Givin' Love: A Link-tastic Post to Pay It Back And Forward
Dear friends,
...Is it weird that I call you my friend? I'm not sure if you realize that I consider you all friends. I am grateful to each and every one of you who reads this, and supports me and my writing, whether in the comments, by sharing, or simply through the happy thoughts you send my way while you read.You are helping me make MY dream come true: blending fitness, empowerment, and mindfulness to help you overcome your obstacles is my overarching goal in life, and your being here is helping that happen.I wanted to take today to give a shout-out to some of the amazing people that have helped me from the very beginning and all the way through to today. Many of them are friends, and many of them I hope to befriend one day.So here we go, givin' love because I'm overflowin' with it today!
My Inspirations for Starting Strong Inside Out:
Nerd Fitness
If I hadn't met Steve Kamb, I probably would never have started Strong Inside Out. When I first discovered Nerd Fitness, I had a revelation: nerdiness + fitness obsession ≠ just me! Other people felt this way, too! When I looked over Nerd Fitness and the awesome readership there, I knew that my voice deserved to be heard, too. I knew that my something-to-say could very well be something that people would want to hear.Steve has been integral to my success here, having offered me priceless words of advice and lessons from his experience. If you've never checked it out, please do and subscribe! He's got an awesome new product launching soon geared to women that you don't want to miss out on!
ManVsDebt
If I didn't know Adam Baker through my fiancé, I never would've met Steve! Baker's offered us both some amazing advice that's helped us a lot along the way (in our businesses and in our life together as an entrepreneur-couple). Both Rick and I got out of debt completely about a year ago, and the freedom we feel cannot be described. If you're struggling with debt, I highly recommend looking over his site for ideas on how to get out. It's possible. If I can do it, working for myself, you can, too!...also, check out Baker's project going on now: I'm Fine, Thanks. For a couple months, Baker traveled around the US shooting people's stories and compiling them into a documentary about the "epidemic of settling into a mediocre life." Ever identified with the quote: "Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75?" Then this project is right up your alley. Find out more from the Facebook page, or from ManVsDebt.com.
The Art of Nonconformity
Had I not gone to the inaugural World Domination Summit (WDS) in Portland last year, I wouldn't have met Steve, Leo, Scott, Marv n' Jo and the countless other like-minded people that encouraged me to start on this path.Chris Guillebeau is a no-nonsense inspirer, a do-it-or-dont-and-shut-up kick in the ass, and a leader-by-example that I hope to be as well. His blog consistently offers a new perspective from which to view your situation, insights into your own obstacles, and bullsh**-cutting tips to overcome them. If you want inspiration to travel the world, start your own business, or do whatever the hell you want to do with your limited time on this earth, AONC is where you want to be.
Chookooloonks
I first heard of Karen Walrond at WDS last year. I wasn't big into blogs before then, but her talk made me want to bottle up that inspiration and carry it near my heart always, like Angelina and Billy-Bob's vials of blood... too far?Anyways, her message is this: you are beautiful because you are uniquely you. My post, Death By Comparison: Why You Should Stop Trying To Be Someone Else (which is still one of my own personal favorites) was inspired by her message. Her book, The Beauty of Different
Danielle LaPorte
This woman is THE superwoman. Confident, brazen, firey, love-filled, passionate, beauty makes up this site and her recently-released best-seller, The Fire Starter Sessions. If you need a kick in the a** to get going in the morning, or you're feeling less worthy of anything for any reason, read one of her posts. Just about ANY of her posts. They'll get you going.Love Where You're At was directly inspired by Danielle, and so was Make The Choice To Be Here Now. Check out her site. You won't regret it... unless you start regretting not finding her sooner.
