The love notes in this week’s newsletter are from my people — my incredible clients.

I don’t ask for these emails.

I don’t have to; and that’s not why I do this work, anyway.

They just appear like angels and miracles in my inbox.

These aren’t just “gym stories.”

These are love stories.

You can hear the excitement in their written words.

Pride. Hope. Courage. Effort. Consistency. Commitment. Resilience.

This is what self-love is.

It’s a relationship.

It’s a journey.

It’s not just an outcome; it’s an evolution.

Self-love is sometimes framed as affirmations in the mirror, massages, and pedicures (all good things! I got the massage last week; the need for a pedicure, though, is a 12 on a scale from 1 – 10).

Self-love is also doing hard things — and doing them again, even when you’re self-conscious, afraid or doubtful.

You may not think that self-love and discipline go together.

“Discipline” is often translated as “punishment.” It’s become a twisted word for women, especially around exercise and food.

It’s time to dismantle that.

Discipline is practicing.

Discipline is trying new behaviors that will uplevel your life, even when — especially when — they don’t feel like your comfort zone.

Discipline is having a direction and a plan.

Discipline is education when you don’t know what you don’t know.

These are good things.

They may not sound sexy, but they will nurture you and help you grow.

That is love.

And THIS is client-love:

“I did it: I walked into the gym. No one laughed. I did a workout — probably wasn’t the most thorough, but I got in there and did something. Onward and upward. I’m calling this a success! And I feel more powerful than when I went in.”

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“I want to thank you! I don’t know if you hear it enough, but you should. When I came to you earlier this year, I was a mess and confused about which direction to go after retirement from LMPD. You helped me begin to figure out my journey. There have been several times over the last few months where I’ve wanted to throw in the towel on fitness and nutrition, but remember that you taught me just to show up … just show up.“

“You taught me to value myself and my overall health. Two months ago, I discovered CrossFit and have been hooked ever since. I also recently went completely plant-based on my nutrition and have seen MUCH improvement on the scale and how I feel each day, Today, I conquered the incline monkey bars (which are a bitch!). I’m also well on my way of being able to do the Spartan in October. With all that being said, I owe you a HUGE THANK YOU, lady! “

“You helped me see that I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to.”

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“Tonight, I did the battle ropes. I rarely say that I love stuff in the gym, but I love flinging those ropes around. My self-consciousness was still there, but I still feel like I got a good one in. Thanks for noticing the changes; this has certainly been a year of growth.”

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Girlfriend — I love those ropes, too…

Mind. Movement. Momentum.

I deliver as much education, hope, motivation and inspiration as I can in my newsletters, blog posts, Facebook and Instagram.

Transformation doesn’t come from the read-and-scroll, though.

Putting it into action does, and that is why people work with me.

**I am the one who can give you the guidance and encouragement to apply it — not just admire it or wish for it.**

I am the one who can show you that you can go to greater depths than you’re letting yourself believe.

I am the one who will coach you to:

Do it again and again and again until this becomes who you are.

Ready to go beyond the read-and-scroll?

APPLY within:

30 Days.

No excuses.

No beating yourself up.

No one-size-fits-all plan.

NO “cheat days” (hate that term).

NO food jail (the restriction / elimination / “dangerous” food mentality).

NO to being a “good” or “bad” person as defined by what you put into your mouth.

NO “I hate” …. “don’t have time for” … “can’t do”… “am too tired for” … “it’s boring” exercise lies.

NO putting yourself and your health so far on the back burner of life that you ain’t even on the stove — you’re still in the dark cupboard with the other pots and pans.

And what if, in 30 days, you would be able to say:

YES to your plan for your life.

YES to small steps resulting in big changes.

YES to now versus someday.

YES to trusting yourself.

YES to consistency and commitment.

YES to progress versus perfection.

YES to resilience — because life happens, and there’s a distraction, disruption, drama, and disappointment. You will train your brain to remember your “why” and keep going.

YES to an appreciation for your body — love for your body — and what it gives you every day versus it not being enough or taking too much space.

YES to discovering that maybe — just maybe — you might be an athlete. I became one in my 40s when, up until then, I never even considered it to be a possibility.

YES to having someone champion you, guide you, encourage you, teach you and motivate you (that’s me! I’m all yours!).

It’s time to Level Up.

In my practice, I offer 15-minute free phone consultation for prospective clients.

Almost every single conversation is a rundown of challenges and pain points where women need my help:

They are seeking overall happiness and fulfillment.

We’ll talk about their careers, partners, children, grief, money or loneliness.

And quite often, in those last five or six minutes of our conversation, she will say something like this:

“And also …”

“I hate my body.”
“I’ve never felt or looked worse in my whole life.”
“I overeat to make myself feel better. Then I feel angry and ashamed. Then I do it again.”
“I hate exercising. I start with the dedication and then I let it go.
“I’m eating (or sometimes drinking) more than I really want or need to. I don’t like how that feels.”
“Exercise is for people who have more time than I do. I am so smothered by my career and family obligations that there is no way I can make time for it. Everything will fall apart.”
“I did the ____________diet, and all I did was obsess over counting points/carb cycling / the number of almonds I could eat / macros / the number of pounds I gained back after I “finished” the program.”

Don’t get me wrong, the other issues people bring to me are important, but what I have learned by working with clients for thousands of hours is this:

If we only address those other issues and I’m not asking you if you have a plan for taking care of your health and how you put that into action, then everything else is really just a house of cards.

My experience has shown me that the reverse doesn’t work — or at least doesn’t hold up long.

The job, the baby, the money, the kids being raised or the perfect partner aren’t always going to make you take excellent care of yourself.

