The Art of the Pivot: How Whitney Jones Transformed Adversity into Triumph

Well, I am excited to share my new book, Joy Through the Journey. And it, y'all, I've packed it with real and raw stories. But it's got actionable steps and tools and powerful insights that are going to help you embrace the present moment, really build your resilience and unlock the joy that's waiting for you. So go over to go.amberlylago.com/joy. And you can collect your free bonuses that I have created. for you. Or if it's easier, just go to Amazon, one click away, and you can grab your copy. And not only that, I am having a Joy Sparkers book club. So if you've already bought a copy, thank you very much. It's not too late to join the book club, and we can spark some joy together. This is an exclusive space to grow, connect, and really transform your life. So want to be a part of the book club? I sure would love to see you there.

go.amberlylago.com/bookclub.

And these will— these links will be in the show notes. And thank you. Let's spark more joy together. And now on to the show. Welcome to The Amberly Lago Show, stories of true grit and grace. Thank y'all so much for tuning in to The Amberly Lago Show. You are in for Such a treat. I originally started this show with the, you know, I wanted to have people that had overcome the odds, that have grit and resilience, and that are truly remarkable in all that they've accomplished. And I couldn't think of a better guest than today's guest. Y'all, I have 3-time Miss Olympia Whitney Jones with us today, and she is going to talk about everything from perseverance to grit to what it takes to overcome obstacles. She is an incredible business owner. She owns several businesses, one of them including Unstoppable 365. And not only that, she's doing big things in the world and she has a new book coming out that I want to talk with her about as well. So we're going to dive right in. Whitney, thank you so much for being here.

Thank you. Gosh, what an intro. My goodness. Now I got to live up to that.

Oh my goodness. Well, I am so honored. And I was telling you before we started recording, I was like, I've just been bingeing all your stuff, all your, like, your posts, your interviews. And my husband is like, what are you listening to?

And I was like, oh, you won't believe who I'm having on the show.

And I just love all you're about, your positivity, your mental fortitude, your view on failure and how you grow from it and challenges and everything that you do. And so I'm so excited to dive in. And I'm just curious, what made you get into the fitness industry and say, I want to Compete. And you are so entertaining, by the way, to watch you on stage. Oh my goodness. Yeah. What was it that was that drive inside you that made you decide to get into the fitness industry?

Well, to be honest, it was a complete dare, so I had no idea what I was doing. And I was at the gym and I kept seeing these people who were really fit. So apparently they were training for a show. I didn't know that. And so I had been asking some questions. I was like, wow, these people look great, blah, blah, blah. And, you know, I'd been an athlete growing up, um, most of my life, and I love being active, but, you know, it's like I wasn't exposed to everything. So I see these people getting fit. I ask about it. Long story short, someone's like, you could never do that.

Oh, that's the best motivation, isn't it?

Yes. Right. So I didn't know what they were doing. I didn't know if they were motocross racers, if they were underwater basket weavers. I had no idea. But that statement lit a fire and it was like instantly I went, oh yeah, I can. And they said, well, there's an event in 4 weeks. Can you do it? Or it was more than 4 weeks. But anyways, they said, oh, there's an event coming up. I dare you to do it. And I was like, I'm in. And they walked away and I was like, what did I just sign up for? Like, can someone clue me in? That's literally what got me in the sport. And I'm always up for anything, especially if it's something I'm unfamiliar with because I love Challenging myself. I love taking risks, trying new things, because to me that just gets exciting, and especially when it's something completely unknown. So I was— I truly was all in, started learning about the sport, and then figured maybe this is one and done. But I loved it. I love the creative outlet. I love the ability to really kind of learn about your body, the science of fitness, nutrition, and how it plays into being an athlete and the performance element of it. Because, you know, with bodybuilding, most people think, oh, you get on stage and you flex.

Mm-hmm.

Well, I'm in the fitness category where we don't even flex. Yes, we're judged. You've got to be fit. You've got to have a great physique. They do judge you on your physique. But a majority of our score is based on a 2-minute athletic performance. So, you know, trying to understand the science behind that to compete at the extreme optimal level While also looking the part and performing well. So I fell into it, loved it, had zero expectations, and then just, you know, was fortunate enough to do well. And then thought, okay, what's next? Oh, you turn pro. What does that mean? Oh, there's this thing called Olympia. I'll never make that. Then I made it. And then, oh my gosh, I'm placing on the Olympia stage. So it was a crazy journey of just enjoying each milestone and going— These judges don't know what they're doing. Shh, don't tell them. Somehow I squeaked in, and I think that's why I did well, because I— there was no pressure. I was having fun. You know, it was a hobby where a lot of people, this is their career. I was the reverse of all of it, and I have no experience. I'm not a gymnast. You know, I've danced, but I had no formal training. So I shouldn't— on paper, I should never have done well, which again helped set me up to go just have fun and enjoy it. Zero expectations. And it gives you even more gratitude and appreciation when you do well because you're not expecting it.