Live Your Legend
I met Scott Dinsmore at (you guessed it!) WDS last year when my fiancé introduced himself. He was so open and kind, I was sure he couldn't be that popular. But he was. And now he is more than simply popular: he's kinda a big deal.Live Your Legend has exploded over the last year, and I am so so so happy that it has. Scott's main focus is helping people get out of their dead-end jobs and make businesses out of their passions. Who isn't interested in that?!He has a course as well as an awesome blog that you should definitely check out if you haven't so far. I don't become an affiliate for just any old thing, but if you're looking to wake up excited to go to work, I highly recommend his Live Off Your Passion course. Step-by-step, easy-to-understand guidance to finding out what your passion is, and how to start making money from it is the name of the game here. You can't go wrong with this one, guys. Seriously.
Zen Habits
Leo Babauta is THE self-development blogger in my mind. He has a blog rated as one of the Top 50 by Time magazine. But you would never know it by meeting him.Humble, generous, helpful, and honest, Leo's breakout session at WDS last year helped me realize that this was the area I wanted to go into. I had never before experienced someone that is doing so well be so incredibly helpful to those who aren't yet. My experience in Hollywood could have jaded me, but meeting Leo was a wake-up call: it didn't have to be that way!Leo's site is amazingly and simply helpful. Having overcome his bad habits and gotten out of a job he didn't enjoy, he provides the steps he personally took as a process to help you make new, positive habits. He shows by example how to break it down so that each habit will stick with you for the long haul. Simplicity, minimalism, and straight-shooting are the names of the game over at Zen Habits. You've probably been there already, but if it's been a while, go remind yourself that changing your life doesn't have to be an ordeal if you take one step at a time.
The People I've Met Along The Way:
Vic Magary
This guy! Vic and I are both fitness bloggers, and he has some pretty awesome things to say over on his site. I've had the pleasure of hosting him here, and being hosted over on VicMagary.com. He is pretty much the guru of leaning down and getting über-fit (just look at his most recent fitness pictures!). He's the guy version of what I preach over here, and I highly recommend you check out his site as well as some of his upcoming endeavors! Hint: you'll be seeing more of him here pretty soon.
Dave Ursillo
I reached out to Dave after reading this post that chronicles his own personal battle with depression. I was surprised to get a personalized email back and even more suprised when we started chatting regularly.Dave has been my coach-of-sorts since late last year, and was essentially the reason I redesigned and re-focused my site content. He continues to be an inspiration and great friend. Follow him on is journey post-first-book-release as he settles into his new home: NYC!
Wellness Renegade
Doug Grootveld was the first person to ever invite me to guest post on his site, and I'm still pretty proud of what I put up! He also drove quite a bit of traffic to my site in the very beginning with his guest post, Living The Real American Dream (in Mexico).Doug's delivery is paradoxical: you'd expect an acupuncturist/yogi to be... well... a little frou frou, right? Doug is quite the opposite. He touts the benefits of bacon (check out this hilarious video with Corbett Barr's cameo), doesn't try to hide his bouts with beer and goodies, and swears freely while talking about balancing your chi. Love it.If you want some no-frills holistic health advice and ideas, go see Dr. Doug. He's on it.
Get Busy Living Blog
I first reached out to Benny Hsu after he posted a comment here on my site. He had read a comment that I posted on ThinkTraffic (aka my blogging bible), and followed me over here.We hit it off right off the bat, and started exchanging emails and tweets regularly. Benny's one of those good people. Just plain GOOD. He is super supportive, positive, and I couldn't be happier that he's doing so well.Soon after we first connected, Get Busy Living blew up thanks to a top-rated app (his photo-365 app for iphone rocks!) and a corresponding guest post on Smart Passive Income. You can read all about his experience here, where he lays it all out for us in extraordinary detail. Benny's another one that you're going to be seeing more of here pretty soon; he's got a pretty amazing story. That's all I'm going to hint at for now! Stay tuned!
A Year With Myself
I met Vic and Doug thanks to a group that C.A. Kobu set up. Without her, I would never have connected with many of the like-minded bloggers who I am friends with now. She has been so supportive along this journey, and I'm so excited to be contributing to A Year With Myself in a few months!
