Let’s dish. At the beginning of December, I was beyond honored to be included as a guest panelist for the FASTer Way to Fat Loss conference. What? ME?! I know. I thought the same thing. Let’s back up.
In October, I spoke with FWTFL Marketing Director, Lindsey Murray, and as the committee board was putting together their speakers and event headliners, the idea was brought up that a representative of influencers with an under 10k follower audience be in attendance and have a voice on stage. Enter: yours truly.
I have been an avid member of the FWTFL nutrition & fitness community for over a year and through my genuine belief in the program, I’ve convinced a few friends to join me. Enough friends, in fact, that the FASTer Way team wanted me to come speak to hundreds of coaches and share how I’m using this platform, what works, what doesn’t, and how others can use their influence to change their communities.
For weeks, I looked forward to the conference and was pumped up with confidence and excitement at meeting some amazing men and women (including Amanda Tress, company founder and CEO, Beth Chappo, blogger at Seersucker + Saddles, Brooke Webb, blogger at KBStyled, Isaac Pittman, musician, and many more) and being beside them on a panel of influencers that would answer questions and hopefully inspire all of those in attendance.
Then we got there. And I had absolutely no idea how much anxiety I had built up in anticipation until I stepped off the airplane and realize, oh crap, they want me to do this. Like, for real. Oh, and in a charming turn of events, I scratched my cornea (likely while traveling home from Scottsdale two days earlier with the kids) which turned into a full blown, fire-red eye infection which, yes, added to my lewk throughout the whole conference. While on the flight there, I began reading the book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (awesome book, by the way), and the combination of nerves, my stink eye and the reminder that there are actual people out there to help us through our un-dealt-with feelings prompted me to reach out to my therapist. So that’s how THAT went!
Me: *Goes to professional speaking engagement once; needs therapy. Perfect.
But seriously, let’s talk about those nerves. They were REAL! But once I met my cohorts, I realized all of my nerves were for nothing. They were AMAZING. Brooke was the first one I met at the cocktail reception on the first night and she absolutely welcomed me in the warmest way, sticking by my side in a sea of strangers. Shortly after, I met Beth, and the two of them were the most gracious companions for the rest of the trip. Seriously: if you don’t follow those two yet, what are you waiting for? They are so beautiful, from the inside, out. I’m so grateful for their kindness during a time that I was doubting myself and truly questioning my value in this space.
The next day it was guns blazing. Our panel (the three of us gals along with the sweet and charming Isaac Pittman) were interviewed by Whitney Abraham, one of the companies top coaches. She asked us questions like How do we deal with negativity? How long have we been doing FASTer Way and how did we find it? How do I use this small platform to have a big impact? The response was profound and the audience was kind, energetic and receptive to our tips, advice and experience that we shared. My biggest bit of advice as I sat there as an “influencer” was this:
It is more important that you always seek to be a good influence above being a good influencer.
I’m so glad I got a chance to drop that truth bomb, but I want to expand. You see, I truly feel like not everyone is cut out to use the social media space to be an influencer. But each of us has the ability and responsibility to be a good influence. When you know better, you do better. And I think a truly important filter to run all of your online behavior through is this question: Am I being a good influence? Is what I’m sharing or doing or promoting going to contribute to the greater good of others? Going to inspire others? Going to help others? Going to point to something greater than myself?
The other MASSIVE truth bomb and applause-inducing one-liner came from Isaac, a worship-leader-turned-fulltime-musician who has recently joined the FASTer Way:
Kindness is always on brand.
Period. Everyone loved this, and there was an audible sigh of appreciation when he said it. Because people don’t want to feel the pressure to perform, but it’s simple to be kind. And while we may not all have millions of followers or a huge platform, we all have the tools to be kind.
As soon as the panel was over, I’m pretty sure I breathed for the first time in 24 hours. And while I would love to make you all believe that I was cool as a cucumber throughout the whole conference and a seasoned public speaking professional, the truth was I felt a little more like a fish out of water. I love the FASTer Way, but I don’t know many people from within the coaching community, so I was truly all by myself until the kindness of Brooke, Isaac, Beth and others from the corporate team touched me. See? Isaac was onto something; kindness is always on brand.
The conference progressed and was amazing and high impact for so many, but my biggest takeaway was gratitude; for new friends; for this company that empowers and equips people to reach their highest potential, whether that’s in your health or your profession; for my family back home that supported me so much; for my friend who prescribed me eyedrops to get me through the trip; for everything. You learn so much about yourself when you are asked to do something that is outside of your routine and comfort zone. I am better for the FASTer Way and I’m better for being in attendance at the conference. If we met at the conference, the pleasure was truly mine. Thank you for being lovely and genuine and for letting me use this little corner of the internet to share some truth and light. Remember to go be a good influence.
And if you’re interested in joining the FASTer Way, Amanda’s next round begins 12/31. You can check out my past results here for some FAQ’s, before & afters and more info before you start. I hope you’ll join for the first round of 2020. I promise you won’t regret it.
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