How do you serve yourself when everything you do is for everyone else? Still today, every time I remember the horrific sense of uncertainty and the pressure of my own doubts when I said, “yes”, my body tenses. My far-from-ideal childhood drove me to be the first in my family to graduate college. This was HUGE! I showed my family that women could do whatever they wanted to do. A Bachelor’s in Sports Management with a minor in Business with a fierce work ethic, I knew it wouldn’t take me long to be the next CEO. Of what, I had no idea.

 

Like so many women, a few months after graduation the path I was on was not the one I had planned on. I was working in sales for a dead end company until I met Bri, my husband, and my world turned upside down. I was on a whirlwind romance that puts even the best love stories to shame. The first night, we knew that we were meant to be together. Within 3 months we were married and pregnant. Three more months, when the Army called Bri to deploy, I realized that I was married to the military, and my husband was on loan to me. We made a decision that I would be a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) and temporarily delay my path. It was a no brainer. Jackson was 7 months old when we said goodbye to Bri as he headed off to war, for a year, at the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan. The pressure was on.

 

I was on a mission to be the best mom. Perfection was beating down my door. I tiptoed when Jackson slept; followed a rigid schedule, used organic everything. I set the thermostat at the optimal temperature for his skin that was not too dry or too wet. It was never enough. There was always something more to do to be the best mom. The year went by. Bri came home, and 3 days later we were pregnant with baby #2. Talk about poor planning. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my boys. I loved being a mom. Delaying my dream was another no-brainer. The military’s path took us from Hawaii to Vermont where Emmett was born in the dead of winter. It was truly amazing. Said no one. EVER! Postpartum depression dug its heels in. Exhausted and lonely, I resented Bri for everything.

 

Every morning I watched the clock countdown to 4 pm—the socially accepted time for wine. I fueled my anger and frustrations with alcohol, and when Bri came home from work I lashed out at him with jealously. I blamed him for everything, and each day was worse than the one before. Bri worked hard to keep me safe and protect me, but he didn’t know that I was drowning. I was still trying to be the perfect mom until finally we had a change to look forward to. Kansas! Of all places. My path was not looking any brighter, and I was losing the desire to follow my husband and watch his career takeoff while I sat back and did everything, and yet, nothing at all.

 

Just before we moved, a girl from high school messaged me, “Hey Jac. I wanted to check in with you. See how you are doing and if you’d like to join my private FB P90X3 group starting next Monday or if you’d be interested in becoming a Beachbody coach! 46 days til summer.” I declined. Two months after we moved I saw her transformation post, and I knew she had what I needed—to take care of myself and accountability. Most of all, I needed friends. Saying “yes” meant using our last bit of room on the credit card. Terrifying! I promised Bri that I would earn the money back in 30 days, or I’d return the challenge pack, get our money back and quit. He agreed, and I went to work.

 

Day one, I printed everything in the coach office and watched training videos until 2 am. I made friends wherever I went—the grocery store, the gas pump, Starbucks. No one was safe! All those connections lead me to a group of women who were friendly and welcoming, but, boy did they love Jesus. I said “yes” when they invited me to a women’s night out. Honestly though, the Jesus thing didn’t sit well with me, but I needed friends. I couldn’t grow my business without people. Truth. God gave me what I needed and used my drive to provide for my family as a way to put me on the path to finding Him. The first year of my business I earned $18,000. I got better at getting more sleep, but a whole lot worse at working in the cracks. There were no cracks. I finished year 2 with $40,000, pregnancy #3, and a move to Texas.

 

By the end of year 3, I had earned almost $70,000 and proven to myself and to Bri that this was for real. Bri had served his country for 13 years; retirement was around the corner, but three year-long deployments come on!

 

We made the decision for him to leave the Army. I knew he would find a job, but the pressure on me was continuing to build. My income and my team were growing, but I was feeling less and less in love with how I was running my business. I was disconnecting, and I didn’t know what to do. Until now I had looked at objections as nothing more than someone who wasn’t ready or didn’t want to start their health journey. I wasn’t looking at objections as answers to my prayers. I looked at them as objections and not as opportunities. “I have too much on my plate to start my health journey.” Well, I had too much on my plate too; yet, here am I trying to help you.

 

In my heart, I knew that God called upon me to do more for women, but how could I help them be healthier if they were stressed out from being a mom and a wife. I knew exactly how full their plates were. God had been giving me what I needed, but I wasn’t receiving. This time, I listened, and I ran with it. I used that objection to build an online 4-week workshop, “Stress & Anxiety Detox”. I was going to help women conquer the things that were preventing them from living happy, healthy lives. The course was fantastic. I had 12 women; most of them who realized dramatic changes in their lives from implementing the tips that I shared. The course was done. I helped women make big changes. Now what? I had to do more.

