As I reflect on my birthday and the fact that somehow it's already 11 PM and another wonderful day has come and gone, I feel humbled, inspired, and excited for what the future has to hold. I am humbled by the the amazing people around me and the awesome community I have become a part of at KOR Strength and Conditioning. I am humbled by my kettlebell students and how amazing their performance was at our in-house competition today. There was definitely a point during my own 10-minute set where I wanted to set the bells down, but knew I had to keep going both to set the right example for my athletes, and because I knew none of them would set the bells down either!

I am inspired because I've realized that the most rewarding thing in life is being able to motivate other people. Today, two people were so inspired by the in-house competition at KOR, they now want to join the Kettlebell Sport team. One of my athletes told me he wants to get on a serious training program to compete at AKA Nationals. A second athlete called me several hours after the competition to thank me for getting him into kettlebells and tell me how inspired he was to train going forward. A third lifter signed up for the next Bolt competition after competing today. One of my lady lifters told me she never thought she would be able to lift the 20kg bell, and today she hit 90 reps Long Cycle!

It's an honor and a privilege to be in a position to inspire people to try something they never thought they could do - giving them the confidence to believe in themselves and dream bigger, no matter whether it's related to their Kettlebell Sport ambitions, their health, or their life aspirations.

I am excited for what the future has to hold both for the growth of KOR Strength and Conditioning's Kettlebell Sport team, as well as the growth of the sport in general. This year, especially the last six months since moving to San Diego, have been a whirlwind of meeting so many new people and learning so much. I can't wait to see what I will learn and who I will meet in the coming year!