Latest / The Kathie Owen Perspective Podcast / 102. My Story of Corporate Wellness Consulting

Transcript

102. My Story of Corporate Wellness Consulting · The Kathie Owen Perspective Podcast

• 0:00
  All right today, we're going to do something a little bit different.
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  And I hope you find this.
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  Fun and exciting as much as I did writing this speaking it.
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  And going through it as well.
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  So today's video podcast, episode, wherever you're watching, this is my journey into corporate wellness consulting.
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  You're listening to Kathie's Coaching Podcast I'm your host, Kathie Owen.
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  I have been a certified fitness trainer and certified life coach since 2002.
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  On this channel, we talk about having a growth mindset, healthy habits, fitness, and even some Reality Transurfing.
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  Today we are talking about my passion.
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  I love.
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  How fitness.
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  Changes people's lives.
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  That's what I'm extremely passionate about.
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  And that's what I love.
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  And personal training.
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  Is absolute hands down.
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  The favorite thing I get to do.
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  So it's July of 2022.
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  And I am told that I finally get to go back to the gym full time.
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  This is the first time since may of 2019.
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  I've been employed at OCuSOFT since 2013.
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  I have been their fitness and wellness director all this time.
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  Ironically, I've probably been out of the gym more than I've been into the gym.
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  Because the gym has flooded.
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  It's flooded three times during the rainy seasons or we're on low, low ground.
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  And so we have flooded three times, but the third time it happened was hopefully the last time.
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  And it was in may of 2019.
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  That's summer, they lifted the building three feet off the ground.
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  This is a process they do here in Houston after the floods, but this process would leave the building compromised and we could not enter the building.
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  Until March of 2020.
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  I actually had a makeshift gym in the main building.
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  I had weights and a treadmill, and I just did the best I could.
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  And while I appreciated what I had, and in fact fell in love with where I was, no matter the circumstances was not ideal.
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  Well, we all know what happened March of 2020, and yes, you guessed it.
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  The gym was closed indefinitely because we are technically a healthcare company at oCuSOFT.
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  And we had very strict compliance with the pandemic.
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  And honestly, I wondered if I would even still have a job.
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  And actually I wrote a complete article about what happened and what I did during the pandemic.
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  And as always, I learned to fall in love with where I was no matter the circumstances, this is something I teach in my book, The Truth Bubbles Up and something.
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  I just teach as.
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  Part of my core values.
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  But honestly it was not ideal.
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  I miss fitness and I missed training clients.
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  But I adapted, I fell in love with my fellow team members and the new ventures we went on each day at work.
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  I work in the operations department and every day had some new element to it.
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  We had this saying in our department, you never knew what to expect when you came to work.
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  But we always made it fun.
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  So for over two years, I just maintain the status quo by working in operations department.
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  And July of 2022, I was told I get to go back to the gym full time.
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  While I loved being in the gym, there was something missing.
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  Actually, there was a lot missing.
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  Then it hit me.
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  The fung sheui in the gym was off.
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  There was no flow to the gym.
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  And the cardio equipment was all over the place.
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  And the flooring was definitely off.
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  We had white tile flooring and that is not conducive for a gym.
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  And if you stick around, I'll explain why in just a moment.
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  And there was no color in the gym, it felt drab and it lacked.
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  Two things.
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  It lacked people and it lacked energy.
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  Because during the pandemic and at the end of it, I had been working in the receptionist office.
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  So I got to see everyone every single day, I met new hires and even those interviewing for jobs, my job was fun and I'm a people person.
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  So I got to see people every day and it was awesome.
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  So when I got back into the gym, I missed everyone.
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  Our gym is a separate building and we are now a big campus.
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  So I was met with the dilemma.
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  What in the world was I going to do?
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  So I reached out to one of my colleagues.
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  His name is Zach, and he works at advanced fitness and he had already helped me.
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  Buy some new equipment for the gym and things like that.
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  But.
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  I had him come out to tour the gym.
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  And I asked him for suggestions and he quickly sent me a new layout that I knew the gym needed.
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  And he also suggested some new equipment as well as he knew a flooring company that could help me So I kind of knew what I wanted.
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  I wanted to shift the gym to a functional fitness facility.
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  And I also did an article on functional fitness, and I will link that in the show notes and description as well.
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  But here are the things that I knew I wanted for this gym.
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  I wanted huge graphics on the wall to inspire the atmosphere of the gym.
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  I want it AstroTurf, which is the green grass that you see like an artificial turf and it would enhance the entryway and also provide clear functional fitness training with a sled.
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  But when you walk into the gym, I wanted that AstroTurf to be there on the floor.
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  And just like you walk into the gym and you're like, oh, okay.
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  I'm in a gym.
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  I'm ready to work out.
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  I wanted the TRX bay with the band's medicine balls kettlebells.
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  And storage for stability, balls and bands and extra equipment.
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  I also had requests for a spin bike.
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  So Zach created my design and I made a presentation for the executive team.
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  I had a vision for a gym would be inspiring.
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  And motivational for years to come.
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  At OCuSOFT we are one of the top workplaces in Houston.
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  And this would be yet another bonus for our team members and our culture.
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  It just had to be done.
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  Plus our campus was growing so much and we were quickly running out of space for things that actually make us money.
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  So the gym is.
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  An added plus that we have on campus, but we were running out of space.
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  So you see my dilemma here.
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  After that presentation, the executive team asked for a quote and Zach put that together for me.
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  The first quote he sent me was so high that I would not even share it with the executive team.
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  And retrospect.
