Life has been busy lately.. to say the least.

I accepted a full-time health coaching job at Jenny Craig! This is a food-based program that has been around for decades. It’s been such an amazing opportunity to connect and build relationships with individuals that want to improve their health and overall lifestyles. Although, I’ve been health coaching friends and family members for about eight months now, I was looking for something a little more steady and consistent. This job sort of appeared and then all of sudden – three interviews later – I was offered the position. I’m excited for all the ways I’m going to positively impact my clients and grow through health coaching.

I’m teaching yoga! I’m teaching at two different locations right now, and guest appearing at a third spot in just a couple weeks – fingers crossed that turns into a long-term position. Teaching yoga has been really incredible because I feel like my own yoga practice has improved so much in the process. Not only do I have to be very intentional about attending classes, but I’m so much eager to soak up everything the teacher is saying. Additionally, I have loved connecting with my own students. Creating a safe and welcoming environment in my classes is something I’m really passionate about. I want everyone that walks through the door to feel seen, heard, and appreciated. I never fall short on expressing how grateful I am for each person in the room.

I’m freelance blogging! If you know me and you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know writing is something I really enjoy and I’m really passionate about. I recently landed a freelance blogging gig for a marketing company. I’ll write 6-10 posts a month for various customers they have. I’ve really enjoyed doing this, because I love to write AND I’m getting paid for it AND it gives me excuses to post up in a coffee shop for a couple hours, trying new spots and various items on their menus. I’ve used this position to get a couple other smaller projects that have been even more fun to work on. If you’re interested in getting those links, I’ll be happy to share.

My new current favorite hobby is roller skating. I love it so much. When I put on my skates, I feel like I morph into the wheels, the ground, and the connection between the two. I feel like I’m flying while I’m gliding across the pavement.

I recently made friends with someone that works at a local skate shop and used to play roller derby. We decided to go skating one afternoon. When I told her how short of a time I had been skating, she was impressed. “You’re good at the movement part, but stopping seems to be a different story,” she observed. Yeah, that had been problematic a few times.

With a little bit of coaching and guidance, she showed me how to slow down and eventually come to a stop. I was feeling better about my new skills, so we decided to venture deeper into the park on our wheels. I had been into the park a few times, but had never ventured too far from the entrance of the airpark.

She wanted to take me to this bridge overlook, and I was so excited to go. The journey up there was so difficult. Straight uphill and corkscrewing, I was absolutely winded when I finally made it to the top. My legs and glute were yelling at me, my diaphragm was working overtime, and my heart was pounding. But the view at the top of that bridge made everything absolutely worth it. I think it has been my favorite view in Nashville so far, maybe because it was so tranquil and peaceful and reminded me nothing of Nashville. It was a really great view.

We eventually made it to a skate park where people were absolutely shredding. Kids were on razor scooters, teens were on skateboards, adults were wearing skates, and everything in-between. My eyes were glowing with admiration as I watched her do a loop through the ramps and obstacles.

“Should I go down once?” I asked after she finished her loop. She looked at me like I had lost my absolute mind.

“Uh, no,” she blurted out. “First, you have to have a helmet on the first time you go down something like this. Second, you have on in-line skates and you would absolutely fly down this first ramp.” And although she didn’t say, but I knew she was thinking of a third reason – I had already fallen multiple times on flat surfaces.

“Oh, yeah I gotcha.” I played it off like I wouldn’t dream all night about soaring down those ramps.

So, we skated back the way we came, over the bridge and onto the corkscrew. Which turned out to be another type of challenge going down. I wiped out a few more times, soaring downhill and eventually walked sideways in the grass to make it to the bottom. The worst wipeout came when I thought I was in the clear and began gliding down the hill. I slowed myself down slightly before making it to a small bridge, but not enough. When I got onto that bridge, my balance was shaky, and I was going faster than I’d liked. I veered off to the edge, and smacked the side of the bridge. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” I told myself, but as I struck the side I ricocheted off it and landed basically in the middle of the bridge. A biker had entered the bridge from the other direction and had a front row seat of the wipeout. I popped up just as quickly as I had went down.

“Are you okay?” he asked, slowing down his bike, his eyes were wide as saucers.

“Yes, yes, I’m good,” I think I was assuring him just as much as I was assuring myself.

One of the biggest bruises I’ve ever had formed on my leg just a few days later, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about getting back in my skates and gliding across the pavement again very soon.

So, yeah. A lot has shifted in my reality lately. I’m grateful for the journey and for learning to trust myself and my own intuition. I’m working on developing patience and enjoying what is. I’m excited to see how this chapter of my life unfolds.

Onward.