Regret Is An Ugly Word

Psst… I’m going to let you in on a little (not so secret?) secret…

IN 2014 I BECAME A BEACHBODY COACH. I WAS IN A RUT AND I COULD NOT GET IN SHAPE NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED. ALTHOUGH LOOKING BACK, TRYING HARD TO ME BACK THEN MEANT EATING A FEW TIMES DURING THE DAY AND THEN BINGING ON TACO BELL AT 10 PM.

I needed something new and an online friend of mine shared her story with me. She drank a “superfood shake” and did 25 minute exercises 5 times a week and lost 25 lbs in a few months. I decided to invest in the program and become a coach - to which all of my friends whispered “pyramid scheeeeeeme” aaaand they weren’t wrong. But they weren’t completely right, either.

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THE PROGRAMS WORK. THE SHAKE IS DELICIOUS AND TO BE HONEST, SORT OF MAGICAL. BUT THE CULTURE OF THE COMPANY ITSELF DRAWS YOU IN WITH PROMISES OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY WHICH I’LL ADMIT FOR A WHILE WAS TRUE. I MET COUNTLESS INCREDIBLE PEOPLE THROUGH BEACHBODY WHO ARE STILL MY FRIENDS TO THIS DAY. WE LAUGHED, CRIED, AND SWEAT TOGETHER ALL FROM OUR OWN LIVING ROOMS -STATES APART.

Eventually, though, it became very catty. None of my immediate friends subjected me to the bullying I witnessed - but boy did I witness some shady behavior. In order to “help people” aka make money off of other people making money, some upline coaches would try to convince you of how necessary it was to sign your mom up, your grandma, your dead cat, ANYONE, so you could get the commission.

AT A CERTAIN POINT, I FELT LIKE THE IMAGE I WAS PORTRAYING WAS FALSE AND IN A WAY TAINTED. I DIDN’T WANT TO REPRESENT THE CULTURE I FOUND MYSELF IMMERSED IN - ONE OF FOOD SHAMING, BODY SHAMING, AND GENERAL SHAMING IF YOU DECIDED YOU DIDN’T WANT TO ROPE YOUR AUNT INTO $120 MONTHLY-AUTO PAYMENTS FOR A SHAKE EVEN IF THEY COULDN’T AFFORD RAMEN NOODLES.

Despite the negative aspects of that journey I learned a lot and I’m glad I went through it. I did get in shape. I did get healthy. I did meet amazing people. It even motivated me to get out of my comfort zone and make videos on Youtube! THAT is how SharTV began…

BELOW IS ONE OF MY FIRST VIDEOS WHICH, MUCH TO MY SURPRISE YEARS LATER HAS ALMOST 14,000 VIEWS. JUST ME IN MY MOMS KITCHEN WHIPPING UP SOME COCONUT FLOUR PIZZA……….

I also did a few yoga videos. Here is one of me at a local park:

Like I said…I don’t regret the Beachbody phase of my life because of how much it taught me about my body and myself in general. I did countless things I was previously afraid of - getting certified to teach PiYo (even though I never taught a class…), posting videos like this, and starting conversations about nutrition with strangers at the store.

EVERY EXPERIENCE THAT WE’RE BLESSED WITH IS ONE THAT WE MUST TREAT AS A LESSON. EVERY EXPERIENCE TEACHES US SOMETHING. THIS IS WHY I NEVER, EVER REGRET A THING.