#ajmiller

Boot Camp Challenge® trainer A.J. MILLER is a SUPERHERO!  She is an amazing trainer who gives her all to her campers!   AJ talked with us on how she invests in others, how she stays positive and what advice she has for trainers looking to start their own business.

VicteliB - What foods help fuel the super hero in you? 

A.J. - Every time I drink a green smoothie, I visualize the micronutrients and how they get to all of my little nooks and crannies and provide fuel to repair whatever may need repairing. I visualize the different greens, veggies, seeds, nuts, roots, fruits and grains spilling all of their food magic into my systems, providing thousands of different micronutrients of various sources fitting into the specific little micronutrient keyholes in my muscles providing that specific muscle with the fuel it needs to optimize its performance.

Plant based diversity is what fuels a super hero body and mind, AND a high volume! A super hero can’t perform on a calorie restriction mentality. More performance means more food!

A super hero’s body is intelligent, it knows what it needs, and it needs nutrients provided in high volumes.  If a super hero’s body is getting what it needs, it knows to not hang on to crap, and it’s not hungry or searching for nutrients. The body is sated, and it can appropriately handle toxins and crappy low quality foods while letting go of excess fat stores. 

VicteliB - There are a lot of programs you could launch; why choose Boot Camp Challenge®, a VicteliB program?

A.J. - Mostly because I love the network and intention behind it.  Intention to live a life that fuels me first by doing stuff that fuels others.  Make a great living doing what you love.  Take care of me first so I could take care of others.  Invest in yourself, so you can invest in others.

VicteliB - Our minds are very powerful and sometimes it’s a battlefield.  How do you win the battle of negativity and stay a positive trainer?

A.J. - I don’t allow myself to get hung up on the negative.  I OVER celebrate my successes.  Being positive is my job. It isn’t a choice and it’s who I am for my clients.  They come to me to lift them up, so in order to lift them up I need to be lifted myself.  Sometimes that means feeling like SH!t and still performing.  I don’t indulge in excuses.   

VicteliB - How did VicteliB change your life?

A.J. - It made me see I could make money and do what I love to do, which is train.  I was able to take what I was already doing with collegiate level coaching, do it with every age group, AND make money. It also gives me a tangible framework for my weaknesses like legal, marketing, organization, etc... The structure is there to make me look good.

VicteliB - What is the best advice you have ever received?

A.J. - Do one thing at a time and do it really well!

VicteliB - If there is a trainer contemplating launching a VicteliB program, what would you say to them?

A.J. - Use the resources well, and don’t just do it your way. Pay attention and make use of the guidance. It is still going to challenge you, but if you use the resources and continue your learning, you can become very successful.

VicteliB - Who are your super heroes?

A.J. - I have several super heroes.  The first is my parents. They taught me there are no differences in people. Everyone is walking on the same planet. They expected me to take responsibility for myself, my actions, my successes, and my failures. They pushed me out into the world with the tools to navigate with confidence.

I also have clients who are my heroes.  They are dealing with more than I can fathom and still showing up and kicking a$$, AND they courageously take my coaching and support. They allow themselves to be put into challenging and uncomfortable situations to better themselves. They have AMAZING commitment to themselves.

My landscaping boss after high school and during college is another one. He needed me to be physically strong, but he was more interested in my intelligence and a female’s level head. He was sick of hiring meat heads. He taught me how to effectively and intelligently manage my body to move and manipulate literally tons of soil, stone, trees, pavers, machinery, etc. He taught me there is no difference between me and the next “man". There is always someone out there that is stronger than you, but how you use your strength is what separates you from the rest, not your gender. This is where I learned what it feels like to be respected in a male dominated career and how to perform at a level that demanded respect from any person within that industry.

And then there is my college coach, who was unafraid to hold a team of women to higher standards than most male teams.  We were athletes. He knew that women are far stronger than the standards they are held to in the world of athletics. He was out to prove it, and I was one of his athletes. This is where I learned what it feels like to be respected as an athlete, and how to perform at a level that demands respect from any athlete in my sport. He stripped away the bullSH!t.

Later, when I stepped into the world of collegiate coaching, I learned what a rare and empowering experience I had been given. I saw how most male coaches coach females. Fury is the closest I can come to describe the emotion I felt when I realized how most women are brought up in athletics. I was brought up as an integral member of a team of Unstoppable Queens unleashing their inner animals and primitive spirits in raw competition. I was fueled, coached, supported and held to ridiculously high standards for performance in order to get me to access all of my abilities and power. I was taught that I was worth a huge investment of money, time, and resources. Too many womens' teams are formed to provide a solution for Title IX standards of equal numbers or as a healthy activity for young females.  However, the funding, support, equipment, coaching staff, and expectations for performance are so far lower than their male team counterparts. We are athletes and we deserve the same quality of support as male athletes.

And then there is Lori Patterson.  She is one of the first women I have met who is creating and carving out a space for immense success while not compromising an awesome, healthy, balanced, empowered life. And she didn't just do it for herself, but for anyone who would like to do the same for themselves.

And last, but not least, is me.  I became one of my own heroes when I routinely demanded a HIGHER quality of support for my teams (male and female) despite my peers telling me, "this is just the way it’s done." I became one of my own heroes when I brought up multiple teams to know they were worth my energy and time. I demanded the best for them, no matter the norms, expectations, or cultural prejudices of the collegiate institutions.  I became one of my own heroes when I stopped separating myself from females and started seeing females as powerful beings. THAT's when I knew I was a super hero!