I was fortunate to get to sit down with Dave Glaser, founder of Fit Life Champions and talk about all the things, purpose, my current projects, how I started in the fitness industry and so much more! Click play below and listen while you’re working today.

Towards the end of the podcast I share about my newest project, the C3 Program , our next launch date is November 6, 2018, click here to learn more: https://www.lindseyrainh2o.com/c3-squad/ .

Thank you Dave for the opportunity to chat with you. Dave is an incredible business leader in the Fitness world virtually and in the Denver area, click here to learn about his business, and if you are a person wanting accountability and support in your fitness training, he is pure magic! Thank you again for the opportunity, Dave. Enjoy the podcast and if you’d like to get in touch with me, click here.

---

Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business advisor, Founder, writer & keynote speaker to the fitness and wellness industry.  For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter @LindseyRainH2o

The other day I was talking with a dear friend about perspective and what time and experience offers us in the journey that is life... Talk about a broad and generalized statement... I know, and, isn't it everything?

Never could I have known what  I do now, about being a mother, until I became a mother.  Simple yet a profound reality.

For anyone that knows me you could attest to the fact that I have always set a very high bar for myself, and with that comes the nagging reality that it can be very difficult for me to not project those same standards onto others.  

I remember reading through content and making judgments about seeing other bloggers have a lapses in time between content, I get it now.  My perspective now is that I am in the new context of mother and business owner, is one of empathy.  

Empathy for myself, for others, and a true “pause and reflect” when I consider others reasoning for their behaviors.  

Looking at myself here, on my blog, and I have not blogged for months! Months! I can hardly stand it.. and, I am fully committed to taking one day at a time and doing what a can each day.  (Easier said than done?!)

With all that being said, I felt compelled to go back through the blogs I wrote this time last year, pre-birth of my son, to see how my perspective has changed, the narrative is below:  

Here is my response to my own ideas, one childbirth, one association birth, and, many many fewer hours of sleep, later. 

Then:

“My husband and I will be expecting our first born in mid July of this year.  What a journey it had been the past 5+ months! My experience of being pregnant has naturally brought up all kinds of feelings and thoughts, and what I really want to share here is the transformational minded thoughts and ideas I am experiencing while moving towards this life change.”

Now:

 I really appreciate my thoughtfulness and the intention I brought to my own personal preparation of having a child.  That thoughtfulness has definitely paid off in the realm of having ideas and intentions to create the most meaningful home experiences for Oliver, My husband and I.  With that being said, I wish it was as eloquent as I described it above.. it is not, lol.  Everyday is different, everyday brings new challenges and most nights I fall asleep while having a conversation with my husband, it isn't perfect and, I love every single minute of it. 

Then:

"The societal pressures and models out there leave something to be desired, at least for me, and I've found my current position on the topic to be "make it up", create a way, a new method and then see if it works! "

Now:

Absolutely true! And not easy! choosing to create a life that is not typical is not easy, and, I have come to realize that if you want to create something totally different for yourself, you totally can.  I don't subscribe to the idea that women have to choose between work and motherhood, and, I don't think it's about taking your kids to the office, there are other options that can be fulfilling... it is all about choices.  These choices have been THE hardest ones of my life, I give a shit, big time, about being wtih my son, impacting the business I have created and supporting WIFA... with that love for all of those people comes choices, I am doing my best day by day!  And, If anyone wants to ever chat about how they have naviagted these waters, I am all ears!

Then:

"Tony Robbins and others talk about ideas like "integration" instead of balance, for people like myself that are deeply passionate about their work and friendships, then it becomes less about choosing and more about integrating." 

Now:

I wish balance was a thing... ha! I personally think that's a racket... choices however, that is absolutely a thing that you can have control over... where does your time in a day go and how does it align with your circumstances. 

Then:

As I like to say, "who you are at the kitchen table is who you are at work"... my kitchen table is about to be set for 3, and I am anticipating the adventure of how that will propel me to be even better and have more to offer in every area of my life. 

