One Profound Life Lesson I Learned From Disappointing a Coach
About the time I got the most compassionate ass kicking I've ever received and why you shouldn't let your genius die with you
Several years ago, a coach friend gave me a harsh (but welcome) verbal thrashing about a program I had finished and then had done absolutely nothing with for months.
He had binge-watched all the videos in his review copy in less than 24 hours and written me one of the kindest emails I've ever received.
When he finally asked how the program launch went, assuming I'd already done it, I had to sheepishly tell him I hadn't launched it yet.
What followed was a solid hour of every compassionate persuasion technique I've ever heard.
He told me that keeping the information to myself was completely selfish. That by withholding it, I was preventing every confused, unhappy person who could use it from ever finding it.
He asked how many symphonies have been written that no one has ever heard because their composers couldn't get it together to execute.
Then he said something that has stuck with me since.
My work is clearly not for everyone, but if I don't at least share what I have to offer, I'm not for anyone.
It's probably still the most powerful ass kicking I've ever received.
That kind of impact reminds me of the 92-year-old counselor I found when I was freshly separated from my ex-husband and an absolute emotional wreck. He had helped save marriages for 60 years when I met him.
In only a few months, he helped me turn my life around. By April of 2016, he passed away.
He published exactly one book. I know this for sure because I wrote to his widow over snail mail to ask if there was anything more. She responded that he hadn't, but sometimes she listened to his old audio recordings when she missed him.
I've shared his ideas countless times since, in every format I could find, because what he gave me was that powerful. If he had left more behind, I would probably have it memorized by now.
And.. if he hadn't shared his gift, I can't even imagine what my life would look like today.
I used to be afraid that getting divorced meant I actually knew nothing about love and relationships. Then I worried what people would think of me if they knew.
It turns out the people I most enjoy working with are exactly the ones who appreciate that they aren't talking to someone who can't even remember what getting dumped or rejected really feels like.
When the chips are down, people want a wilderness guide who has actually gone to the wilderness. Not someone who has just thought about going, theoretically. Someone who made it out alive and well, with a better map.
If you have something uniquely yours to share, it's time.
Do it before you croak and people like me start writing letters to your loved ones asking if you left more behind.
If you’re curious about what program I’m talking about, it was The Secrets To Understanding Men No One Tells You.
You can find it here.
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