Meredith Atwood's Blog, page 16

Final Fire by Tri*Fe

As promised, one more final release from Tri*Fe! The Final FIRE Collection in ALL the styles and sizes (S-4XL). Also, the all-black Jane Tri Shorts & Cycling Shorts—by popular demand. Available NOW for Pre-Order at www.TriFeTri.com

Book News!

Thrilled to finally make the official announcement. This is the first of two BIG projects for 2019.

I’m So Busy

I took a broad-stroke and wiped my calendar from now until October 1–my second book final manuscript deadline.  The time is ticking. I can’t believe how close it is. [Did I mention that there’s already a book landing in March 2019? This deadline is for the one landing in FALL of 2019. #HolySmokes …hence the hashtag #2Book19.  It’s a thing.] The writing process is fascinating on this particular book because the book itself is–well, different. I am in foreign waters, bearing my soul and apparently conducting a bit of a bloodletting in many ways. I swing wildly from “this is some good shit” to “this is literally the worst book ever written and it’s going straight to the bargain bin.” I am told this is normal.  But when have I been normal? That doesn’t make me feel better. I suppose that the deadline feels like “a lot.”  I was thinking that I was feeling very “busy.” Then I interviewed a time-management expert for the podcast. #Fitting But I truly cannot complain–about anything.  Even though I feel “busy,” I don’t feel lost. Years ago, I was lost in so many ways. Now, I have the opportunity to write yet another book and tell the story that has changed my life–forever?  That’s insane. I always dreamed of just being a writer, an author. Of walking into Barnes & Noble and seeing a book that I wrote on a shelf there. At the end of the day, that has been my life’s dream. And now–at the end of next year, I will literally have two places in the Barnes & Noble to see said books:  one in the sports section, and one in the who-knows-where-they-will-put-it. Sometimes I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Sometimes I feel like this is hard-earned–because have mercy I have written a lot of words. But most of the time I feel completely unworthy. #PrettyMonster Regardless of how “busy” we all are, I wanted to say THANK YOU. This quick post–even though I realize I am not saying much here–is to say Happy Anniversary. Eight years ago, I wrote a post: “I have decided to become a triathlete.” I kept writing and training and spilling my heart and soul–good things, sometimes bad. I have gained followers, lost followers, gained life-long friends, lost a few of those too. Maybe even lost my mind a few times. But… it has been such an amazing journey. One that wouldn’t have even started without a wild dream to tri.  Happy 8 Years!  Thank you all for being a part of my life – and I look forward to what’s coming. Love to you all, M

Swim Bike Kid on a Mission to Inspire

I attended the CrossFit Games in 2018 with my nine-year old daughter, Stella Rae.  When we returned, she was inspired like never before. She was determined to do daily workouts AND get other kids to do them too. She will tell you straight up – that one day she will be in the CrossFit Games.  I am not one to doubt this little fireball. SOoooo… I helped her create “WODs4Kids” – WOD means “workout of the day” in the CrossFit world. Of course, I will monitor and help her (after all, she is nine and the internet is… well, the internet)… but make no mistake, she is the owner and creative genius of this new inspirational outlet and channel for young ones. Each day she plans to creates her own workout, do it, and then post it for other kids to do. I told her that this is completely up to her. I am not going to make her, regulate her or tell her what to do. I’m not going to write the workouts for her (though I will help if she asks). So it’s an adventure for us both.  For me, in learning to trust, let go and let her shine. For her… well, its definitely just sheer adventure. Dr. Shefali said that we are here to guide our children. Not to own them or make them in our image. I have taken this to heart and since the interview with her, I am forever changed–and I parent differently. I am sure I will hear some criticism that I am “exploiting” her, using her for marketing, or blah blah blah.  Hello. I have my own website. I don’t need a kid to market anything.  And I am so DONE with the negatives and trolls and drama–I don’t see it, hear it or care about it. It matters NOT to me one ounce, y’all. #YearOfNoNonsense But make no mistakes–if you know Stella–you know exactly what this allllll is. She is strong, powerful and she wants to help other kids be happy. She is happy! She is active! She wants everyone else to do the same! And if she tells you she will be in the CrossFit Games?  Mark your damn calendars, people.  L. O. L. As her mom, I will help her and guide her to fulfill what she believes to be her purpose–not what I believe… but what she believes. And right now, she believes that this is what she wants to do. Therefore, I will guide and help her. Allow let her step into who and what she dreams.  Just like I do with her brother (who could care less about Instagram… or exercise for that matter… but might as well watch out for an art channel. ;)). You and the wee ones can follow her inspiration at @WODS4Kids on Instagram. I’ll go ahead and tell you that any of negative comments, vibes or general bullshit will be deleted, because this is seriously about a kid who wants to do something pretty freaking cool. And I will support that. We’ll see where this journey goes!  I tell you, it’s fun to watch. Love to you all, Meredith  

