Say YES to life!

Last night when we were down at the point for the Regatta and the Smash Mouth concert (what's up, 1999?!), I casually said to my friend, Michelle, "Wouldn't it be cool to watch the concert from up on the ferris wheel?" I said this hypothetically, not for a second thinking we'd be moving from our spot in the crowd (not to mention our earlier conversation about how we all think it's a *little* weird how fast they put those carnival-style rides up). Without missing a beat she said, "That would be cool! Let's do it!" I think my response was something like, "uh, yeah, ok, really? Alright, sure, let's check it out!"

We ultimately ended up deciding against it after seeing the line, but this taught me an important lesson nonetheless. Why go through life robotically when we could be grabbing it by the horns? How many other times have I tossed out ideas off-hand without saying to myself, why NOT do that? How often do those trained patterns kick in that tell us that something is too hard, too inconvenient, or ask us why we should bother?

It is SO important to surround ourselves with the people who will challenge us to GO FOR IT when we have a small whim to do something fun or a big dream in our heart! I admire the people who QUESTION the things that others would just glaze over! We become like the people we surround ourselves with, so I don't know about you, but I will ALWAYS be surrounding myself with the people who SAY YES to life, who know how AMAZING of an experience and opportunity and gift it is, and who are going to APPRECIATE and LIVE UP every moment that life has to offer!!!

Thank you, Michelle, for always reminding me of this!! And to all of the other wonderful people in my life who do this too (if you're reading this, I'm talking to you!)- THANK YOU!! I love you all!

LIFE IS WONDERFUL! LET'S ENJOY IT!!!

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Greatest gift is a loving, supportive group!

I heard a song on the way home from my L3 Leadership women's group that said, "the greatest risk we'll ever take is by far is to stand in the light and be seen as we are." Well after tonight's meeting, I would say that it's also the greatest GIFT by far when we can stand, being fully open and ourselves, and be loved and accepted.

Our group of 11 women opened their hearts, shared their struggles and vulnerabilities, and welcomed each other with love and open arms. I left feeling FULL of joy and so excited to build on the friendships with the women of the group who I already know and to build loving friendships with the ones I met for the first time.

I had a flashback to our L3 Leadership meeting at this time last year and it made my heart smile to think of the friendships that bloomed out of the people I was meeting for the first time or just beginning to get to know.

So much MAGIC can be created when a group of vulnerable and expansive people can come together; friends that push me yet comfort me; friends that challenge me to grow and ALWAYS have my best interests in mind; people who walk strongly in their faith and inspire me with the way they live life.

A big thing I worked on last year was to be extremely intentional with who I spend my time with. I know that surrounding myself with people who I want to BE MORE LIKE, not only brings the best out in me- it brings so much joy to my life!

So THANK YOU to Laura Smith for starting this group this year and to all of you who came wanting to better yourselves and help everyone in the group do the same! Together we lift each other higher than we could ever go alone and I am SO GRATEFUL for each and every one of you and our wonderful, loving group as a whole!!!

If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone reading this- if you haven't found a group of people yet that makes you feel fully supported while challenging you to live your best life, intentionally seek it. Your group is out there too, waiting with open arms!

I would be honored to help you with your health and fitness (or LIFE) journey!!  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

You can contact me or find out more information using:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk

Beachbody page: http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk

Or my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/kate37721

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Personal growth books to deal with the world and its uncertainty

I often get asked about my favorite personal growth books and how I stay so positive. They go hand in hand. Forcing positivity without true inner peace is temporary. I believe that any sustaining joy and peace comes from a true knowing of your beliefs. And the easiest way to figure that out is to open your mind to other perspectives, to learn what is out there, and to feel what resonates with you as truth. YOU get to decide.

It's nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite personal growth book or tool that has done this for me because SO MANY books, authors, conferences, speakers, youtube videos, podcasts, etc have helped me SEE more and have positively impacted my life. It has also come from my own vigilant application of these concepts, prayer, meditation, and a practice of compassion and self-love. Not once in a while. All day, every day.

I've pulled out my favorite books that were each turning points in my life when I read them. While there are many others, these are the ones that I am constantly coming back to. These books are completely devoid of judgment and teach only love.

"Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsh taught me that there is no good or bad; there is only the meaning we bring to each experience/circumstance.

"Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao" by Dr. Wayne Dyer taught me to learn through the powerful examples of nature to allow, to be one, to be flexible, and to live without attachment.

"A Course In Miracles." If you're familiar with it, you know it's a life-long process of untraining ourselves from our conditioned thought patterns of illusion, ALWAYS choosing love over fear. No exceptions. "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God." -ACIM

"A Man's Search for Meaning," written by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl about his experiences in the Holocaust taught me I can ALWAYS choose my attitude no matter what the circumstances.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. Regardless of politics, external circumstances, or anything else that we may feel is affecting our lives, we should always be striving for our own personal growth. External circumstances are always changing. We develop a kinder, more peaceful, more joy-filled world by first cultivating that within ourselves. We ARE love. Peace already exists. And we can tap into joy anytime we want. It only takes remembering that it is all already there. 

Love you all,
Katelyn

A day in the life of a full-time Beachbody coach: it is a GIFT to be able to do what you want

Met these amazing friends/coaches for lunch. Marci asked me how much time I spend each day on my coaching business now that I do it full time. Uhh.... I honestly didn't have an answer. At first I said 6 hours a day. Then I said 12. Then I realized that about 9-10 of those hours are things I'd be doing anyway (like my workout, or sending out words of encouragement to people I care about, or meeting awesome people like Marci and Jacqlyn for lunch). Hmm. I don't know. Aside from messaging people specifically to help them figure out which workout or nutrition program would be the best fit for them (and even that I enjoy), nothing else really feels like work. I'm pretty sure I would compulsively post pictures and things that inspire me and share things that have helped me that may help others too. I always say, everyday is a Monday for me and everyday is a Saturday. So I'm sort of doing work all day. Yet none of it feels like work (and like I said, most of it I'd be doing anyway).

I watched a video today of Gary Vaynerchuk's: "Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what you want to do everyday for the rest of your life. And do that.... It is a GIFT to be able to wake up in the morning and do what you want for the rest of your life. The way you do that is by becoming an 'overnight success'... somebody who has actually put in work for the last decade and has gotten themselves into a position where they can do something rad that we all think is cool, that we all wish we could do." Well I don't know what your definition of success is, but I think what I get to do is pretty rad and I often have people that say to me, "I wish I could do what you do".... you CAN!!! It does take a lot of work. It does take mental and emotional stamina and BELIEF. And it does take time. But you absolutely CAN! And it doesn't take a decade like most businesses that are built from the ground up (and requires a heck of a lot less risk)! And let me tell you, it is WORTH IT!!! Ask us how!!

Fear-releasing workshop and lantern release!

About a week and a half ago, on a Sunday evening, I held a Fear-releasing Workshop at my home. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now- I felt compelled to teach what ends up coming up with a lot of my coaching clients on a bigger level- but it took me a while to finally get around to setting the date. The funny reason why I finally did was that I saw that a friend was planning on having a paper lantern release at her wedding (I’ve ALWAYS wanted to do one!) and I figured having a fear-releasing workshop would be the perfect reason! At the end of the workshop, we wrote either fears we wanted to release or intentions we wanted to set on the lanterns and set them off into the world!

I’ve been wanting to write about this and couldn’t find the words to encapsulate how I felt having these women show up with open hearts and eager to expand their awareness. We talked about our backgrounds, the fears and stories that hold us back, and 5 different strategies for overcoming fears or processing difficult emotions.

To give you a sample, one of the things that kept coming up in our fear-releasing workshop was the limiting belief that we need to worry about the important things in our lives in order to adequately plan/prepare (ex: if we don't worry about finances, we are being irresponsible or not properly preparing for the future). The truth is that our worrying gives us no control over the outcome. You can still do the things to plan/prepare but there's a HUGE difference between doing them with or without worry. The worry makes us no more likely to thwart whatever it is we're trying to prevent. Instead, it drains us of precious emotional energy. So we focused on replacing those worry thoughts with thoughts about what's going RIGHT in our lives!

