Graduation 2024!

When I think about May, I think about blooming flowers, trees, growing grass that needs mowed, end of the school year, and graduations! I have experienced my own graduations, my kids' graduations from preschool, elementary school, and middle school, my husband's graduations, and several others over the years. Graduation signifies the end of a chapter or season of life. It is a time to celebrate growth, accomplishments, letting go of the things we are familiar with, and moving on into an area of unknown possibilities. Faith is an act of moving towards unknown possibilities. It involves things we can't see yet and moving towards possibilities that exist despite not being able to see them. My graduation from "the growth and development phase of Rose-Child of God" will be taking place on May 24, 2024! This was a long, tough course in life and a lot has changed within me over the past 16 years (not to discount the first 23 years of my life-a lot of those memories show up in the last 4 years). As I reflect on the past 16 years, I can see how God made things possible for me-even when I wasn't looking for it. This is the lesson to be learned...God is faithful!

In March of 2008, I gave birth to my first born, a son. This was a quick move by God after getting married, He decided it was time for a baby. It was not something I wanted at that time and I believe God knew that if I had gotten involved in my career, I may not have had kids. At least not at the "right time". I did want to work and while God provided Aaron with a job that would support all of us, I wanted a career. My sister told me about a part time job with pain management doctors in January 2009. I interviewed and got the job. This was not something I looked for either. God provided and while I thought I wanted to be a personal trainer, that was not the entire picture. I couldn't see the big picture. During my time with these doctors, I learned so much about the spine, different spine procedures, different spine issues, and saw a lot of x-ray and MRI/CT images of spines. I gave a cadaver a spine injection and got to watch procedures being done. I wrote prescriptions for the doctors to sign and considered going back to school to be a PA (Physician Assistant). It was a great part time job, until I started letting it become a full time job and saw Maddox less. I did enjoy it but I could see Maddox wasn't happy when I left him for 8-9 hours at the daycare. A little over a year after I started working at Peak Anesthesia and Pain Management, Aaron and I decided to have our second baby, God agreed and before we knew it our daughter was born in January of 2011. At this time, I made the transition back to "stay at home mom" and PA school was no longer possible. Plus, (this was probably the Holy Spirit) I decided there is another way of helping people have a better quality of life than giving out medication for pain. The doctors prescribed Pilates and Yoga for their chronic pain patients. I had heard of and practiced yoga, but what was Pilates...?

After dealing with some complications from having Julianne, I needed to lose the baby weight and my low back was a mess, so I joined Trails Rec Center. The group exercise schedule offered Pilates, yoga, weight training, cycle, and kickboxing (a favorite of mine). I lost the weight, made friends, and then my yoga/kickboxing instructor told me "you should become an instructor, you would be good." Yeah right!?! I am an introvert and the thought of getting in front of people to exercise and talk people through it, while still breathing, did not seem like it was a good fit! (There were two different MLM businesses in here too where I learned some business stuff.) Long story shorter, I decided to get a Mat Pilates 1 & 2 certification through AAAI in Colorado Springs March 2013, as well as kickboxing instructor certification. When I tried to get a job at Trails Rec, they told me I needed an AFAA Group Exercise instructor certification. Well, God provided the time and money for me to complete that certification by bringing me friends that wanted to pay me for Mat Pilates and Personal training in March-July 2013. Aaron (my God-given helper) helped pay for my AFAA certification because I wasn't bringing in enough to cover the entire cost. I was given opportunities to build up Mat Pilates clientele at my house during this time of studying. In August of 2013, I passed my AFAA GXI certification. In April 2014, Spirit Soul Body Balanced, LLC was founded. I got my first job at a boutique studio in Parker, CO called "Haka Fitness" and a job at Southeast Fitness in Aurora, CO. I met a lot of people at these places, learned how to teach and kept gaining clients for my home business.

TruFit Southlands opened in July 2014 and I started working at my first "big box" gym after leaving Haka (May 2014) and Southeast (August 2014). Trufit offered Reformer Pilates and Aaron told me not long after starting, about a news article that stated "Pilates instructors get paid very well." When I looked into comprehensive Pilates teacher programs, most of them were 6 months of intensive learning. Those wouldn't work because I had two young kids and I was a 'stay at home mom'. Then I found Balanced Body Education that offered modules in Lone Tree with Lindy Royer, PT. The first few modules, Aaron (my helper) helped pay for and as I got better at teaching, I made more money and was able to pay for the modules with my earnings. There were 9 modules to work through and thankfully I was able to spread them out of the course of a few years.

A chiropractor reached out to me, randomly, (I don't remember how she heard about me) asking if I would be willing to teach at her retail space. I agreed and took my business to her office voluntarily in the spring of 2016. I left Trufit in October 2016 after teaching several reformer Pilates classes, discovering Pilates was legit, started foster parent training, (became a foster parent in March 2017) all because of someone I met at the chiropractor's office (wasn't looking for this either and it was a huge blessing). God provided over and over again. As soon as I wasn't looking, doors opened, possibilities I didn't even know about started showing up!

I moved my business back to my home after 6 months and I found 2 reformers that I was able to buy used from someone on craigslist with business earnings. Doors were closing and others started opening. I gained new clients with the reformers and most of them were aging adults. I loved this because I knew Pilates could help them improve their quality of life because it did that for me. My clients were referring people to me and I had two clients (still my clients today) that followed me from TruFit when I left in October 2016. In January 2017, VASA opened and I was able to teach at 5 AM in the morning, get home, shower, tend to all the children, and see clients in my basement studio. This continued on for several years, as I worked to complete my comprehensive Pilates teacher training. During this time, I was also given the opportunity to be active in the activities the kids wanted to do, as well as raise them. I kept my eyes on the Aurora area for a Pilates studio to work at and finally, one popped up on my Google search as "opening soon." It was a Club Pilates. I reached out to the owner, interviewed over the phone and could tell she was a business owner that cared about the member's pocket book more than the member. I was hesitant to work for her, however, I needed the experience so I could finish my Pilates teacher certification. I started working at Club Pilates in March 2019, early in the morning so I could still tend to the children's and Aaron's (I'm his God-given helper) needs, and still work in my home studio. I graduated my Pilates training in November 2019, took my national Pilates teacher certification test in January 2020, and the Fostering of children ended in November 2019 (long story to type about later). The 2019 year was a big transition period however, it was still just part of the journey to where I am today.

To Be continued...watch for the continuation coming in June!