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  That probably would have said yes to, but I felt I needed something a little less expensive.
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  But the reason why that quote was so high was because of the flooring.
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  And there are many different types of rubber flooring.
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  But in a nutshell, I picked plain black flooring for my final proposal.
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  And then I sent it in and I waited.
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  I actually waited for about four weeks.
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  Finally, my supervisor came to me and said it was approved just the day before Halloween.
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  I think it was actually approved sooner than this, but that was when I was told to go ahead with the transition.
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  This meant that the new gym would probably be complete just in time for the new year.
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  If we were lucky.
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  We did get lucky and open one week into 2023, but there were hiccups along the way.
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  Of course, the flooring was far from perfect and I still needed mirrors.
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  I needed the graphics and I need safety measures like cameras and an AED.
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  Which is a defibrillator.
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  That goes along with CPR.
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  These seeming little things caused hiccups in my plan.
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  And so the gym was finally finished in early February.
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  I invited Zach over to look at the final product.
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  He was impressed and happy and he told me, Kathie, you are so good at this.
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  You told me exactly what you wanted and you completed the project.
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  Your vision came to life and he is correct.
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  My vision came to life.
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  I've since taken the wellness involvement of the team.
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  On campus.
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  From 1% to over 15%.
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  And I now teach circuits during lunch hour and I have people.
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  Making new friends and creating a healthier lifestyle in their days.
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  Here's some of the things that they are saying.
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  I feel more focused at work.
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  You make the gym fun!, your training style rocks.
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  You're the best personal trainer ever.
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  Thanks for guiding me towards my goal.
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  Kathie really helped.
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  When it came to training days, she taught me training with specific muscle groups at a time and years later, I still use this technique and I love it.
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  That's from one of the clients that's been there for awhile.
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  And I love the Kathie is here on site and can show you proper form when working out, this has helped so much.
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  Another client said, I look forward to working out with Kathie each week.
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  Kathie has made working out fun and really taught me that working out is a great time instead of a dreadful task.
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  And I love that one because so many people do come into the gym and they're like, oh, I don't really want to work out.
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  But by the time they leave, they're like, I'm so glad I came.
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  I so get that.
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  Anyways, another client said Kathie always has times for anything.
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  And she's always caring about what she has planned for us today.
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  She makes sure that not every workout is the same and knows that every workout isn't for everyone.
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  That takes time and dedication.
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  And I couldn't be happier with having her as a trainer.
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  Another client said, Kathie helps me out more than just physically.
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  She helps me with my mental and emotional wellbeing as well.
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  She is so motivated and positive.
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  Those are just some of the things that the clients have been saying in the gym and the feedback that I've been getting, because I requested that feedback because I did go through a spell where I was like, Well, nobody's coming to the gym.
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  What's the deal.
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  So after I got the gym remodeled and started getting set in a routine and schedule, I started sending out feedback forms.
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  So I could find out what people like about the gym, what they don't like about it.
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  Do they like things about my training that.
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  Perhaps, I didn't know, because it's very easy to just get set in your ways.
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  It would have been super easy for me to just take the easy way out and not even design a gym and not even go with this.
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  I could have just gone to work every day.
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  And just done my job.
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  I do work hard.
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  So I probably was guaranteed a job by is nobody's ever guaranteed a job, but I do suspect that I was.
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  And bottom line.
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  I love how fitness changes lives.
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  That is why I do what I do.
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  After I completed this project and got Zach's vote of confidence.
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  I decided to branch out into guest what?
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  I'm going to start consulting.
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  And late February, 2023, I created my LLC.
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  It's called Kathie's Coaching and Consulting and I will continue to work full time for OCuSOFT because honestly, Uh, personal training is what I dearly love.
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  And it is where I got my start in corporate wellness.
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  So my loyalty will always be with OCuSOFT but I will be branching out into the world of corporate wellness consulting.
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  And I look forward to this new venture in my life and I will be sharing my journey every step of the way.
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  But my point in telling you all of this is once I got back into the gym in July.
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  August.
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  I started training again.
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  And especially since it hit January.
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  I feel like myself again.
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  I'm finally training again.
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  I have been a personal trainer for 20 plus years now.
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  And.
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  That means I have to do continuing education every two years because fitness is an ever changing industry, but I stay up on top of it.
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  I understand how fitness helps.
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  I'm also certified to work with older adults and I'm certified as a sports specialist as well.
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  I have a degree in psychology, so I also use a sports psychology as well because I'm kind of an avid sports freak.
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  And if you know me, you know, I love my Astro's, so that's pretty much where that's coming from.
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  But my point in telling you all of this is fitness will change your life.
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  And especially if you follow your passion, follow your heart, fall in love with what you are doing.
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  Even if you're in a moment where you're like, I'm not doing what I really like to do.
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  I promise you, it will come through setting a definite chief aim and sticking to that goal every single day, pulling that goal out of your pocket, looking at it, reading it, even though you may be working in the receptionist office, but you really want to be doing fitness.
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  It will change your life.
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  What your definite chief aim is now that definite chief aim has to be benefit for you and benefit for others.
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  And that is where I come from every single day.
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  And I hope that my story inspires you as well.
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  If you'd like to know more about getting your definite chief aim, setting it up and having a little help in that department.
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  I have a free download on your definite chief aim, and you can find that at kathieowen.com/want And if you know someone who can benefit from this, please share it with them.
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  And until next time I'll see you next time.
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  Peace out and Namaste