As I always say… Life is not a race but LIFE is a JOURNEY!
Let the Journey Begin…
Phase One:
You may have heard me discuss the closing of my fitness studio after ten years on October 1st, 2019. I must admit that I was pretty burned out and broken since 2013 when my own health issues appeared (probably brewing for years!)- and the last five years of running my own small business in a high rent and very competitive growing industry since 2015 was a constant struggle. A constant struggle really means a source of constant CHRONIC STRESS…and managing/operating/coaching my own fitness studio was my main trigger and contributor to my “METABOLIC CHAOS”!
Fortunately, the building where my studio was located was finally being torn down and we were forced to move out (finally!). I was secretly excited and stressed at the same time to close a chapter of my life – Fitness Forward Studio. Since March, when CV-19 pandemic began to increase and closed down our world, I was so grateful (everyday!) that I was no longer the owner of a brick and mortar fitness studio.
Phase Two:
In some odd way, the pandemic was a weird type of gift to my world (our Potts world), since the first time in my health and fitness coaching career, I was forced to work from home as most of the world. Since October 2019, I was renting space at a gym to train a few clients 10 hours a week plus training clients at their home gyms and running with another client outside. Life was busy and I was still going different directions – but without as much stress. I still wasn’t happy and content on my “new” schedule”, so when I was no longer able to train clients in person at the gym, I felt that it was a type of “Gift” to me. I love my clients and I love training clients – but I didn’t love the location or my schedule. There was something missing.
As we were forced to work from home and create work (suddenly I was unemployed), I fortunately started to focus on building a full-time health and fitness online coaching business in January 2020. I only had a few clients but now I was forced to build a new business and improve my marketing skills (and online coaching skills!). In the past ten years, I have taken multiple nutrition and health coaching certification programs -including the most recently Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDNP). Now was the time to focus on following my purpose, passion and mission…
I help individuals, similar to me, get their body and vibrant self-back again!
Phase Three:
My husband Neal started to look for a new job that he could work remote around March 2020, right before the pandemic began. Ironically, he was hired by a new food company based in New Zealand to be their U.S. National Retail Sales Director. Now we could both work from anywhere as long as good Wi-Fi and close to the airport as he will be required to travel when possible.
Phase Four:
We have talked for years about moving to somewhere with better year-round weather. I have always loved Southern California and we have traveled to the San Diego region many times over the years for conferences, Mastermind retreats, long weekend get-away and races.
Now we had an opportunity to follow our dream and make it real. I have lived in Bellevue, WA since we moved there in 1983… and I continued to live in the same area until we just sold our house.
Phase Five:
We decided on a Wednesday at the end of April to meet with our relator and put our house on the market. He said there was not a lot on the market, and we needed to get our house on the market now if we are going to go forward to moving to Southern California. We moved fast. Neal was off work for a week before he started his new job so that Wednesday night, we started packing up what we needed to “stage” our house. Photographer/video/drone person arrive at our house on the Monday. We were so organized for the photo shoot and already started packing for the move… I almost packed too much that weekend! The following Wednesday, our house went on the market around 3pm and we had three scheduled viewers that night.
A week later, Thursday, our house closed, and reality set it. We sold our house, we both have “new” jobs and we are moving to Southern California to stay in an Airbnb until we find a house we love!
Crazy.
The journey into the unknown.
So not me or us… as we are both organized planners!
Phase Six:
On Thursday, June 19th we closed on our house. The movers arrived on the Wednesday, June 18th to pack all of what we did not need for six months or more placed everything in a storage unit. We packed our two cars and shipped them off on the Friday, June 20th down to Del Mar at the Hilton where we stayed our first week.
On Friday, June 26th, we moved into our 800 square foot Airbnb rental out in the mountains -inland from Carlsbad, CA. Our place is a one-bedroom apartment unit above the four-car garage of this big estate on 10 acres. We almost feel that we are living in Tuscany/Sonoma/Healdsburg.
The new journey begins.
Our first weekend was focused on moving in and spending money (weird to shop after 3 months of staying at home and not spending money!). We went for our first bike ride from Kit Carson Park in Escondido on the Saturday- which would have been more amazing if I wasn’t so exhausted from lack of quality sleep (I hate queen size beds) and stress (melt down Friday when we arrived to this retreat). Sunday we packed up for the day and drove to the coast (30 minutes) to Escondido- parking by Moonlight Beach so we can run towards Carlsbad then have coffee at Lofty Coffee, then to the best Farmers Market ever, then to buy lunch at a healthy grocery store to eat out at on the beach! Perfect weekend – and our new routine.
Saturdays: long bike in the mountains on the hilly country roads (think Tuscany)
Sundays: long run on the coast north or south then coffee, brunch and beach time!
How amazing is that going to be for us??
Dreams do come true.
I must say that on Friday when we arrived here- until last night Tuesday (June 29th), I was looking on Airbnb to find a new place. I didn’t want to stay so far away from anything. I love the ocean and I love the mountains, but I do not like driving 30 minutes to go anywhere.
Well, you learn a lot about yourself when you are surrounded by natural beauty.
Do you want to be in the mountains or near the beach?
What about both?
I want both… and as we look for new areas to live and new houses to come on the market, we have to learn what we love…what makes us happy and what brings us joy.
What are your priorities in finding the “perfect” house and area to live?
Do you want to wake up and ride in the mountains/hills (Tuscany rolling hills and big climbs) or drive somewhere to ride?
I don’t like riding in traffic or with many streetlights or stops.
Do you want to be able to run in different areas from your own home without traffic, noise and stoplights?
I love running from our house or driving to a destination for our Sunday runs but weekdays I want to be able to leave my front door to explore different running routes.
Do you want to drive to a grocery store and coffee place easily?
Or is this just a requirement on the weekend?
Farmers Markets? Key for me living down here.
Do you need to live by people, or do you want to be in the country? Do you need houses to be close together with a clubhouse for activities?
There is a lot to think about.
Join me on my journey via my LOW CARB ATHLETE Instagram or Facebook page plus my weekly podcast as I share my new experiences, struggles, thoughts and adventures with you!
Life is not a Race… Is it a Journey?
Enjoy the Ride!
Let’s thrive and feel alive each day rather than try to survive the day or week!
Do you want to feel better, look better and move better? Then schedule a discovery call with me here to learn more about options to get your body and vibrant self-back again.
Take care of the WHOLE you,
Debbie Potts
