The turning point - March 2007

There comes a time when you start to question your choices, and in early March 2007, I did just that. I was just earning enough to cover my expenses and had recently consolidated my debt, so I no longer had any credit to rely on (scary proposition at best!). For some reason though, things "just weren't working". Have you heard that before? I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt this way. I knew that part of the journey involved personal growth and that although I had been working really hard for over 6 months - my hard work wasn't really working. So it was time to take a break, step away from it all and be alone with my thoughts.

I climbed into my lemon of a car and drove down to the Poconos (in Pennsylvania). I had a car full of books, empty journals and about $100 to my name. I arrived amid a small late winter snowstorm to a large, one bedroom timeshare. I spent the next 6 days reading nine books and completing almost half of my journal. I practiced meditating, did a little bit of training, walked in the woods and spent a lot of time in silence. It was a pretty amazing experience for me, it's something I had never done before. It was a very creative time for me and it allowed me to let go of a few things that were holding me back, both in business and in relationships. One of the most amazing things that happened while I was away is that I actually earned a pretty good cheque in my USANA business. That was a real surprise for me - I took time off, yet my income increased ... interesting.

I also wrote a 6 page description of my ideal partner ... 6'2" tall, dark hair, blue eyes... this story gets more interesting later on.

January 2007 - The beginning of my first full year in USANA

When I made the decision to leave school and start my business full-time, I had no idea what that meant. There were many meetings in Leanne's kitchen on Clark Ave. - she certainly seems to have it all figured out (Leanne saw the vision from the start - she is a phenomenal leader). I wasn't so sure myself. When I look back now, and see how little money I actually made in my first 4 months in business, I am surprised I stayed in the business! I never thought it was a way to get rich quickly, but I certainly had very high expectations.

The first time I attempted a Silver Run (one of the levels in USANA) was in December 2006 - the same time Leanne did her first Gold Run. This probably means nothing to most of you, but for those who are in the business, you'll understand. It was a crazy idea - I did not have a team or the volume - but I was maxed out on one side. I went for it - Andrea still has the email I sent out. One of the things I had yet to figure out about this business is that it's not really about me, but about the team and their successes and their leadership. I was still very naive and still focused solely on my own efforts.

Christian, Leanne and I at Niagara Falls, Jan 2007

I distinctly remember having a huge argument with my sister when we celebrated my birthday in January. It was about money (what else is new?) and I remember saying that I had made less than $800 that month - so I couldn't pay for a round of drinks (something of that nature). It was pretty ugly - and it really bothered me that I was earning so little each month. But there was something that I knew deep down - that this is the only way out - and so I kept on building, learning and growing - as uncomfortable as it might have been for my family and friends (sorry everyone!).

RESET - October 2006

One of the more popular USANA items is the RESET Program. It's a 5 day high-fibre cleanse that helps you to curb the carb cravings, kick start healthy eating and lose the first (or last) few pounds. I had yet to do this program, for many reasons, one being that I had never lost weight. From age 18 to 30, I had weighed between 145 - 152 lb. I was about 150 lb when I came home from Switzerland. Now, I didn't believe that I could actually be any smaller, since I had completed two full Ironman distance triathlons and never lost a pound. Training 12-15 hours per week in the months leading up to the race, you would think I would have lost a few pounds -but I never did. Ok, I did work at Hershey's when I did Ironman Canada - so that probably didn't help! This is photo of Lee-Anne and I after Ironman Canada in August 2003. I was fit - but certainly not thin.

At the request of a few friends, I ordered the RESET kit to do it together - never believing I would lose any weight. It was challenging, but I got through it, and lost about 4 lb. I assumed I would gain it back, since I had never lost any weight before. The amazing thing was that my carb cravings were gone!

I continued on my journey of learning to eat in a healthy, low glycemic way and followed the maintenance program with USANA. This involves a Nutrimeal Shake for breakfast, my supplements and healthy, low glycemic lunch and dinner. I have several healthy snacks two or three times a day. And the amazing thing is that I kept losing weight. As did my whole family! Here's a great photo of the 4 of us at Christmas in 2006.

My first USANA International Convention

Our first trip to SLC - September 2006, with Lee-Anne (5 months pregnant) and Andrea (7 months) and myself (not pregnant, just 20 lb heavier ... you'll see ....). It was an adventure and an exciting time for us. We had just started our businesses and had NO IDEA what was in store for us.

We had a chance to meet our team from Quebec, Martin and Roxane & Natalie Dion. The energy and passion of all of the amazing people we met really changed my life. After two days of convention (I think it was after I heard Tim Lewis speak) I made the decision to drop out of school. Everyone asked me if I really knew what I was doing (of course I did!) - which I didn't. They tried to warn me that it was going to be very hard to make a decent living in a very short time with a network marketing vision. I didn't hear them - I had visions of Gold Director dancing in my head. Leanne was excited to have a partner to do this with, as she had decided to leave her very well paying corporate job to give this network marketing thing a try full-time.

This is a photo of our team at the time, mostly our cross-line and upline from Quebec. There were about 10 of us from the yet to be named team in Ontario.

Andrea and Lee-Anne, with then VP of Finance, Fred Cooper. We've always loved Fred - now the President of USANA.

Return to Canada - September 2006

When I first started my business with USANA, the intention had always been to do it part-time, while attending school full-time. I had been accepted to Queen's University, in Education, starting Sept. 2006. I moved back to Canada and after a quick visit home, moved to Kingston.

My first 8 days of school were interesting to say the least. It was a strange time for me, I had only been home for a few weeks, so I was missing Switzerland, and I had just moved to a new town, living in a basement that belonged to a woman I had yet to meet.

