I thought about taking some kind of crazy fitness pic for this post but I decided to go with a pic of me, on a normal day, sitting out in the sun at my favorite work place, happily crunching through some work- because this is honestly the embodiment of what I love to do and why I am so grateful that I get to do this job full-time.
It's been 2 years since my company closed and I lost my job as an engineer that I had done (and loved) for the 7 years prior. Truth be told, I was incredibly sad to say goodbye to that job. The ONLY thing that made it ok was that I had been doing online health and fitness coaching for the year and a half before my company closed and I had been able to build it up big enough that I was able to transition into doing it full-time as soon as my company closed. No stressing about finding another job. I didn't have to temporarily do something I didn't love in order to bridge any financial gaps or make ends meet. The transition was shockingly seamless. AND, I was all of a sudden thrust full-time into something that I absolutely knew was my purpose in life- a way to reach people who were struggling and show them that they weren't alone. It took me almost a full year for me to really feel like "This is my LIFE now! I get to do this all the time!" It felt surreal and I felt like I was on some kind of extended vacation!
But here we are 2 years later. I am still floored by the amount of love and support I have received throughout all of this. I am SO GRATEFUL to my coach Nicole for originally introducing me to this opportunity and being there through lots of laughs and ups and downs along the way. I have an incredibly supportive team that has taught me and helped me through anything I ever wanted to learn or do in this business. And I have an AMAZING team of coaches who took the same crazy leap of faith and jumped on board with me- I THANK YOU for trusting me and all that you do for our team and the world!!
Thank you to ALL of my friends and family and all of you one here who have been supporting me and cheering me on in this incredible journey. Whether you've become a client, a coach yourself, have sent referrals my way, or want nothing to do with Beachbody but have been here for support I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU! I feel like the luckiest person in the world to know all of you and have each and every one of you in my life!!! I get more joy out of my work than I ever thought possible and I thank you ALL for making my dreams come true!!!!
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.
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
Not much sleep and I've got a packed weekend but I was up bright and early this past Saturday morning because there was no way I was missing Doug Smith speak on leadership at the inaugural L3 Leadership- Beaver meeting! One of my biggest take-aways was that *Leadership and character are CAUGHT not TAUGHT*! It is so important to me that I'm constantly surrounding myself with people who are better than me in various ways so that I can learn and grow as a person. THAT is why I'm willing to drive an hour out of my way for an early Saturday morning meeting when it would have been very easy to sleep in. I am so grateful for L3 Leadership (these breakfast meetings and our small group mastermind sessions). I love that the people I have met are willing to lead by example of their high character, support me in my growth, generously pour into me, challenge me and call me out ("feedback is the breakfast of champions!" - Doug Smith), stretch me, and give me loving encouragement the whole way. For example, Pastor Larry Bettencourt who had just met me today spent lots of time before and after the meeting answering my questions and speaking to me about how to handle certain leadership challenges that come with managing a team of people with varying levels of readiness to move up and even gave me useful, practical examples of ways in which he has dealt with that. Doug Smith gave a phenomenal amount of value in his talk today. And I got the privilege of meeting new leaders and connecting with some of the incredible people I have gotten really close with over the last 6 months who are always so caring and supportive. That is the value that can come to your life when you are WILLING to go all-in! Be fearless in pursuit of your own growth!!
I feel the same way about friendships! One of my best friends, Nikki Watson, has been a great partner in my personal and spiritual growth over the past couple years. In this video, we talk about how to cultivate intentional, expansive relationships like this in your life!
This post is more like a personal journal entry than anything else but I’m hoping that by sharing the things that have been really impactful in my life over the past couple months, it will help you cultivate similar experiences/relationships/opportunities in your life too!
I share the story in this video about a REALLY significant week I had back in November. The big things that happened were a workshop I decided to teach, a small group mastermind session I decided to attend, and a Toastmasters organization I decided to join. There were really interesting synchronicities that led to each one that I explain in the video but my biggest take-away messages I’ll post here with each event.
What I also want you to know is that I didn’t know *exactly* what was so significant about this week but I KNEW with every cell of my being that it was going to be an important turning point in my life. The opportunities, people, and experiences that were lining up in front of me FELT more right than anything I have felt in a long time (bonus video at the bottom about these kind of “lightning bolt moments”). And boy did they sure turn out to be significant! Since that week in November, my world has been opened up more than I could have imagined with the connections I made at these groups. Because I am only now sitting down to write about these events 4 months later, I can give a little insight to where each opportunity led and how you can create similar experiences in your life!
Having fun leading the workshop
Workshop I taught:
You don’t need to go out and teach a workshop (unless you feel called to get a message out or teach some things that you know you’re really good at, in which case, GO for it)! But this one applies to ANYTHING you’ve felt called to try but put off because you just weren’t sure how it would turn out, how to go about it, who would care, or maybe just never settled on it being “the right time”. Trust me, I get it- I explain in the video about how I finally took the plunge and set a workshop date because I wanted an excuse to have a paper-lantern releasing ceremony haha.
