It’s time for the April edition of Spotlight 31!!

Over the last year (or few!), I’ve had the chance to get to know some pretty amazing women. These are everyday moms like you and me, moms who are trying to keep their families first and serve the Lord in the small things. They also have developed ministries, small businesses, or blogs that share their heart for the Lord and provide other moms with resources that simplify life, encourage hearts, or serve as tools for raising kids today.

I am so grateful to know these women, and I really wanted to find a way to connect you with them too. Not just on a product level (though I DO love their products!), but on a mom level. A regular woman level.

The thing I love about each of these women is how real they are. How dedicated to serving the Lord they are. And how fiercely they fight to keep their families first. They are inspirational to me, and I know they will be to you too!!

So, about once a month or so, I “spotlight” one of these women, and share an interview with them that will hopefully inspire and encourage you, both in your role as a wife and mom, and maybe in that dream that you’re keeping quiet in a corner of your heart!

Today, we’re introducing my friend Margo Martin. Margo and I met in college, where we lived in the same hall, and sang in choir together. Margo has always been so kind and generous, and I have such fun memories with her from our Freshman year of college!

Margo and I connected again a few months ago on Facebook. Don’t you love Facebook?! We chatted a little, and I started seeing her photos appear on my newsfeed. And I realized that she’d been going through this incredible transformation.

Margo is now a Beachbody coach with an incredible story. More than that, she’s a mom just like you and me – trying to keep her family first, and also minister to others through this new business of hers. I’m so excited for you to hear from her today!

So, today I’m going to step back and let you hear from Margo. I know her words and her heart will inspire and encourage you!!

Hi Margo! So, I know you pretty well, but my readers don’t! Tell us about who you are, a little about your family, and what you do as a business.

Hi friends! My name is Margo. I live in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado with my hunk of a husband, Tim. We have two beautiful little girls, Lyla (3), and Olive (almost 2).   I have the joy of doing the exact thing that I said I would NEVER be able to do in life. I am a Diamond Health and Fitness coach with Beachbody!

My heart and daily dream is to help women of all ages, especially mamas, combine faith and fitness to find hope and healing over their hearts and bodies in ways that they never dreamed possible! I run online monthly fitness challenge groups for women (ages 18-72!) from all over the country looking to lose weight, get fit, tone up, and/or have a healthier relationship with food while seeking God in the process. I offer meal plans, encouragement, tips, accountability, and prize opportunities for my monthly groups. It’s a lot of fun!

I am also the founder of Team Elevate. This is my team of coaches that I personally mentor who want to financially contribute to their home while getting or staying fit and empowering others to do the same!

Think back to when you got started… What problem were you trying to solve? What inspired you to create the business that you’ve built? Is that still your mission? If not, how has it changed?

So last August (2015), I was at the end of myself after a life long struggle of asking God to help me with my body issues. I was depressed, overweight, and had NO energy or patience to keep up with my family. I absolutely hated the way that I felt. I mean, come on! Having two 9lb babies within 21 months of each other does a number on your mind and body!

The worst part was that I felt hopeless, and thought it was always going to be this way because I had struggled with weight and poor body image my whole life! So in August, we were on a family camping trip, and I completely lost it. All the ugliness that I felt inside all came flowing out. I knew that I need to change and was willing to do anything to feel better than I did in that moment. I knew that I needed to stop making excuses.

So I signed up with a friend from college to try the 21 Day Fix. Why not, right? I fully expected it not to work because nothing else had. Within the first WEEK I felt almost 90% better from the combination of the workouts, superfood shakes, and exercising!! My first round of the fix, I lost 7lbs and over 13 inches on my body! I was eating REAL food and only working out 30 minutes a day. No more “I don’t have time!” excuses!

Fast forward to a month later, I felt that God was doing a transforming work in me from the inside out. I realized that there were a lot of mamas who were feeling the same way, so I decided to sign up as a coach and offer the hope that I had been given through this program. I also wanted to be able to bring in extra income for our little family to be able to send our daughter to preschool, afford our grocery bill, pay for my monthly superfood shake, and have money to actually go out on monthly dates with my husband without stress.

God has done exceedingly more than I could have ever asked or dreamed! In the 6 months that I have been a coach, I have been able to help over 200 women change their lives and feel the way that I do. Not only that, but I’ve seen people healed from their damaging relationship with food and the scale. Personally, I’ve now lost 45lbs this year and over 42 inches on my body from working out at home and eating real food.

I’ve grown a business so quickly in the past year and my team is exploding with moms, young professionals, and many others who want to contribute to their families while getting fit! Through God’s graciousness, I have been the top coach on my upline team of over 1000 coaches for 9 out of the past 12 weeks. Not only that, but God has provided money for us not only to pay for our daughter’s preschool, but our monthly mortgage and also enough to begin to pay off those pesky school loans!

What is one thing that sets you apart? How do you do things differently from other Beachbody coaches?

All Beachbody coaches offer an accountability and support system to their challengers going through one of the programs. I do this, but I also offer faith-based fitness groups that help us focus on GOD while changing our bodies on the outside.

For some reason, we don’t involve God in our fitness process! I think this is the enemy’s greatest victory! If he can get us to think that our bodies and the way we look is all about OUR glory, he wins and we fall into the yuckiness of believing this is all about us! I refuse to let that be the trend anymore.