You said so much. I wish that I had what you said in that— in my new book, Joy Through the Journey, because you know what? I think that's where you find success, though, is When you're not just focused on the outcome and you have this expectation of, well, you know, when I wrote my first book, I didn't know what I'm doing. Look, I still don't know what I'm doing, to be honest with you. Yeah.

Right.

But I had no expectation. I was just like, I— it was cathartic for me. I just thought, I'm writing this book and I hope that it helps someone. There was no expectation of, I want to be a New York Times bestseller. I just wanted it to— if one person read it and they got hope and inspiration, then— and I fell in love with the process. And I think so many people get so stuck on, well, I have to be a bestseller and I— or I have to place first in this competition. I saw somebody sent me a video where it's like, there is no second place or something like that. And I'm like— How about enjoying the journey and falling in love with the process? Because a lot of times the victory lap doesn't last long. It's really short-lived. And so you just have this, this light and this positivity and this energy that people want to be around. And it comes across whether you're text— in a text thread, or I'm watching your stuff on social media, or I get to have you on the show like this. And I think, too, that, that, that joy, enjoying the journey will set you up for success. And so that, that is just so, so beautiful. I think when you love what you do, then you're going to be able to keep doing it. Even if you fail, fall flat on your face, you're going to be able to get up and go again.

Yeah, absolutely. And that's what obviously life is about, you know. You know, with your story, your experiences, anyone who thinks life is easy is crazy and delusional. Let's be honest. But it's the ability to now, with my life, with all the setbacks, and, you know, it's like you look at, yeah, life wasn't always easy. But there'd be people in the world who would trade places in a heartbeat. And if you can't have that perspective and go, okay, Look at— find the silver lining. Look at the gold in this. Where's the learning opportunity? Where's the opportunity for growth? And as crazy as it sounds, and people say you better knock on wood when you say this, but I literally, for the last several years, I've embraced challenges. I— that's where I do my best work, when my back is against the wall, when I am, like, scared going, oh my gosh, this is risky. This could go very wrong. Life is heavy. Whatever the issue is. That's where I do the best because it— you have to go internally. You can't expect anyone to rescue you. You have to choose to fight or to just fail. And I refuse to fail.

Yeah.

I have to at least try. So to me, you can't fail when you're trying. And so you may not succeed, you may not completely hit your end result, but I love it. Like, you've got to be able to take any challenge and go, It's going to be okay. And that's kind of the mentality now that I've come across, you know, with my, um, all my accolades and everything with the sport. That's, that's awesome. But what I probably get the most attention from in my sport as an athlete is that I've broken almost every bone. I've had 18 surgeries. I broke my neck, you know, in competition. I've competed in 10 Olympias and only one I didn't have a something broken or torn. And it's like, I still did it. I still stepped on stage. And 3 of those I won. So it's like, you can achieve anything when you choose to believe in yourself and you find a path to get there. But you have to— you can't fake that.

Mm-hmm.

That is something deep within you. And you have to choose what you want, how bad you want it, and what efforts you're going to put in to get there. And, you know, again, it's, it's not always easy, but when you have that mindset and you're strong in that belief, doesn't matter what's thrown at you, it can't knock you down.

I completely agree. And you said so much in there, as you always say, just nuggets of gold that you share. And I'm like you, and I'm— I've thought to myself, and I'm glad to hear you say that, that you do the best when you're like, when you're challenged, you're like, okay, game on.

Yeah.

And I just thought this morning, I'm like, oh my goodness, am I crazy that I'm doing a book launch and a launch for an event and about to get on a plane to go speak at an event? And I'm doing a brand new keynote. And I'm like, I just was working with a client earlier today and I said, yep, I got my keynotes organized and I've written it out on note cards and I'll have time to You know, not before and on the plane to really go over it. And I'm like, I will get it done. And yeah, I'm going to get it done and I'm going to make those people who hired me proud. I'm going to, you know, give it my all. But when I was young, I had a broken leg and I was about to go on stage and do a can-can. And my grandmother ran into the auditorium and said, get off your leg. If you jump on it, it could become a compound fracture, and I was devastated that I couldn't compete and do the dance. And so when our friend, your business partner, Sean Crane, said, Amberly, you got to meet Whitney. Like, I know y'all are going to love each other.

Yeah.

