Megan Gibson - Still I Rise

alf of my life. I grew up in New Jersey with my ROCKSTAR mom who always put me first and gave me the world every single moment she could. I have a huge family full of character and great examples of what it means to be successful, happy, and FULL of life and love. Although my life appeared to be what some would deem perfect aside from my paternal situation, I assure you it changed. When I was a teenager I jumped onto a roller coaster I could not get off. I began hanging out with the wrong crowds, making some horrible life choices, and devaluing my worth as a human being. I turned away from God, the man I loved the most; my family; and more importantly, myself. Then one dark night I found myself newly 16, and r***d. A man nearly 10 years older than me, broke me. It was like I was being buried alive. I was gasping for life, barely hanging onto the glimmer of light as the sand fell in above me. And I thought about giving up, but instead I turned on sleep-mode and it all went away. Numbness has no filter. When it overpowers your pain, it overpowers your happiness too. The absence of emotion, is a big black hole of nothing. It takes great strength to climb from, but sometimes it swallows you whole. If you're lucky enough to find your way back to the top, you can be fully prepared to be kicked back into a pit of heavy air, and try again. Still I Rise. I rose like a phoenix from the ash. I picked myself up and I lived. However, this life was different then the one I knew before. I treated myself like I didn't have purpose, that I don't deserve love, that somehow what happened to me was my fault. I lived like I deserved to be r***d because it made what I went through that much easier. I was bullied, harassed, and used by boys time and time again because I LET them. I was slut-shamed by girl's who had no idea what I'd endured. I wore my shame like a badge. I wore it like it was something to be proud of. But wasn't it? It's how I survived. Everyday the pain became less until I could barely remember what happened to me. Sure, there were triggers like certain songs, certain drinks, certain smells; or comments amongst friends old and new like, "I think I wouldn't mind getting r***d, it's so taboo to me" or "you were so crazy in highschool". But I managed to detach myself. I went on to finish highschool, move to Oklahoma with my cat, and make it work with the man I loved. We got another kitty, got married, and got pregnant! I was HAPPY. life was GOOD. Orders to Alaska, and we were off again! Addison was born and I felt a world of love I never even knew existed. Baby 2 was unplanned, but not unwanted, and her birth was the most healing most beautiful things I have ever been a part of. I chose to bring Harleigh earth side without medication in a small birth center in Anchorage. It was in that moment that I discovered my true strength, the love I had for my body, and the super powers I gained from simply loving my children more than fathomable. Before we knew it, we had orders to OKINAWA JAPAN?! One huge house party, and a fun night to celebrate our send off, and my world came crashing down again. I couldn't believe it. How did this happen again? I was assaulted by people I considered my friends. Granted it wasn't as gruesome, and AS sick as my first attack but nonetheless, here I was back at square one. I reported them, clung to justice, and prayed they would never hurt another again, but my case never made it past the investigation. Every agency failed me. I moved to Okinawa with my beautiful family and was soon pregnant again. I became a doula (which is basically a birth fairy in the simplest definition) and began to fulfill my mission to help others with my passion in birth. After I had my third daughter, I helped several BEAUTIFUL families bring their own precious little bundles to this Earth. Everything was GREAT! Untill, it wasn't. My marriage began to fall. We lost our wonder, our pillars, our sight of the future. We lost each other almost entirely. Today, we stand together. We stand strong, alive, and well! We stand in unity of our family, hand in hand with our daughters, and ready and eager for the future. Today I struggle with a lot, but what's a heartbeat without variation? So what's a life without the ups and downs? I found Beachbody in Janurary 2017. I was never one for fitness, and had been overweight for most of my life. But as soon as I jumped in, saw the immediate changes it created in my life, I knew it was something worth sharing. I knew it was quickly developing into a passion larger than Ive ever had before. So today,
-I am on a misson to accept who I am; accept my flaws; accept my mistakes; accept my unaccepted.
-I am on a mission to better myself in mind, body, and soul.
-I am on a mission to help other's see their light in the dark; to love themselves; and to find their strength to rise. It all starts here. Health and wellness is the beginning stepping stone and a necessity in the path of success, prosperity, and a full and beautiful life. My name is Megan Gibson, and I am Team Beachbody.