BECOMING EVERY DAY IS A NEW BEGINNING OF A BLESSING.
SHE
On the cover
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SHOWED UP! As I pen this article so many words and thoughts come to mind. However, the words that resonate the loudest are “She showed up!� My journey of weight loss started with a challenge and I challenged her! I challenged her to let go of all the preconceived notions of who she thought she should be. I challenged her to show up for every workout no matter how grueling, no matter how tired she was. I challenged her to command her body! I challenged her to eat right and allow others to hold her accountable I entered the challenged with her knowing one of us would win! I challenged her to cry when she needed to. I encouraged her and I cheered loudly for her. I promised her when we looked back our fight would be worth every ache, every heartache, and every sacrifice she and I would make. No doubt she and I both lost things on our journey. Things that weighed us down, people who intentionally chose not to celebrate our transformation to becoming a better version of ourselves. 4
We lost some unhealthy baggage on the way, some unhealed hurts and some self-sabotaging behaviors.
I promised her the investment we were making in ourselves would yield immeasurable results. I encouraged her to keep going and not stop. I helped her to understand we were both “Becoming�.Finally, she came in agreement with me! Like a partner in a tennis match, we pledged to give it every ounce, every fiber of our being, we resolved not to give up, not to quit. As the weights increased, so did our strength. We were stronger than we could have ever imagined. She was transforming right before my eyes. She gave it her everything. So did I! Nevertheless, she persisted and she won, we won. I AM her and I am becoming.
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THE EXTRA POUNDS WERE MY SECURITY I had packed on an extra 40 pounds. The extra pounds were my security. If I let myself go altogether, no one would ever approach me, let alone violate me. I felt like Linus on The Charlie Brown show with his security blanket. Actually, the extra pounds became my security blanket. I wrapped myself in them day after day, night after night. I had problems with emotional eating, this was my comfort. The things I really wanted to change now were that I was overweight and that I seemed to always be longing for a relationship with a male. I never did have many female friends. My encounters with most females usually proved that they were just as emotional as I was. Most of the time women wanted to share feelings. I want to share feelings. Sharing feelings required energy, attachment and sometimes didn’t have any of that to offer. I chose purposely to have male friends; many of those were platonic. © Excerpt from Unmasking by Mechelle Stephens 6
I first came in contact with Mechelle, aka ''The Fit Preacher'' when she expressed interest in joining one of my fitness challenge groups after feeling inspired by a co-worker's fitness journey with me.
Mechelle may think that I poured belief into her first, but she actually poured into me unaware that I was in a rough place. I had just resigned at the gym with a vision for my own studio. However, my classes were not consistent and I was experiencing significant inner turmoil about whether or not I was on the right path. She asked me to give her a call about a project that she had in mind. During that call she adamantly expressed how my heart and personality was perfect for women in need. She said, ''you have the IT factor.''
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I was sitting on my deck that day feeling utterly overwhelmed prior to that call. After the call, I had confirmation that I should continue with my vision.
One would have to be a fly on the wall to hear our conversations and texts about nutrition (one would be thoroughly entertained!) She's beautifully human.
So, when we finally began to work together as a team, I already felt in my heart that I wanted to give her my best. I felt like I owed her that. I saw her courageous heart and desire for change. I knew we would work well together.
So, sometimes she stuck to our game plan. Sometimes, we fussed. We have a peculiar type of relationship. She fusses at me. I laugh. I give her the straight truth. She receives. She gives me the truth (in typical drama queen fashion), I receive it.
She signed up for coaching because I promised her that I could make her scale move, which later became my personal business slogan. At that time she felt frustrated about a perceived plateau, but I knew that just as she saw the ''IT''factor in me, I also saw it in her.
Watching God work in and on Mechelle's body has been a pleasure and I would not change it for the world!
As we worked out together she would caution me to be mindful of her age, her knee and back. I would coach her, in typical boot camp fashion, to challenge her. She met every challenge with a will to succeed....but also at times with a fuss, a side eye, borderline ignoring my coaching ques, but she did it.
I accept her challenge to become a better me and that is the way it is between me and the ''Fit Preacher''
Her power of influence is amazing and I know the world is a better place because we have her in it. She accepted my fitness challenge.
I want to see you WIN! Veronica Montgomery http://dominion-life-coachtraining.thinkific.com http://liveexperts.tv/Veronica%20Montgomery 8
OUR CLUB A place where everybody knows each other and the time of day is always Morning. When I inquired of the owners Gerry & Yamile Rodgriquez why they always said “Good Morning” even at 6:30PM Their response “Every time we say Good Morning we are greeting everyone as if we are starting our day full of blessings, every day is a new beginning of a blessing. Sometimes when you’ve had a bad day it’s almost like extending you a new and better moment to start. So, Good Morning Sunshine.” The atmosphere of the club is one of family. There is no competition only camaraderie. If you are ever in the vicinity you definitely need to stop by and feel the love from these two. Gerardo (Gerry) and Yamile were the sponsors of the “Beautiful Me” Photo shoot which was awarded to the winner of the contest. That’s where the cover photos and the other beautiful studio photos came from. They
From the Club Owners We would like to create an organization and atmosphere where everyone feels welcomed and empowered. We engage with our community to promote a healthier lifestyle and have meaning in all they do. We empower them to be the true, powerful, and successful people we see them as. We know our communities need support, and we remind ourselves to be the positive influencers, innovators, and mentors to those around us; just like the people we work with. Our goal is to make women feel like them best selves and know that they are welcomed anywhere as they are. We would love to see our Organization and group of Wellness Coaches succeed as they change their lives as they are helping change other lives. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve each and every one of our customers and coaches. Thank you,
chose an amazing photographer (Tiffani Marie) whose full of passion and knows how to capture the essence of YOUR most BEAUTIFUL YOU.
GERARDO and Yamile Rodriguez Independent Herbalife Nutrition Distributors Energy.goherbalife.com #lovetheClub
Well some results can be measured like coming off of medicine, losing weight, losing inches, gaining selfesteem, gaining a better picture of their self image!!!! So for that reason I write!
I chose to pen the article because so many other women have come forth and started their journey and have gotten results that cannot be measured.
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My prayer is this article will encourage you to reflect on your why, start your journey of liberty, push beyond your self-imposed limits, command your body, win, and become‌..become the best version of you! Hopefully this article will bring about a time of reflection for you.
Watch out for the biggest focus thieves PNP’s procrastination and negative people.If you do lose your focus, don’t beat yourself up. Stop and remind yourself of what you want to accomplish. And most importantly why you want to accomplish this goal? Knowing your why, will help you regain your focus. Write it down and tell the people in your life that will support you.
Don’t be fooled, distractions come in many forms. Your children, household chores, the favorite store you just can’t miss. Or, what about when your favorite show is having a marathon.Distractions steal your time and your focus.
Having a strong support system will help you stay focused and regain focus when you get distracted. Write your goal down and tape it to your mirror. Every morning when you look in the mirror, you’re also seeing your goal. Put it everywhere, in your car, on your desk at work, your cell phone background, put it everywhere. Vision boards can be a wonderful tool to help you re-focus when you need it. A vision board is a great visual tool to help you see your goal and help you get back on track. Re-focusing can be a restart to something great. 11
My prayer is that you will accept the challenge of becoming the best version of yourself as this year closes and the next year begins. Mechelle Stephens Special thanks to Mucha Hildah M. Lunding for helping me with designing and publishing my first magazine and helping make this vision a reality. Contact info: womensfrontline@gmail.com Special thanks to Tiffany Marie for her passion to capture priceless moments in the lives of others. The Photographer of life’s sweetest moments.
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