And he told me your story about competing with a broken leg. And you've had surgeries, ACL, neck surgery, like all these surgeries. What do you think helped you develop the mindset to keep pushing and not fall into— I think so many people get into that victim mentality instead of go, I'm going to be the victor, I'm going to do it anyway and watch me. What helped you develop that mindset?

Honestly, a lot of it just came down to with some of the stuff I was dealt in life, it was like Is this going to be the way it's going to be, or do I have a choice? And it's natural human nature. We want to have control of our life, our decisions, what's going on. So that kind of played its role of going, I can choose to just listen, or I can be an advocate for my own life and choose this isn't the way I'm going out.

Mm-hmm.

And, you know, again, people look at some of the things I've done with competing with massive injuries, broken bones, creating risks where I start businesses in certain industries at the worst time. But it's like, you know what, I, I want to do this. I want to write my own script. And I wasn't afraid of failure. And I think that's where once you can really go, what is it you're afraid of?

Mm-hmm.

When I looked at what I was afraid of, and then I compared that to how am I going to feel if I don't even try? Like, that's what I have to live with for the rest of my life. So what if I never tried to open that business that I was so excited about. That's going to be something that has this recurring theme in my head of, God, I should have. How much fun could it have been? How successful could it have been? Same thing with injuries. It was a matter of, OK, stop focusing on what you can't do and only, literally only focus on what you can. So for example, I broke my neck and had to have a 12-piece metal cage in my neck. Coming back from that surgery, everyone was like, she's full of it. Her career is over. She's a fitness competitor. You can't break your neck and come back from that. But I had set this goal. I will be back on stage 9 months from my neck surgery. So, obviously, in that journey, it was— I realized, oh, wow, you lose all muscular function, muscular strength of your body. So, it was like, all right, fine. This routine— Wait, wait.

I want to go back. How much muscle mass did you lose? Because I dropped 20 pounds that I didn't have to lose after my accident. How much? I'm just curious, how much did you drop in weight?

To be honest, I wouldn't, I wouldn't get on, I wouldn't test body fat, muscle mass. I wouldn't test the scale because I started getting really frail. And obviously they're judging on your physique and I didn't want it to play mind games on me.

That's good.

I chose not to look because I knew it was happening. I didn't want to see anything factual, so I choose to say it's not that bad. So until it was put in front of me, I didn't want to face it because I wanted to— I needed to stay optimistic and positive. But yeah, like, you look at my arms, we're like string beans. It's like, yeah. And you— but you realize, I mean, the atrophy of your muscles when you can't activate them is, is crazy. But, you know, again—

But you can get it back so quick when you've had it, I think.

Totally. Yes, totally. You know, so it's like, that was one thing. I think that injury itself, because it was so severe, and there was so much negativity out there and people saying, she's done. And it's like, I'm not going out this way. I have to at least try. And I wanted to know that if my career as a fitness athlete and a pro competitor and doing all these amazing things was done, I wanted to at least go out on my own terms and show up. And so that's where, you know, that was one of the most pivotal moments and an experience that really kind of came to my true character. Because heading into that show, 9 months out, 4 weeks from it, I tore my ACL. And it's like, wow, okay, how the hell am I gonna do this?

Yeah.

But it goes back to, again, don't focus on what you can't do. So I couldn't do much with my upper body strengths and some of the flips and skills. I was focused completely on my lower body. Well, now I tear my ACL and I literally only had one leg to really come up with a freaking pro-level athletic routine at the Arnold Classic US, the second biggest competition. Well, long story short, it was just this kind of frustration of proving people wrong. I came up with something completely unconventional, and that's when I actually won my first world title.

Wow.

That was the first world championship title, 9 months after a broken neck with a torn ACL. And then I flew home the next day and had surgery.

Oh my goodness.

But it's like there is a moment of going, don't tell me I can't. Just give me a chance to prove to you that I, I will show up. Now, I didn't expect to win, but I wanted to show up because everyone said there's no way she'll do it. Now, no one knew about my knee. So they were just talking about my neck. But when I got on stage, I'm competing with a full— like, a metal brace because my leg was giving out, like, every 2 steps.

Wow.

So I had to have that on for stability. And everyone's like, what's wrong with your leg? Don't you have a hurt neck? And it's like, well, OK, surprise. I hurt my knee too. But again, it goes back to what can you do? And so I created a routine that— Utilize the little bit of upper body strength I could. Everything was positioned on my left leg, which was my non-dominant leg. But again, it made me think so far outside the box that I created a routine that the judges and the audience had never seen that stood out. And that's all you got to do.

