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About ten years ago, I had a client, Hannah, who was 25 or so at the time. As we were going through the initial intake, she told me that she felt tired all of the time. No matter what time she went to bed, she felt exhausted. Everyday chores, like getting off the couch to go to the grocery store, felt overwhelming.
She wanted to start exercising, and she wanted to change her diet. That was the obvious place to start, and I could certainly help her with those two things.
But as she talked, I realized that Hannah hated her job. She hated getting out of bed every morning because she hated what the day had in store for her.
I remember feeling defeated because here was this 25-year-old kid with her whole life in front of her, and there was nothing I could do to really help. I didn’t have the framework to help her step back and consider her whole life.
I was her coach: I could teach her the mechanics of squatting, running, and rowing. I could lecture her on sticking to the outside aisle of the grocery store. But I couldn’t give her a framework for true health and well-being. She wasn’t going to wake up and love her life because of what I was doing.
I had no real way of helping her come alive.
So when I watched the video above of Michael Stanwyck talking about this one particular story from the Whole Life Challenge, I immediately thought about Hannah, and it choked me up. My desire as a coach has always been to have a significant impact on my clients’ lives.
I know most CrossFit box owners feel the same way. And for a lot of you, it’s not just a personal desire: It’s a matter of survival. With more than 10,000 CrossFit boxes in the world, many affiliates don’t make enough from their regular students to keep the lights on—unless they do something to differentiate themselves from all the other CrossFit boxes.
That’s what the Whole Life Challenge does. Michael and I can tell you a few things that will change: We know your community will be stronger and bigger and healthier. We know you’ll put your gym on the map.
But what else is going to happen? What are the unexpected changes and positive byproducts of joining the Whole Life Challenge? We don’t know exactly.
But we do know that there is this whole new life that is possible for you, your gym, and your community—all because of this.
Andy is a certified CHEK Practitioner and holistic lifestyle coach. He holds a spectrum of certifications from CrossFit and is also a Vivobarefoot certified running coach. He has trained as a Zen buddhist and graduated with a Master’s degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
Andy founded CrossFit LA one of the first and most successful CrossFit training centers in the world and the first to be featured in national media. He is the co-founder of the Whole Life Challenge, Inc, currently its president, and is also a consultant and life/business coach. Andy lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Julia, and son, Dashel.
