BIRTH OF A SHE BEAST.
You know, life can throw some serious curve balls our way – and much like life, some have more of their fair share of them. However, I am the biggest advocate that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger and while unfortunate events can affect us, they can certainly define us in a manner more positive than we can imagine.
Who and what do you turn to when life gets hard??
When times get tough, we can all turn to habits that on reflection can and have worked against the very foundations of what is now the values with which She Beast was founded on.
My first experience of this manifested itself in smoking too much. The hit and the high of each cigarette quickly followed by a more sustained period of glumness – my spark had been well and truly extinguished. The feelings of shame and perceptions that I was letting family and loved ones down were concentrated and unrelenting. I could see the worry in their faces with every interaction on a ‘down’ day.
From anxiety in the mind came a more physical manifestation of tough times. A once athletic frame quickly diminished to a point where, according to my cousin during a greeting, his fingers slotted into my rib cage – not something a young girl wanted to hear but needed none-the-less.
Later that day, I looked in the mirror at my tiny, malnourished, unhealthy, and very very sad 5 and half stone body and said to myself that this is not my life!
I used to be an athlete! Where had the strong, independent and feisty girl gone?
Following up with a significant amount of brutal self-analysis (something that we should all practice every now and again) I envisioned where I would be in 5 or 10 years if I continued to practice the current lifestyle. The result? Images that were clear, and terrifying to the core of me.
At this time in my life I had not been blessed with the knowledge of training, nutrition and health that I do today. I just knew that I had to do something to gain back control of my life.
I started running and running – and running. I ran until each route I took became easy. A great introduction – but I needed more.
In the new-found spirit of positivity, I used an inheritance from my Gran to pay for a Personal Training course and gain the invaluable knowledge needed to make my efforts in fitness and in life, more intentional. This is part of her legacy, with her and the positive experiences gained from this course have not been far from my mind since. It has allowed me to ‘pay it forward’ in ways I could not have without her which fills me with love.
Much like the film, a series of unfortunate events have occurred over the years. From Homelessness to Deaths, tragedies to financial difficulties and relationship breakdowns.
With each situation came the same question – What are my options here?
Be consumed by life or stand up and fucking do something about it!
I had training in my life now and had become infinitely stronger physically. Although life was tough I still saw progress. I had focus in times of darkness, had a reason to be alive and had a point to prove. Finding self-respect, drive and confidence again after being stolen from me has been the single biggest turning point and contribution to what is now the She Beast attitude to date.
Initiative in creating positive situations out of bad times, filtering negative energy into progress, refusing to be suppressed and replacing it with an sickening quest to build on resilience found and finding a pIace where myself and now others can thrive are all things that I have to thank a 22-year-old me for! Unbeknown to me this was the true inception of the brand you see today – Finally taking ownership of mind, body and life.
The point of me explaining my story to you is that I’d like to show people that in the darkest of times whatever that means to you as we are all different. Everyone has something hard going on in their life that will challenge every sensibility and rationality we hold dear. I believe there is always hope and always something positive that can be done, however small to build something more powerful and ready to face every opportunity that comes our way.
Training has helped me more than I could ever explain and If I could share what it has done for me with just one person going through their own difficulties then to me that is success and that is my legacy.
