Less is More: From Burnt Out and Exhausted to Confident and In Control with Amy Creamer

Paul Salter:

Hey, Amy, thank you so much for joining me today. How are you?

Amy Creamer:

I’m great. I’m so excited to be here.

Paul Salter:

I know, this is a long time coming. gosh, we’ve known each other almost what, five-ish years at this point?

Amy Creamer:

I know, it’s crazy. Here we are.

Paul Salter:

We are. We over here, we’ve met in a flesh too. We’ve met in person, Zoom, phone calls, all of the above. And today we get to share your wonderful story.

And we’ve got a lot we can talk about, but where I want to begin today is it’s April, 2021. That is when you joined the 5% community. We had worked together in a one-on-one capacity many, many years before. But in April, 2021, who was Amy? How would you describe that version of you?

Amy Creamer:

Wow. Yeah, we’re taking it back. I was stressed out. I was basically burning the candle at both ends. I was giving myself to everyone else. I’m a personal trainer and a coach, so doing all the things for everyone else. My husband had not gone back to work yet because we were both furloughed during COVID. So we were both home. My daughter was home. It was a lot, there was a lot going on.

And I think I had just gotten to a point where I was a little bit stalky, I’m not going to lie. I did. I stalked a little bit for a minute. I think that’s normal. And then finally was like, you know what? Because you and I had that relationship, you had been my coach one-on-one with RP. And it wasn’t any question about what kind of value I was going to get out of it, it was more just like, do I have the capacity to add one more thing to my plate?

But when I looked at it from the personal development standpoint, and this was something specifically for me, it wasn’t anything that I had to go into and think about how am I going to implement this with my own clients? Who would this be good for? That kind of thing. It was more just like I wanted something for me and me only.

And so yeah, I just said, you know what? We’re going to do this. We’re making the time. I’m going to take the commitment, and just bite the bullet and do it. And then that’s when I reached out and was like, Hey, guess who’s back?

Paul Salter:

And I love that you mentioned, because I was going to get to this anyway, you’re a profession. You are a damn good coach. A one bajillion hour certified yoga instructor, an online TR trainer, fitness guru if you will. But at the end of the day.

Amy Creamer:

Thanks.

Paul Salter:

Oh, you’re so welcome. Hey, you co-facilitated and led the 5% live event, so I got to give you all the kudos. But with that said, knowing you, even if I didn’t know you, seeing your background it’s like you know what to do, it’s not a matter of, oh, I’m going to pour all this new information and knowledge into you. But like every other human being, you’re really good. Just like I’m really good at getting in your own way or consistently applying.

So I just can’t applaud you enough for finally realizing, because I see this all the time. Oh, I’m a coach. I can’t ask for help. It’s like, no, you’re fucking stupid if you don’t ask for help. Because not only did you get to win and benefit, so do your clients when they get the happy, always growing version of the coach versus maybe the cranky, hangry spread too thin coach. So kudos to you for that.

Amy Creamer:

Thank you. Yeah, you’re absolutely right. If we look and think about it, healthcare workers are the most unhealthy population of people. We’re a subset of that. And it’s because we take care of people all day, that’s our job. So obviously we’re going to come last.

We get spread too thin. But there’s also some guilt associated with that. Like, should I be paying money for someone to do something that I know how to do myself that’s my job? Not just that I know how to do, because you can bucket that out, we pay people to clean our house, we pay people to cut our lawns, those types of things. But when you’re paying somebody to do something that you actually do for a living, when it comes down to it there’s guilt associated with that. Like, I should be doing this myself.

And then you go into that shoulding all over yourself, that’s a thing.

Paul Salter:

I love that.

Amy Creamer:

And that’s where I got with it, where it was like, stop. You are just as worthy to do this as anybody else. And why not outsource it? I know you know what you’re doing, I know your stuff. You’re great at this. We had a great relationship back when I was working with you at RP. And it spoke to me.

So yeah, it’s hard. There is a lot of guilt associated with what we do when we don’t make the time for ourselves. And you also said something else that resonated, where we get in our own way. And that’s it too. So really getting good at time management and structuring out your day and saying these are the non-negotiable things.

