Make Your Own Decisions

Over the holidays I took a vacation for the first time in a while. And I had the biggest realization I wasn’t even looking for. You see, I am a course junkie. You tell me you have a “blueprint for success” and I’ll want to learn it. Or your “5 steps to this or that,” I want that too. Because why struggle when someone has already done all the thinking for me?

And that’s a good thing. Reinventing the wheel is for those who cannot build the future.

But that only works if the guidance and advice is aligned with who you are and what you believe. Unchained Confidence is as much about the imposter syndrome as it is about authenticity.

It’s when you know something so deeply it doesn’t matter what others say or think. You know that you are following your own path and you have such a strong belief in it that it’s okay if no one else sees it.

You may, or may not, know that I also teach confidence, resilience and growth mindset to children through running games and drills through DashStrom Run Clubs. I’ve helped over 200 people start an independent business to teach my curriculum, EmpowerFit™,  to their community. It’s worked, and it’s worked well …

And then, the business people came a-buzzing.

“Cristina, you’d make so much more money if you franchised this.”

“Cristina, you’d get recurring revenue well into your retirement if you franchised this.”

“Cristina, you have everything you need to franchise this.”

Except I don’t have the desire.

Maybe I’m a moron, I don’t know and I reserve the right to change my mind in the future.  But for today, I’m relying on my Unchained Confidence and going against the grain of these experts.

Sure, I could franchise it. But I don’t wanna.

My goal with EmpowerFit is to reach as many children as possible. In my daydreams and vision boards, EmpowerFit is around the world and helping children everywhere … My biggest dream? Partnering with UNICEF.

But franchising is a model where I win way before my client wins. And where I restrict entrepreneurial and educational creativity.

My model is that I help you start your own independent business. I teach you how to set everything up, then how to teach EmpowerFit in your business and support you with success strategies along the way. When we are done (usually in 8 weeks or less) I’m here if you need me… but you are free to grow as much and as wide as you want.

Like my client Christina in Florida. She started teaching EmpowerFit to middle schoolers, then morphed into a high school coaching program, to then working with colleges. Her business generates over 7 figures and she just acquired a company. Had she franchised, she wouldn’t have expanded to where she is now. It would’ve limited her.

And if I am all about growth and empowerment, why on Earth would I want her to be limited?

I don’t.

I want my clients to grow beyond where I was able to take them.

My model also allows for partnering with institutions who are serving children already. Why wouldn’t I explore those opportunities to spread EmpowerFit?

And though the experts shake their heads, I am sticking to what is important to me. To what I value. If it’s a mistake, at least it will be my mistake. Not because I followed someone else’s advice and it was wrong.

I’ll own this decision.