Oh, I love that. And focusing on what you can do. I have to do that. I mean, I don't have to. I choose to do that every single day because I wake up and with this incurable, supposedly incurable nerve disease that I have, being told that I'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life and I would never be able to work again or, you know, walk again. I'd be permanently disabled. I was like, oh, really? Watch me. And I'll never forget, there was a time my husband went to me— with me to a doctor's visit. And he goes, you will not believe What she did. She went on the flying trapeze, and then she went paddleboarding, and then she did that, and she went on a hike. And he thought he was going to be telling on me so I would stop doing stuff. And the doctor said— I love my doctor. He goes, well, good. You just keep doing— you keep doing whatever you can. You know, he was my favorite doctor because he didn't—

That's great.

He was a doctor that didn't tell me Don't do it. He was like, you go for it. Keep doing what you can. So I'm always testing the limits, testing the limits.

We have one life to live. Why not?

Yeah, why not? And I've heard you say something before that, you know, like when you're going in competing or going into a new business and so, you know, like, so what if you fail? If you go in doing your best, you've done the work, You're— you can say you've done your best, then, then it's great.

Yeah.

How do you get people to shift their perspective on when they don't win or when they don't achieve something, to not sink down and just give up, but to get up and keep going and look at it as a lesson and a blessing and just keep moving forward? How do you get people to kind of shift their mindset around that?

Well, with coaching clients— and it's not just athletes who compete that I coach. I mean, I coach everyday people. I coach entrepreneurs, businesswomen, you name it. But it all goes back to that same philosophy. We're going to be punched in the face sometimes when we're least expecting it because we're so focused on getting what we want and working hard to get there. When it doesn't happen, one thing I go back to as a coach is leading up to any type of event, we continuously talk about What it is they're excited about, what's going right, what improvements they've made in that journey. Those are all crucial things for me as a coach to find out, because when they get dropped down on their knees and they are just devastated or in a, a bad spot of despair, wanting to quit, give up, you have to have those words, their words, to bring back to the forefront and say, okay, so you're gonna go ahead and quit, and then what? Then what? You're going to go back to where you were before we ever started. Where was your mindset then? Let's remind you of how great you were feeling going into it. Let's remind you of the changes you've made, the growth you've made, the improvements physically, mentally, emotionally. All these things help kind of bring them out to go, it's up to you if you want to give up, but you know what, 6 months from now, a year from now, you're gonna be so mad at yourself because you gave up because you were too weak to face what happened to you and go That's okay. It's not going to define me. I'm made for more and I keep working. If you expect it and that it's just going to come easy and it's always going to be that way, then you might as well quit now. So it's a matter of figuring out for each person, because as a coach, you know, we may look at it and go, wow, we're so impressed by XYZ. That may be nothing to do with what drives them or what they're most proud of. So it's really important to get that information from them. Knowing I can't predict the outcome, but if it doesn't go their way, we've got to bring you back to neutral so you can remember life doesn't end here. Goals don't end here. You're not just going to give up all of a sudden. Your drive, your ambition is gone. It's gone for that moment. But again, don't let it define you. How do you want to be remembered? So whether it was opening up a business or Trying to get this promotion or jumping in a competition, trying to get pregnant, all these things, negative things are going to happen. Not everyone can get that spot. Not everyone can reach it. Someone's going to. Your time will come if you don't give up.

Yeah, that's so good. And, and you're such an incredible coach. And I know you have a huge coaching, like, online that you do where you help people, not just fitness competitors, not just people who are wanting to lose weight or gain muscle or whatever it be. But like you said, entrepreneurs, because I think that athletes make incredible entrepreneurs. How has your mindset as an athlete helped you as a business owner?

So many ways. And I think specifically because of the sport I'm in. So it's like, to me, I call it the art of the pivot, especially with all my injuries.

Mm-hmm.

Okay, well, I'm training for this competition. I tear my shoulder. All right, am I gonna stop heading that direction? Nope. I just take a detour. I find a roundabout loop. I'm still getting to my destination. Entrepreneurship is the same way. You are constantly like trying to dodge and weave from all the things thrown at you. Once you can master the art of the pivot and being like, oh, duck. Okay, back. Next, you just expect that curveballs are coming and it doesn't really derail you. Whereas early on as an entrepreneur, I almost laugh at myself. You know, I look back at some of my emails from the first year of my first business and the things I was so stressed about and so worked up about.

Yeah.

And now I'm like, that was the first 15 minutes of my day. But it's like you start learning how to handle setbacks. With ease, where it's like it's not that big of a deal. There is always a workaround. There is always a different path.