And that’s something personally for me that’s hard to do, is to leave tasks unfinished. So if I’ve got a long to-do list, I was noticing I was putting myself and my personal things like my workouts or focusing on my nutrition at the end of that list. And that’s not how we do things.

Paul Salter:

No. So tell us a little more. At that time, you’ve got the stress of both you and your husband being furloughed, your daughter’s at home around the clock. And she’s an honorary member of the 5% community with all the live calls that she attends. She’s glued to your hip I imagine most of the day. You’re trying to make ends meet here, which is trying to get through this chapter of your life.

The house is on the market at that place. What were some of the words or the self-talk? What did that look and sound like at that time when you were literally just trying to get through one moment or one day at a time?

Amy Creamer:

That’s a great question. It was tough. Let’s be honest. COVID crushed everybody. And us especially. My husband’s a chef. I’m a trainer. We’re both in more or less trade business. So we started a healthy meal prep business out of our kitchen to keep our lights on during COVID.

And that was stressful. I don’t cook, I don’t enjoy cooking. My husband is phenomenal at it. But I would joke around and say that I was the kitchen bitch, and I’d be standing there like, when do I get to wash a pot? Oh, do you need that? Let me wash it. Because I felt so… Not even insignificant, I just felt like I wasn’t helpful.

And when you’re not contributing financially by no fault of my own, but I’m not contributing financially, that takes a toll on you too.

Add in, she’s almost seven now, but add in a five-year old, a four-year-old at the time.

And she thinks she’s my best friend, and there is no break. And I think I was just getting to a point where I was like, I need a break and I need something for me that I can focus solely on me that I don’t have to share with anybody else. I mentioned before not having to go into this looking for a way to weave it into my clients. But at the same time, I just needed something for me that I didn’t have to share that was going to help me become better.

Personal development is actually a hobby of mine. I enjoy it. I look at that working out same way. When you hear people say, oh, I love doing spa days. Or, I like to go do X, Y, and Z. I like to dive into personal development. I like journaling. Anything that I can do to try to make myself a better human being.

And I had just gotten to the point where I felt like I had none of that in my life at that time. And it was hard for everybody. But being home, spending time with the same two people with the same walls and the same everything every day, that’s just not conducive to a healthy mindset. And I needed something for me.

Paul Salter:

Yeah, it’s not quite sustainable if that’s one of our buzzwords, if you will.

So tell us more about that, because I think that’s such an excellent point. You recognize there is a need to put yourself first. And most people listening who struggle putting themselves first, they recognize logically, oh yes, you can’t pour from an empty glass or whatever cliche analogy we want to use.

But talk us through how you started to actually do that with the boundaries you set. Because if I go back and look, your track record when it comes to attending the live weekly coaching calls is definitely top two, 3% when it comes to just always being there, making the time to go through the online learning content, and then especially making the time to pour into the community and support and encourage other people. How did you start establishing those boundaries?

Amy Creamer:

So, that’s a great question. Boundaries are hard. Let’s just put that out there. They’re not just hard, they’re fucking hard. They’re hard for anybody to implement. And especially when you feel like you’re in a situation where, and I’m not saying I was at rock bottom, but that was really hard.

And the last thing I wanted to do, because my husband was working so hard with this meal prep and he was doing the brunt of the work. Here’s me just posting on Instagram. Here’s the menu, taking orders, taking people’s money. He’s doing all the things. The last thing I wanted to do was put more on his plate, especially knowing what our bills were, what our financial situation was during that time.

So one, yeah, the financial commitment, that’s a big component. It’s expensive to join something like this. And like I said a little while ago, I had no question about the value I was going to receive.

It was more just like how do I put this into words? I got to spend this money, I got to do it now. So that was tough. But it’s also hard to ask for help because that’s just the nature of who we are. And some part of boundary setting, what comes along with that is asking for help.

So me saying, Hey, listen, the time wasn’t an issue. I need every Wednesday night to do these calls. I need a couple of hours here and there during the week to get some curriculum done. We got to meal prep, which we were doing anyway. I had a gym in the garage. So the timing aspect wasn’t it, it was more just like, I need to be able to sit in this room and take this call on Wednesday nights without having fingers coming under the door, without having someone coming in.

