Life and Work with Missy Gaspard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Missy Gaspard.

Missy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a fitness enthusiast. I have been active most of my life and then one day there was a change in my hormone levels. BOOM – I was slowly losing who I once was, both physically and mentally, and it was a true shock to my overall system. I did some due diligence and knew my body, mind, and spirit needed some assistance. The power of Instagram is enormous. I found a kick-butt coach out of Florida and I trusted her with my life and my new struggling body. Her name is Lori Miggins and we bonded pretty quickly over fitness and overall health. We instantly realized we were meant to cross paths through a higher cause. We developed a strong relationship over bigger things in life that mattered more to our hearts than to our bodies. We are both grief warriors and cradle one another from afar when the need arises. I dove headfirst into an amazing fitness and nutrition program and saw the serious benefits to both. My transformation was radical and I was coming back stronger than ever. I was a long-distance runner for years (8 marathons) and loved every second of pounding the pavement with my running group. However, I thought I knew what eating clean looked like and tricked myself into believing it for years. If only I knew then what I know now. I started sharing my transformation, my increased energy levels, my fun sweat sessions, and my new handle on nutrition over social media platforms. I was slightly overwhelmed with responses from friends and family as they wanted me to help them with their struggles. However, the passion and fire burning in my stomach became real and I was stumbling into a real movement. I was literally on fire with a desire to help others gain confidence, stronger bodies, and overall happiness and joy. We only have one life granted to us, why not make it the very best it can be! Sitting on a sofa and not giving your body movement can truly affect your brain over time. Feeding your soul junk food and too much sugar can also take you down to a level that just isn’t healthy. Bad health will gradually be knocking on your front door. I have a mission in this life to educate and motivate others to be healthy and make sure they are properly fueling themselves daily with the right amounts of self-love, physical activities, and portion-controlled meals within our food groups. I rise daily with a grateful heart that I can help people knock down barriers, push beyond silly limits they set for themselves, and watch them grow into confident, strong people. I want to see the world happy and healthy. I finally understood what is meant by… living out your passion will never feel like work. It’s been a dream of mine to be involved in the health industry, I just didn’t think it would come as a means to me struggling with my own health issues. It has taught me to see the rainbows that arrived after the storms. I want to be rainbows to others.

 

