If I am being honest then I did not comprehend how out of shape I was in July 2022 or quite how long I had let myself go. In July 2020, I went through a horrible breakup and went into a deep depression afterwards that led to me changing my relationship with food and my body. I remained busy, but my energy was low and I didn't even know it. In July 2022, I was consuming one to two pots of coffee daily. I was eating at random times, usually starving myself, not cooking, and when I would eat it was usually late into the night and was fast food consisting of burgers or pizza. Then I would 'reward' myself with a pint of ice cream and several sodas while watching tv or playing video games in bed and munching on cookies, every day. What started as eating my feelings formed a habit and then became a lifestyle. In July 2022, I was the heaviest I have ever been weighing in at 212 lbs. By the end of the Ready Go Nation, "Body Blueprint" program, I weighed in at 170 lbs and my entire life had evolved in terms of my relationship with food and my relationship to myself.

Dawud shared a concept that has proven to be very relevant in my life, "preparation is very important to success." This concept expanded into all the areas of my life as the program processed.

For so long I had been out of sync with my own body and spirit, ignoring what my body was telling me, and punishing myself believing that I was rewarding myself.

I have tried exercise programs in the past and attempted my own routines and nothing ever stuck, or rather, I never stuck it out and saw it through. I think the difference this time was the emotional and spiritual elements that were major elements of Dawud's "Body Blueprint."

The philosophy helped me to put things into perspective and that helped me to sustain the routine even when I was not seeing the results that I believed I wanted, or when I wanted to give up. I watched as something I didn't really want–to exercise and change my diet–, or so I thought, became a habit and thus a lifestyle over a few short months.

As I mentioned above, a couple of years ago I went through an intense breakup which was the culmination of several years of codependency and minimizing myself, my own self-worth, and prioritizing everything and everyone else above and prior to myself, at the expense of my health and peace of mind. Through the spiritual questions Dawud posed to the cohort throughout the program that led me to begin deeply journaling on a daily basis on those questions and others that I formed for myself, I was able to unpack many of the roots of my self-deprecation.

Dawud asked me to set goals for myself when I began the Body Blueprint program and at the top of my list was "being and feeling sexy and desirable." I did achieve this ten times over, but by the end of the program I no longer had the goal of deriving my worth from external sources and my principal goal became "a solid internal core of truth." Every other goal, the winning campaigns (accomplished that), making music, improving my social life, and so forth all became secondary to the principle goal because I came to understand that they were only achievable when I have a solid core of truth, which means knowing who I am and why I am. For the first time in many years, perhaps even my entire life, I have boundaries and I am proud to name, hold, and honor those boundaries. There was a time that I did not know what my boundaries even were, and that led me into several conflicts when I reacted with aggressiveness instead of assertiveness because the boundaries I did not recognize were so utterly crossed that it was the only way I knew at the time to protect myself. Knowing where I end and where the rest of the world begins, or in other words, knowing myself, has ushered in a new found confidence and character, a sense of integrity and dignity in every aspect of my life.

If the Body Blueprint was merely another exercise routine, I highly doubt that it would have been of any use to me. because the program included spiritual, intellectual, and emotional elements I was able to make a connection with myself that I did not comprehend was possible. It was this connection being formed that opened the way for me to lean into my own personal well-being and to find much liberation in the process of discovering who I am and who I want to be.

Prior to my journey I didn’t realize how much change I needed in my life. I was just going along with the flow. I wanted a more fulfilling life, but I was waiting for it to magically happen instead of taking charge and making the necessary changes to live a more fulfilling life. I had a decent job that paid well, but I wasn’t truly happy. I knew I wanted more of a work life balance, but felt that was impossible in the medical field.

I didn’t have a great relationship with food. My food choices were poor and the aches in my joints and extra few pounds reflected that. I loved sweets and even though I wasn’t hungry, if it was there in front of me I devoured it. I let the cravings control me. Let’s not talk about how convenient that Uber Eats is after a long tiring day at work!