And I love that she’s an honorary member. I love it. I love that [inaudible 00:10:41]… But again, this was three years ago, so she was a lot younger. She didn’t have the ability to sit still for an hour while I was on the phone. So that part I think was really hard. And then when my husband went back to work that July that was also tough, because now life is completely different. I’m now back in that situation where drop off and pick up is on me. If someone gets sick, well, if Theresa gets sick it’s on me to pick her up.

My schedule now gets impacted by everything, and it’s really hard for me to say, Hey, I need you to come home early on Wednesdays so I can do this call. Or, I need a little bit of time over the weekend to myself. So that part was really hard for me. Asking for help has always been hard for me.

But once I sat down and figured out… And it is, let me just say this too. It’s overwhelming when you first join. Because if you’re not familiar with Slack, you’ve got to learn how to use Slack. You’ve got all this curriculum that you’re diving into, you’ve got a brand new blueprint. And if you’re not someone who’s ever followed a macro program before, that’s a lot to learn upfront.

But once you digest it and you realize, it’s a couple of hours, even an hour a week. I can do that. But it’s putting your foot down and saying, this is non-negotiable and I’m worth this, so please, I need help. And that’s the crux of it, is that it’s really hard for us to ask for help. And it’s one of the things that I still struggle with, but it helped me get a lot better with it because it is a huge financial investment.

And if I’m paying this money, I’m going to do what I said I’m going to do and show up for myself, but also provide that example for Teresa to be like, oh, okay, it’s okay for mommy to have time to herself. It’s okay for me to do things on my own. I’ll bring you back. I’m coming back literally behind the door. But I’ll be back. And I think that’s part of it too, is that it’s also showing her that it’s okay to have interests that don’t include those closest to you, but you still have to do things for yourself.

Paul Salter:

I love that. Yeah, it’s such a wonderful opportunity to model the behaviors that maybe you didn’t have modeled for you. Whether or not we’re not speaking just to you, just even to everybody listening. It’s like, yes, especially, let’s call it what it is. Women in particular in the health and fitness industry, the diet industry, they get the shortest stick for sure. They are up against all these unrealistic standards and photoshopped, this, that, and the other. And they are not taken care of the way that both you and I feel they should be in the whole health, fitness, diet industry as a whole.

So you having a chance to impart your knowledge, but more importantly lead by example for your daughter, and for those of you listening, son or daughters, such not only a wonderful opportunity, but such a huge emotionally charged motivator. A really powerful why.

Because not everybody has that awareness until they do hit the rock bottom. But the fact that you had that, it’s contributed mightily to your just strong consistency. Here we are years later and you’re still kicking ass, growing every single day.

Amy Creamer:

Thank you. You mentioned the why, and that just popped into my head when we were just talking. That why exercise where you have to go seven layers deep, that will forever stick in my brain. Because when I did that, I started out with I want to be jacked, I want to be super toned, I want to have muscle. But then when I got to the bottom of it, the whole thing was just… It had nothing to do with any of that. It was all about setting an example for my daughter and showing her that this is just the way we live. This isn’t something we have to do, it’s something we get to do and we enjoy.

And it’s just a part of everyday life. And it’s so funny how exercises like that really gets you thinking, and what you think is the deal is not the deal at all. But when you get to the bottom of it, you’re like, oh, hmm. All right.

Paul Salter:

Yeah, there’s always a feeling behind that goal we’re chasing. And yeah, I couldn’t agree more. And again, going back to the diet industry at large here, it’s just everyone thinks that we’re conditioned, like, got to lose 20 pounds or wear this size of clothing. It’s like, no, you don’t want to weigh or look that way because you did 20 years ago or before your first child. It’s like, no, you felt confident, accomplished, and in control. So how can we get clear on how we want to feel now and then just set up a couple of action steps or non-negotiables to help you feel that way now?

Not delaying those good feelings until after you lose the weight or fit into a clothing size A, B, and C. So yeah, I appreciate you sharing that. And there’s one more topic of where Amy was when we started together. We have to explore, because you come from a background, you had a, I don’t know, a few years, significant years in just the physique based sports.