Fear: Climb the Mountains Anyway

Fear. I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately.  I wonder why we are so afraid of some things… and not others.  I have written a lot about fear over the years.  [Here, here, here, here and here, to name a few posts.] I am in the process of shutting down a business. That’s scary. I am waiting on two books to be released in Spring and Fall 2019. One that I still need to write 40% of–in a deadline that’s closer than my next 70.3 triathlon. That perhaps is a scarier thing than the rest. I don’t know what I am “doing” with the rest of my life—there are no real plans after the books, the podcast, the speaking things. That’s so unlike me, so not-Meredith. I am literally hanging out and figuring it out. So, naturally, that’s also scary AF. I have a torn meniscus in my left knee. It’s been with me since January, and I have worked around it. That may or may not be okay–I could go for the next 25 years with no major issues if I don’t do box jumps or break-dancing. Or I could be in the bottom of a weightlifting move and blow out my PCL or ACL. Scary? Sure. But what’s the alternative? Do nothing? I can’t do that. I have been in the “do nothing” part of my life. The fear of sitting idly, drowning my sorrows in booze, is much more scary. The fear of blaming others for my failures is worst. The loss of connection to myself and others?  I’ll just blow out my ACL.  I’m dead serious. I’m not scared of that.  I’m scared of not trying. I’m scared of not doing what lights my soul on fire. But I am okay with all of these fears. I am at peace in a way that is indescribable.  Why? Well, because I have been through hell.  2017 was the year from hell, addiction is hell, and I know what hell is… this place right now? This place is just fear. Fear I can do.  Hell? That I would like to not repeat. Kyle Maynard and I talked today. This is guy who was born with congenital amputation. In other words, he’s missing his arms and legs below about the elbow. And he climbs mountains. Yes, wait for it. What does he have to be afraid of? I would say, “A lot.” I know if I was plopped down in his body (the 5 minute experiment we talk about on the podcast), I think I would be afraid. How do I drive? Eat? Write? Type? Use my phone? But those aren’t his fears, because he’s already overcome those fears. Ten seconds with Kyle and you realize he’s just not afraid of the things we would be afraid of –if we suddenly found ourselves in his circumstances.  He learned from a young age to fend for himself, learn how to overcome, and to not take any shit from people (or himself). In other words, we can all overcome fear. We can rise above. We can learn and keep going.  It just depends on how we accept it, look at it, and conquer it. Fear is a limiter and a blessing. Truth is a blessing and a curse as well. All of these things we talk about in our hour-long chat today on the podcast. With each guest I speak with, I find myself thanking God for the opportunity–to learn, to understand and to gain another person’s perspective. Kyle?  Well, I still cannot imagine the strength, grace, perseverance, grit, stamina, heart and soul that it took to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. To wrestle. To learn to drive (in Atlanta traffic, mind you). But by “knowing” him after today, I am a little less fearful, a little stronger–a little more fearless than I was before. He says, “Know your limits, but never stop trying to break them.” To that I say:  a-freaking-men. I hope you enjoy this episode. More about Kyle: Kyle Maynard is a motivational speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and ESPY award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics. Oprah Winfrey called Kyle “one of the most inspiring young men you will ever hear about.” Arnold Schwarzenegger described him as “the real deal,” “a champion human,” and “one of the most inspiring people” he’s ever met. Even the great Wayne Gretzky has spoken of Kyle’s “greatness.” Despite being born with a rare condition known as congenital amputation, that has left him with arms that end at the elbows and legs that end near his knees, he learned early on with the support of his family, to live life independently and without prosthetics. Kyle thrives on physical challenges and following a few rough middle school football seasons; he went on to become a champion wrestler, CrossFit Certified Instructor and gym owner, competitive MMA/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter, world record-setting weightlifter, and skilled mountaineer. In 2012, Kyle became the first quadruple amputee to climb – actually bearcrawl – the 19,340 feet to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro without the aid of prosthetics. His 10-day ascent was widely covered by the press, followed on social media, and raised money and awareness for wounded veterans as well as Tanzanian schoolchildren. Upon his return, Kyle won his second ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability. Four years later, he reached the summit of Argentina’s breathtakingly beautiful and sometimes deadly Mount Aconcagua – the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres, standing at 22,838 feet. Following that epic summit, Nike featured Kyle in the powerful commercial “Unlimited Will,” which debuted globally during the 2016 Olympics, was viewed by millions around the world – and was part of the series that AdWeek named the most memorable of all commercials during the 2016 Olympics. Kyle has not let his success be defined by anything or anyone but himself. He has lived his life striving to do more, learn more, push harder, go further—and to inspire others to do the same by sharing his story and living by example. Though he tailors his speeches to his audience, his messages are centered on building a life driven by purpose and meaning, the importance of the undying pursuit of dreams, and the belief that no obstacle is too great and nothing in their lives can keep them from accomplishing their goals. Follow Kyle Maynard Web: http://kyle-maynard.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kylemaynard.... Twitter: https://twitter.com/kylemaynard Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylemaynard/