If you are interested in hearing more of what we talked about, the workshop was recorded in 3 parts, which I posted below:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

So many of the women shared that one of their biggest take-aways was knowing that they’re not alone. How important of a message is that for all of us?? In the midst of a struggle, we tend to think we’re the only one who feels this way (or sometimes has EVER felt this way). It’s so important to remember that not only are their others who feel the same way or have gone through the same things, they are willing to walk with us in our journey. THAT is powerful.


I am so so SO grateful to this amazing group of women who joined in my Fear-releasing Workshop last week! There is truly magic that happens when a group of strong, open, beautiful souls come together to support and encourage each other!!!

The lantern release was a big part of why I wanted to do the workshop in the first place haha! The lanterns were WAY harder to light than I expected but the EXPERIENCE didn't disappoint!! Cheers to the wonderful women who braved the cold and the winds on the Hot Metal Bridge to cast away our fears and release our intentions into the universe!!!

 

My friend, Sam, was recording some of the lanterns releasing and magically caught what we think might have been a shooting star in the video! So cool!!

The bigger mission and how we can change the world!

I am so lucky to know so many people (all of you guys!!! Yes, I'm talking to YOU!) that have HUGE helping hearts and an incredible vision for our world and the future. Seriously you guys are some of the best people I have ever met- my social media is always full of such awesomeness! So kudos to you all!!! I love talking about the bigger mission for the work that I do and because I consider us all on a bigger mission in life and relating to that, I have a really important question for all of you! Thanks in advance for watching!!

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach’s income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill. See our Statement of Independent Coach Earnings located in the Coach Online Office for the most recent information on our Coaches’ actual incomes. The Statement of Independent Coach Earnings can be found at http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/downloads/statement_of_independent_coach_earnings.pdf

End with the beginning in mind!!

Have you ever heard the saying, “Begin with the end in mind”? I’d like to amend that to include, “End with the beginning in mind” as well. How often do we get hung up in where we want to be rather than having appreciation for how far we’ve come?

One thing I’m grateful for is that I’ve always kept a lot of records of my goals and dreams- journals, vision boards (turned into vision books haha), workout trackers, business goal lists, and more. When I look back in my journal to even a few months ago at the things I was trying to work on then- everything from my mindset to beliefs to what I was trying to surrender and forgive- I’m amazed at how far I’ve come. Of course, I have lots of new things to work on but I’m at a deeper, more fulfilling, exciting layer (as we all are as we move through this crazy life)! I was reminded today but my upline coaches of some income goals they had set a few years ago and it had caused me to glance back at my 2013 vision book. I had set a goal then of making HALF of what I made through my engineering job as a coach with Beachbody (because I knew that would pay my bills and allow me to do what I love if I ever lost my engineering job, which I did). Now, just 2 years later, I make DOUBLE what I did at my engineering job- all just by putting a LOT of effort into helping people and following my heart step by step!

Sometimes when we feel far away from where we want to be, we need only to look back and see how far we’ve come to be reminded of how INCREDIBLE we are!! Don’t forget that!! If you are having trouble believing in yourself right now, just remember that I BELIEVE IN YOU and I’m ROOTING for you!!!! But also take a second to look back at your “beginning” and appreciate your roots and how far you have come, the progress you have made, and who you ARE now because of it!! I am proud of you!!!

Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach’s income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill. See our Statement of Independent Coach Earnings located in the Coach Online Office for the most recent information on our Coaches’ actual incomes. The Statement of Independent Coach Earnings can be found at http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/downloads/statement_of_independent_coach_earnings.pdf

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Deep questions to ask in a work/professional situation

This may seem a little off subject from my normal posts, but I think relationships are ESSENTIAL to our growth and expansion. While surface level conversations are fine, I always feel like I get the most benefit out of a conversation where I really get to know the truth of who a person is. I often find that the more open and vulnerable I am willing to be, the more that is reciprocated. I try to be as open as I can with my clients about anything I am struggling with, what got me through tough times, and anything else I might be dealing with. I often find that the relationships that are built because of this mutual openness are some of the most fulfilling and supportive relationships I have. I end up learning just as much (or more!) from them as they do from me!

Where this can get tricky are situations that are assumed to be more professional upfront. I do think it is possible to get to know a person on a deeper level in ANY situation but I find that in certain settings, it's important to be more tactful about what we're asking and how.