And when we first met, you wanted to do, I’m looking at my notes here, 12, 15 workouts per week. And we had to go through some great back and forth education. Like hey, less is more. So tell us a little bit more about where your head was at during that time.

Amy Creamer:

You guys can’t see me, but I’m visibly cringing right now at me.

Paul Salter:

I can vouch for it.

Amy Creamer:

Oh, okay.

Paul Salter:

I had to do it.

Amy Creamer:

Okay, let’s be honest too, I do have ADHD.

Okay, there’s that. But I was doing all the things. And it’s also that I wasn’t working, I wasn’t contributing financially. And it was that need to fill up that time where if I wasn’t doing something and looking at workouts specifically as bettering myself, that I was letting myself go.

And because I didn’t have anything like this from a personal development standpoint to be involved in, I threw myself full force into that as a coping mechanism. And in hindsight, I can say that at the time. I was like, no, this is just what I do.

But again, burning myself out, running myself into the ground, and focusing on things that were not necessarily important. And way undereating for the amount of activity that I was doing. And realized, it took a couple months because I’m stubborn, to realize that this is not sustainable either, and that working out two or three times a day every day, it’s not sustainable, but it’s not healthy either.

And you mentioned it too, coming from a figure competition, fitness competition standpoint, that will fuck you up. And I am a firm believer in that. I think not for everyone, and if you get set up with the right trainer and the right coaches in your corner, that might not be the case. That was not the case for me. I did not have a trainer that knew exactly what he was doing, and I blindly followed and did all the things. I wrecked my metabolism.

And so that mentality of working out as much as you can to burn all the calories while further restricting, I know better than that. But at the same time I was just putting myself through it. And I’m so glad to be out of that now, because I look back and I said I was cringing, but it’s just so mortifying. It’s like, why would you do that to yourself? And I think about my clients or I think about Teresa, and I’m like, if anyone came to me and said that’s what they were doing, I would be like, but why?

Isn’t life meant to be enjoyed? Why do you need to spend freaking four hours a day trying to kill yourself? It’s not worth it.

Paul Salter:

No, I really appreciate you sharing that, because it’s so common. I have these conversations on a weekly basis in some capacity with people on Instagram or somewhere far, far beyond the internet. And I think it’s really important what you share. In hindsight, you can confidently even with a smile say, it was a coping mechanism. As human beings, we are terrible at being. We are conditioned to be human doings. And it’s because we are fearful for a myriad of reasons to just sit and be with ourself.

And something that we spend a lot of time working on in the community, which you are a shining example of is really rebuilding our relationship with ourself. Because that is the most important relationship we have. And when we start to practice self-love and gratitude, it has a positive spillover into our relationship with food, our relationship with exercise, everything can be viewed through the lens of is this caring for myself, nourishing myself, or is this counterproductive and unsustainable?

And it becomes really easy to decide what you will and won’t do, who you will and will not give your energy in time to.

Amy Creamer:

No, you’re absolutely right. And to sum it up, that Amy from April, 2021, I was absolutely living in a constant state of fear. I lost the weight, all the weight that I gained after competing and then being back to where I needed to be, then gaining weight from having a baby. And then losing all that weight. I was where I needed to be weight wise and I was rocking maintenance.

But at the same time I was so afraid that I was going to gain that weight back if I didn’t do all these workouts and hit four or five times a week, spinning every day, solid core. I was doing all the things, lifting heavy. And it’s why? And it is living in that constant state of fear that I think completely hinders any chance of moving forward.

Paul Salter:

100%, and that’s the biggest mistake people make when setting goals. They set them from a place of fear, desperation, or scarcity. So they set shitty goals, they take unsustainable rash action, which only just reinforces the cycle over both the short and the long term.

So you again, having done a beautiful job transitioning to more of a state of abundance, hope, and positivity, you’ve gained clarity on what actually matters in your life, what fulfills you? And you have fortunately learned it is not four hours of endless exercise per day, it’s many other things.

Amy Creamer:

No, a knee injury made me sit my down at the end of ’21 with surgery.

Paul Salter:

Probably beautiful timing in that regard.