A Girl Walks Out of a Bar: An Interview with Lisa F. Smith

Loved loved loved my recent chat with Lisa F. Smith, author of the incredible book, Girl Walks Out of a Bar.  I hope you will enjoy it too! xoox, Meredith Episode 81 – Lisa F. Smith: Girl Walks Out of a Bar Lisa Smith was a bright young lawyer at a prestigious law firm in NYC when alcoholism and drug addiction took over her life. What was once a way she escaped her insecurity and negativity as a teenager became a means of coping with the anxiety and stress of an impossible workload. Clean and sober for more than 10 years, Lisa is passionate about breaking the stigma of drug and alcohol addiction, particularly for professional women. Her book, Girl Walks Out of a Bar, is her story. The book explores Smith’s formative years, her decade of alcohol and drug abuse, divorce, and her road to recovery. In this darkly comic and wrenchingly honest story, Smith describes how her circumstances conspire with her predisposition to depression and self-medication in an environment ripe for addiction to flourish. When her close-knit group of high-achieving friends celebrate the end of their grueling workdays with alcohol-fueled nights at the city’s clubs and summer weekends partying at the beach the feel-good times can spiral wildly out of control. Girl Walks Out of a Bar is a candid portrait of alcoholism through the lens of gritty New York realism. Beneath the façade of success lies the reality of addiction. Buy the Book: http://www.lisasmithauthor.com/purchase/ Follow Lisa: Twitter: https://twitter.com/girlwalksout Instagram: http://instagram.com/girlwalksout Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlwalksout... Website: http://www.lisasmithauthor.com

