city is heaven!

Have you been to Chicago? What are some of your favorite things to do?

xo Anna