Lean In: My story of pursuing my passions

A few months ago I wrote a blog post about an inspiring women’s conferenced I attended at my alma mater, Harvard Business School.  Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO,  was the keynote speaker and I become very moved by her advocacy for women to “Lean In.”  I could relate to her stories about over coming corporate obstacles, balancing work and life and trying to build and maintain self-confidence.   She even talked about the importance of maintaining her health and wellness (she was also a fitness instructor on the side, like me!).  This woman has some #GRIT.  Anyway, I decided to share my “Lean In” story with the global community, so I today I wanted to repost it for my GRIT by Brit readers.  Hope my story inspires you and encourages you to make your dreams come true!

The only person who can hold me back from making my dreams come true, is me!  Lots of luv, Brit

And here’s my story…

I drained my savings account to develop and produce an original home workout DVD. I was working crazy hours in management consulting and had recently completed my MBA, but could not ignore my deep desire to share fitness, health and wellness with others. I chose to lean in.

I realized I had unique ability to motivate and encourage others through fitness and wellness. At a very young age I began struggling with my weight. I weighed 106 pounds in the 3rd grade. However, my weight loss journey transformed my way of thinking and revealed my personal strength. My new-found mental grit positively impacted my career, relationships and my faith. I had a duty to share my weight management success story and tools for others to succeed.

First, I auditioned at a major fitness club to start teaching part-time group fitness classes. I was terrified. Completely out of my element, I had to study for fitness certifications, get my body in impeccable shape and learn to lead a class. I would have been much more comfortable in a conference room with PowerPoint slides.

I then started a fitness and wellness lifestyle blog in which I became totally immersed. After long days with my corporate clients, I would stay up late designing workouts and writing motivational messages for my blog followers.

Last, I took the big leap by draining my entire savings account, hiring a producer, and shooting a home workout DVD, staring me! While being in front of the camera was very uncomfortable, it was also amazingly exhilarating. In less than one year, I finalized the video content and packaging. The DVD was picked up by an Amazon distributor and is now for sale online to customers worldwide. In the first three months I sold over 100 copies without any paid marketing or advertising. Also, my blog grew to almost 2,000 followers. In the meanwhile, I received a promotion from Senior Consultant to Manager at my full-time consulting job—wow!

My lean in decision taught me that I’m capable of doing things far beyond my imagination. While I haven’t led a major corporation or raised millions of dollars, I have encouraged the lives of many people by simply sharing my gifts and taking a risk. The only person who can hold me back from making my dreams come true, is me.