Letter 24: Fulfilling Your Calling

When we make the jump

Happy Wednesday! Please welcome our next contributor, Rachel Rivera!

Some of your favorite letters from our contributors have been from Nabil and Emily Fleming about body positivity. I knew Rachel would be such a good fit as one of our contributors as we continue to talk about learning to love ourselves in our current season. Rachel walks us through parts of her journey toward health and healing in her letter, and I can affirm that Rachel is the real deal: she is authentic in every area of her life.

And, separately, I can also say that if you are pregnant for the first time during a global pandemic, Rachel is exactly the friend you want by your side! It was such a relief to share that experience with Rachel because she is so cool under pressure, as well as calm, composed, and reassuring.

As you read about Rachel’s experience in finding her true calling, perhaps you can relate to how a difficult season was the best catalyst for taking a risk for yourself. — Emily

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”

―Maya Angelou

It’s shocking to know that 2022 is almost here when most of us are probably still dealing with some sort of residue of 2020. Much like everyone else, 2020 hit our family in unexpected ways. At the beginning of 2020, I decided to leave my career in vocational ministry to start a new career in the fitness industry. I was also newly pregnant, and even though this was my third child, it felt like my first pregnancy all over again. So let’s just say that year started with a little bit of anxiousness. 

My resume is filled with 10 years of vocational ministry experience and not much of anything else outside of that. If you know me, you know I stick to what is familiar and I don’t really like to step out of my comfort zone very much. So the fact that I switched careers right before I turned the big 3-0 still baffles me today. (Because when you turn 30 that’s it….you’re supposed to have it all together right?! haha)

In 2017, what started as a dare from coworkers ended as a newly lit fire in my heart. The dare was that I had to do CrossFit four times a week for a month. I thought it was dumb, but I went ahead with it anyway. Now, almost five years later, I am beyond grateful for that dare. 

After a year of working out consistently, I began sharing my journey on social media because that’s what every millennial does when they try something new duh. I then began getting messages from friends with questions about starting their own health and fitness journey. As an enneagram five, I wanted to make sure I gave them accurate information, so I began diving deeper into learning more about health and fitness and getting specific certifications. 

As I dove deeper into learning, I also realized there was a whole new ministry that I felt was untapped, and from there I felt the nudge to take a step closer. I was still working in vocational ministry because bills don’t pay themselves, unfortunately, and like I mentioned before I tend to stick to what is familiar. Interestingly enough though, in the middle of it all, my pastor sat me down and asked me point blank if I was truly fulfilled in my role at the church, or if there was something else I had a passion for and wanted to pursue. Not only that, he offered help and guidance in pursuing that dream. Wow! I was truly blown away by that. Never have I had a pastor/employer sit me down and ask me important questions like that, and then to help me pursue that even though it meant I would be leaving that position open. It speaks volumes about the type of pastor and leader he is. Shoutout to Pastor Landon Pickering of Trademark Church in Fort Worth, Texas, for nudging me closer to my calling. 

So by February 2020, I decided to make the big jump to pursue a full-time career in the fitness industry, and I even found two local gyms that would hire me. Then in March, all gyms were forced to shut down due to the pandemic, and by the time they were able to open back up, I was six months pregnant and decided it would be safer to stay home. It felt like my fitness career was ending before it really even began, but I had two kids that needed me at home and a baby on the way that needed to be safe too. The big word for 2020 was “pivot” and I think we all felt that in some way or another. So we made the shift and we had the best year at home learning, growing, and struggling in more ways than we could ever imagine. 

It’s 2021 and I’m reminded that even though I wasn’t able to pursue my dream career in 2020, I was still fulfilling my calling and doing what I was meant to do at that moment in time.

Everything that I experienced in 2020 will be a catalyst for the rest of my life, and I don’t want to forget any of it — the good, the bad, or the ugly. Plus, 2021 has already given me some pretty cool opportunities to pursue, and I’m excited to keep moving forward on this new journey. 

Rachel’s 5 Favorite Things

1. My first instinct is to make my top five a list of my favorite foods! haha! I am obsessed with sushi burritos right now. There is a place about five minutes away from me, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been by to grab a quick and delicious lunch.        

2. Okay, I’ll just give you my top two favorite foods at the moment. Nothing beats a refreshing acai bowl. Seriously: So good! 

3. I can’t live without my phone’s Calendar app, but this paper planner is my favorite way to see everything laid out for the day. Sometimes all I need is pen to paper to help me feel even more productive.

4. Good gym shoes are everything, and my pair of Nike Metcon X has been my favorite. They are supportive, cute, and comfortable for any type of workout.

5. The Enneagram 5 in me loves being able to access health data in real-time. The Whoop App has helped me push harder in the gym, pay better attention to my recovery, and overall help me improve my well-being. It’s a cute little bracelet that I wear every day and a reminder to make my health a priority. You can get $30 off by using my referral link.

With gratitude,

Rachel Rivera

P.S. Diet culture has skewed what living a healthy life is really all about. It’s not about constantly losing weight, choosing the lower-calorie foods, or working out endlessly to get results. Living a healthy life is much more than that and includes every aspect of our lives, including sleep, stress, movement, nutrition, and more. What are some things that confuse you about health & fitness, and what can coaches in this field highlight in order to help you see the big picture better?