You Can Quit Running When You are Nice To Yourself

I woke up this morning and went to 5:15am CrossFit class. And I hated myself hard today. Full self-loathing. This self-loathing behavior is usually on the back end of a food slippery slope, slide, fall and plop–which I have had the last few days. I was well-aware that I woke up in a bloated sugar coma. So the workout included two things after warm-up: 7 rounds of 400m running and “Toes to Bar” — the act of pulling your feet up to your hands while hanging from a bar. Like most things in CrossFit, there was a time limit to the rounds.  3 minutes for 400m of running and 12 Toes To Bar–lather, rinse, repeat. I had to scale the workout–which means to cut it down in order to do it at your current fitness level.  So I did 200m of running, and as many T2B as I could. (Scaling workouts, by the way, is the reason that I can  participate in CrossFit most of the time.) As I took off on the run, everyone was way ahead of me. That’s fine. I’m used to that–in Crossfit and in life. However. Today, the negative talk in my head was really loud. Really devastating. Really mean. It was a voice I hadn’t heard in a while, to be honest. What the… As I ran back in the gym to do the T2B on the fifth round, my hand tore open and I had to find another exercise to do. At the end of the 21 minute workout, I had done half (if not 1/4 as much) as the others, and the voices in my head were so loud, so mean and so nasty. The workout was over, and I hated myself. So I went back out and ran another 200m. I came in and did some Toes to Kettlebell (another scaled version). The voices were louder, meaner. I went back out and ran another 200m.  I intended to at least do the running distance that the others had done–hoping that would stop the voices. After two rounds and the negativity continuing, I just said screw it–and I planned to run for an hour. To outrun my horrible running, my awful body, my failure and all the crap pile that I clearly was. But. Then I said something to myself that snapped me out of it. I said: You will repeat this 200m –not until you have run as much as the others, not until you have run an hour–BUT–until you have nothing but 200m of nice things to say to yourself. I don’t know what made me think of that as a solution to the mean girl. My second thought was, I hope I have the endurance to run as long as it will take me to say something nice. Here’s the thing, though.  200m is only about 1:05-1:20 for me… depending on how fast I go.  So I simply had to say something nice to myself for a little over one minute. As I took off for the next 200m run, I said:  You get to do this. You have an able body. You are strong. You are fat… shit. Back inside. I went back out again. You get to do this. You have an able body. You are strong. You woke up at 4:30 to do this. You get to do this! You are amazing. You are fit… fit… fit… fit… I repeated the word: fit.  And then the time was up. I did it.  One minute of nice things to say to myself, about myself. It wasn’t that hard. And it felt better than the alternative. I’m not sure what the point of that self-imposed rule was today. Maybe because I was out there running as punishment for how shitty of an athlete I felt I was today. Which is exactly why I did not need to be out there doing it. The motivation was wrong. I needed to correct it. Am I doing the best I can in my life right now? I am. God knows I am. I am failing sometimes, but for the love, I am doing the best I can. I am simply tired. I am tired of the life-long internal battle of body image, of not “being a runner.” I am tired of the mean, perfectionist-driven idiot that lives in my head.  Today was an interesting way to overcome her–to say nice things, not outrun her–not to punish her. Running is not punishment. I didn’t want to treat it as such. I decided that the run needed to stop… and for all the right reasons.   “You may be the only person left who believes in you, but it’s enough. It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness. Never give up.” – Richelle E. Goodrich 

The Power of the Dream

Before I even did my first triathlon, I wanted to do an IRONMAN. After my first day of CrossFit last year, I wanted to compete in a CrossFit competition of some sort. That’s my latest shenanigan-dream. And I don’t give a flip about saying it. Why? Because I know the power of a Dream. I have experienced the miracle of dreaming big, working hard, and checking off the boxes–over and over again. Dreams are not without stupid amounts of work, sweat, heartache. But the POWER of a dream? Well, it’s everything. So many times we forget to dream, to create dreams, to have huge and scary-big aspirations. We fail to develop these dreams that are our own—not the kid’s or another family member’s.  We forget to even think about the life, the goals that we want. Or even worse– if we do dream, we ignore those dreams or say, “I could never.” We push them down, laugh them away, and shrink a little more. We are terrified. By our own excuses, we stall at making our own dreams come true. In order to make dreams something more than just fleeting words, we must discover (or re-discover) what our dreams are… and then make the pursuit of these dreams an actual priority. Dreams are the things we will be glad we did at the end of life. Dreams are what keeps us going.  Dreams are the things that mean we are ALIVE.  Dreams are the things we think about and wish for. So many of us forget to dream at all–or we are scared to dream because the dreams are big, or it will take forever to reach them. But guess what?  The time is going to pass anyway. Might as well dream–and make those dreams a priority. The common theme I see in women, especially moms, is once the kids and marriage/partnership occurs, the dreams we once had are often dumped in the trash. As if to say: No more time for these shitty dreams. When will I be able to do these things, the kids are always needing me! I give up. I’ll eat this pizza, drink this wine and hope my husband doesn’t try to touch my disgusting body tonight. When did our dreams die? When did we become disgusting? When did this happen? I swear to God, it happens overnight and we have no idea it even occurred until one day we don’t recognize the reflection in the mirror or the voice coming out of our mouths. Digging deep and discovering our dreams, our purpose and what we want is what brings us back to ourselves. When we are on fire towards a dream, we begin to know ourselves. Maybe again. Maybe for the first time. We recognize the voices coming out of our mouths. Even better than that, we begin to impress ourselves. We do things to make ourselves calmer, more peaceful, happier. We don’t notice what others are thinking. We care more about what we think. We tolerate less nonsense, less drama. We find power and more strength than ever. That is the power of the Dream. The Dream is necessary. The Dream is part of change. The Dream is the thing we must find in order to wake up and create change in ourselves, our lives… and beyond. What is YOUR dream?