You—

we just sometimes as humans get stuck in tunnel vision that there is only one way, and there's nothing further from the truth. The pivot and learning to pivot is the graceful art of entrepreneurship. It is the graceful art of a championship mindset. It's the way that you can go, nothing's going to break my focus or keep me from achieving the goal. I just don't know what path I'm going to take to get there, but I will get there.

Yeah, I love that. And I've— I had— I'll never forget, I had somebody reach out to me and they said, well, I just don't know how you work out with CRP, with complex regional pain syndrome. And I said, well, what do you mean? I said, I have it in my leg. I said, if I'm having a flare-up day, then I sit down to do exercises, or I do exercises on my knee, or I do it on one leg. And my daughter, you know, and I know you've got children and our kids are watching us.

Yeah.

It's not just our team that's watching us. It's not just the people that, you know, our clients that are watching us. It's our children that are watching us. And I've been at the, you know, standing in line at the store before. And I don't complain, but my daughter can tell if I'm having— I'm starting to hurt, especially if I'm standing in one spot. And she'll look at me and she'll go, Mom, just stand on one leg. So she's seen me stand on one leg enough that she goes, Mom, just stand on one leg, you know? So she knows.

And it's like— Yeah.

So I told this lady who had reached out to me, I said, yeah. I said, then if you've got it in your lower body, I said, do upper body. I said, but don't stop moving.

Yes.

Figure out another way to do it, you know?

Set a goal to have the best arms in your entire state. Like, be a role model. Use your setbacks to really inspire and shock the hell out of people because that's what gets attention. So yeah, you don't want to be defined by your nerve damage. You want to be defined as the woman who did not let this nerve damage and this, this diagnosis define or set her back. From doing the things that she wanted to do, being a mom, walking around, going to the gym, basic things. Now, that's not even talking about the crazy outlandish goals that you have for yourself. But like you said, there's this mindset that we can be a victim and that will just stop all of our hopes and dreams.

Uh-huh.

When we have kids, and maybe that is a, a big difference for maybe us versus others, when we know our kids are watching, What advice would we give our kids? We would not let this be something that kills their dreams, kills their joy. So if we're not walking the walk and talking the talk, why the heck are they going to listen to us?

Mm-hmm.

So yeah, it's like, okay, so if my child was dealing with this very thing, what would I want them to do? Well, guess what? Act as if. And as a parent, it's easy for us to go, all right, you know, we can tap into that. Why? Because we've both been dealt some crazy things that were unexpected, but yet we We wanted a life of passion and purpose and really accomplishing ridiculous things that people said we never could. That drives us. But absolutely, when we know others are watching, and it's not just kids, like if you're a business owner, your coworkers, your employees are watching, your mom—

People on social media are watching.

Yes.

And all that we have no idea. Yep. You know? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. You have got a lot of grit and you are just full of energy and a powerhouse. Are there times where you have found yourself pushed so, well, too far to the point where you crashed or maybe you got sick? Or you hurt yourself worse, or you were like, okay, that was a— that wasn't a straightaway, that was a curve I needed to slow down on, and give yourself a little more grace? Have there been moments like that in your life?

Tons. Tons. The truth is, like, we wouldn't be here if we didn't have those times that really knocked us down because it's the one opportunity you have to learn. So, you know, gosh, I was a new mom. One of the most profound experiences for me, if I had to really kind of sum it up, there was a period of time where within a little over a year, so about, I think it was 13 or 14 months, I just, you know, it was first year as a business owner. I'd opened up my gym, put everything on the line, my house, my car, like everything. My security was at risk. My mom soon after got diagnosed with cancer. She's my heart, my soul, my best friend, and it came out of nowhere. It was fast, aggressive. She passed within 8 months. I was there with her when she took her last breath, so just devastating. Then shortly after, um, found out some things. I ended up having to get divorced, um, because with those things, with 2 little kids, 3 and 5, so suddenly overnight a single mom. And then shortly after that, I found out one of my trusted business partners was actually stealing money, which was putting our business at risk.

Mm-hmm.

So it's like that moment in all, all in such a short period of time, right? I started crumbling bad where I was just depressed, sad, crying. Why? You know? And I here have these 2 little boys who are just innocent. And I tell you what, it was at that moment that I had a choice to go, is this going to make me the stereo— stereotypical train wreck that everyone's expecting because of all this stuff? Or am I going to show everyone that it doesn't matter what happens to me? I will rise above this, and I won't just survive, I will thrive. And that was something that just really drove into me to go, no, nope, I can't control any of what's happened. All I can do is I can control every step I make from here on after. That was probably the hardest time in my life. Um, but from that too, like, again, knowing I handled all that and It didn't kill me. I didn't turn into some crazy, bitter lady that everyone was expecting me to.

Yeah.

