From There… To Here
When I flipped the "open" sign in the window of Vitality Buffalo in 2017, I had a huge vision. It started with my tiny little fitness studio and ended with a gigantic wellness center and franchises all over the country. My tagline was "changing the definition of fitness," and that was truly my mission and goal.
I was a fitness studio without mirrors, scales, or physical goals. I focused heavily on the emotional and mental aspects of fitness.
The conversation on the floor & in coaching groups centered around deconstructing body image and societal constraints.
The goal & the mission was always about getting my clients to begin working out—not to change their body, but to change their wellness. To be a better parent, friend, human in this very hard life. I wanted them to figure out who the fuck they were and stop worrying about whatever the world was telling them.
Clearly, the Universe had other plans for me. Because none of that came to be. And while the vision shifted, it also stayed the same.
After COVID came and went, I realized that the coaching was really where my passion lived. Far beyond the physical training. And I no longer had a burning desire to manage a brick-and-mortar space or humans. In fact, I crossed “create a wellness center” right off my vision board with a big note that said: I NEVER WANT TO MANAGE OTHER HUMANS AGAIN. (That’s a story for another day.)
While my vision changed and I evolved, my big mission never shifted. I wanted to help people change their lives. But without selling fitness, I didn’t know how.
I didn’t know how to explain what I did without sitting someone down for an 80-minute feature TED Talk to fill them in. I didn’t know how to sell anyone from where they were. And I was still stuck in the very messy middle of healing, playing that god-awful game of whack-a-trauma.
For years—yes, YEARS—I spun myself in circles. With every project, I got closer. But... mmm, nope, that’s not quite it. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. And I desperately followed all the advice that EVERY professional gave me. Meaning: I was doing every single thing except trusting myself.
I knew I wanted to change the way coaching was done. But I couldn’t figure out how. And I listened to everyone tell me I couldn’t do what I wanted to do.
I skrimped and saved and cried and robbed Peter to pay Paul, while listening to people who loved me tell me it was time to give up.
But I fought hard. I knew in my heart of hearts that I was onto something HUGE. I knew it would reveal itself in time. No one believed in me more than I did.
Now I can look back and say: the Universe was waiting for me to learn what I needed. She knew I needed that struggle to become the coach I am today. And when the time was right, she laid out the plans so crystal clear and shiny they couldn’t be missed or mistaken for anything else.
This is how Aligned Exchange was born.
Let’s talk about it.
1. You Can’t Sell What You Don’t Believe In
I created packages, courses, cohorts… but the truth? I didn’t want to LEAD in that way any longer. And because I didn’t want to lead from that space, I couldn’t sell any of it.
I spent four-plus years knowing I didn’t want to lead from that space but not knowing where I was meant to lead from. I didn’t want to give up coaching, but I didn’t want to sit down and talk about goals and action plans. I didn’t want to drag anyone across a finish line. I didn’t want weekly meetings on my calendar.
When I said this, people would say, "Well... that’s what coaching is."
But does it have to be that?
2. I Did What Every Expert Told Me
None of it helped. None of it changed my results. In fact, it made me spin in circles and wobble around dizzy because I had whiplash from changing directions so many times.
When I moved to Pittsburgh, I made the decision to take time off from business coaches and go a different route. A route of looking inward. Coaching with ease and alignment.
3. Validation
I started working with my human design coach and oooh, the validation. So many things finally made sense. She began teaching me things about myself in a brand new way. She helped me learn to trust myself and see everything in a new light.
And then came the download. The vision. The clarity.
I got clear on what I didn’t want:
I don’t want to set a price
I don’t want cohorts or scheduled calls
I don’t want long-term commitments
I don’t want to do "sales calls"
I never want to talk about goals again
And I got even clearer on what I did want:
I want to help everyone, regardless of budget
I want people to text or call me when they need me—in the moment they need it
I want them to give what feels aligned—for them, for the moment, for the impact
I want to help people with one perspective at a time
I want to be the crutch in the middle of the lonely
I want to support people already in their healing era with whatever they're hitting up against
I want to be the person you reach out to when it’s not urgent enough for a therapist, but you still need to talk it out
That’s what Aligned Exchange is.
This is how I work now. No packages. No pressure. No pretending.
Just truth, timing, and trust.
If this hits? If you feel it?
Text me. Let’s talk. 1+ 716-828-6136
You don't need to know what to say. Start with hi & I'll meet you on the thread in whatever way you need.