It’s not about perfection or being happy all of the time; life is full of ebbs and flows and ups-and-downs.

Let’s talk about the exercise you love, food as your friend, time for self-reflection and fun as the foundation of your growth and happiness.

THIS … THIS is what women are really calling me for most of the time:

“Please help me learn how to take better care of my body.”

“Please help me figure out how exercise doesn’t have to suck.”

“Please help me get off the diet train and do something sane and sustainable when it comes to food.”

“Please help me figure out how to stay motivated.”

“Please help me be able to like my body. Is it even possible to love my body?”

So I’m coming to you with something that’s all about that — coaching, challenges, support, accountability, love, and toughness around how to live in your best body.

I’ve created a 1:1 coaching “express” package for you called LEVEL UP.

Level Up with courage with tenacity.

Level Up with love and patience.

It’s a laser-focused program that focuses on putting your health on the top shelf.

This is what I do. This is my best work.

Yes, I can help you with stress, depression, grief, anxiety or divorce, among other things.

What I know for sure, though, is that if you take care of your body and your mind supports that, you empower yourself to work through anything that is thrown at you in life.

It’s the first order of business with every single client I serve.

My personal experience has also taught me that taking exceptional care of myself has saved my ass. I know I can handle the rough waters if I stay physically and mentally strong.

I offer you my tools, guidance, and knowledge through social media and blog posts; thank you for the comments, messages, and emails where you let me know how they inspired you or helped you create change in your life.

However, there is nothing like having me all to yourself in your life. Scrolling and reading cannot compare to having an accountability partner who knows your history, your goals, where you need the most encouragement and what your lifestyle is like.

The depths of personal growth happens best when we connect with someone to be our champion, coach, counselor, teacher, and guide.

That’s what I did nine years ago when I got tired of going it alone with diets, self-help books and my stops-and-starts with exercise.

I hired a coach, decided who I wanted to be, and how I wanted my life to reflect that.

That 1:1 work inspired me to stop making promises to myself and become deeply committed. A promise is different from making a commitment.

When you get married, you make promises to one another to create a life together no matter the circumstances.

A commitment is deeper than the promise, and that comes with the day-to-day living.

When we’re committed to something, we find a way to appreciate ordinary life. Being consistent and committed is about loving what goes on in the in-between, not just the end result.

That’s what I want to teach you on this journey to take your health and fitness level to greater heights.

I want you to enjoy the process.

I want you to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and embrace the feeling of pushing yourself.

That’s when you become the woman you want to be and make self-care a priority. It will become as normal as brushing your teeth.

Level Up is a 1:1 coaching program that includes:

extensive pre-work from me (lots of questions for you to answer) so I know where you’re at and what you want before we dive into the first session.
Three 1 hour sessions that are ideally scheduled no more than 10 days apart within the 30 days of the program. You can see me in person or we’ll have phone sessions.
Those three sessions are scheduled right away so you have a solid commitment set up right away. That way, you can’t drift into weeks or months beyond the program. It’s an intensive, so the continuity of the time we meet is important.
Plans, challenges, and homework designed specifically for your goals. Whether we’re focusing on your relationship with food or fitness (or both), I’ve got an arsenal of the best tools I’ve created and used with my clients for the past seven years. These are my “greatest hits” and some new things, too.
Every Level Up participant can expect to work on the importance of their mindset and how this is the foundation of transforming anything in your life.
In between those hour-long sessions, you can message me, text me or email me to share the progress of what we’ve designed for you in each session. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll come lookin’ — but it is your job — your commitment — to connect with me in this process. I am here to serve you; don’t take that for granted.
You will be required to move your body during this process. Exercise. I will work with you to find a way to move your body that you look forward to — I want you to love it. You will go on a fitness scavenger hunt to find those treasures, whether it’s daily walks, working with a trainer, yoga, Zumba, aqua classes, Pilates — I’m loaded with knowledge about what’s out there, the results you can expect to get, and how to integrate movement into your life on a regular basis so it becomes who you are — not inconsistent or non-existent. It’s a non-negotiable, If you don’t think you have time, you’re just lying to yourself. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

All of my skill, devotion, knowledge, care, guidance, inspiration and motivation in Level Up is available to you for $599.

Once I see your registration come through, I will send you your Level Up pre-work and we will set up your 1:1 appointments.

First come, first served — between my private practice, my work as a fitness coach at my gym, having a family, and taking care of myself (practicing what I preach), my calendar is filling up.

I challenge you to find a licensed therapist … who’s also a life coach … who’s also a group exercise instructor … who’s also a personal trainer — an ideal professional combination to help you get to the heart of this and get things done.

I challenge you to find a woman who has all of those professional qualifications and has also:

lost over 35 pounds eight years ago and changed her relationship with her body forever
who trusts herself (not a plan designed by a company whose goal is to profit from me gaining and losing the same weight over and over again) to eat for energy and take pleasure in food (both can co-exist)
who loves to move her body and has tried and embraced many forms of exercise — it should be an adventure to find out what you and your body love — not a burden
whose 48-year-old body is stronger and healthier than the woman she was in her 30s with a 70 lb. postpartum weight gain and the battle scars — physically and emotionally — of four miscarriages in less than two years

When you’re done looking, and you realize that I’m the one — let’s get going.

Want to connect with me and share where you’re at and how I can help you before you sign up? Connect with me via email at laura@laura-wagner.com or schedule a free phone consultation with me here.

Seven of the 10 spots I’m offering were claimed in less than a week.

Don’t spend all of your time ruminating and reading this email 45 times.

Come with me. I’ve got you.

It’s never too late, you’re never too old, and nothing is too good to be true.