The workshop experience ended up teaching me so much more than I ever could have imagined! I learned a ton by compiling the messages I normally teach in my health/fitness/personal growth groups on Facebook. It forced me to sit down and refine my message as well as to clarify what I am really good at teaching or what I can bring to the table that is special. We ALL have a message and story that is our specialty with our own personal style but how often do we actually sit down to ask ourselves what that is? This was a perfect opportunity to do that. And I’m glad I did!! It really helped me find my voice and my unique message.
Having the clarity I gained from preparing for this workshop is now really helping me shape meaningful projects for the future! We all have something to teach… SO TEACH! Serena Dyer wrote a book with her dad, Dr. Wayne Dyer: “Don’t Die with Your Music Still in You”- I absolutely agree. And I believe the best way to gain self-awareness and awareness of what we want out of life, where we want to go, what our purpose is, and more is just to dive in and try things that feel meaningful! When anything is on your heart in that way, DO IT! The world needs you! If you’re not sure, just start trying things that feel good to your soul! You’ll find your path and purpose that way for sure ;)
Awesome group of workshop attendees
Soul sisters after the lantern release at the workshop
Bonus: I had a few last-minute cancellations for this workshop (do not let that kind of thing discourage you- as my friend Paul Matthews says, “Some will, some won’t, so what!”). Instead of getting discouraged, I said a prayer that the people who needed to be there would be there. Turns out, I ended up having a few last-minute add-ons and sure enough, they were people who REPEATEDLY said how much it meant to them to come together with other women and hear the messages of that night. We even created a monthly “super soul sunday” meeting of our group!! I’ve met even MORE amazing women and fellow soul sisters because of it!
Lessons that I took away from this experience:
Find your voice, find your message- YOU have a unique story that the world needs to hear
Don’t wait for perfect timing, dive in and do it!
We learn from TRYING (that means actually taking action rather than thinking about the things that would be cool to do)! That’s how we gain awareness of ourselves and what we want out of life!
You never know who you’re going to meet or what is going to come out of it!
If you want to read about or watch the recording of my workshop, you can find it here:
Small-group mastermind session I attended (and subsequently joined):
L3 Leadership breakfast I attended in November- this is
what made me decide to try out the mastermind group Photo credit: L3 Leadership
WOW. This one has made a HUGE impact!! The people in this group are INCREDIBLE!! I didn’t think I had the time to commit to these twice-monthly meetings but from the second I walked into the room and felt the energy of all the warm and welcoming people in this group, I KNEW it was something I needed to make time for. I realized that with the nature of my coaching career, I do a lot of guiding, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt truly GUIDED. With this group, I have an incredible group of supportive and encouraging people (now also incredible FRIENDS) who love me and support me in all of my endeavors. We bring our specialties and expertise (and of course our support and encouragement!) to help each person in the group reach the goals they set for themselves, their businesses, and their lives. We talk leadership, relationships, personal development, you name it. It’s been such a huge blessing in my life and I’ve seen incredible rapid growth in my life since joining 4 months ago! I feel so uplifted and accelerated by this group!!
Lessons that I took away from this experience:
L3 Leadership mastermind group at our December meeting Photo credit: L3 Leadership
Find a mentor and/or group of people who will take you to the next level in any (preferably all!) areas of your life. I already know the value of this from my health and fitness coaching (our facebook accountability groups help me as much as they do my clients!) but I hadn’t realized how much I was missing that in other areas of my life. Take inventory of each area of your life and see where you need to find extra support. My new goal is to make sure I have a solid mentor and group of supportive people to help me with EVERY area of my life!!
More opportunities than you can imagine can come out of connecting with driven, intelligent, kind, compassionate, supportive, high-performance people. Seek them out. It will be the most valuable thing you ever do for yourself.
L3 Leadership breakfast meeting at the end of January.
We are growing fast!
Photo credit: L3 Leadership
Toastmasters group I joined:
The night I decided to join Toastmasters.
I'm holding instructions for my first speech!
If you don’t know what Toastmasters is, it’s an international public speaking organization that helps each member improve their public speaking and communication skills. We meet twice a month and you can choose to give speeches as often or as infrequently as you would like (more often helps you hit achievements faster and of course improve your skills more quickly). Even on weeks when I’m not speaking, I learn SO MUCH from the other speakers. I can tell that my communication skills are already improving a LOT! Perhaps even more importantly, this was another group full of super supportive, intelligent, and interesting people. Not only do we have a safe environment for us all to practice, learn, and grow, but we also have a really diverse group of people that has been SO INTERESTING to learn from each time I hear each of them give a speech and learn a little bit more about their lives. Will I end up doing public speaking as a career? Who knows! But even in these few short months, I am grateful for the skills I’ve learned already, the new connections I’ve made, and I LOVE the expansiveness that comes with being challenged to grow in a difficult skill!!