Amy Creamer:

It was, it was. Somebody was like, you need to sit down and slow down. And my word for ’22 was patience. And yeah, I like to give myself a pat on the back for that, because it’s hard to come out of that place of fear. It takes a lot of work. The curriculum I will say, for those of you who might be on the fence about joining, that curriculum will absolutely get you out of that mindset.

And that I think is the most important piece of this is you can change that mindset and then nothing can stop you from there.

Paul Salter:

Yeah, you become unfuckwithable, limitless, powerful as can be. So tell me more, what have been some of your biggest, whether they’re breakthroughs or aha moments during the last going on two years, specific from either a mindset or even an emotional aspect?

Amy Creamer:

I think the big one we talked a little bit about is that it’s okay to outsource things even if you are… And I’m not by any means an expert, but even if you are an expert in the field, it’s absolutely okay to outsource those things to other people.

And I don’t think you and I would have the relationship that we do if I hadn’t have been honest about that upfront. Because there’s that guilt and shame associated with outsourcing things that you’re perfectly capable of doing yourself, it’s getting out of that mindset and being like, yeah, I totally trust him. Why? Just do it.

So I think the outsourcing. One that I’m really, really stuck in right now, and not stuck in a bad way but I’m loving right now is this transition time of if you’ve got an hour meeting that only goes 55 minutes, what are you doing with those five minutes until your next one?

I have this awesome to-do list that I just keep, and anytime something pops up that I need to do I just jot it down so that I don’t forget it. But that’s the time where you can knock those stupid little things off your list, where it’s like you need to send a text message to someone or you need to answer a question about something. Or you’ve got to whatever, go get the mail.

But those transition times are life changing, because those little tasks don’t pile up anymore and you don’t feel super overwhelmed. Or at least I don’t. And then the last thing I think is just appreciating and loving your body where it is in the different phases. So again, this freaking social media shit conditions us to believe that we constantly have to live in a state of restriction. We constantly have to be dieting.

I’m using air quotes, you guys can’t see me. But that it’s okay to be in a maintenance phase and enjoy it. It’s okay to live your life, but at the same time, going into a diet or a cut phase really takes a lot of thought and planning. And you really have to take inventory of what the fuck is going on in your life right then and there. Because like right now, for example, when people are saying, oh, I need to lose a couple pounds. Why are you trying to diet going into the holidays? It is the worst fucking idea.

And really being able to take a step back and being like, I’m cool with being in maintenance. I’m okay just being on a maintenance blueprint, rocking my workouts, doing my thing. I don’t need to go into a diet phase right now. But then following that up with, I’m going to be doing it in 2022, but not because I want to lose weight, but just to see what I can do. Just to see what my body can accomplish in a shortcut. And maybe it’s only six weeks, maybe it’s eight. Maybe I do 12, I don’t know.

But having the ability to say I get to choose when I’m going to do this. I’m going to choose how it looks, and not feeling obligated because I have to punish my body with a diet.

Paul Salter:

Bingo. It’s where the energy of your intention is. It’s not coming from a place of scarcity, lack, or fear. It’s coming from choice, control and confidence. I love that. And just quick clarification, 2023, we’re getting our years mixed up.

Amy Creamer:

Did I say 22?

Paul Salter:

22.

Amy Creamer:

All right, I meant 23.

Paul Salter:

We’re right around the corner, I know it. And we’re recording this in late 2022. And I just wanted to mention, I just incidentally had a post on Instagram go out that is five sexy benefits of weight maintenance or being in a maintenance phase. And everyone thinks your life is over when you’re not dieting.

And similar to they’re always doing doing, we’ve been conditioned to always be dieting, dieting, dieting. It’s like, wait a second, what if my weight just stayed the same, I ate foods I liked, and that was it. And nothing else happened.

Amy Creamer:

I think there’s another component to this that is mind blowing, not because I don’t know about it, but more from the perspective of this is just how things have been in the fitness industry for so long. And that it’s so not true and it’s this.

It’s that you can enter into a diet phase and you can come out of it before you reach your goal weight. And there is this huge misconception that you have to stay in this diet until the end of time or until you reach your goal weight.

