Breakthrough Spotlight – Francine Brown!
Our Breakthrough Spotlight for May is Francine Brown! We are so happy to have Francine share her story because she has experienced something we firmly believe – that strength has a greater purpose. When you discover your physical strength, you will find how that strength carries through into other aspects of your life!
Breakthrough: So, Francine, you have been training with us almost two years now – time flies! Tell us how you were feeling and what kinds of training you were doing before you joined us here at Breakthrough?
Francine: For my fitness I was working out at a climbing gym, mainly training on my own, but I didn’t feel like I was seeing myself progress very much.
Breakthrough: So was that why you felt like it was time to do something different?
Francine: Yeah, I felt like I wasn’t improving or getting better, and I realized I need someone to guide me and help me do things properly.
Breakthrough: I agree, seeing that progression and seeing how your skills improve is important. So, tell me how are you feeling now… You just did your first TSC and you did a great job! For a lot of ladies getting their first pull up is a huge goal, and you were able to do two!
Francine: Yeah, that surprised me! Well, I think the biggest word to describe how I’m feeling now is proud. I’m really proud of myself and how far I’ve come. When I talk to people who have known me for a while, or when they see things on Facebook, they ask me what made me get started with all of this. It’s not something I ever imagined myself doing, but now that I’m doing it, I kind of want to see what else I can do! I’m reaching limits I never thought I would get to, and it’s like “Oh, well if I can do that, let me try something else… what’s next?”
Breakthrough: Yes! And I find it’s not just discovering how much you are capable of in your training, but also how much you are capable of in general. Like going on a big adventure all by yourself to Rome like you just did! Do you find that the confidence you gain in your training carries over into your everyday life?
Francine: Definitely! Before I came here, I was in a pretty bad place mentally. I didn’t want to be anywhere. I felt suicidal even. I have always been very critical of myself, and felt a lot of pressure to be “perfect.” When I started coming here, I’ve learned to let go of some of that and be more in the moment. There is a poster on the wall in the restroom here that says “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” I try to remind myself of that and it helps a lot! I’ve learned to be less judgmental of myself, and not to compare myself as much to other people.
Breakthrough: It’s a very powerful thing to realize we are all at different points on our own journey, and it’s ok to be wherever we are at.
Francine: Yes, and you coaches always remind us to do whatever our best is on each day, and it’s ok for some days to feel harder than others. And you know, they say Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, but for me and for a lot of us, this is our happy place!
Breakthrough: Yay! That means so much! Breakthrough is our happy place too!
Francine: I was talking to another member here and we were saying that even if we’ve had a bad day and have to come crawling through the door, we know we are going to leave feeling better. No matter how bad your day is, you just want to come here because you know everyone is going to be here to support you and help you change your mindset.
Breakthrough: We are so glad to hear that! So, we would love to hear your “why”. What’s your motivation for staying healthy and challenging yourself in your training? What makes it all worthwhile for you?
Francine: Just really knowing that I’m capable of more than I give myself credit for sometimes. I’ve never been the type of person to do competitions or anything like that. But what made me want to do it here is the people. The support and the encouragement. It’s really nice to feel like part of a group and like I belong.
Breakthrough: Yes, we all need that! I think a lot of people have felt the way you have, Francine. We really appreciate you sharing your journey, and hopefully inspiring someone else out there to believe in themselves and challenge themselves to grow. Thank you so much!
Francine: Of course!