Riding an adrenaline high after my 2nd
Toastmasters speech in February
Lessons that I took away from this experience:
Learn a new skill. I had forgotten how GOOD it feels to be challenged and expanded in a safe and supportive environment
Same as the mastermind group and the workshop: you never know who you’re going to meet, what kind of relationships/connections you will form, or what other opportunities will come out of it!
Here’s the bonus I promised you which is more about me, my background, some special dots that have connected along the way to lead me to where I am, and how you can start noticing “lightning bolt moments” in your life. This also happened to be my 2nd Toastmasters speech :)
As you can probably tell, these have ALL been big “lightning bolt moments” in my life! I hope that hearing about mine has helped you start to notice the opportunities, people, and experiences in YOUR life that feel extremely meaningful- follow them! :)
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.
The top picture was my final paycheck from my old company right before the company closed in May of 2014. This was my take-home pay every 2 weeks after 7 years of being an engineer there. I felt fairly compensated, I loved the job, I loved working on the development of our medical device and representing our company and product internationally, I felt privileged to work with incredibly talented surgeons from around the world, it was an honor to learn from the incredible people I was lucky enough to work with, and my time there will always hold a special place in my heart.
But I am also proud of this:
* I am proud of listening to my gut when my coach asked me back in 2012 if I ever considered becoming a coach. I didn’t have a clue what would come out of it but I jumped all-in because it was something I absolutely loved doing. There was definitely a small voice within me that told me I was entering into something significant in my life :)
* I am proud that despite having the same fears that anyone would when starting something new, I stayed connected to the bigger picture and put my heart out there as best as I could. I knew there was a chance that some might interpret what I was doing as salesy, annoying, or even a little crazy, but did that really matter if there were people out there that I was helping? I learned to ignore any doubts with the first message I received letting me know that I helped someone BELIEVE in herself <3
* I am proud of myself for following my heart and taking a plunge into a career that was a complete 180 from what my degree, previous work experience, and training was in (although to be honest, I think coaching is more aligned with what I REALLY wanted out of Bioengineering, which was to help improve the quality of people’s lives and make the world a better place). There were a lot of people who suggested I should get another job in engineering or questioned if I worried about not being able to find another job in engineering down the road if I stepped away from it. The truth? No, I didn’t worry. Job-wise, I knew my skill set was more marketable than ever. But throughout all of this, if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that if you stay ALIGNED with your truth and your joy, the BEST opportunities for you come your way. I never could have foreseen this opportunity coming and I learned a long time ago to trust that things are ALWAYS working out for the best. I have never felt more fulfilled or ALIVE in my life and I know in my heart this is what I was meant to do. Trust me, I’m not looking back! :)
* I am proud of what I have done with this “fun little opportunity”. I LOVE my team- some of the most incredible souls I have ever encountered. I am proud that I have really found my voice and my message in all of this. I have worked with a lot of people and seeing where we all struggle and what helps us all has really helped me learn a TON - and I can use that to help others! I love that we’re all in this together, trying to improve ourselves one day at a time!
And that brings me to my final point: I am proud of the financial success I have built with this too. I know some people feel weird about sharing income information but when I was originally contemplating becoming a Beachbody coach, seeing things like this totally INSPIRED me! I do this to show others what is possible AND because I pour my heart and soul into this business and I like to celebrate my accomplishments along the way! These numbers represent a lot more than just finances to me. This business is a representation of the things that are most meaningful to me: my passions, people I care deeply about, and my dreams! Despite the cultural stigmas attached, I think we should ALL celebrate our successes more often! So here is mine. Here is what I’ve built. And I’m not stopping here- this is just the beginning ;)
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.
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
Hello all! Ever wondered what I do as a coach (the behind-the-scenes, the day-to-day, how I get paid, etc)? I hope you know by now that I am a no-pressure kind of person so I wanted to open up a chance for you to get to see what really goes on with this business (but without feeling like you're going to get pressured into anything)! Our team has a 5 Day Coach Sneak Peek group on Facebook starting this coming Monday, Jan 25, so join us next week for a look at what we do (if you are seeing this at a later date, don’t worry- we run these every month)! If you decide that online health/fitness/motivation coaching is something you might like to do, awesome! Anyone can do it and you don't need any special type of certification. If you join us for this group and decide it's not for you, that's A-ok too!
Coaching has honestly been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done- I feel like I get to help people in some small way every day and live my passion as my full-time job (although it's something you can easily do on the side too, which is how I started)!