And it’s so liberating to see others in this state of mind where they’re like, yeah, I’m going to go into a diet phase and then we’re talking about maintenance like it’s nothing too. But it’s okay to come out of a diet and go into maintenance and not have to stay there for years, because that’s the chronic dieting situation that society has us believing that’s where we all have to live for the rest of our lives.

Paul Salter:

So beautifully said, I’m glad you shared that. Because you’re right. And most people push a diet two to four weeks longer than they should and that’s why they gain the weight back so quickly.

Yeah, I love that you said that. Such a phenomenal point. So let’s pivot our conversation here, because our friendship and coach client relationship if you will has grown tremendously over the years. But I wanted to learn more about what role has community played for you, and how has that been an additional catalyst to your growth over the last couple years?

Amy Creamer:

Fuck, right. Let’s talk about that, because that’s really the biggest part of this, is that you’re joining a virtual group of people who, how did we describe it? They’re tiles on a Zoom call, they’re people that you’re texting with on Slack. It’s different. In this virtual world and since COVID, the virtual situation has expanded, has blown up. And that’s where it is.

I love it. But at the same time it’s very different in here, because it is such a safe space where you’re able to be open and vulnerable and share your shit. But at the same time, what I think is so mind blowing is that when you share your things there is an entire community of people who not only support you, but instantly validate that you’re not alone in everything that you’re going through. And we all think we are. That’s just how we’re built. We all think that we’re the only ones going through it.

But when you have this insane amount of support from people who normally you would call these people strangers, they’re not, they’re family, but you get validation that you’re not alone, but you get so much support and you get so many different ideas of how to problem solve.

And none of us are professionals here. We’re all in it for the same reasons. But it’s that constant everyone has everyone else’s back. You can come in that chat and you can share whatever the hell’s going on. And we know so much about each other that you don’t get that relationship with friends, because we’re not in here to do this surface talk. Like, oh my gosh, can you believe it’s going to snow tonight? There’s none of that shit.

It’s like, fuck, guess what happened today? And there’s a meltdown and then there’s an immediate group of people that swoop in to support. And then there’s the plan of attack of how you’re going to get through it. And then there’s the hand… And I don’t mean it handholding in a way of handholding, but there’s that, I’ve got your back. I’m here if you need me.

We’re checking in on each other outside of Slack, we’re checking in on each other outside of social media. And then dare I even bring up the live event because that just takes things to a completely different level of that bond that we all formed there is something that is just… It’s indescribable

Paul Salter:

The exact word that came to my mind. But it goes to show, and I share this actually every time I have what I call an enrollment call with someone who’s interested in the community. I say that most people in our community don’t believe me, but I get more out of the community than everybody else does.

And yes, the community, they think it’s for them, but selfishly it’s a little for me. Because I’ve recognized for the first nearly 30 years of my life, I try to do everything by myself. Very much a lone wolf until I heard this quote from a mentor, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.

And I was like, holy shit, I’m blowing things up. I’m doing life differently. This is my second shot. And when you surround yourself with these like-minded people, the energy is just at such an incalculable and incomprehensible level. It’s like, oh my gosh, I don’t have any other choice but to succeed, to take action. And then you take [inaudible 00:30:59] a Zoom and you bring everyone together in person. Within 30 seconds everyone there was just opening up, pouring their hearts out, tears, laughter, memories made. It was such a phenomenal experience.

Amy Creamer:

It was. And honestly own it, because you’re the one that connected us. You’re the one that put that together. You’re the one that brought us to that place. And not just to that place physically in Tampa, but to this place online with the 5% community, you’re the one that created it. And I think you do, you make a really good point. You get so much out of it too.

And that’s something else that really sticks out that I definitely would be remiss if I didn’t mention, is that you get out of this what you put into it. So if you’re not active in the group and you’re not posting and not doing your work to make those connections, obviously you’re not going to have the same experience.

But for those of us that do, and most of us do, we put ourselves out there and we use that space in the way that it was made to be used. And we get so much out of it. And even for you.

And it’s been nice for us too, and I know this firsthand because I have clients that tell me the same thing. It’s so helpful when we see you as a human being and not this person who eats salad, never touches alcohol, and is just perfect in every way.