A good starting point is to ask questions about life outside of work to find some common ground or interests to build upon. Here are some ideas for questions to ask to facilitate getting to know someone in a professional setting:

1. What is the most impactful lesson you have learned in your career thus far?

2. What is your favorite part of what you get to do (and why)?

3. What has been the most trying time in your career and what did you do to get through it?

4. What is the most important people skill or relationship building skill that you value most in the people you deal with in your work?

5. What do you think my biggest strengths are?

6. What do you think my biggest weaknesses are?

7. What are some of your biggest goals? What is your next step?

8. What brings the most fulfillment to your life?

And of course these questions can be modified to facilitate relationship building or deepening in non-professional settings as well. I'd love to hear ideas for further thoughts or probing questions!

Personal development: you are WORTH it!!

I get a lot of really sweet compliments about my positive outlook on life, which I definitely appreciate, but in trying to always be open and transparent, I'd like to remind you all that it is a constant practice. I spend an average of 2-3 hours a day on personal development (I did this even when working full time). I listen to podcasts, motivational youtube videos, and audiobooks while driving, working out, getting ready, and during my walks each day. I read everyday. It has been a process. I don't seek perfection; I seek growth, expansion, increased awareness, progress, new knowledge, and higher energy and vibration. I am grateful to have this much time to put into this (I am borderline obsessive about it and make it a huge priority), but I also firmly believe that even 10-20 min/day can make a WORLD of difference in your life. It is all about seeing what you connect with, seeing what you can put into practice in your life, trying it out, evaluating, incorporating, and then seeking more.

I also don't think it matters where you start. For me it was Tony Robbins and Wayne Dyer because their work was what I was resonating with at that point in my life and journey. That then led to me finding other high-performance coaches, discovering other Hay House authors, going to conferences that exposed me to more concepts that I wanted to learn more about, and took me all the way to some of my current favorite people to follow like Teal Swan who has a seemingly endless wealth of incredible online content. But no matter where you start, you will naturally discover more people and concepts that you resonate with. It's more important that you just start somewhere with a little time each day. YOU and your LIFE are WORTH IT!!!!

COACHING, FINANCIALS, VIABILITY, QUESTIONS, FEARS AND MORE all addressed here!

I get a TON of questions about the viability of Beachbody coaching so for those of you who have ever wondered any of the following, such as,

1.  “Aren’t there already a lot of coaches? What would make people want to coach under me?”

2.  “What happens when the Beachbody trend is over? Is the company really viable?”

3.  “Isn’t it too late to join as a coach? What if it doesn’t work out for me?”

I’m going to address them right here for you!

1. First off, ANYBODY can coach! People relate to YOU uniquely! So no matter how many coaches are already out there, people are going to want you as a coach because they relate to YOU.

My customers and coaches relate to me because I try to keep things light-hearted and fun. I focus on working on people’s fears and blocks first, then we deal with BELIEF, THEN we work on addressing health-related habits. I’m goofy and weird and I like to be VERY real and open with my struggles.

People might relate to you because you are a master at healthy cooking, or you are able to inspire people into doing really tough workouts, or you’re a mom and share similar struggles with other moms trying to be healthy, or because they like your sassy attitude about workouts, or because you have a drill-sergeant style for people who want that tough love, or because they have the same interests or values as you, or a whole number of other things!!

2. *Viability* I think it’s kind of funny when people ask me about the viability of Beachbody. I never got asked this question as an engineer and THAT was the job I lost haha!

Our execs and trainers at Beachbody make quality their TOP PRIORITY. It truly is a mission to end the trend of obesity. That means they are constantly staying on top of health trends, creating innovative new products, constantly tweaking based on coach and customer feedback, and looking for new ways to best serve the health and fulfillment of our customers!!

Some of the incredible Beachbody trainers

This company is still a baby. If you could see some of the things that are in the works for the future behind the scenes, you would know what an amazing growth opportunity this still is.