Then there were looming financial obligations that I had. As a single parent I had taken on too many financial responsibilities thinking that if I bought everything my children wanted, it would make them happy. I had to figure out how to pay down a good portion of my debt I created while not breaking my bank. That meant cutting back on things that I believed I needed to sustain mine and my children’s happiness.

I am not one that is intimidated when it comes to working out. Once upon a time I competed in CrossFit competitions. I love weights, but over the years I started to slack off. I still worked out, but only when I felt like it. I didn’t set goals for myself and because I didn’t set goals I struggled to achieve my desired physique.

I am 4’11” and my starting weight was 138 lbs. At the end of the program I was 124 lbs! 14 pounds down! I was over the moon excited when I stepped on the scale every week and saw the progress I was making. What felt even better than seeing the smaller numbers on the scale was how my clothes felt on my body. I could breathe in my jeans. For the first time in a long time my belly pouch had shrunk! Others noticed the positive changes in my body. I could feel that my body wasn’t swollen and my joints were not aching. I had sustained energy throughout the day and slept well at night. My mood had improved. I was not irritable in the mornings because I felt well rested and my joints did not hurt upon awakening. This was not just from the weight loss itself, but the change in my relationship with food too. I was making healthier food choices with portion control, decrease in sugar intake, timing of meals and so much more.

Initially I made excuses about finding 10 minutes 2 times a day to workout. I started my days at 4:30 in the morning and often did not hit the bed until 10 at night. I was exhausted. Then I realized that if I could not find 10 minutes 2 times a day to better myself that I am not in control of my life like I want to be. How could I expect to make changes if I am not in control of my time and my life? Finding time was easy despite how busy I thought I was. There were times I worked out in my scrubs while at work because I knew that was the only time I might have to get it in. With each 10 minute workout I finished feeling accomplished and encouraged.

Back to wanting a work life balance. This was one of the three goals I spoke to Dawud about wanting to achieve. I seriously did not think it would happen in 90 days. Little did I know that the changes I was making during the program was reflecting outwardly and others were taking notice. I applied for a position, that was brought to me, from where I would work 90% from home. That’s a dream! I have been wanting to be more present for my high school children now more than ever since they are growing so fast. I am now 3 months into my new position and my superiors are still telling me how I killed my interview and how much of a personality fit I am for the team! I am able to cheer for my daughter at all her competitions, pick her up from practice, cook my kids breakfast before they take off in the morning, and make a home cooked dinner almost every day for my family. I GET TO BE PRESENT FOR MY CHILDREN AND HAVE TIME FOR SELF CARE. I have a job that allows me flexibility and gives me that balance I was craving. I didn’t wait for this to drop into my lap. Instead I followed Dawud’s plan and the changes reflected inside out.

I have also cut back drastically on unnecessary spending habits. This has led me to cutting out a great deal of money going out every month on things that I thought I couldn’t do without. By making smarter financial decisions I was able to pay off a looming loan that I would stress about daily. Remember how I talked about buying everything for my kids? My presence is more important than that. They are more engaged with my presence than with material things.

I also organized my home during this challenge. We talked about decluttering. I slowly decluttered my home which changed the way I felt internally. With less clutter in my home I felt calm, relaxed and organized. I started small with my purse, then my closet, then the storage closets, and eventually the garage. The garage was the one that I was dreading, but tackling the smaller things first got me excited to tackle the garage when the time came. Now my workout space in the garage feels stress free without the clutter.

There is so much more to the 90 day plan that I received than what is here in my testimonial. It truly works as long as you work the program! I still work the program and I am still reaping benefits from it. I am always setting goals, evaluating what it is that will help me succeed. I feel like I can achieve anything as long as I have a plan and follow through with that plan. Next up. Is furthering my education. I have started the process already. Be patient and kind to yourself. If you follow the simple steps you will achieve your goals.

I never felt alone in the process. Dawud was there every step of the way. I loved his availability and knowledge of each step, change, and tweak that was made. Thank you so much Dawud. Much love to you.