When Life Comes Full Circle
Do you ever have those moments where you just stop and think," Wow, how did I get here?" It doesn't have to be a big dramatic event, just an ordinary life experience that is the culmination of many small moments, built upon each other, year after year... taking you to where you are right here, right now.
Well, this just happened to me. We recently added Community Barre classes to the schedule at North End Yoga and I attended one taught by my student, friend and former personal assistant. (Yes, pre kids I had a personal assistant. Insert me laughing at how busy I used to think I was and how YOUNG I was below!)
Tori and I at a JPP event together in April 2013.
Tori the instructor is a recent graduate of the NEY Barre Teacher Training program which I co-lead and co- created with Boston fitness superstar Meagan Fitzgerald. Watching Tori stand in front of the room and go from student to instructor, motivating and pushing ME on the mat was such an 'a-ha' moment. I was so proud of her for so many reasons, but mostly for having the courage to make the intimidating decision to try something brand new. Even though she has years of being a loyal student under her belt, she had no prior teaching experience, yet she still signed up for the training, completed the weekend, auditioned and landed a spot leading community classes at one of Boston's best studios. Watching not only her journey, but that of the other women you took part in our training has left me feeling so fulfilled in ways I never could have imagined.
In full disclosure, I was very apprehensive to take on the massive role of training others to teach. For years I skirted the opportunity. It's a big deal to shape someone else's career. Yes, I'm happy with where my business is, but who says I would be successful in helping other people find their passion and craft their own paths? Would it be worth all of the work?
OMG. YES! 1,000 times over, yes. Months later I'm still thanking my lucky stars I did it. After 3 long days, one amazing partner and 13 special ladies- my life changed for the better. These women showed me how much more I have to give and how much JOY I find in helping others to uncover their strengths while pursuing their own big and sometimes scary dreams.
My favorite part of the weekend was the individual assessments we did with each trainee. When planning things out, Meagan and I really spent a lot of time thinking about how we could make this experience different than other teacher trainings. How could we really use our years of experience and connections teaching in this city to help other people?
We decided that it was important for us during the weekend to take the time to meet with each person and better understand their goals. We wanted to know WHY they signed up and HOW we could help them. Not everyone who does a teacher training wants to start teaching right away. Some students want to better their understanding of the practice. Some want to start subbing and supplement their full time jobs with their side passion. And yes, others aim to quit their corporate job, make a major life change and become a full time fitness instructor. There's no right reason to do a training. However we were floored by the honesty and reasoning of why each trainee joined us. They motivated and inspired US! This is certainly something I never could have expected would have happened but I'm beyond grateful it did.
I learned from these ladies that everyone has something to give. We all have our own unique life experiences that have led us to where we are. If we take those experiences with us, to the front of the classroom and let them fill our hearts and guide our words- our classes will be more than a workout. They will be the start of an experience. In a a city filled with thousands of fitness classes and instructors, the ones who stand out, the ones you keep going back to, are those who do so much more than just teach.
I can't wait to do this all over again with a brand new group of people! Our next training is almost full but if you're interested in joining us, the next NEY Barre Teacher Training is March 23-25. Full details are here on the North End Yoga website. If you have any questions, or know someone who just needs to take the leap and come join us, please email me. I'm always happy to chat!
And a HEARTFLET and much overdue THANK YOU to all of the ladies who joined Meagan and I at NEY back in November for our first training. You are all simply incredible!!! Thank you for joining us, trusting us and teaching us so much!
Have you ever had an a-ha moment where you felt like everything you've ever done took you to that exact moment? It's an incredible feeling isn't it!?