Hey there fellow coach, instructor, or health professional,

Whatever title you give yourself or initials after your name, you're helping humanity be healthier, and we all have that purpose in common, no matter our modality or passion.

This is an actual love letter to you and call to action to step our collective game up to do better for each other, ourselves, and our communities we serve. I'm being a coach, YOUR coach, because if not me, then who?

The back story

Once upon a time in San Diego, I was part of a small group of coaches and wellness providers who got together for spontaneous fun. In one corner we'd have funny fitness competitions, another group was playing musical instruments, another group was crafting, some were swimming. All snacking, saying what's up, conversing, asking the bigger questions and simply enjoying time together with like minds. Not in work-mode. In play-mode. This was space for us, who worked so hard to serve others, to serve ourselves. A place to be human beings, BEING.

What came from these gatherings were curious conversations into deeper truths and realities, random thoughts, more imagination in our services, challenging conversations to push each other further out of the mundane into the great.

No competition. No one cared about your qualifications. No judgement where you were on your journey. All were welcomed, safe, supported.

There were times we'd gather for more intellectual endeavors like conversations over an anatomy text book deep diving into the function of the pelvis and how it relates to the femur through different motions, or what the quad is doing during a step up, and how this relates to low back pain. You get where I'm going....we'd STUDY! It was time to put on (or take off) the glasses and nerd out.

I crave this collective energy, brain-trust, and relationships again with fellow coaches and wellness providers. We pushed each other to be more brilliant, more bright, more wise, and more regulated. We fed each other's missions and helped each other grow. All while having fun and enjoying the path together.

In-person Fuquay-Varina sessions

If you're local to Raleigh, NC, this Summer I'm launching free Thursday night 'play in the park' sessions for health pros only, 6:30-7:30pm followed by conversations, creativity, and connections until 8:30/9pm. The purpose is to build meaningful relationships and spark joy within the health industry to help more people. Our community is suffering HARD and it's getting worse. Our job is to adjust the approach to get MORE PEOPLE healing.

Each of these sessions will be led by me because I want you to turn your brain off (temporarily!) and just enjoy being a human. It'll include a welcome, connection activity, strength or injury prevention portion, followed by fun games inspired by our youth or sport. Everything adaptable to age and fitness levels so DO NOT SAY NO because you're "not fit" or "not athletic", SHOW UP!

Click here to sign up for in-person sessions at Hilltop Needmore Park

If you need the evidence to support getting your booty into one of my communities either IRL or virtual, I see you, so here's some actual data:

White et al. 2019 Scientific Reports

120 minutes in nature per week significantly improves health and wellbeing

CDC reports

1 in 3 adults are lonely

1 in 4 lack social emotional support. Loneliness is linked to increase risk of disease, dementia, and early death.

Sage Journals / Social Psychological and Personality Science

A report from 41, 094 participants found people happier doing almost EVERY activity with others vs. alone.

(Proof, not that I feel we need it but once again proving, humans are SOCIAL creatures that need others for co-regulation, emotional regulation, stress reactivity, safety, and joy amplification. Stephen Porges - Polyvagal Theory)

University of Zurich

Found playful adults experienced increased life satisfaction and overall sense of wellbeing

Psychosomatic Medicine published multi-study analysis finding engaging in play is associated with decreased cortisol levels, decrease blood pressure, and decreased BMI.

Originals: How non-conformists move the world by Adam Grant

Nobel Prize winners in science were found to be extremely playful, creative, curious children. As children, they were 2 times more likely to play instruments, 7 times more likely to draw or paint, 12 times more likely to write poetry or fiction, 22 times more likely to perform as singers, actors, or dancers. As Kari Esmail says in her book 'Fun Because', "the more creatively expressive they were, the smarter and more successful they became (in a field completely unrelated to the arts, might I mention). Coincidence? I think not."

Virtual Hangout

You may not be local to Raleigh, NC, even if you are, I created an online space - off Facebook and socials - that can truly be ours without risk of deletion or getting locked out. It will be a hub for virtual hangouts, sharing resources, connecting without disruption or the noise of social media.

Click here to join my free community for you - the leaders and change makers for better health.

My vision is this grows into a space of engagement and continued learning, deeper connections, and relationships for collaborations and referrals. I also want to host 1 or 2 yearly events for people to travel into so we can still experience in real life fun!