Amy's Unexpected Undertakings

December 1, 2015

It is the end of the dub Reset 90 Challenge. And I weigh the exact same amount as I did on September 1. Some would look at this and think, "Amy--why would you spend three months of your life on a challenge involving healthy eating, exercising, and supplementing if you still weigh the same amount?" Good question. Here's my transformation story.

My First Transformation Challenge
My first Reset 90 challenge with dub included significant weight loss and a great experience learning about the value of consistency and overcoming bad food habits in my life. In my 90 day experience then--I dropped about 20 pounds and started this path to becoming healthier. Amazingly during that experience, I dropped clothing sizes and grew a confidence that I never knew I had. The visible changes were powerful for me.

My first Reset 90 Challenge in 2014

Reflecting back to this year's challenge and realizing I started at 160 pounds and ended at 160 pounds was a little frustrating at first. After pondering today though and reflecting on where I am at with my trainer Elise Gerst--I began to realize just what happened to me in my most recent 90 days. The transformation I experienced this time was something I never imagined having happen in my life. The transformation I experienced involves a little reflection back to 2009.

A Handicapping Life Experience
Back at this time, I had a serious injury. I broke a bone playing ultimate frisbee (to read about this injury, click here). It was a hairline fracture in my upper tibia on my right knee--but being on crutches for 3 months of my life was challenging. That injury took me time to overcome. Not only was my right knee in intense pain, but during that time (and probably a few months after my physical therapy), my left knee experienced a lot of compensation for my right knee. Both knees for the past 6 years have had intense pain off and on and have limited my activity. I have had no trust in those knees. In fact--I have probably not done as much as I would have liked to because of how weak my knees have always felt. My knees were handicapping my ability to believe in me. Running hurt. Hiking hurt (I know--I'm out in nature all the time, but I always was slower than I wanted to be). Weather changes hurt. And I used it as an excuse. It started to define my thoughts about myself and what I was capable of. My future fear was that I would have to replace them as I age.

The day I returned my crutches after 3 months of them (August 2009)

Reset 90 Challenge--2015

Tomorrow is a day I've always been anxious about--ever since I was 5 years old. The "First Day of School." Granted--it is just a week then I get a couple off until the year takes off in August. As a child--I always had a little bit of anxiety and nervousness from this day. It hasn't gone away for me as an adult and I start a new school year every year. One of the glories of being a teacher.

But on this--the eve of my "first day" of school, there's a few things I wish I could have told myself 11 years ago as a brand new teacher.

1. The first day of school will always have that excitement. I love this about my job! Every year is an opportunity to start anew, and meet new people that you can impact and that will impact your life. It's also a chance to try new ideas and do better than the year before. To perfect how we do things and change. Change is a foundation to growth--and this is huge.

2. Cherish those people you work with each year. Each year is filled with opportunities to meet new people, and learn from one another. I know that each of us was put here on earth to learn from one another and to teach each other--children to adults. I love that there is an opportunity for us to impact each other and to learn. Those kiddos I taught my first couple years definitely made me learn about teaching and helped me become the teacher I am. And the mentors and others that helped me learn to improve my management and teaching strategies were God sends. Each year those people come and go--so remember them and let their good parts mold you into who you are.

3. Teach what you preach--I wanted my students to understand that they controlled their learning. I wanted them to know that learning is part of life--but it wasn't later on in my career that I realized that it made a difference to share some of those things I was learning with them too. Granted--you don't share everything with kids, but you can share about how amazing it is to try new things and to be brave. We learn from the example of others--so living what you preach is important.

4. Take opportunities. I have lived this but I know when I was a young teacher--I was afraid of some of these. I thought that my stir craziness was bad--that wanting change was crazy. Really though, every time I began to get stir crazy, I learned more about my teaching and was able to push myself to newer levels. I'm grateful for those stir crazy moments and my desire to keep learning and trying more. I'm also grateful for those who perfect a grade or a content and who keep developing things to make learning better for kids. Their examples and strengths have been a blessing to me in so many ways.

5. And lastly, I think I have learned more and more that it's okay to share your voice as a teacher. When I started, I don't think I was vocal about things happening in my school, district, or state. But--teachers can have a voice and say and do and act on what is best for kids--because truly--that is what most teachers go into teaching to do. To advocate for the ability to allow others to learn. I would tell my younger self to not be afraid to do this and to continue to fight for our ability to learn.

