My Reset: The Year I Rebuilt

In the photo on the left, I had lost myself. I did not know where I wanted to live or what I wanted to do. The identity I carried for years was gone. I was no longer the fit person who walked into a room and everyone knew what I was about. Stress from relationships, work, and closing my gym piled up. I ate whatever I wanted, I stopped training with intention, and I gained forty pounds. I believe health has to come first so you can show up for the people and the life you love, and I was not living that.

I moved back to Brenham to figure things out. I split time between my parents’ efficiency apartment and their cabin in the country. I am fortunate to have the kind of parents who allowed me to reset my life without shame. Being home had real blessings. I got time with family and with my nieces that I had missed since moving to Houston in 2006. But inside I felt stuck. Six months later I tried to rebuild in The Woodlands. I leased a house, built a home gym, and restarted my business from home. The picture on the left was taken there in February 2024. The business worked on paper, but the desire to train in person faded. I felt like I was forcing myself to be someone I no longer was.

In March the house sold and my lease was voided. I took a partial payout and, with client contracts already on the calendar, I grabbed a small studio apartment in The Woodlands on short notice. That started a year of living between two lives. Four days in the city. Three days a week at my parents’ cabin. Harley and Stormy stayed at my parents half the week, and I picked them up when I went to the cabin for those three days. From April 2024 to April 2025 I carried my life in the back of my car. I trained clients, but my own training was inconsistent. My confidence hit bottom. Most of 2024 felt like one long apology to myself.

In February of this year I made a different choice. I gave myself grace and got honest. I wrote down three questions. What do I want my life to feel like. Where do I feel at home. What will actually bring my spark back. The answer started with my health. Rebuilding my body would rebuild my confidence. That was something I could control.

I stripped things back. I lifted twice a week, then three, then four. I cooked more at home and stopped pretending that DoorDash was “recovery.” I put my phone down in the gym and trained the way I used to coach others. Small wins, repeated. My identity started to come back.

Then I chose home. I signed the lease on my dream apartment and, for the first time, I did not run. I built a stable base and rebuilt my life from the inside out. I stopped hiding from decisions and made the ones that matched the future I wanted. I got Harley back full time and realized how depressed I had been without her. Stormy still splits time between my parents’ place and the city. I keep trying to make city life work for her, but she is a country dog at heart, so my parents and I basically have joint custody, lol. Once I settled in, walks with Harley, and with Stormy when she is with me, became part of my weekly rhythm.

I also rebuilt how I work. Owning a gym taught me a hard lesson. Turning passion into a facility can push the person out of the work. My best work has always been helping people first. I looked back over ten years of clients. Executives, business owners, and busy parents who are great at their careers and families but have seasons where health slides. I listened to every reason and every roadblock. Travel. Stress. Energy. Sleep. I designed a program that respects that reality and still delivers results. Simple plans, clear priorities, and smart strength sessions that do not swallow your life. We anchor the week, protect your energy, and let small wins compound until you feel like yourself again.

I believe the eighteen months of struggle had a purpose. I am not ashamed of them. I take responsibility for my part in the mess and I am grateful for what it taught me. It forced me to choose a home, rebuild my body, and refine how I serve. That is why the photo on the right exists. It is not a perfect after. It is proof that momentum works.

If you see yourself in any of this, you do not need a perfect plan. You need one clear step, repeated. That is the work I do now.