 

I couldn’t very well operate stress and anxiety workshops under Beachbody, but I could build another business. With the help of my bestie, Melissa, we came up with a company name—Mind Body Soldier. I was in love with my business again and could not wait to launch. My purpose: to help women with their mindset first and then with their fitness journey. Meanwhile, Bri joined the civilian life. We said goodbye to Texas and hello to pregnancy #4. Again, poor planning. No job, no insurance or medical care, three boys now and the next one on the way. The pressure, still mounting, and no matter how excited I was about my vision, I was drowning in a whole different way this time. I was drowning in the things that I loved but had no time to do them. My business was failing, and I needed help. 

 

One by one, God sent in the troops to save me, again. With the help of Louise Parker, my team not only survived, we next leveled it by hosting our first Team Leader Retreat in October 2018. Eight women joined us, and it was life changing. The laughs, the connections, the growth-everything that came from those four days gave me new perspective and a renewed I knew God called upon me to do more for women, but how could I when my plate was as full as theirs? purpose, but I had the same question: How? I was still just as busy and overwhelmed as I was before the retreat. I prayed, and I prayed some more. Was it okay to ask God for more when clearly, He had given me so much already. Of course it was okay, but He didn’t answer. He had already answered, but I wasn’t paying attention. Mind Body Soldier (MBS) wasn’t meant to run alongside my Beachbody business. They were meant to run together. All of my Beachbody team were meant to be Mind Body Soldiers. By trying to separate the two, I was preventing myself from doing what God called me to do. With Louise’s help and encouragement yet again, I changed our team name and started incorporating the two. I pitched the idea to a few team leaders, and they ran with it. Of course, I had no idea what “it” was. I just knew it was HUGE! I suppose in some way, I doubted myself. I was praying for women to help me start a company and trying to figure out how I could convince them to incorporate their businesses with MBS too. Turns out, I didn’t have to. The leaders that God sent me, they listened without question. The excitement that I saw in each of their faces as I told them my vision for MBS and where God wanted to take us, it was like none other.

 

This entire year we poured our hearts, our minds, our souls into making MBS a legit business. I’m just as busy as I’ve ever been. Busier than year 1 of my marriage when I tried to be the perfect mom while Bri was deployed and risking his life everyday. I'm busier than year 1 of my Beachbody business when I was raising two boys, alone, and trying to keep it all together. I’m even busier than when I had 3 boys and Bri was transitioning to civilian life. Busier than when #4 came along and my business was failing. The difference, my busy has a purpose from God and the resources from God. I’m not doing this alone.

 

For nine months, we’ve met for countless hours. We meet before the sun comes up, after the kids go to bed, and sometimes 3 in the morning. There are days when we are the last people we see at night and the first people we see the next morning. There are times when everything else has to drop because we’ve got a deadline. And a purpose. God’s purpose – to serve our clients with workshops, mentorships, retreats, seminars, conferences, ebooks and anything else that will help women get control of their mindset and change their lives.

 

We are...Mind Body Soldier.

 

Mind. Discover a mindset that helps women gain control of their lives so they can start their journey. Body. Match women to the right nutrition and fitness plan that works for them so they can discover their confidence. Soldier. Empower women to break free from the chains that are holding them back from living their best lives, to find their true purposes, and show them how to use their strengths to fight for their purposes.

 

You are Mind Body Soldier. You have strength, confidence, and control. Our goal is to build what we love by helping you build what you love so you can help someone else build a life they love. If you are drowning, struggling, or feeling like it’s too much, you are not alone. You have a whole team of women to help you discover and build your passion.

 

A HUGE thank you to Linda Sinnott, our Program Creator & Director for believing in my crazy. To my family for giving me the love, support and belief even though my ideas come off as completely outlandish at first. To my boys. I don't know what I would do without you. To Brian, thank you for helping me create a life I love. To Melissa Downey, our Creative Director. To Susan Bellis our MBS Creative Consultant for helping me build this dream. Thanks to all of you for trusting and believing in me. This month, October 2019, we became an official LEGIT business with all the licenses, insurances, and legal stuff (that I know nothing about) that provides online and live workshops, retreats, and mentorship to help women discover their purpose and live their best lives. We are planning our first women’s retreat for the spring of 2020. I CANNOT wait to see where God’s path takes us next, and I hope that you are as excited to go with us as we are to have you by our side. If you have something you want to build or you feel like God is pointing you in a direction but not sure what to do or how to do it, reach out to Linda our VP. If you have questions or want to chat, you know where to find me.

 

Love our tribe,

xo Jac