Intrepid Motion
I met Marv and Jo at WDS (fancy that), but our friendship has grown since we went our separate ways. They have been traveling this whole past year throughout Indonesia and Thailand, chronicling it all into relatable lessons and life tips on their blog, Intrepid Motion. With the way Marv writes, it's no mystery to me that they got picked up by LifeHacker (a pretty big-deal site) as a new writer for the site. Their success is proof that putting that positive energy out there and making the connections with people out of a drive to help rather than the drive to win, pays off in the end.
Deva Coaching
Sandi Amorim reminds me a lot of Danielle LaPorte (mentioned in the above section). She's firey, passionate, and driven. So much so that you can't help but feel the same when you go to her blog or interact with her on Twitter! She's another go-to if you're feeling lazy or un-inspired. She and her programs will give you the oomph you need to get going again!
The Blog of Impossible Things
Joel Runyon has some cool sh** to say. He gets filed into the no-nonsense bloggers... though if he knew I were filing him under any category, he'd probably flip me the bird.Joel's blog is about exactly what it states: impossible things. Pushing you to do what you never thought you could, Joel is known for his wake-up posts. He's not a hand-holder. He's a push-you-into-the-deep-end-of-the-pool-big-brother.If you dig his blog, definitely check out The Impossible League, too. He's revamping the whole interface right now and I know it will be freaking awesome because of the community that's there with him. Imagine this: hundreds of people all working to do the same thing: the impossible. Sound cool? Go check it out. It is.
Mars Dorian
I "met" Mars fairly recently when he reached out after my re-launch to congratulate me on my scariest post ever. I had definitely been a fan of his before and was quite touched that he would reach out just to tell me good job! Mars has been helping keep me on track with my book, and even did some research for me into possible designers for it!Mars's site, though, is what really needs to be talked about here. Combining the power of visual comic/anime-style imagery with a rock-your-socks-off writing style, Mars surely gets his point across. He's blunt, crass and hilarious. The way he drives a point home is totally unique and creative. He's definitely one to watch... maybe from afar. ;)
Enso Journey
Alejandro Reyes has been my life-saver, friend, and contributor for the last few months. He got me through my re-launch by helping me with the pdf cover and wordpress development, he has been my friend and support in times of chaos, and he just wrote his first guest post for me a couple weeks ago!Alejandro has some great things to say, and his analogies force you to view your situation from a different angle, which is always a good thing. By the way, much of the art you'll see on Alejandro's site is done by his super-talented brother, Pedro Reyes. He did the awesome painting of me on my facebook profile.Go support the Reyes family and give Alejandro the same love that he gives us all through his writing and willingness to help!
Fitness Reloaded
Maria is super smart, and not hard to look at either... which makes her videos that much more entertaining to watch! She has some great resources for fitness, and furthers my argument that you don't need a gym to get fit; her videos showcase moves that you can do in the comfort of your own home!This girls knows what she's doing, and she's got some really exciting things in the works. We female fitness bloggers are few and far between. I'm so grateful to have become friends with Maria over the past few months. She is driven, intelligent, and offers practical workout advice for the ADHD world!
Vishnu's Virtues
Vishnu has been commenting on my site steadily for months, and has finally launched his own blog! It's brand new, but the content that's there rocks. Vishnu always has something interesting to say that I hadn't thought about. He offers a unique perspective on life, work, and doesn't take himself too seriously... a BIG plus in my book!From our conversations in the comments alone, I believe I can honestly call Vishnu a friend now. He has been so supportive of me and challenged my opinions and ideas in a way that has helped me to grow as a writer and as a coach.Now I challenge you: I want this post to be a dedication for EVERYONE to be able to pay back some love they recieved, or even pay it forward if they think someone deserves more attention.
What are your favorite sites out there? How have they helped you grow or what do they offer that we can benefit from?
Comment here and we'll go check it out! We are a community: the more we support each other, the more we will all thrive together. Help me spread the love!Stay tuned: more on my brand-spankin' new book in the coming weeks!Dig the site? Like me, tweet me, or pin me. Not necessarily in that order! ;)