Leadership is one of life's greatest privileges. Whether you're guiding a team, managing a household, or mentoring others, it's an honor to have people look to you for direction. But I've learned through experience that leadership can also be incredibly lonely—carrying the weight of responsibility while trying to stay grounded isn't easy.

You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup

Here's the truth I've had to learn the hard way: you literally cannot pour from an empty cup. When I focused entirely on my work, my team, and my goals while neglecting myself, the result was predictable—burnout, loss of clarity, and the feeling that I was running on fumes.

For years, I didn't even recognize myself as a leader. I owned a gym and thought I was just training people, not realizing I was leading a community and guiding my team to become better trainers. Once I understood the leadership role I had stepped into, I saw how critical self-care was to doing it well.

My Five Leadership Self-Care Strategies...

The conversation happened in a small yoga studio in New Jersey. I was home for the holidays, taking a class with my recently retired mom who's in her 60s. After class, the instructor shared something that broke my heart: "After I turned 40, my body felt like it started falling apart. I gained weight. I felt too tired to move. My body just didn't behave the way it used to."

Her words struck a chord because I hear this same story from women I work with every day. The metabolism changes, hormones shift, and suddenly the strategies that worked in your 20s not only stop working—they can actually work against you.

But here's what I need you to know: your changing body isn't a sign of failure. It's an invitation to show up differently.

The Mistake Most Women Make

When women notice these changes, their first instinct is often to double down on what used to work. They cut more calories. They add more cardio. They buy expensive supplements promising quick fixes.

Then they feel frustrated...

We've all had those moments where everything seems to fall apart at the worst possible time. Mine happened at 3 AM in a car with my stepdad, 10 minutes from the airport, when my stomach decided to stage a full-scale rebellion.

There I was, sweating, panicking, and praying for a miracle as I clenched every muscle in my body. When we finally reached the airport and faced a massive line to enter the terminal, I spotted salvation through a window—a bathroom in another terminal. Without thinking twice, I jumped out of the car, leaped over a barrier, and sprinted toward relief, leaving all my luggage behind.

Was it embarrassing? Absolutely. But this chaotic moment reminded me of something I learned after tearing my ACL on American Ninja Warrior: life's "shit moments" (sometimes literally) are inevitable, but they're also where we grow the most.

That's why I created the R.I.G.H.T framework:

R - Recognize and Feel: Give yourself permission to feel whatever emotions arise without judgmen...

I had to have a serious conversation with myself the other day. You know the kind—just you, your thoughts, and that uncomfortable question you've been avoiding: "Why haven't I been showing up for myself?"

It hit me while driving alone, reflecting on patterns I've noticed year after year. When life gets busy or chaotic, I'm the first thing I drop from my priority list. Maybe you can relate?

The Breaking Point

This year was particularly eye-opening. I kept scheduling workouts, setting goals, blocking time for myself in my calendar...and then bailing at the last minute. Once you break a promise to yourself once, the second time gets easier. Then it becomes a pattern.

I asked myself the hard question: What's really holding me back?

It wasn't fear of failure. For me, it was feeling overwhelmed by new challenges and making excuses about not having enough time—even though deep down I knew that wasn't true.

The Mindset Shift

After retiring from American Ninja Warrior, I found myself ...

Have you ever felt like you're constantly playing catch-up in life? That's exactly where I found myself recently—in that uncomfortable space between retiring from American Ninja Warrior and trying to figure out my next chapter.

For years, I've struggled with a deep-seated belief that I wasn't enough. Despite my achievements—six-time American Ninja Warrior, three-time cover girl, Miss Fitness America—internally, I constantly felt behind. Whether I was running with friends and couldn't keep up, or sitting on a boat looking at my friends with their marriages and businesses, the same thought persisted: "I'm not there yet. I'm not enough."

This scarcity mindset wasn't just affecting my personal life; it was blocking my business growth and speaking career too. I knew something had to change.

The Turning Point

Last week, I decided to stop fighting these thoughts and instead lean into them. I wanted to examine why I kept returning to this comfort zone of scarcity and self-doubt, then ch...

I remember the day clearly. There I was, sitting at my kitchen table in 2016, carefully cutting out my face and photoshopping it onto a fitness magazine cover. Some might call it manifesting, others might call it crazy. I call it taking "delusional action" – that moment when you act as if your wildest dreams are already inevitable.

Was I qualified to be on a magazine cover? Probably not yet. Did I have connections in the publishing world? Absolutely none. But I had this burning desire and a momentary flash of wild confidence.

So I did something bold. I found every single email address I could from Oxygen Magazine's website. I'm talking accounting@, info@, careers@ – literally every address I could find. Then I crafted an email with my photoshopped vision board attached and hit send. Not just once, but to every single address.

Then I waited. And followed up. And followed up again.

Most people would have given up after weeks of silence. But I had this calendar reminder set to keep...

I want to have a heart-to-heart with you today. If you've been following my journey, you know we've covered so much ground together—from recognizing emotions to creating game plans and developing an adaptable mindset through challenges. But today is different. Today is about you.

Because I know right now, you might feel tired. You might be questioning whether anything you're doing is even working. You might be thinking, "What's the point? Why does it feel like nothing is changing?"

I need you to hear me loud and clear: You are changing. You are doing the work. And even if it doesn't feel like it right now, you are further along than you were before.

Sometimes we show up expecting instant results. And when things don't happen as quickly as we want, we start questioning ourselves. But progress is happening even when you can't see it.

Take a breath with me. In and out.

You're doing better than you think. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. And right now, even if you...