I want to tell you that I think you’re amazing—both in your successes and in your disappointments. Your humanity moves me when it’s laid bare by effort, whatever form it takes. You’re all so different—some of you identify as athletes, while others are reluctant to say so because you feel uncomfortable with a label that seems reserved for those who are bigger, stronger, or faster. As for me—and I tell you this often—you are all athletes, from the moment you dare to step onto the field of deliberate effort.
I’m proud of our little community that’s growing every day. Some of you may not know each other, but you know that you’re all understood in your humanity, in your wholeness. I listen to your doubts, your fears, and your hesitations, and I’m here to remind you that I believe in you—unconditionally. I see that you’re capable of so much if only you allow yourselves to dream a little bigger, a little broader, and to attempt the impossible.
Three of you are currently on the Camino de Santiago. Each of you with a different motivation, on a different stretch of the journey. Each of you is living out your own potential, accepting to lose yourselves only to realize you’re never truly lost, allowing yourselves a break when your body aches too much, welcoming the people you meet, and having the courage to let go when the time is right. You’re discovering landscapes of unexpected beauty or boring ordinariness; you’re entrusting yourselves to time as it passes, step by step. You’re opening up to yourselves, and I’m immensely fortunate to be here to accompany you. I have no formula—just my intuition and my own experience of solitude in the great outdoors. I speak to you from this intimate place that is also yours.
Four of you are about to set out on ultra-distance hikes. You’re more seasoned, certainly, but the unknown remains. Facing it head-on, knowing how to embrace it, knowing how to navigate it—these distances are a whole lifetime condensed into a single journey. They leave us defenseless in the face of the inevitable unexpected, and shatter our illusion that everything can be planned. That’s part of why we do it, too. To see what we’re capable of, to feel that we can always find a way. Yes, the physical effort is immense, but beyond that lies your courage, your drive, your confidence—and that’s what I’ll always be here to remind you of, even when you think it’s too hard, too long, too much.
Many of you still hesitate to fully embrace your capacity for physical effort; you tell yourselves you’re not really “athletic” or that you just want to move a little or structure your yoga practice—which “isn’t quite a sport.” And I’m here to tell you that you absolutely belong here, that your potential is immense, and I’m here to help you recognize it. To appreciate your progress, to stop comparing yourself to others, and instead to fully embrace who you are. I’ll help you find a goal—a project that takes you into those zones of discomfort where you discover yourself and learn to love yourself.
Some of you are injured or struggling with the setbacks of an overstimulated body, a stressful life, or various ailments that, because of their unpredictability, leave you feeling weakened and discouraged. I’m here for that, too—perhaps especially for that. Because that doesn’t make you any less of a person in any way. It’s one of the many ups and downs of a life in motion. These low points are also moments of insight, opportunities to change how we relate to ourselves. I help you shift your perspective without forcing it, by allowing the thirst for life—which is always there somewhere within us and can take many forms—to emerge. Together, we let it blossom in new ways during a time of healing or a forced pause.
I owe you a great deal; your humanity has touched me and sustains me in my own efforts. I know that you know I know what it’s like to feel pain, to be fed up, to wonder why we do this, and to doubt our motivations. But you also know that I know what it’s like to be part of a free-flowing movement, to feel a sense of power, to be in the flow, and to fully celebrate the sensation of being alive. Offering this personalized coaching is an adventure for me, too—an ultra-distance journey full of discoveries, detours, hesitations, and rewards. I’m learning a lot—not only theoretically—I devour the latest international studies on sports physiology—but above all through experience. I started practicing yoga years ago, guided by the intuition that working with the body can only truly be approached by including the mind—that one cannot flourish without the other. That’s what fascinates me today: the mind-body connection, our ability to climb mountains if only we learn to believe in ourselves. And while I do this for myself, it will only be meaningful if I do it for you as well.