I'm an elementary teacher currently teaching Grade 3. Before moving into a classroom role, I spent several years working with students with complex needs, developing programming and behaviour plans and supporting learners with diverse abilities. Through that experience, I developed a strong interest in autism and loved the challenge of helping students reach goals that others sometimes thought were impossible. While I truly enjoyed that work, it eventually became emotionally demanding, and transitioning back into a classroom setting has reignited my passion for teaching. I genuinely love what I do. Outside of teaching, sports and fitness have always been a huge part of my life. I've been involved in competitive athletics for as long as I can remember, including gymnastics, swimming, baseball, soccer, football, powerlifting, bootcamp, and CrossFit. I've always been driven by improvement and learning how to do things better. My perfectionist tendencies probably explain why I still keep an eye on leaderboards and enjoy setting ambitious goals for myself. Bodybuilding has actually been on my radar for years. Back in my powerlifting days, I used to read Muscle & Fitness magazines and admired athletes like Cory Everson. Although I dreamed about competing in my twenties, it wasn't until 2019 that I seriously considered pursuing it. What fascinates me most is the science behind it all: nutrition, macros, muscle building, recovery, and fat loss. Learning how the body actually works has completely changed my perspective on health and fitness. One reason this journey is meaningful to me is because I struggled with an eating disorder when I was younger. Looking back, I realize how little I understood about nutrition and how damaging the cycle of restrictive dieting and weight loss attempts can be. Knowing what I know now has been incredibly empowering, and I appreciate the opportunity to continue learning and growing. Another important part of my story is managing spondylolisthesis. That experience taught me that being strong isn't just about looking strong. I had to learn how to build strength from the inside out by creating a stable, resilient core that could properly support my body. That lesson has influenced how I approach both training and overall health.

It's harder than i thought to get 300g of carbs... So anyone have convenient carbs that are easy to find at like a gas station and won't mess up my digestion?

For our clinicians in the group, what areas do you find difficult to rehabilitate in an athletic population? For our athletes, what areas/injuries do you find most limiting to your training?

I want you all to define failure to me. This is a recurring conversation I'm having with clients and I want your input. I'll leave my thoughts below in the comments eventually but I want to see where you all are in your own thought process. It can be in regards to nutrition, training, rehab, anything....define failure, and conversely define success.