I went on. I kept true to the core of who I was. I wanted to continue to be a good person. I didn't want these things to change who I was. I didn't want my boys to be affected. But from that, of course, it helped to develop even more of that grit and relentless pursuit of achieving my dreams and redefining my life.

Mm-hmm.

Now with that too, you start setting crazy goals. And yeah, there've been plenty of times it's like I've made some, um, jumps into businesses that probably weren't the best, and I had to learn from that and go, okay, should have listened. I've done events where, you know, I'm dealing with a nagging injury. Oh, I'm gonna be okay. I'm gonna be okay. And I push things too hard, and now I'm really hurt and really paying for it. So absolutely, you know, but again, there's always certain lessons when you have a failure in a business venture. Guess what? You are paying attention to all these little details that maybe you missed that first time.

You sure are, right?

Yes. You know, exactly. It opens your eyes big time.

Yeah.

And then same thing with injuries. You know, again, since I was never a gymnast, a lot of times I'm trying crazy unconventional tricks and flips. And then my niche with my routine What do you mean? It's breakdancing. I don't know how to breakdance. I learned— I started breakdancing when I was over 40, literally. Like, what am I thinking? But I love it. But yeah, so I don't know if I'm just sore or if that tweak in my shoulder is something to be concerned about. Clearly, I've had plenty of injuries, so each injury teaches me something new. When you feel certain things or you're tight in certain areas, you know you got to shut it down. So again, all these things, all these times that are like, oh gosh, did that really just happen? My brain now can instantly check into, all right, what am I going to do? What's next?

Yeah.

What's going on or what has happened? That can't change. What am I going to do now? How am I going to make sure I don't do this again? What key things am I going to remember? So this, this sticks in my head for the future time. to stop me and prevent me from making this same mistake again.

Oh, that's so good. And you would relate to this. So I think from everything that you've shared. So when I was laying in the street after I'd been, you know, on my motorcycle hit by an SUV, I'm laying in the street. My leg is broken into pieces. My foot's dangling off. There's blood everywhere. Didn't know my femoral artery was severed. Do you know one of the first thoughts I had in my head was, what's next? I was thinking already, Well, I'm probably going to have to train clients on crutches for a while. This, this, that's going to kind of suck. But oh well, I can still train them on crutches. And I mean, I was like, okay, what's next? What's next? Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And you just learn from every single thing that you go through. And, you know, it was interesting because when I, after my 34th surgery and I was training clients in between surgeries. And I had one of my clients said, you know what, Amberly, you're actually a better trainer now. Because I felt broken. And we're going to get into your book next.

Yeah.

I felt so broken because I was like, who's going to want to train with me? Like, I had lost 20 pounds of muscle. I was used to holding mitts for huge guys. training people to, you know, on— I trained male competitors for stage.

Yeah.

And I had one of my clients say, you're a better trainer now because you can understand my pain more.

Yeah.

And that really was eye-opening for me. And sometimes all we need to do is hear a little feedback like that to go, oh, wait a minute. I have learned a lot from this lesson, you know? And so all it takes is that little shift in perspective. And thank you so much for sharing about what you went through with your mom, your business, your ex. Because I think sometimes, for me anyway, the emotional things that I've gone through, the heartfelt things that I've gone through, have been harder than the physical things that I've gone through.

100%. person, right? I would— I tell people all the time, like, are you afraid of, like, if you break another bone? I'm like, breaking bones and injuries, that's the easy part. The hard part is actually the emotional and mental toll of the hard stuff in life. So you see it.

Mm-hmm.

But, you know, again, that's where you realize how to really impact positively people, because now You can tap into something where you had to really overcome. You know, a bone, you put a cast on it, and if you don't do anything stupid, it heals. A lot of people will not face the emotional damage, trauma, anything that's really kind of defining them into a way that they're not happy or proud of. They don't want to face it because it's hard.

It is hard.

Like voluntary work. So again, if I break a bone, I just have to allow them to put a cast on it. That's pretty easy. Well, when you're dealing with emotional stuff that's really heavy, it's an ongoing battle and it's mentally trying to keep yourself from kind of falling back down. That's the hard stuff. But any really, truly successful person that I've met, whether it's in business, life, as an athlete, they've had to really work hard to overcome some emotional stuff that could have absolutely redefined them. could have completely derailed them, but they chose to be brave enough to face it because they wanted more from themselves.

Yeah. And do the work. It takes work. I mean, it really takes a lot of work, hard work of digging in deep. And now, I don't know if you ever completely heal from some of that. Some stuff you might still get triggered by, but you can go, okay, that triggered me, but I know that's what that is. And I know I have these tools to get through it.

Exactly.

