When I was 13 and a half, I couldn’t wait. I wanted a job the moment I turned 14. So I got my working papers early and headed to the mall with a friend. Store after store, I asked if they’d hire me—and store after store, I heard “no.” Not hiring. Or ... too young, come back at 16.
Finally, at the last shop—a little cinnamon bun bakery—I had nothing left to lose. I blurted out, “Please! I love cinnamon. I’m literally chewing cinnamon gum right now!” The owner laughed and told me to come back on my 14th birthday to hand out samples.
When that day came, I showed up ready. The owner stepped away for a bit, and I watched Francine, a few years older, run the register. By the time he returned, I said, “I learned it ... just in case.” That audacity paid off. Soon I was trusted to manage the store, design holiday displays, help with the books and even hire and fire! That 13+-year-old me had no idea she was building one of the most important muscles I would ever need - confidence to figure things out as I went.
Fast forward to now—I’m in my own expansion phase after a very difficult, life-and-future-altering discovery over the past year and a half. I don’t know exactly what the full expansion will look like, and it’s humbling to admit that. But I’m leaning into the confidence of my 13.5-year-old self—not the kind that assumes I’m fully in control, but the opposite. The kind that trusts that even when I’m not in control, I’ll figure it out. I always do.
And you do too.
Here’s the thing—life, metabolism, and health work in much the same way.
There’s no magic moment when everything clicks. We don’t suddenly know enough, feel enough, or have all the answers to start. But audacity — taking that first step anyway — is how we expand. Think of your metabolism ... you can study it endlessly, but the moment you start exercising, adjusting your nutrition, or improving your sleep is the moment your body actually begins to adapt and improve. Your cells respond, your hormones shift, your energy begins to climb — and you didn’t need to “know it all” to start.
And just like in life, we expand in seasons. I’ve shrunk and stretched many times — becoming a mom, adjusting to a global pandemic and all that jazz, navigating family challenges. Each time, it felt like I had to pause, shrink, regroup. But every expansion began with a small audacious move, and often when I felt least ready.
So here’s your takeaway: maybe you’re at your own “last store” moment — the moment that feels scary, uncertain, or like you don’t have all the answers. Maybe it’s starting a new workout plan, trying a nutrition change, or committing to a health habit that feels intimidating. Maybe it’s a bigger life move entirely.
You don’t need to feel fully ready. You just need to start — and trust that expansion, growth, and learning will follow. Just like that girl in a mall chewing cinnamon gum, audacity is where transformation begins.
What’s the next step you’ve been waiting to take until you “feel motivated”? Maybe it’s time to start anyway.
Stay wild and well,
Tara
P.S. If you need guidance, customization, and someone who really understands fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, tight schedules, lab work — and can put it all together for you while supporting you through it so you’re not left piecing your health together on your own—we should probably discuss working together. Learn more and put your name on the interested list.