My heart is full and grateful tonight as I prepare to start a year that I know is going to be full of adventure and change. I'm going to hold on to each moment of it and let it continue to let me grow. I'm thankful to all those who have helped me become. Truly--this life is about becoming. I'm grateful I have found a career that has allowed me the opportunities I have had in life to grow.

April 15, 2015

I just have a thought going through my head tonight that I have to get out of me. I have had a few young new teachers ask me how I got to where I am because they don't want to "teach" forever and want to go places. I'm realizing I look younger to them than I really am...

One of the hardest decisions I have ever made was to stop teaching and take the job I currently have. I remember when I interviewed--I was certain I wouldn't be what they wanted. When I was offered the job--it shocked me. I took me a few days to accept it.

I never aspired to become who I am in my career. I don't get paid more, I don't have less work, and I have a lot more to do and be accountable to each day. Me moving this way though, stemmed from a desire to be the best teacher I could be. How do we become better? By learning and doing. I studied what I taught and worked on understanding it as much as I could so my students could reach their full potential. My passion for education grew into a desire to help teachers become better as well. The reason I took this position is because in the past several years I have realized that I want to help more students have successful learning experiences. How do you do that? By working with their teachers.

Today I spent some time in classrooms--it made me miss it. The interactions with kids, their love and support of you as their teacher, and most of all--seeing that lightbulb connect as they "get it".

Those 8 years that I taught first grade were some of the most precious years of my life. I learned so much about me as a teacher, about students as learners, and about how to engage my kids and to study and plan for what they needed to learn. Looking back at that time--I didn't want to teach 1st grade. But now that I have--I thank God everyday for that experience. Those kids helped me discover teaching. They helped me to want to be the best teacher I can be. I am so glad He trusted me to be part of their early foundation to life.

To those young teachers who ask me how to "jump" to where I am--I would say change happens when it is right and the time is what you need. Being the best teacher you can be first is the most important part though. You can't do that in 3 years (unless you are a super hero). Experience is what molds us into who we are--never ever EVER cheat yourself out of that. Especially when it comes to working with kids. Focus on what you are doing now though and how it is affecting you as a teacher, and most importantly--how it is affecting those precious students.

Young Amy at the start of her career.

5 years in I pushed myself to get my masters and National Board Certification--always in school, always working.

February 28, 2015

I had a pretty amazing experience happen to me today with the dub Nutrition Company. I amazingly ranked up to Distributor 4 Star this week and I know I didn't do it on my own--there were so many people helping me get there--from an amazing up-line guiding me and to some pretty amazing customers who have continued to buy product and developed a love for it too! Today after they presented awards to those of us who rank advanced this month, the CEO Jeremy Wardle made a comment about me that I've been thinking about ever since I left.

He said, "Amy is not the same person that she was when she joined dub." And he is right.

Let's look at that girl for just a minute.

January 26, 2015

Here's the honest truth. I am a terrible listener.

Reason number one--I have the teacher listen down. I can have someone ramble on and on about things and nod along and hear key words and pretend that I know what they are talking about.

Reason number two--often times when I am listening--I cut people off and interrupt them because I thought of something important to say. And I am more important, right (just kidding--that's a terrible attitude!).

How many times do we find ourselves in this spot? Where we think we are being a good listener, but really--we aren't? We get so enthralled in hearing our own thinking (because honestly--let's face it--we learn when we express ourselves and say what we are thinking). And sometimes we just need to "shut up."

I've recently been attending coaching training and studying more about mentoring for my job. And one thing they stress a lot is the power of listening. Often times, we go in as coaches or mentors and we want to "fix" a person or we want to have them hear "how it should be." How much do we miss when we go in to talk with someone when we have our own agendas.

Can I share a sad, personal experience?

I was coaching a teacher. Immediately upon entering her classroom, I knew what needed to be changed and I knew how we were going to do it. The trick was to guide her to see my vision. MY vision.

Upon our first meeting, we talked and she kept bringing up a problem child in her class that she didn't know what to do with. I felt the problem was a bit more than this. I kept wanting to focus on the pieces that were missing because I felt that would help the problem child. But--she couldn't see my vision of where I was going. She kept talking about this student.

I didn't listen.

At the end of my coaching cycle, as we were finishing up and I was hoping I had helped guide her to the direction I felt she needed to go, she brought up this student still. I realized--I had failed. I hadn't heard her.

