It’s 7:30 PM as I type this smiling at how beautiful this July summer day has turned out to be. The day’s brilliance increased with each hour but I didn’t expect that at 4:30am when my alarm went off a half hour too early!

I had planned to be up by 5:00am in order to finish tracking sheets for my Boot Campers. Although the #‎OwnYourStrong Camp finished last week, when asked if it were possible to continue I could not resist. Why? Because these ladies, known as OYS, now shared in my passion for strength training.

Hustling to the studio, I quickly set the room up and waited anxiously for the OYS arrival. One by one they filtered in, a slower pace than norm. The ladies were quiet today but not without motivation. Maybe it was determination from the challenge placed in front of them. Whatever it was, the silence would be overshadowed by their strength.

Eight exercises, maxing out on reps and weight. Each one paired and designed for a purpose. But it was one apparatus – the Trap Bar – that the OYS desired to conquer today. And I could not be more thrilled!

As I observed each OYS, they were solid with form, adding weight to each set, challenging themselves like no time before. In previous weeks, there were glimpses of me in them. But today there were lights as bright as diamonds instead. The Trap Bar had ignited an inner power unbeknownst to them until now. The warriors within unleashed their strength and superheroine shadows emerged. They were determined to conquer whatever fear had its stronghold. It was no longer a secret – they knew and felt what I had known for months now.

The ladies finally had “Owned Their Strong.”

With a song in my heart, the day opened my eyes to more beauty with each hour. Work was peaceful, conversations genuine, time with Gia precious and minimal pain in my bones.

And for my second workout since chemotherapy? Well, let’s just say that when given the opportunity today to lift the Trap Bar (even though it was 100 lbs lighter than my PR) I could only smile. The warrior inside me had been released so long ago. But now, I had more superheroines joining me on the journey!