I wanted to make sure that nobody I know is missing out on the opportunity to do something they might really love for fear of asking about it, worrying it's going to be a pushy thing, or not really understanding what it is. So that's why we created this group!! If you're interested, please let me know- we'd love to have you!
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.
Hi everyone! This particular message is for anyone who has a blog (specifically through blogger) and is frequently posting links to their blog on other social media sites like Facebook. The default thumbnail that shows up when you copy a link to one of your blog posts into facebook is typically the first picture of your blog post, however, you may not necessarily WANT this to be the thumbnail that shows up. So I made a video to describe the process of how to change the html code of your blog to get Facebook to recognize a different image in your blog post as the default thumbnail. You can set this for as many of your posts as you want. The process is described in the video below and then I have some associated pictures, links, and coding that you will need to use below that (each of these is explained in the video). Hope this helps!
Copy this code word for word- every symbol is important! You will need to replace http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-treat-free-challenge-facebook-group.html in the code with the link to your specific blog post and https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNmBrgGf2Pi3erR5iJ6qYkVxkKxghahJc1rWwN1JsAdAD-ooa5NY94tslilI9mMMm2PKbdzM55s0eXrJ424w6Td2AW0Q96YiVmuPBHRZlqG9jm4wgMfrvajw-vLp0yrm7rSk98mzdhao/s320/20151229_103846.jpgwith the link to the image that you want to be the thumbnail that shows up when pasting the link to your blog post in social media. The link to the image can be found in the blogger editor of that specific post as described in the video tutorial.
Debugger used to test your links and check for which picture is showing up as the open graph image:
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!!
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.
It’s so interesting/synchronistic how something that I learned in the talk I went to this morning with John Henne (of Henne Jewelers in Pittsburgh) completely and directly applied to our Beachbody regional meeting later in the day and REALLY affected my mindset in a positive way (and I think he gave a great message for ANYONE regardless of what your business/career is so please, read on)...
Beachbody events are always jam packed with awesomeness, however it’s not always sunshine and rainbows behind the scenes. It’s an incredible business but it is TOUGH mentally to maintain belief in yourself during the inevitable disappointments and slow phases that come with any business. With as rapidly as the health and fitness industry is growing, it’s HARD not to get caught up in the lack mentality that leads to comparing our success against the seeming progress of others. And a prime time that this comes up is during recognition at events like this. If you’d have told 3-years-ago me that I’d be where I am today, I’d be absolutely thrilled. Looking back, I’m so proud of the progress I’ve made, not just in my business, but in my life! But like any business (and life in general), there are always more levels, more milestones that we can achieve, and more things that we feel we could be or “should be” doing/accomplishing.
Fortunately, I was at a Learning to Lead event this morning (an organization by Doug and Laura Smith that brings in high-character and successful business leaders from around the area to speak on what they believe are the key components to their success and fulfillment) and today they brought in John Henne. I asked John this morning for his tips on how he overcomes the temptation to fall into lack mentality and comparison mode. His answer was one of my biggest take-aways of his talk. He said, “I realized that I don’t need to be the biggest to be the best at what I do.” In his talk, it was SO EVIDENT how much he values and exemplifies QUALITY work and true and sincere care for his customers. He spoke repeatedly about the importance of focusing on giving rather than worrying about what you’re trying to get out of it, and in doing so, you actually get far more than you ever could have imagined. One of the things that I thought was so neat about their business and attitude is how much they care about the marriage of their customers as opposed to it just an engagement ring sale- they even give their customers a book, “Things I Wish I Knew Before Marriage,” by Gary Chapman. It was such an important reminder of the little ways we can go above and beyond to show business clients (as well as the important people in our lives!) that we care. It reminded me how important it is to keep the big picture and the true PURPOSE of my business in mind and look for extra ways in which I can SERVE. The legacy comes in what we are able to GIVE BACK. He also emphasized the importance of being happy with who you are and reminded us that if you are not happy with who you are, you will never be a good employee. He said, “it’s not about the job it’s the attitude you bring to job.”
So how did this apply to the rest of my day? I was reminded that even if I haven’t reached an arbitrary milestone in my business, even if I’m not as far along as other coaches who have been in the business for less time than I have, or even if I’m not yet as far along as I plan to go does not mean I am not still the best at this business. I am the best in my own way if I am giving with sincerity, if I am showing care for others, if I am happy with who I am, and if I am pouring words of encouragement into others. We can ALL be the best in that way. THOSE are the things that create our legacy. THAT is what people will remember long after we’re gone. And all of those things are completely independent of any kind of arbitrary accomplishment or society-defined “success”. So whatever it is you do, stop worrying about being the biggest or the farthest along and start focusing on GIVING and being of SERVICE and THAT is what will make you the best!!
John, thank you again for speaking with us today! I hope I did your incredible message justice!!
