**Story Time... Grab some tea and get cozy**

I came up with the name of my training business during a transitional time in my life. My kids were mostly grown and off on their own. I was divorced. My role in my own narrative was changing. If my life was a live performance, I was approaching my third act. The third act in a play or a movie is where the main character finds out who she really is, good, bad, or ugly.

At 55, I felt like I was finally finding myself. I also found that the wheels were falling off the bus both physically and mentally. The irony of being both at the height of self-knowledge and the depth of my self-loathing was not lost on me. I had new lines on my face, more belly fat than ever, less energy, and an increasing sense of social obsolescence. A change in mindset was needed. I jumped down a self-help/improvement rabbit hole during the COVID pandemic (who didn’t?).

I stopped drinking, started exercising with intention, deleted dating apps from my devices, and availed myself of some mental health resources. I was diagnosed with adult ADHD and suddenly, so many pieces fell into place.

It has been an arduous path, but I was unequivocally convinced that I was put on this planet to train people. Personal training is a calling. I love seeing women empower themselves through movement and exercise.

Your third act must not be an anonymous downhill slide to the great beyond. Make some noise, take up space, be your authentic badass self, and quit apologizing for simply existing. You may not be a nubile, airbrushed, fertile blank slate (boring, in my opinion), but you have lived. You have learned. You are seasoned to perfection. You have done things, and you know where the bodies are buried (figuratively).

You have so much to offer yourself and others.

Finish strong!

XO,

Julie