Yeah, I just— I mean, all that you've shared is just so amazing. And, and I want to get into your book because you have a new book that— when is the date that comes out?

So it comes out January 21st. So I have— I wanted to show you, this is a copy. Now, this is just one of our proofs, so not for resale. So you can't—

I've seen that kind of thing before.

Yeah. How many copies you review. But I am so excited about this. This actually was a book that was started 4 years ago. 4 years. And I completely scratched and started over 3 times. And then last year I decided I, I, I have this thing I can't stand if I start something and don't finish.

Mhmm.

And so this had been like this monkey on my back. The biggest thing was it's hard to really— I'm like, who wants to read a book about me? And Because I'm just, I'm truly like a goofball and I do silly random stuff. I like, I'm built on laughter and sugar. And so I'm like, well, how am I gonna share a, a book? Like, what would be exciting? So long story short, I wanted this book to be talking about principles of how I've adopted the mindset of winning broken. Like, we all are a little broken. That is the truth.

Mhmm.

We all have stories. We've all dealt with stuff. But what sets the people who are truly successful apart from just the everyday person, it's that they know how to win broken. They know how to accept their brokenness, whether it's physically with broken bones or mentally or emotionally, and they choose something better for themselves. So this is kind of a blueprint of sharing my own personal stories with some humor, of course, and then outlining steps and strategies to help someone who may be feeling down, who may need that strategy and that path to better their life. And then it's also like a— it's a journal. So it asks questions. It's a guided journal. So after each chapter, it takes my own stories and, and the principles that I'm teaching and asks thought-provoking questions to say, Tell me this, and how, using these principles I've outlined, can you take this situation you're dealing with and now shift it?

Wow.

And so it's a very entertaining, um, just with my ridiculousness as a person, um, real-life stories, and then a guided blueprint on how to help teach you to win broken. Because again, accepting what you are is the best thing, because then you can go, This won't define me. Now I'm going to learn to win broken and really thrive and just be on top of the world with who I am, understanding what it is you want to be seen as and pushing hard to achieve those things in life. So, you know, that's where it's, it's had this journey because I— it was just the first draft. It was like, what is this? No one's going to want to buy this. And I'm embarrassed to put this out. It's like, Here, read a story about me. But then I had to do my own work to go, what is it I love? I love sharing the story and helping motivate and inspire people to achieve things that everyone says, that's ridiculous. And being in the mindset of going, well, watch me. So I'm really proud of it now. I'm super excited. So January 21st, it launches on Amazon. You can buy it. And I just hope that People learn something from it, and it really helps give them a chance to look internally about who they are and what greatness they can achieve and have a path to get there.

Oh my goodness. I am so excited to get this book. I know I'm going to love it. And I love that you have like a journal entry after each chapter. Author to author, I just have to talk. I could talk to you all day, I'm sure, but I'll just— I know we're out of time, but It's like, I don't know if you had this, but so I've— I had a sticky note. Actually, it's still here on my computer for my book for years. And then when I had a publisher reach out to me and say, we'd be interested in writing a book with you, do you have any ideas? I'm like, actually, I do.

Yeah.

And then I felt like, you know, my first book took me 2 years to write it. And this book, it was like there was a lot of pressure because I was like, I had a dead— I had real deadlines.

Yes.

And then I was like, oh man, I wish I would have added like the, like journal entries at the end of each chapter. But then, and I'm just keeping it real with y'all listeners. But, you know, I have actionable takeaways at the end of each chapter. And so, you know what I did? I was like, well, I'll make a companion book.

Yeah.

And I made a free downloadable companion book. So see what you were talking about earlier? It's like, well, I didn't feel quite right about that. Well, I pivoted. What else can I do? You know what I mean? That's just what we do. We pivot and we do. So can people find this on your website? You want to give people your website?