Beachbody CEO, Carl Daikeler

*Financials* When I lost my full-time job as an engineer over a year ago, I made the decision not to look for another job but instead to coach full-time. A lot of people questioned me on that. I don’t talk about money a lot but I can promise you that this was a well-thought-out, over-analyzed, deeply researched decision (not to mention there was a lot of soul searching that went into it). By the time that I became a coach full-time, I was making roughly the same amount of money as I had been as an engineer. I had saved up a lot of money during the time I knew I might be losing my job so I knew I’d have a cushion but I also didn’t want to have to tap into that. And to take it one step farther, I wanted to be able to maintain the same level of investing that I had been doing while working at my old job once I was a coach full-time. So I assure you that my standards are pretty high in terms of what I wanted to still be able to do financially as a coach and I have been able to meet all of those goals.

*Value* One last thing about viability and the financials of it. Money aside, there is also a ton of VALUE in the time and freedom I currently have. I can spend all day doing personal development and learning any skill that I want. This also makes me a better coach in the process because I can pass on what I’m learning to my customers and coaches. But additionally, for anyone who worries about money, career, or the future, just remember that you can lose EVERYTHING but the one thing that nobody can take away from you is what you’ve learned along the way. Our own personal growth and expansion is the most valuable thing we will ever have (not to mention having the time and freedom to make great memories with the people we love and doing what’s most important to us)!!

If anything ever changes, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. It’s not worth any of my energy to worry about it in the meantime. SO MUCH of what we worry about never ends up happening. And at the end of the day, it’s something I love doing so I plan on doing it as long as possible. I love this quote from Jim Carrey from a commencement speech last year. It pretty much sums up my feelings on this topic:

“So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality…. you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”

3. This kind of expands on what I said above about value. None of these questions/fears/concerns really matter because the biggest thing I’ve taken away from this is my own personal growth. This is a challenging business and the biggest challenge is talking yourself through all these doubts and fears that come up (“maybe I’m not cut out for this”, “nobody is interested in working with me”, “I hit a plateau,  I knew this wouldn’t work out,” “It’s been a slow month, this is probably the beginning of the end”). It’s ok to feel those fears but the challenge comes in continuing on despite them! Only then do you begin to see that none of those fears were real. There IS another side to each challenge. In doing this, your OWN PERSONAL BELIEF about what’s possible for your LIFE changes!!! THAT is where the true personal growth takes place!! It’s a lesson in persistence and of surpassing our own limits we place on ourselves and getting out of our own way!!! And once you start to do this, you’ll see that it begins to affect all other areas of your life!! You learn that the only real way to not succeed is to stop trying altogether. That first comes in seeing changes in your workouts or your eating, then your business, then, eventually, ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE that you put your mind to!!

In the process, you also happen to be surrounded by some of the most open, supportive, caring, generous, motivated, positive, inspiring people in the world to encourage you! Your health will be better than ever because you’re on a TEAM! Honestly, I rely on other customers just as much for motivation as they do on me!!

Our incredible team!

This business lights a fire in me. It’s honestly one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I’ve ever done and I love being able to help people in some small way every.single.day. :) :) :)

We can NEVER have enough coaches to fight for health and to teach people how to BELIEVE in themselves!!! If there is ever a time where that need no longer exists, what a WONDERFUL WORLD this will be!!!

You are worth taking the chance on your own GREATNESS (whatever that may be for you)!!! So if you have been thinking about taking a chance on this crazy, awesome business, please ask yourself, what's the worst that could happen?? You grow as a person, increase your own health and well-being, and help and inspire a few people along the way :)  The BEST thing that can happen is that you CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND CHANGE THE WORLD!!!!!!

**Please don’t hesitate to ask me more!!  I absolutely love talking to people about this business but I NEVER pressure anyone into anything they may not be ready for, so please don’t be scared to talk to me if you’re curious!! This could be your calling :) :) :)

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Nature and connection

Dr. Christiane Northrup spoke recently about the energetic recognition that a flower is desiring us as much as we are desiring it. Eckhart Tolle in "A New Earth" speaks about flowers as an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless in ourselves. Feelings of love and joy are intrinsically interconnected with the recognition of beauty.

I'm not sure I can fully comprehend the power of those statements but I do know that being in nature, experiencing beauty and appreciation, and feeling a sense of awe and gratitude makes me feel more easily connected than anything else to the energy of the universe.