During the summer, Leanne had convinced myself, Andrea MacDougall and Lee-Anne Chase (my first two associates after my parents), that we had to be at International Convention in Salt Lake City. We trusted her, so we bought plan tickets and signed up. So after only a few days of school, I packed my bags (again) and flew to Salt Lake City for my first USANA Convention.

Ironman Switzerland - July 2006

What a day! For those who were there, you can understand how the weather severely hampered my efforts on the run. It was a great start to the day though - with a fantasitic swim. I was quite pleased with my time, as I haven't been training with a team this year but I was still only a few minutes longer than my Ironman Canada time. The start was the most violent I have ever experienced. I choked almost immediately after diving in and had to go vertical, yet keep moving as I was been trampled. It was bad until the first change in direction and then again under the bridge. I was a bit sad when the swim was over, cause by the end I had really been enjoying it and could have kept going in the water! My transition was quick, no change tent here so it's much quicker. I felt good going out on the bike.

The bike started with a major flat section, something that I am not used to here strangely enough and I found it boring and uncomfortable in the saddle. The first hill, the Beast, was just that - a total killer. I had the training though, so even though I might been slow, I was steady and felt good. The second hill, to Forch, was a more gradual climb and much more my style - I even passed a few people on this hill on the last lap. We had a great downhill for a while (I hit 70km/hr at one point) and then another flat section leading to Heartbreak Hill. True enough, it was rather steep but not too long so again, the training was there. It was so awesome to see Rebecca and Tim (my Canadian cheering squad) at the top of the hill. The next two loops went well, although it was getting hot and I had run out of personal food by the last lap. And the aid stations had run out of bananas. Looking back, although I felt really amazing on the bike, I can see that I made the mistake of too much water and not enough powerade on the bike, which lead to the problems I had on the run. That's the beauty of a triathlon, it's three disciplines, so it doesn't really matter how well you do in the first two if you crash on the last. My bike time was excellent - over 27 min faster than before, plus I actually enjoyed a good portion of it and was smiling most of the way. I remember thinking about how beautiful the countryside was and singing to myself on some of the downhills.

Transition to the run was good, legs a bit rough but feeling ok, and well hydrated. Little did I realize that I was already in trouble. The run was SO HOT. It was over 30°C and good portions of the run were not shaded. It was a 4-loop course, which has it's good and bad points. The first aid station was before 1km but the next one didn't come til 3km - and the run was in the sun almost the whole way. I started to realize I was in trouble near the end of the second lap. I was feeling quite naseous and having trouble eating. I kept drinking, but still too much water and not enough electrolyte replacement. By the third lap, I was in serious trouble and knew that there was no chance of beating my previous time - it became a matter of survival and just crossing the line. Rebecca met me part way through the third lap and we walked and ran togther for a few km. I told myself that if I could run during the third lap that it would be ok to walk the fourth. I started the fourth lap and really felt awful. At least it was getting later and the sun was going down. I have to say that it was simply a battle of wills to keep putting one foot in front of the other - especially since after about 1 km during the last lap, I developed a hugely painful blister on my baby toe that made it vitually impossible to run. That and the major nasea ... Rebeccca and Tim met me at 2km, and walked with me. Tim went to capture the finish and Rebecca was with me til about 100 m from the finish line. Which I crossed in 14:44:13 - running with my Canadian flag outstretched above my head, wearing the t-shirt signed by all my students and friends from JFK. I shed a few tears at the end - I was so happy to be finished.

This event was really the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. There are a few of you who will understand what it was like, but for most people it seems totally crazy to do something like that. I found out later that I had been suffering from hyponatrimia - basically an electrolyte imbalance (too much water, not enough sodium) - a condition that affects endurance atheletes competing in high temperatures. I struggle to make it to the end and thinking about everyone's support along the way really helped. From the encouraging emails, to the texts and phone calls I had during the race, and of course the in person support from Tony (who I didn't get to see,) Tim and of course Rebecca who was there with me to the end. I couldn't have made it without all of your support. I am not sure when the next one will be but I know that for some totally unknown reason, I will do another one, someday.

Results follow:
SWIM BIKE RUN OVERALL POSITION
1:03:12 6:57:06 6:35:52 14:44:13 1437

TOTAL SWIM - 3.8 km
1:03:12
1:39/100m
420

TOTAL BIKE
180 km (6:57:06)
25.89 kph
1371

FIRST RUN SEGMENT - 10.5 km
10.5 km (9:24:41)
7:16/km

SECOND RUN SEGMENT - 21 km
10.5 km (10:52:29)
8:21/km

THIRD RUN SEGMENT - 31.5 km
10.5 km (12:33:31)
9:37/km

FOURTH RUN SEGMENT - 42 km
10.5 km (14:43:27)
12:22/km

TOTAL RUN
42.2 km (6:35:52)
9:22/km
1437

TRANSITION
TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE
2:57
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN
5:06

The beginning of the journey ... February 2006

Alright, I'm finally getting to this blog thing ... I've resisted for ages but it seems like a great place to keep track of my journey to financial freedom day - January 29, 2011!

It all started almost 3 years ago, when I was living in Switzerland, in the tiny village of Saanen. I was working at JFK School as a French Teacher, and had just been accepted to the Education program at Queens.

I got a call late one night, from one of my best friends, Leanne, who was going on about a great business opportunity and something about vitamins. Long story short, I must have said yes to trying out the products, so a few weeks later a box of HealthPak 100 showed up on my doorstep.

At the time I was training for my second Ironman (3.8 km swim, 180 km bike followed by a full marathon 42.2 km) and I was tired all of the time - who wouldn't be! My life quickly changed when I started on the product and I knew there was something worth taking a look at with the business. I didn't hesitate to sign up and open my own business with USANA, on February 28, 2006.