Yeah. So my website is Fit Wit Jones. So that's just kind of an introduction of everything, of who I am, a lot of the different businesses that I have. And then we are actually this week getting the link and everything up so that it'll take you right there. If people want the book itself, they can go straight to Amazon. It's Windbroken. And then, you know, as you saw, I'm on social media a ton. I obviously put out real legitimate content and try to, you know, educate people on some of the expertise, but I'm also doing shenanigans and just posting ridiculousness. I love to laugh. I think memes and reels are the highlight of my day every day. So I think they're the greatest thing ever. So people can follow me on social media. Instagram is kind of the core of what I do right now, and that's Whitney Jones underscore IFBB Pro. And yeah, all the crazy antics and things that I'm up to, always I post and share. But more importantly, I love the connection, you know, like with Unstoppable 365. We coach a lot of athletes. We are not athletes. I shouldn't say that. I call everyone athlete because I think that's the core of— that's the desire everyone wants. But Unstoppable 365 is for the everyday person just really looking to level up. And it's a community. So we have a women's weekly women's call where we connect. We have this support. We're cheering each other on in their successes. We're sharing life events from, you know, people getting married, having babies, kids getting engaged, going to college. We keep it real raw, and and it's just an amazing group of women. So the biggest thing is I love connection. So anyone that's listening to this, just know that if you message me, I will reply. I handle all of my own stuff because that's that's what I thrive on daily is that connection, helping hear people's stories, and how can I help you if if there's anything I've done in my life that I could. Find a common ground, I'm happy to share it with you. Tell me your windbroken story. You know, all these things as, as entrepreneurs, as women, from the stuff that we've been through, isn't it the greatest that we get to have these opportunities and platforms to connect with others that we would have never had if we had not pushed the limits and chose to write our own script in life? But we do, and that's the greatest joy is is again the chance that I get to meet you and we're on this podcast that came together because there's so many different people that we realized how have we not met yet?

I know.

I really thought that.

I was like, how how do I not know this?

Yeah.

Amazing lady. And I just have to say, your yeah, your social media. I am so. inspired by your Instagram. I mean, I'm inspired by you as a person, but like, as just like you're like a content creator and you are so good at it. And the way that, the way that you show up is like, I— if y'all go to her Instagram, you're going to binge it. You're going to seriously binge it. And so I love how you show up. I'm just so grateful for you. But I also had an idea. spark. And I know that when we get together, and I hope I get to see you when I'm in Scottsdale.

I know.

I will see you. I'll message you and see how and when that's going to happen. I've been thinking about it.

Yeah.

But when you said reach out to you and share their win story, why don't you guys listening, you should really do a post on your social media About your win-broken story and tag Whitney and hashtag win-broken. And hey, you can tag me. I'll share my story too. Yeah, I love it. You know, let's get her book out there in the hands of people who really need to read it and just shout it off the rooftop. So share your win-broken story on social media. And you just have a heart of gold. And y'all reach out to her for whether it's coaching, getting involved in her Unstoppable 365 group, who, you know, if you've— if you're a listener of the show and you've heard, I've had Sean Crane, who's one of our business partners on the show as well, who— thank you, Sean, for introducing us.

Yeah.

He— I don't think he's the first. I think Brian Galky was the first person who introduced us. And then Sean introduced— I'm like, okay.

Though I found a message from 3 years ago because I think it was Sean had mentioned your name to me months ago, and then he— you guys had your interview. But then when Brian messaged, I'm like, okay, this is too crazy. There was someone from years ago that had sent me an Instagram message saying, oh my gosh, I thought you guys were sisters and you guys are the same person. So I meant to send that to you. I need to go back and find it now because I know my goodness, name way back. Wow. Now, of course, sitting here, I'm like, we are the same person. Maybe you're the sister I never had.

I— can I just adopt you as my sister? I mean, but that is risk. That's a— that is a huge compliment because if you're just listening and you're not watching this on YouTube, you might want to look on YouTube because Whitney is like stunningly gorgeous.

Oh, gosh. Come on. No, you're not.

Well, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Oh, yeah. But I'll be your sister. You just got to accept me, though. You know, we choose our friends. We don't always get to choose our family. If you adopt me, that's at your own risk.

Okay, I'm ready to. We were good. We'll get— I have a feeling we might get into some trouble together, though.

Yes, it sounds amazing.

Yes. So yeah, so you guys go out there, grab her book and follow her on social media. Reach out to her and share your windbroken story. I want to, I want to hear all about your windbroken story. But anyway, Whitney, oh, I just, I love you, my new sister.

Oh, I know, right? Yeah.

Yeah.

I'll send over the paperwork. You're going to officially adopt me.

Well, thank you so much. And like I said, I had all these questions written down. I didn't get to them, but we, we covered so much.

But we did.

Maybe there'll be a part 2 because we'll have to do it in studio sometime.

Yeah.

When I'm back in studio after— so I'm back in the studio after my annual event. And if you're ever in Dallas, we'll have to have you in studio.

So Oh gosh, I love it. Heck yeah. And yes, when you come to Scottsdale, let me know the dates. We must get together, even if it's for a quick hug and a coffee and—

Okay.

Adoption paperwork.

Okay, we'll get the paperwork taken care of. Well, hey, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being on the show, y'all. Thank you so much for tuning in to the show. It's because of you tuning in And your support that you have made this podcast the top 1% podcast. And I so appreciate that. So thanks for tuning in and we will see you next week.

Thank you. Thank you.