Our bodies were made to glorify God and live out His purposes. He wants to be a part of every area of our lives. The only way to find true lifelong victory with our minds and bodies is to ask God to be a part of it. I pray for my challengers daily. I pray that they would be transformed first and foremost by God’s love for them no matter how they look as they seek to be healthy on the inside and outside.

“The only way to find true lifelong victory with our minds and bodies is to ask God to be a part of it.”

So many times, I hear women wondering how someone else “does it all”. That’s always an illusion though! No one does it all. So, let’s break down your work week. How much time would you say you spend, on average, working each week? How do you make this happen? (Are your kids in school, do you bring on a nanny, does your husband help, etc.?)

This business can be done in one hour a day. I would say that, as my team has been growing, I now spend 15 hours a week on my business.  I wanted to stay home with my girls and not miss a single thing, but wanted to contribute to my family income. In order to be fully present with them and fully present with my business, I set “business hours” for myself, so I don’t do work unless my girls are asleep or in their afternoon quiet time. I work during nap times.

On an average day, I get up early to do my devotions and my workout, respond to messages for 30 minutes in the morning, work for an hour in the afternoon during nap time, and then check in again with my challengers again for 30 minutes in the evening. My husband is in graduate school, so I’m still able to manage being a mama with extra responsibilities during this season and run a successful business in 10-15 hours a week. It’s been the best of both worlds, and I LOVE IT!!

I do hire a babysitter several times a month (something we never would have been able to afford before!!) to focus specifically on my business so I don’t feel torn between business and my family as my team is growing.

Have you had to make any hard decisions in relation to pursuing your business/ministry? Could you share that experience with us and how it’s shaped you?

I’ve definitely had to lay down my pride. God has allowed me to be in a business that I never thought I could do, and honestly without His help…I can’t! It’s so funny how God sometimes calls us to do things that we think we can’t do. So daily, I have to acknowledge my fear and pride and allow God to use me in the way that He sees fit (no pun intended!).

I haven’t always had business hours. A few months ago, I was feeling really torn between my growing business and wanting to be fully present for my girls. So I made the decision to operate out of “buckets”. I only have five buckets (or areas) to operate out of for the week and I made my schedule based on that. This means I only have certain hours that I allow myself to work on my business and I let God take care of the rest! This was scary to do, BUT GUESS WHAT? Since I did that, my team has exploded. I know that God honors our hearts to do all of this life for Him!

What’s your favorite thing about what you do?

I LOVE to encourage people! I was a music teacher before I had my girls. I know God has called me to uplift, teach, and encourage people towards Him whether they know Him or not. My absolute favorite part of all of what I do is giving people all the tools they need to succeed and then watching THEM find strength, freedom, and victory moments that they never thought they would ever have!

Share with us one tip, trick, or tool that keeps you from going insane.

Don’t mess with my daily coffee. That’s my lifeline. Bucketing my time and scheduling my time has been key for me!! It helps me have the freedom to be fully present for my family and for my business. I also swear by my Erin Condren planner (thank you, Kayse for opening my eyes to it!). It helps me stay on track with my schedule, meal planning, and life goals!

What advice would you give to someone who has a dream/talent/message they feel called to pursue, while also raising a family?

With God’s help, you can do it!! Invite Him into your schedule, your dreams, and your family. My biggest piece of advice would be to sit down and write down your top 10 goals when it comes to your family and the dream you feel called to pursue. Prioritize them and then prioritize your time according to your goals. Set aside time to build into your dream in a way that fulfills your heart, but doesn’t take away from your family. You may have to let the laundry go an extra day (or three…ooops!), but you will feel more fulfillments from the inside out. Oh…and don’t forget to ask God to help you do it all. That’s pretty important to do!

Isn’t she inspiring?!? I love how humble and faithful Margo is. She is not afraid to set boundaries and keep her priorities in order. I am so grateful for her friendship and her example. Plus, she’s offering a special May Challenge group – just for us!!! I’ll be joining, and I hope to see you there!! Read the details below…

SPECIAL OFFER FROM MARGO:

Margo Martin is a wife to her hunky husband, Tim, and  a girl mom to her two daughters, Lyla and Olive.  Margo is a believer in the transforming love and power of Jesus.  She is also a teacher, encourager, and online health and fitness coach.  After her own lifelong struggle with weight and depression, God has given her a passion to share her hope and healing in this area that has been found in Jesus alone.  Her desire in life is to empower other busy women to find their worth and beauty in God while living out a healthy, balanced, and fit lifestyle.  Also, her life wouldn’t be complete without dark chocolate, a glass of wine, strong Americanos, a good laugh with friends, and The Bachelor. Hallelujah!  ​

Connect with Margo on Facebook, and email her for more information on coaching or to join one of her fitness groups!

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Kayse

Kayse Pratt serves Christian women as a writer + designer, creating home + life management resources that help those women plan their days around what matters most. She’s created the most unique planner on the market, helped over 400 women create custom home management plans, and works with hundreds of women each month inside her membership, teaching them how to plan their days around what matters most. When she’s not designing printables or writing essays, you’ll find Kayse homeschooling her kids, reading a cheesy novel with a giant cup of tea in hand, or watching an old show from the 90’s with her husband, who is her very best friend.

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