I have come to believe that the intersection of these two programs (of Crossfit and Birthfit) offer a beautiful roadmap for any person, from total beginner to seasoned athlete, to prepare for pregnancy, work through it, recover from giving birth, and thrive in life BEYOND.

Starting a business is a huge step for anyone, and Birth&Beyond Fitness, while a dream of mine for many years, has become reality during a period of upheaval and uncertainty in my life. I am still battling doubts even as I actively begin working with athletes. Here are four major mental roadblocks as well as what I’m doing to combat them:

In your mind, when you think of an athlete, who comes to mind? Is it a decorated Olympian like Michael Phelps or Simone Biles? Or a standout professional in their sport, maybe Michael Jordan or Serena Williams comes to mind. People who reach elite levels of performance in their chosen sport. The face on the Wheaties box. The ones with the fastest times, the most astonishing feats, the biggest wins. These are who we celebrate in our society as athletes. The rest of us poor schlubs? Merely spectators to their greatness.

(Image: me, doing double unders, a skill with which I struggle after 13 years of first trying to do them)

One of my percussion mentors had me read a self help book years ago called “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.” Well, I’m feeling that sentence in full, folks. But here we go, I’m taking a deep breath and stepping forth into this new space, and we’re doing it, fear be damned.