Triple Inspiration: Mirna Valerio, Rachel Joyce and Ben Dziwulski

Much like a duck paddling under the water, that’s been my life for the last few months. I don’t blog much these days, I know… but I am writing more than ever – with Triathlete Magazine, Women’s Running and of course, the TWO BOOKS that are landing in Spring and Fall of 2019. (Whew!) Regardless, I continue to record and LOVE talking with amazing people on The Same 24 Hours Podcast. So here’s some triple inspiration from The Same 24 Hours Podcast–with hot, fresh episodes with three awesome people who inspire me beyond words. If you love the podcast, don’t forget to rate and subscribe on iTunes! Enjoy! Mirna Valerio Rachel Joyce Ben Dziwulski : WODPrep

How to Create Return Labels for Your Customers In Shopify

I apologize to my typical blog readers for this post.  However, I have had this problem with online commerce platform I use for YEARS about return labels. I figured out a hack, and I figured I would share.  So pardon the deviation. One of the issues with the Shopify E-Commerce platform is the impossibility (within the Shopify interface) to create a return label for your customers. I have found this more than annoying on several occasions, so I created a hack. This is how to create return labels for your customers within the Shopify interface. It costs you nothing, and yet, you can see everything you need within the Shopify interface. Summary of the Hack: Create a fake product that costs $0 Like a customer, buy your fake product from your storefront Using a free shipping code you create Fulfill your fake product from Shopify admin Print the fulfillment labels for your customer Send the label in a package or email to them They use the label to return the product to you (the buyer of the fake product) You have tracking You pay just the Shopify shipping cost as normal Here are more details: Create a Fake “Return” Product that Costs $0 What I mean by this is that you need to make a fake product because you can’t apply two discount codes.  So go to Shopify and log into your account. Create a new product and name it something you’ll remember like “Fake Product” or “Return Label.” Make the product cost $0. You will need this product later. Make sure you make it available only on the Store sales channel and don’t add it to any collections or home pages (we don’t want it popping up in the actual store). Create a Shipping Discount Code for YOUR Eyes Only Go under Discounts and create a Free Shipping discount code for your internal use only with no expiration date, no limitations.  Remember the code. Go to Your STORE (Not the Shopify interface) Go to your Store like you are a regular customer. Create an account if you need to. Go to the “search” feature and search for your Fake Product. Add the Fake Product to your cart. “Buy” your Fake Product  Checkout, and use your Free Shipping Code. The transaction is therefore 100% free. “Fulfill” the Order and Print Your Label, Shipping To Yourself Now, from your Shopify Admin account, you can “fulfill” the order.  You can add notes about the order and connect it to the other order by including the Return Order’s number. The label for shipping will print TO YOU and a return address TO YOU. Print the label or save to PDF. Include the Label in the Package to the Customer Who Has a Return Or alternatively, you can email it as a PDF for them to print off and attach to a package. They can drop in the mail, and you’ll receive the return. You’ll Simply Be Charged the Standard Shipping Cost. This would be a large deviation for every product, but in the event that you need it sometimes, I have found it super handy. Hope it helps! Meredith

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