Now:

It most certainly is set for 3, my 10 month old son eats more than me! Funny, and, he has a brilliant appetite.  I was telling a mentor the other day that my experience of myself as a mother is one of profound confidence that comes from a place of knowing and believing in myself and what I have to offer the world.  The fierce love that comes with becoming a mother is one that I have never felt before, it changed me over night, and I am forever grateful to Oliver for the transformational quality of "no more BS" that came with becoming his mother.  My ability to be discerning in my work, my relationship and all the communities I am a part of is so profound and impactful, what a gift motherhood truly is!

Have you had a life change that you have gone through that created the space for you to pause, reflect and adjust your sails? I would love to hear about it, it's through community that we can all grow near and use the blessing of empathy to show each other what's possible. 

---

Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business advisor, Founder, writer & keynote speaker to the fitness and wellness industry.  For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter @LindseyRainH2o

Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Chantal Brodrick, the brilliant voice behind the Fitness Business Podcast.  Her and I chatted about a number of things including the work I am so grateful to get to do each day.  

In the transcript below you will see a portion of our interview and my thoughts on change, and why for so many people and organizations change can be painful.

The Fitness Business Podcast; click below to listen to the whole interview. 

Chantal :

Now, Lindsey, you actually, in your role within the industry, you help people and you help organizations enjoy transformational change. Can you explain to us what is the most common example of a major organizational change that a fitness facility might actually experience?

Lindsey :              

Mm-hmm (affirmative), absolutely. Well, so transformational change, to me, doesn’t mean you have to be okay with it per se, but really grappling with this idea that we’re all in constant motion. The idea that things will be the same for any period of time is a myth, and that the more rooted in reality we are with an ideal plan, the more successful we can be.

So when I think about a lot of the … whether it’s the fitness organizations that sell equipment, or education, you know the clients that I work with, and also the health clubs that they serve, I think that change is the theme that we see the most, that people have a hard time confronting, because it’s such … Our consumers, today’s consumer, the fitness consumer that’s coming into the club, or even the club operator that’s consulting with an equipment provider, because of the digital era, and how fast things are changing, it’s really less about knowing the right answers. It’s more about being agile enough to open your mind to not knowing everything, but knowing the right questions to ask.

So in a lot of the work that I do, it’s focusing on agility, and how can health clubs, how can the people supporting our industry think about today’s consumer, and how their life is radically changing on a regular basis, and how to support that. So whether it’s systems implementation, to organize people within the club, whether it’s the companies implementing strategy to support what’s coming next.

I think what’s a big part of our health clubs is if I can order up, on Amazon Prime, all my groceries, and have them delivered, and that’s the consumer experience I have through Amazon, if my health club doesn’t have similar features and functions in the way that I check into the club, then there’s going to be a miss, and the consumers are going to start to lose faith in our industry if we’re not up with it.

Those kinds of changes are a lot of the things that I help fitness facilities think about, and then help providers also consider.

---

Agility, change and ability to adapt the cornerstone's of change management and what it can take to create lasting change for both companies and people. 

What do you think, are you or your team undergoing a large change? What do you find the most difficult aspect of this process? 

---

Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business advisor, Founder, writer & keynote speaker to the fitness and wellness industry.  For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter @LindseyRainH2o

Photo Credit, From the Hip Photo, March 2017

Last month I shared my thoughts via audio about how much can you, or I can accomplish in a day, and the importance of asking for help and allowing others to support us. 

What is on my mind today has a similar flavor, and that is the notion of "doing it right".  As soon as I typed that phrase my internal dialog said "whatever that means", my rational mind wants to argue that there is no right way of doing anything, and yet the pressure that can ensue surrounding this myth can take over and paralyze my efforts.

A lot of the "do it right" thinking comes from the desire for perfection, an unattainable yet tempting place that women (at least myself) can tend to strive to be even while knowing it's not possible. 

