What will become of Shred?

The last two months have been a bit of a roller coaster. My main health club got bought out and is now a large franchise. It is going to be an amazing club. The owners have  great vision and a lot of heart. I want to stay and be a part of it all, but that would mean sacrifice, yet much opportunity for Shred. The owners of my new gym have offered to pay for my PT (personal training) certification and support Shred to becoming more than just a class, but maybe a well known format with-in their gym and possibly beyond. (Look out Chalene Johnson, here I come!) This offer came in a meeting yesterday with one of the owners. The owner put me on a pedestal so high, I couldn't see the ground. It took a lot after that meeting to grab my ego off of cloud nine and think about the offers presented. What an amazing offer!! What an amazing meeting!!! 

There were only two conflicts.

Both surrounding what Shred has always stood for, "Diversity and being accessible to everyone"

 1. I would have to charge extra for my class with-in this club.

   2. This class would likely have to be exclusive to this club.

Later that evening I received a call from our new community center I started teaching for in May. It was the head of the adaptive Recreation department telling me how some of  his members were excited about the equipment I was dragging outside for Shred and they  wanted to come check it out. He asked if it was possible to make this class adaptable for those with special needs. Wow! That poses some challenges. I'm not adequately trained for this, am I?......  I'll learn!...... I got this!!

There is one guy with Spina Bifida who is always working out on the weights and had a big gleam in his eye when he saw my tire...He has "that look" almost every time I see him. If you know me, you know what I'm talking about. That glimmer in his eyes when met with a challenge. The glimmer that say's, "Oh Hell yeah, I got this!" 

This is the heart of Shred. This is why I teach. I would not be happy simply teaching a class to those who can afford to pay extra to take it. The heart of Shred is the diversity of my community. Accessible to the masses, not the few. I know I'd be successful charging people extra in a large gym, but my heart is just not in that space. 

Right now Shred is small and on the brink of starting over. My hope is that Shred will grow with-in our community. That people will come check it out and get involved with the community of supporting each other in our healthy living and fitness goals. 

Of course lingering in the back of my mind are the questions, "Am I making the right choice? Am I walking away from an amazing opportunity?"

My only hope is that there is no wrong decision when you lead with your heart. (Cheesy, I know!)

One decision that I did make however, is to get my PT cert. Given the the conversations I have had over the last 2 months, it has become abundantly clear that this is the road I need to take for my own personal growth as well as the growth of Shred. It will be hard financially, and I know it will take a lot of studying, but I'm doing it!

Thoughts are welcome! This is just me, clearing my head, and putting things into perspective.