Had I heard her in the first place, maybe she would have listened better when I was coaching her. Because we would have taken care of the thing that was on her mind first. It would have been OUR vision.


Food for thought. How often do you listen? Really listen? Without interrupting? Without having thoughts pop into your head? Without trying to one up the person you are talking to or fix them? Without bringing them down?

Really think about it. It's something I'm working on--and I'm trying harder. I've been practicing listening exercises and trying to learn more about how I function as a listener. It's a hard thing to be a good listener. But--it can be worth it. You can have amazing lessons if you listen and learn a lot about other people.

Also, watch for those people who do truly listen--because you know you have a gem when you have found one!

2014 is coming to a close in a few hours...and my heart is full. I seem to have repeating lessons I learn every year--and this year came with some I would have rather not repeated. But--this year, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was this:


I have often times in life been the person who says: "I don't have time for that" or "This isn't fitting into my schedule." But--in 2014--I learned that as much as we like to disown our claim to having control over our time--essentially, we are the ones who decide that we don't have time.

Why is it that we say, "I don't have time?"

Is it because it isn't important? Is it because we are afraid? Is it because we don't know how to say no?

This year--I learned to face this question head on. What is worthy of my time?

We easily get sucked into responsibility, work, family--because those things are good and important to who we are. But--taking care of myself became a priority to me this year as well.

I decided it was time to invest in myself--to be a healthier Amy. I have put so many other things before my body in the past--and I have hated myself for it. This year--I decided to learn to exercise--and exercise smart. I decided to learn to eat healthy. I decided to learn about supplementation and how our bodies need vitamins and things our food doesn't have. I decided to give myself a chance this year.

Some people might say that it's wrong. Wrong to spend time taking care of myself. Wrong to discover I love new things like running and weight training. Wrong to cut out things from my diet that weren't helping me feel good. But maybe it is wrong that I had never taught myself to love me enough to do this before now. Maybe these lifestyle changes would have always been something that could balance in with my time.

If nothing else from 2014--that is one of my most prized possessions. I learned to give time to myself to take care of me. And that was a big task--because I'm one of the busiest people I know. The amazing part of it was I learned how to make things that are important my lifestyle, so it isn't even a matter about having time anymore, it's a matter of living. Living my life the way I want to, and becoming a better person.



"If I can find time..." we can all find time for whatever we feel is important in our lives. Time is all we have. And change is always there. Embrace it.

2015--I'm looking forward to having the time of my life this year. Because I'll make time for it.

I had the opportunity in church yesterday to be reminded of how Thanksgiving is sometimes the "forgotten" holiday. Thanksgiving was founded on the religious rights of the Pilgrims--leaving England and coming to America where they could worship freely and how they wanted. When they came here, they had a lot to learn about the new land and the Native Americans were great to teach them how to survive in Plymouth. I remember one of my favorite times of year when I taught 1st grade was during this time--we would review the story of the pilgrims in our non-fiction text and read about the things they went through. We would then talk about why the Pilgrims were thankful. And then, we would talk about what we could be thankful for--and make a cute thankful turkey that would go up on my bulletin board.

But--reflecting on Thanksgiving yesterday made me realize...I haven't been as reflective as I used to be this time of year. So--I'm making myself write (because it is how I learn) about things I am thankful for this week. I know some may look at it as just another Thankful post...but, it really comes down to selfish reasons for myself. When we live in Thanksgiving daily, we change our attitudes and our hearts. And right now--mine might need that. So--here's post number one: I am thankful for my family.

I also have been lucky to be blessed with amazing sisters. As the older sister--it's supposed to be my job to be the example. These two are more of an example to me than I think I am to them--they have both been through so much in their lives and they help me to realize why family is important. They have both married great husbands who are also great examples to me. I have learned style, manners, gospel lessons from them, and how to bite my tongue and control my anger and also how to love them unconditionally. They are two of my best friends on this earth--and I am lucky God gave them to me.


Every once in a while--I feel this void in my life because I know that I haven't started a family here on earth yet, or if I will get that chance. But, I know that I have had some of the best examples of family to be here with and that I am one blessed girl. God has looked out for me by putting some amazing people in my path to help me become the person I am becoming. I am grateful for my family--my immediate and extended.

My family has molded me into who I am. Without them, I would not be where I am and doing what I am doing. I am so thankful for my family.