#fearlessdomore

“If there was something that I was afraid of, that meant I was going to go for it.” #fearlessdomore

“I can say the person you see in front of you is a totally different person [now].” #fearlessdomore

"That was something that was always there for me — the community."

"I am good enough, I am worth it, I can do it." #FearLessDoMore.

On October 22, 2016, we brought the GMS community together to share their biggest fears, so they could learn to #FearLessDoMore.

On Saturday, October 22, the Girl Meets Strong community gathered at CrossFit Encino to work out, film a new video campaign for GMS, and connect with each other offline. The theme behind the video shoot campaign was "Fear Less. Do More” and revolved around the idea that by opening up to one another, we give less power to the fearful thoughts in our heads and gain confidence to take action in the direction of our dreams. Together, we will fear less, and do more.

After the women arrived, they were led by two of GMS’s Strongbassadors, Ashley Branoff and Julie Adams, in a warmup. Then, circled up on the floor and facing one another, GMS videographer Mykim Dang explained the concept of the shoot. She asked each girl to hold a mic and tell the group about a time she overcame a challenge by using her body, through movements such as working out, dancing, and yoga, among other exercises.

Each girl had a turn to speak, and several women shared about their fears of not being enough, fears of failure, and how they overcame their fears by diving into them.

Keta Meggett shared about her experience with bullying and how she consciously chose to shape herself into who she is now—a bully-buster.

Julie Adams, one of GMS’s Strongbassadors, shared how her assault made her feel weak and violated, but getting lifting in the gym helped her feel strong both mentally and physically again.

Another woman spoke about how she suffered from postpartum depression after her baby was born. Though she didn’t think she’d be able to handle a CrossFit class when someone suggested it, she went anyway. After three months of the workout, she had overcome her depression.

“It was a very powerful, raw, honest, and open circle session, and everyone felt much closer by the end of it,” GMS Chief Content Officer, Molly King, said.

Following the sharing session, Strongbassadors Ashley and Julie led the group in a six-station circuit workout for two rounds: weighted cleans with a bag, push press, pull ups, KB swings, wall balls, and rope climbs.

We dug in, got real with each other, got sweaty, and had a lot of fun in the process,” Molly said.

After the workout, many of the women lingered, some exchanging contact info, and left the event with at least one new friend.

“Many of us at GMS remarked how powerful it was to bring our online community into real life, and how that is what makes GMS special,” Molly said.

Anita Boras, GMS’s social media manager, said that creating a safe space for the GMS community to not only workout but share, communicate, and support is a new goal that developed out of this in-person event.

“Last weekend while driving back home I felt that the circle of sharing was huge for many of the women,” she said. “Saturday was so much more than a video shoot, and I feel that once more women know this, they will be intrigued by what and who we are.”

Mykim mirrored this sentiment, saying that there was clearly much value in creating in-person connections.

“The biggest things I learned were around how important the offline experience is for real communities to form,” she said. “I've always been a big believer in this anyway, but the way the women opened up this weekend and talked about how much it meant to them and how they don't get to do that often enough, confirms my beliefs.”

Joy Bitonio, GMS’s SBA coordinator, said that the event was a huge success.

“No matter how prominent social media is in our daily lives, face to face, real life connections will continue to be a powerful, memorable way to experience the brand and make the brand mean something for the community,” she said. “Genuine loyalty, enthusiasm, pride, and a sense of belonging can be made, one connection, one small scale event at a time.”

Written by Anna Buckley