I remember the day. I went the gym to work out and I just couldn’t do it. I sat down on a bench and just sat there. I couldn’t lift a thing.
But I’m strong enough, I thought.
Why can’t I lift anything?
And then I realized, I was strong on the outside, but not on the inside. I needed my inside and my outside to match up, badly. This is where my journey began.
I had just come through being separated from my husband of 15 years and being a stay-at-home mom. I had three young children. And I knew I needed to be strong,
But I also knew I needed to find Jodi.
To find my passion, I had given the last 13 years to my children, but I had never given anything to me. I needed balance. I needed to find my place. I needed to have something that was all my own. Because I had crashed.
With always having a strong pull to fitness I just wasn’t yet sure how it was going to help impact my life & my children’s lives.
I have trained with each of my kids in different aspects. Whether going to the gym, doing color runs, Muay Thai or kettlebell. Our adventures have been river rafting, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding and enjoying laughing or learning how to still get along after travelling 13 hours straight on our road trips. Being active was turning into our norm.
I am a big believer that the paths that are meant to cross will cross. I’ve always been physically active and trained, but a friend introduced me to kettlebells. I loved the feeling of the kettlebell in my hands. The weight. The balance. My entire body engaged and present.
Then another interesting opportunity crossed my path: I started working out at a local Muay Thai kickboxing gym. I loved the martial arts aspect. I believe that if we keep our eyes and our heart open we remain open to things that intersect. And this was one of those moments. After I began kickboxing I then introduced my girls and we slowly began building another family of people outside of our own.
I started to do more martial arts and kettlebell. I got stronger, inside and out. And I decided to get certified in kettlebell by a friend of mine Chi Chi Health & Fitness.
As I was finishing my certification, I came across Kettlebell Kickboxing on Instagram and Dasha Libin Anderson. I immediately loved her vibe and her passion for the intersection between kettlebell and martial arts. I wanted to get certified by her. So, I reached out to Dasha and she responded immediately. I asked her to certify me to train trainers across Canada because I love to teach. I felt the pull to go to New York for the training. She said yes.
Now, the small prairie girl from southern Saskatchewan heading out to New York! I decided this was a trip I needed to do alone so I could basically be out of my comfort zone for 7 days!
People told me I couldn’t do it. People told me I shouldn’t do it. People told me to play it safe. But I listened to the little voice inside of me that said I could. The little voice that said I needed to do this. The little voice that was growing stronger.
So, I did. I went.
It was the best decision I’ve ever made. Today, I got certified to train Kettlebell Kickboxing trainers across Canada. I met some of the most amazing people. They think big with ideas that still encompassed compassion, humility and integrity. This was the beginning of my great journey. I have since been back to New York 3 times growing and learning each time. My journey and dreams have since shifted since my first trip. I have accomplished things that I put done on paper months ago as goals. So when you laugh at someone when they tell you to write your dreams and goals down-don’t. It’s very important! Moving forward for me is to still teach my classes to people wanting to grow physically fit but in a warm environment that creates a sense of family or tribe.
I am excited about training across Canada and bringing Kettlebell Kickboxing to Canada. My goals getting bigger and bigger every day!
Interesting part of my journey is that I get to have my kids tag along. They see where I started and they watch me day in and day out!
One of the best part in all this? It’s this: one day one of my girls said to me, “Mom, I have something to tell you…”
Oh no, I thought. What is it?
“Mom, I want to thank you. I really like myself. And you taught me how to like myself.”
That was all the confirmation I needed to realize that my insides had finally matched my outsides.
And that’s what I want to give to every person who works with me.
If I were ever asked to give advice it would be this,
If you are lost stop searching and just ‘Be’. Listen to the whisper within you that tells you what feels right. Grow your inner strength as it will carry you forward and make you strong on the outside and Dream Big!
Excited to share with Canada my upcoming news. Dream big then some!
Jodi Barrett, Founder of Kettlebell Kickboxing Canada.
Anyone in sports and fitness who would like to share their voice, please submit to hank@hankfittraining.com.