27/03/2026
Another year older today.
Hopefully another year wiser… Although my biggest flex right now is being in bed before 9pm. With baby number two on the way, that’s about to be a distant memory 🤣
Birthdays always do that thing where you slow down for a minute and it gets you thinking.
And if I’m honest, this one’s hit me a bit.
Because life feels properly full right now. Another little girl on the way, Elle keeping us on our toes… I’ll soon be outnumbered 😂
It’s made me notice stuff I used to rush past.
Time. Health. Energy. Being present.
And I’m very grateful.
Because this time last year, I was only just coming out the back end of a really tough patch. From the outside it probably looked like I had it all sorted - married, house, new baby, business, always smiling.
And that last bit matters.
Somewhere along the way I’d built this happy-go-lucky, smiley persona… And I felt like I had to keep it up. Like if I stayed upbeat and cracked on, everything would be fine.
But internally, it wasn’t.
Not in a dramatic “everything’s falling apart” way. More in that quiet, constant, grinding way.
If you’ve ever looked like you’ve got it together on the outside… But felt like you’re drowning inside, I get it.
In my head, becoming a new dad was supposed to look stable, secure, providing properly, moving forward. Instead, it felt like I was scrambling and going backwards.
So I did what I had to do.
Domino’s delivery work. Friday nights. Saturday nights.
And for one week I even took a paper round too, just to bridge the gap and make sure bills were covered.
That meant starting stupid early - in the car ready to go at 4:15am in Rhuddlan - driving round in that early-morning silence… Then finishing up in Old Colwyn before most people’s day had even started.
It was lonely.
And I’m not gonna lie… It was embarrassing.
Not because the work is beneath anyone. It isn’t.
But because my head was loud, and shame makes you weird.
I was ducking and diving, keeping it quiet, dreading being recognised like it would prove every fear I already had about myself.
And what made it worse is I knew I was good at what I do.
I’ve seen what coaching does for people - confidence, energy, feeling better in their own skin.
I just couldn’t hold everything else up around it at that moment.
And looking back, I know that can’t have been easy for Aeron either. New mum, all the stress that comes with that… Plus money worry… Plus worrying about me too.
At some point I realised I couldn’t keep trying to power through everything on my own.
So I got help.
Therapy.
Not some dramatic movie moment… Just a quiet decision to stop pretending I could brute-force my way out of it.
And I’ve learnt a ridiculous amount since.
One of the biggest things? How much I used to force everything… And chase more.
More certainty. More proof. More “I’m doing it right”.
But the more I chased, the more I struggled.
Because chasing can look like ambition… But it can be a way to try and safe in disguise.
And the irony is, the more I’ve relaxed, the more life has started to unfold.
Not in a “manifest” way… More in a “stop strangling everything with pressure” way.
Something else became clearer than ever - you can’t beat in-person interaction.
You can’t beat bringing people together.
There’s no substitute for it - not just in coaching, in life.
Online can be useful. Screens can be brilliant.
But being in a room with people, having a laugh, being seen, feeling connected… It’s different.
And most people don’t struggle because they don’t know what to do.
They struggle because they’re trying to do hard things in lonely ways.
That’s why I’m so grateful I get to do what I do now.
With people I genuinely appreciate.
People who show up when they’re tired, juggling life, and still make time to look after themselves.
People who’ve trusted me with their confidence, their nerves, their goals… Sometimes just their “I don’t know where to start”.
So if you’ve trained with me, shared a post, told a mate, sent a message, or even just quietly followed along… Thank you.
You’ve helped me build something I’m proud of.
This birthday doesn’t feel like a “look how far I’ve come” moment.
It feels more like quiet appreciation for a few lessons I want to keep:
Life rarely calms down.
Waiting to feel ready is a trap.
Chasing certainty in a life that isn’t certain will drive you mad.
Getting help is strength, not failure.
And things get lighter when you stop doing it all on your own.
Start smaller than your ego wants to.
Build a baseline.
Stack a few wins.
Get around the right people.
And who knows what this year holds.
But I’m excited - for The Body Confidence Co, for helping more people, for continuing to build the most positive gym culture I can… And one day moving into our own space.
More community.
More confidence.
More people feeling like they belong.
Right.
That’s enough reflection for another year.
I’m very grateful, I’m excited, and I’m very aware sleep is about to become a luxury again 🤣