And I’m not saying that you’re not perfect, but it’s helpful for us to see that you’re a human being and that you’re real and that you go through the same things just like us. And for those of you who aren’t in the community, Paul shares just as much as we do in there.

And it is very, very heavily populated with females, so you’re literally the odd man out in most of the scenarios. But it is, it’s really helpful for us to see you in that space of vulnerability and that you share with us. Because it creates that trust, but at the same time we see that we’re not alone in this either and that you actually go through the same shit that we do.

Paul Salter:

Yeah, I think one of our key takeaways from the live event was like we’re all just human beings going through this experience. There’s shit and challenges around every corner, man or woman. But it’s how you deal with it. And if you can find people who want to deal with it rather than run away from it, you’re in good company.

And to your point too, yeah, I think I told all of you in the 5% community, going through a divorce before I told some of my closest friends. It’s just like it’s my obligation to be a human too. And because of the work we’ve all collectively done to build this just unfuckwithable culture, yeah, it’s the safest space out there just to share the human experience and how you can grow from it.

Amy Creamer:

And I’m going to give you credit too, because you do such a good job of holding us accountable in a way that’s not like the iron fist. And you basically turn it to where we have to take the responsibility and the onus on ourselves, but you do it in a way that’s super supportive and non-judgemental.

And I think that that’s really important for a lot of people. Everyone responds differently to different styles of coaching, and I think that you do a really good way of adapting to everybody’s different personalities. Because there’s a lot of us in here. It’s like Sybil in this case, all the multiple personalities in there.

But you do a really good job of adapting to what each person needs, and we definitely appreciate that.

Paul Salter:

Well thank you for saying that. I appreciate that. So let me end us on this. For someone, whether it’s Amy of 2021 or someone listening who can’t find or make the time to make herself a priority. She’s burning the candle at both ends. She’s running herself into the ground. She knows what to do, but like all of us, can’t always do it consistently. What piece of advice would you pass on? What piece of encouragement would you share with her?

Amy Creamer:

That’s a good one.

So the first thing that comes to mind is stop fucking waiting. Just do it and do it now, because there is never going to be a perfect time. It’s not like, oh, let me just wait until the kids start school. Let me just wait until I get this. Let me just wait until work slows down. Because that’s never going to happen.

Life is going to be life in full-time. And that’s the bottom line, always, every day. Shit is going to hit the fan every day, chaos is going to be consistent. So stop waiting, just do it now. And you’re worth it. You are worth the investment to do this.

It’s so much different being on the other side of this and looking at me from 2021 who is hesitant, again because of the guilt of I can do this by myself. It’s okay to outsource things. It’s okay to invest in yourself.

And you are not a thing that you need to feel like you need to justify putting money into, because you are the thing.

We’re here for this short time, so why not invest in yourself and just make the decision and do it?

It’s never going to be a more perfect time. And when life gets busy and you start shifting things around, now is the perfect time. Because when you’re busy, it’s better to start something so that you can see what it’s going to look like when you have a lot on your plate, then it’s easy on the other side of it. So don’t wait.

Paul Salter:

And it helps you you cut out the bull shit in your life that you think is taking up your plate that doesn’t really need to be there so it can make room for what actually does. And just for those of you listening, more information in the show notes about how you can learn more about the 5% community. And of course you can always shoot me a DM on Instagram at PaulSaltercoaching.

Amy, thank you so much for coming on.

Amy Creamer:

Thank you for having me, this was so fun.

Paul Salter:

Yeah, I agree. You did a wonderful job. I appreciate you sharing all that you did, your story and your wonderful nuggets of wisdom. So thank you.

Amy Creamer:

Anytime.

Paul Salter:

And for those of you listening, thank you so much for tuning into another episode of Screw the Scale Radio. If you found this episode helpful, it would make my day and Amy’s day if you share it with a loved one, friend, gym buddy, somebody who needs to hear the wonderful messaging, story, and wisdom that Amy shared with us today.

And if you haven’t done so already, 30 seconds to leave a genuine rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to the show would be greatly appreciated by me.

Thank you again for listening. Have a wonderful rest of your day. And remember, screw the scale.