My hero. My best friend. My Dad. It's not that he was perfect, but he was the perfect Dad to me. He taught me strength, determination, inner fight, mind over matter, and that there's no amount of money in the world that can buy you happiness. My Dad just got me because we were both wired the same way, intense, but fiercely loyal and loving to our "peeps" as he called them.
December 25th, 2013 - I received a call from my Mom right after opening presents that he had suffered a second stroke (his first was in August while in Alaska). He was on the mend, had been in the best shape of his life (in fact, he was one of my Beachbody coaches), and doctors could not pin point where his first stroke originated. They were puzzled but he was the perfect candidate for a full recovery. Unfortunately, he wasn't progressing as much as we thought he would & my last conversation was on Christmas Eve with him. He never regained consciousness & he passed away in the evening on the 25th. I knew exactly when he would take his last breath, I've always been someone who can feel those things. And then my best friend and my hero was gone. With my faith, I knew I would see him again in heaven one day, but I wasn't sure I would ever look at the world the same. The sun didn't seem to shine as bright nor the colors of nature as vibrant. But then I remembered some advice he gave me a long time ago, "whatever happens in life, you have to keep on living."
One of the first things I turned to was my online health and fitness group. While I was helping my Mom with funeral arrangements, this incredible group of people kept posting about their days, supporting each other, and motivating everyone to do their best. And it was the love and support that these people had for each other that made me jump back in there and find inspiration each morning & continue to want to help others re-write their health and fitness story.
Coaching helped me take grief, sorrow, and loss and use those emotions to help others. A very dear friend of mine told me that the best way she's coped with the loss of her brother and mom was by helping others through their pain. In turn, she was healing her own heart.
In January 2014, I decided to reinvent my goals and live a life of giving to others. Each month I start a new online group or train a new coach, I am channeling my Dad and the idea to always keep living and finding the beauty in each day. Coaching not only changes lives but it heals hearts.
Xo,
Natalie
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