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My road to being a health and happiness coach grew very organically. It has been so pleasant for me, but I must attack my days very deliberately. I must plan my days according to my busy life. I work part-time for a professional sports team and I have been in that role for a very long time. It has been a real joy to be part of some pretty special moments within this organization and I feel blessed to have such a special schedule that allows me to raise my busy family and still make an impact daily from remote office spaces. I have a strong work ethic and great energy that allows me to accomplish lots of tasks with a strong sense of commitment and dedication. When I get in involved with different components of my life, I give it my all. I am wired to be running full force most days, but I enjoy feeling accomplished and allowing my children to see that I don’t rely on luck, but rather, the grit that lives inside of me. So, I use power hours to help my clients get healthy and work on themselves. These programs are created for busy people that carve out the necessary time to sweat. They don’t need to spend time in their cars driving to studios or gyms. These plans come with built-in nutrition programs so it’s easy to follow. I beg others to quit fad diets and simply eat whole foods. These plans make you fill satisfied and full. We should never deprive ourselves. We should never pump or overload our bodies with a certain food group. I try to help my clients understand that they are worthy of great health and that happiness is tucked around every corner of their lives. I don’t struggle to build my client base because it’s not my primary career, it is my passion. However, I tell other females that are just starting out — “jump in with your whole heart.” If you believe in something, then it won’t feel like an ounce of work. I chat or text with my clients at the craziest of hours because I am in my sports office three times a week. Life has its own conveniences due to smart devices so it’s easy to wish someone well or cheer them on with a simple text. I know that life can sometimes feel daunting and overwhelming, but it’s not. We tend to make things way more complicated than they need to be. Keep a smile on your face, your heart pumping, and make things happen for yourself. We rely way too heavily upon others to create our happiness — nope, go grab it for yourself.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Health is one aspect of life that can make or break you. It won’t matter what career you have, the car you drive, the religion you believe in, or the number of zeros in your bank account. If bad health strikes, you may be able to afford the top doctors, but you can’t outrun bad health. I know so many people that put themselves last so that they can take care of their families, their jobs, their friends… they are dead last on that list of priorities. Well, there’s no good that can come from pouring from a half-empty cup. I preach that taking care of yourself first will provide opportunities for you to be a better spouse, employee, friend, and human gracing the planet. There’s a direct link in which happiness is associated with high energy, positive feelings, strong health, and stress-free living. Sweating for as little as 30 minutes daily and eating clean meals 80% of the time will put you in a better place. There’s a lot of people walking around sleep-deprived, sugar intoxicated, starving, overweight, depressed, angry, and lost. There’s no reason for all of that — most of us have full control over our lifestyles and we just choose to live them with not-so-great habits. Of course, I am not referring to people that are facing terrible diseases like cancer or other illnesses directly related to their DNA. I am talking specifically about very able and capable humans that choose to be lazy over being happy and healthy. Being happy is an inside job and being healthy take consistency and commitment. Anything in life worth doing won’t be easy or everyone would be doing it. Why do you think there are more people attending happy hours after work than hitting the gym — because it’s easier to do. I set myself apart because I am a direct role model every single day. I show up and give my clients living examples of hard work and living proof of my input. I don’t simply give them the workouts or provide awesome meal plans… I actually do it daily. I don’t expect them to sweat while I am sitting down eating a bag of potato chips. I am in it with them on a regular basis. I am excited about my brand because it has changed my life. I can speak to them honestly and directly — these programs changed my life. The best part of my brand is that I get to watch others soar. I have met amazing and like-minded women in this industry and I get to challenge myself while staying relevant within the growing fitness industry. I work with a pod of career women that are brainstorming on a regular basis to build a bigger movement, a brand that empowers women. We want to invite others to sit with us and move through life’s phases together as one force. We are aware that life can be icky, why not build others up rather than beating them up with competition or making them feel less than. There’s a real need in this world to make other women feel welcomed, encouraged, and loved. Women need to lift other women. We could accomplish so much more by being real vs pretending we have everything perfectly placed in our lives. Nothing in life will ever be perfect. Stop pretending and let’s have some real discussions on compassion, empathy, struggles. Let’s discuss ways to fight depression, anxiety, and worry without always throwing medicine into the equation. I recently had medical labs drawn and my doctor was so highly impressed with my numbers. She bravely stated I was the definition of “perfect medical health” I hate the word perfect, but when describing someone’s healthy, it’s more than okay… it’s goal-oriented. Let’s build stronger bodies from the inside out.  I would have to say my most profound experience as a coach came from helping my little sister. She had gained some weight after having her two boys and it wasn’t a huge priority of hers to get it off. One day last summer, she asked for my help. She showed up for herself and listened to my guidance and when she finally hit a HUGE milestone, I cried. I cried with complete and utter joy over her huge success. It’s amazing to be part of something so personal for others. I play a small part in terms of my help, but it’s the teamwork that makes their dreams work. I love helping people realize their own inner strengths when they have seemed to have lost them. It brings me joy and makes me obsessed to help as many people as possible! I am all about creating a movement that teaches women how to feel confident from the inside out, supplying them with healthy tools for their own toolboxes, and to teach them to stop worrying about what others think about them. Be so razor-focused on your own growth that you can’t hear the white noise around you. I would love to tap into the younger generation so that they can feel more empowered at an earlier age. It will matter greatly.

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
Definitely. I believe our childhoods have a lot to do with who we are as adults, good and bad. I was blessed to grow up in a loving home where both parents supported me and my causes. I was always taken care of in the best ways as my mom was a stay-home parent and truly made her children her highest priority. My dad was a runner and was always coaching one of his children’s sports teams. However, growing up in the south, our diets weren’t clean at all. We were able to drink soda, eat candy, and had lots of carbohydrates. We often had meals made with butter and sugar, and desserts were always available for us to take. Growing up in New Orleans was tricky. We were introduced to a beautiful lifestyle filled with manners, written thank you notes, and lots of food. We showed our love by preparing delicious food for others. Over time those food choices can really affect your body and spoil your tongues. Even when I travel back home I constantly have to make major food decisions. I am often taken aback as to how people prepare their foods in the south. However, I now live in sunny Phoenix and my lifestyle is 100% different. I have mountain ranges in my backyard and I am extremely active inside and outside of my home. The weather is usually pretty amazing so being outdoors is fairly easy, even in the hot summers. I have created an amazingly healthy lifestyle for myself and living in the desert makes it easy to maintain. However, my workout programs only require a small space and a kick-butt attitude. I do enjoy my New Orleans foods when I travel home, but I know my limits and I jump right back into my routine upon my return.

Contact Info:

• Address: Be Healthy, Be Fit, Be Happy
  9031 North 15th Place
  Phoenix, Arizona 85020
• Phone: (602) 980-6819
• Email: bhbfbh@outlook.com
• Instagram: @misrob
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissamaragaspard

Image Credit:
@david_ritter3

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