Coach Emma's Parting Words

As I finish out my last few weeks as a coach at Rise, I feel a conflicting sense of both excitement and sadness. I am excited for the next step in my future career as a physical therapist, but sad to be leaving the gym that has been my home for the past three plus years. 

My Rise journey and future plans

For those of you that do not know, I actually started out at Rise as a member who worked out consistently four to five days a week. I was pretty quiet and kept to myself, but I usually came at 7am, which is a melting pot of a crew and it's hard not to join in on that fun shenanigans that go on amongst this group. That is when I truly joined the Rise community and it started to feel like home. The highlight of every day for me was when I got to go to Rise and get my workout in. The trainers were always so uplifting and happy to see me, and it always made my day. Eventually Chase and Tim reached out to me because they were looking to add another trainer to Rise and thought I would be a good fit. It was an amazing honor to have two people who I looked up to want to hire me. Fast forward, and now I have been a trainer at Rise for almost 3 years. Working at Rise has truly made me a better person and I feel blessed to have had arguably one of the best jobs ever. It has not hit me yet that I won’t get to see you all every day, but I hope to have made at least the slightest bit of impact on your lives compared to how much you all have impacted mine.

Once I leave Rise I will be finishing up my Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree with a three month clinical in Phoenix, AZ. I will then come back to Fargo for a week in May to graduate, and then I will be moving to Milwaukee, WI. My goal is to work in a  hospital at a level one trauma center as I love the fast paced environment that a hospital provides. This is also why I love being a personal trainer. While it is sad to close this chapter of my life, I am excited for what is to come. I am from Fargo originally so you can guarantee that I will come back to get a workout in whenever I am home. But before I leave, I want to leave you all with some words of wisdom for the gym that I fully believe in.

My words of wisdom for my Rise family

These are my favorite mantras and sayings I have gathered over the years. They not only apply to the gym, but also to all aspects of life.

You are stronger than you think

Let’s be real: life is hard. You never know what the months, days, and years may bring. I am here to remind you that you will make it through because you are stronger than you think. This goes for both in life and the gym. I guarantee most of you can lift a heavier weight than you think you can. One of my favorite parts about being a trainer is when I tell someone to lift a heavier weight, and after they do it, the smile on their face is priceless. Sometimes all you need is that PR in the gym to make your day and set you up for success in other areas of your life. Which brings me to my next point.

You can do hard things

Andrew Huberman once said “the reason to deliberately do hard things is so that when non-self-elected challenges arrive (and they will), you can tell yourself ‘I don’t know how this is all going to turn out, but I am certain I can do hard things.’ Don’t self-injure. But doing hard things is always worthwhile.”

I truly believe that when you force yourself to seek out challenges, it indefinitely makes you a stronger and more versatile human. For me, I chose to compete in a powerlifting competition about a year ago which was something that terrified me. I am not someone who likes to go up on a stage and be the center of attention. But it aligned with my fitness goals and I knew it would be a good learning experience. Nowadays, when I face a hard day, task, etc. I remind myself of how many hard things I have done in the past and that whatever I'm facing is no different. I remind myself that I can do hard things and I will make it through. 

You don’t know until you try

My last mantra is one that hits close to home for me. I am a creature of habit and routine. While this is a good thing in many aspects, it can sometimes get me stuck in terms of fitness or life decisions. In the gym, you won't know if you can lift a certain weight until you try it out. If it goes poorly, then at least you know. But I can almost guarantee that it will go better than you think.

The same goes for making decisions in life. Things may not go how you thought they would, but you will thank yourself for trying in the end. The best life decision I believe almost anyone can make for themselves is becoming a member at a gym. I truly believe a gym will change your life. And like I said, you don’t know until you try. If you are ready to take that next step, I highly recommend you check out Rise. It is easily the best gym I have ever been a part of. This place and these people will always hold a special place in my heart.