"Pressure comes from all sides and settles uncomfortably in the laps of women trying to do everything the right way." -Karen Kleiman

A mind field of this type of thinking can pop up in areas where we are navigating something new, a path not walked down before. There is nothing like being 8.5 months pregnant that brings out the opinions of others the floodgates of advice comes rolling in causing lots of thoughts comparing to others and judging myself for what I do or don't know, "I have not thought of that, crap I should read more on that topic".  Because we live in a world where anything can be googled and Pinterest will be there to reliably show us all the possible "hacks" to get it right, it can be difficult to put the opinions aside and find a way that works for you. 

"Too many [women] are becoming anxious and depressed because they are overwhelmed and disappointed. Too many are letting their lives be poisoned by guilt because their expectations can't be met, and because there is an enormous cognitive dissonance between what they know to be right for themselves and what they're told is right for their children." .-Judith Warner

Regardless of the topic, there is an overwhelming amount of information available to us from others, our own research and imagined idea of how we are "supposed to" get something right. 

So how am I handling the feeling of "get it right" perfectionism as I round the corner into motherhood? Not overly gracefully but I am certainly putting effort into a few actions that have provided some reprieve that I will share with you. 

The first thing I have done is to do my best to have perspective and empathy about where the information is coming from.  I remember when my Father died three years ago, many people would say things to me like "when my grandma died", and at first I was offended that anyone would compare a grandparent to a parent, "do they have any clue what this is like".  When I chose to hear that person through the filter of empathy and love, I could see that more than likely they were just uncomfortable and wanted to relate to me in a way that they could, not really knowing what to say.  With unsolicited parenting advice, I am applying the same school of thought, this person is wanting to relate to me, be closer, and possibly share something that meant a lot to them, they might feel like they are handing me the keys to the parenting kingdom, maybe they are! The point is to rely on empathy and perspective to see people as my ally and with the filter of love. 

The other strategy I am employing to combat perfectionism and the "Do it right" mentality is to try to cut myself some slack.  This, is by far the hardest action for me to take and yet the simplest. The best way to actually do this are these two simple things; let myself off the hook for not knowing how to do something I have never done, duh, and, to not compare myself to others.  I was talking to a friend yesterday about how my workouts have not only changed but in the past week felt nearly impossible, I never thought I'd see the day that walking up hill was hard.  The best thing I can do for myself during this time is NOT get on Instagram and look for "moms to be that crossfit" to compare my efforts to others.  We all have our own experiences and for me sticking to my own without muddying the waters with what others do can be the best way to stay away from feeling like a failure. 

The beautiful underbelly of all of this is that if I peel off the layer of wanting to get it right and achieve perfection and see the innocence in my thoughts, my true intention is that I really want to be my best for those in my life I care about and the work I do in the world.  If I can remember to have empathy for myself and others I have a real chance at enjoying my experiences instead of making them right or wrong. 

How about you, does this resonate? Do you have a difficult time navigating new territory without comparing yourself to others or striving for out of reach perfectionism? 

Send me a note or comment here, I would love to hear from you! My intention is to blog as frequently as ideas come to me and I appreciate you reading along!  I look forward to posting about my experiences as I continue integrating motherhood into my work and relationships. 

---

Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business advisor, Founder, writer & keynote speaker to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter@LindseyRainH2O

How much can you accomplish in a day?  Well, if you are anything like me you take a certain amount of pride in what you are able to do with your time and most of the time, when you want something done you simply, handle it.

In the spirit of keeping things fresh and exciting, listen to this short and insightful dialog around asking for help.

Is it hard for you to know when to ask for help? 

Let me know what you think about the audio, something new I am playing with :) 

Click here if you'd like to listen on Anchor.com instead of in this post

---

Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business consultant, leadership coach, writer and presenter to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter@LindseyRainH2O