Motivation Catalyst

Since the start of the pandemic, I've made it a point to prioritize wellness, which is not only personally rewarding but also enables me to stay balanced for my family in these unprecedented times.  Over the past 4 months, I've lost 20lbs and improved my quality of life by refining my nutrition and fitness routine. The most rewarding part is becoming the motivational catalyst for Mahera Khanshab to take on a similar feat. Much of my recent lifestyle transformation can be attributed to my trainer, Nick Bardsley. Werkdout  training was born out of the idea that he could help more people stay active during the pandemic lockdown by providing live home workouts free of charge for 3 months. He has since established his business and offers daily virtual workouts and nutrition coaching. The pandemic has created an imbalance of routine and volatility of our emotions. The best way I know how to combat life's uncertainty is to nurture the mind, body and...

On May 18th, I found a purse, ironically in the same location where Mahera Khanshab recently lost hers, and since hers was gracefully returned, I was eager to pay it forward. After a quick search on Google, I had a brief conversation with the owner and arranged to meet. When I first greeted her, she had a grateful smile, one that stretches across the cheeks, and in her hand was an envelope. I immediately resisted the envelope, insisting that whatever was inside was unnecessary. As if she expected my reaction, she had a clever response stating, "It's not for you." That caught my interest and I accepted the token of appreciation. Inside the envelope was a beautiful sentiment, which made my day and unexpectedly someone else's too. She had honored me with the task of giving a Burger King gift card to someone who could use it. I chose to give it to Timothy, a homeless man in his early 20's. I've never initiated a discussion with a homeless person before, ...

Since the dawn of time, humans have formed communities so that they can feel a sense of belonging. Afterall, you are the sum of the people around you.  We want to surround ourselves with value-driven people who make a positive impact on society. We rely on this group through good and bad times . During this pandemic , social distancing can easily weaken our community and conversely, staying connected to our community will enhance our ability to be resilient. Throughout these ‘cloudy’ weeks, one of my best friends, Alissa Plungis and her family, have been leading an effort to ‘brighten’ their community in thoughtful ways.  Each week, they have a different way to give back.  “Take a Toy, Spread Some Joy” (Can you tell Alissa works in Marketing?) – keeping a bucket-full of toys including bubbles and kites, for other neighborhood kids. The neighborhood even set up a table of community resources to share. It’s empowering when everyone feels like they have a place to mak...

For those of us who have volunteered at a soup kitchen, we can identify with the humbling experience of serving a hot meal for the homeless. It's an opportunity to view life from the perspective of others and for some, nutrition is more challenging to sustain.  The pandemic has left the homeless more vulnerable than ever. The nightly shelter population has risen to peak levels increasing risk of transmission of the deadly virus. With fewer pedestrians roaming the streets, panhandling wages are likely at their  lowest. Lastly, most soup kitchens have closed due to lack of food and volunteers.  Mahera and I were approached to collaborate with a group of friends on a good deed of preparing homemade pre-packaged meals for  C.H.I.P.S. , a Soup Kitchen that is temporarily closed, but still feeding the homeless. We jumped on the opportunity and put our kids on the PB&J assembly line hoping to make someone’s day better.  It is fascinati...

Noah Mueller and the rest of FDNY are being dispatched daily to respond to COVID-19 house call cases. Many of these individuals are fighting for their last breath and require CPR. It's an unprecedented calling and first responders are risking infection of the deadly virus with limited personal protection equipment available. It is no surprise, Noah and the FDNY, are seizing the opportunity to save lives, regardless of the extreme conditions of this pandemic. A couple years ago, I remember asking Noah to share a hero story from his 10+ years as a NYC firefighter. True to the firehouse culture,  refused to accept recognition of heroism and   instictually responded  with a sarcastic story about saving a cat. Firefigthers run towards danger which is an admirable testimant to these brave Frontliners during this pandemic. Mahera and I would like to collaborate on a  fundraiser  where all contributions go to Noah's firehouse "nosh fund" (firehouse meals su...

In my last post , we honored the Frontline Workers for their call of duty. Today, we pay respect to their significant others on the "Backline" that have to keep it all together at home. These individuals are forced to maintain work responsibilities remotely while homeschooling their kids, cooking, cleaning and somehow managing to stay sane with out complaining. Theses individuals are the foundation for our brave Frontline Workers and deserves an applause for stepping up. Mahera and I were bewildered by our neighbor who is juggling the Backline responsibilities with 3 kids, while his spouse is working at the hospital.  We couldn't help but recoginize his circumstances. In order to alleviate their burden of weekend meal prep, the Khanshab family put our chef hats on and made homemade pizzas. It felt great to get the kids involved and contribute to our community. It only took a few ingrediants and some helping hands to make someone's day that much better. In...