Emergency Board Meeting
Chapter 2: Emergency Board Meeting
Carpe diem (seize the day) — Horace
We’re in a crisis.
As women—especially as Licensed Massage Therapists who pour our hearts and hands into every session—we feel it deeper than most. We carry the physical weight, the emotional load, and often the financial strain too.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE
When I co-authored BOD-É-NOMICS Volume 1 in 2009, about 33% of American adults were obese.
Today? 40.3%. That’s 2 out of every 5 of us.(1)
In 2009, consumer debt sat at $2.46 trillion.
Today it’s over $5.1 trillion—more than doubled.(3)
Total household debt? $18.04 trillion. Credit cards alone: $1.21 trillion.(4)
And the national debt has tripled to $38.3 trillion.(5)
Diets keep failing. Cards keep getting maxed. We’re exhausted, and we’re looking for something that actually makes sense.
MY STORY (THE ONE I NEVER WANT YOU TO LIVE)
2002. I’m standing in a bridal shop being fitted for my girlfriend’s wedding.
The seamstress measures me and says, “Order her a size 16.”
Nothing fit. Nothing felt good. I knew I was gaining, but hearing it out loud was different.
A few weeks later, another wedding. I watched myself on the dance-floor video and thought, “Whoa… who is that woman?”
I tried almost every diet. Lost and Gained on repeat.
Fast-forward to 2021. I’m in the shower, finger-combing my hair, and twice as much comes out in my hand.
I’d been a Mortgage Loan Originator for a year and a half—commission-only, on-call, client-pleasing madness. My fun, relaxed personality had turned edgy and workaholic. Underwriters ripped apart files I’d triple-checked. My new husband asked if we should consider divorce. My hair was literally falling out from stress.
December 2021. Waiting in line for brunch with my bestie in downtown Grand Haven, I’m debating whether to renew my mortgage license for another year. She looks at me and says, “Oh, you’re not done bending over yet?”
That was it.
“Yes. I am done bending over.”
I called my boss all weekend—no answer. Monday comes, the scheduled Zoom where I’m supposed to pitch next year’s goals. Instead I say: “I love you both, but it’s time for me to leave.”
They were shocked, but they got it—high stress, high turnover.
I felt instant relief… yet deep wounds.
TIME FOR AN EMERGENCY BOARD MEETING
Imagine this: You’ve just been called into an emergency board meeting—as the CEO of the most important company you’ll ever run: Your Body.
Profits have been eaten up (literally).
Production is slowing—your factories (muscles, joints, energy) keep calling in sick.
The work environment is toxic. Morale is low. Customer service (how you show up for clients and yourself) is slipping.
As CEO, you’re responsible.
What small changes can turn this around? What are you really paying for—with your energy, your health, your peace?
WHAT INFLUENCES YOU
From the day we’re born, the world shapes us: family, friends, advertising, social media, religion, politics.
Those voices creep into every decision—especially around food and money.
You finally get the courage to choose differently… and someone questions it. Doubt creeps in.
Here’s the truth: You made a decision. Own it.
If it was right—brilliant.
If it was wrong—brilliant. You learned. Correct course.
Every choice is a learning experience.
YOU ARE IN CONTROL
You can do this.
You are in charge. You are the boss. You are a one-woman corporation living inside your own skin.
Being CEO is hard. Obstacles are constant. But no one has better access to the inner workings of this company than you.
I know—I once had over $40,000 in credit card debt. Spent on continuing education, vacations, dinners, and drinks while ignoring bills, my mailbox, and my taxes.
Until the notice came: our rental properties were headed to Sheriff’s sale for unpaid taxes.We had several months to come up with the money owed.
I raced to the courthouse on the very last day and paid in full. My financial counselor told me most of her clients would have given up. She was proud we stepped up.
“When you know your numbers, the magic happens.” ~ Wendy Coon, LMT
NO OVERNIGHT SUCCESS
Everyone wants the quick fix, the overnight transformation.
Real change? It takes two to five years of consistent small steps to turn a profit—body and bank account alike.
The good news? Your body and your money are incredibly forgiving. You can start fresh today, no matter how deep the hole feels.
WHAT FINALLY PULLED ME OUT
My friend Melissa invited me to lunch and asked a simple question: “What do you actually love about your mortgage job?”
I loved the networking, meeting people, marketing, creating flyers and posts, managing the CRM.
Then she asked what I didn’t love. The list was long—all the stress that was killing me.
Her response: “I want to hire you to do everything you love.”
I became Director of Research and Development for her wealth management company. It took two and a half years to finish her projects—and to heal. Panic attacks stopped. My marriage recovered. My hair grew back.
I learned new healing techniques and finally felt ready to reopen my practice.
BOD-É-NOMICS STRATEGIES
At the end of most chapters you’ll find simple, actionable BOD-É-NOMICS strategies you can use right away.
For this chapter, start with these two:
Call your own Emergency Board Meeting this week. Grab a notebook and honestly answer: What’s working in my body company? What’s draining profits (energy/money)? What one small change feels doable right now?
Track just ONE number for the next 7 days—either everything you spend or everything you eat. No judgment, just awareness. Knowing your numbers is where the magic begins.
These tools are designed to be simple, intuitive, and usable in any situation. Trust your instincts. This journey is about YOU.
When you run your body like a profitable, sustainable business, you become healthier, wealthier, and far more powerful.
Your Body is Your Business.
And you, beautiful woman, are the CEO. And you are Magnificent!
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SOURCES
(1) CDC National Center for Health Statistics. "Adult Obesity Prevalence." National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, August 2021–August 2023.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm
(3) National Association of Home Builders. "U.S. Consumer Debt Rises to $5.1 Trillion in the Third Quarter." Eye on Housing, November 2024.
https://eyeonhousing.org/2024/11/u-s-consumer-debt-rises-to-5-1-trillion-in-the-third-quarter/
(4) Federal Reserve Bank of New York. "Household Debt and Credit Report." Q4 2024.
https://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/news/research/2025/20250213
(5) U.S. Department of the Treasury. "Debt to the Penny." December 15, 2025.
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/national-debt/
