What Nobody Tells You About Building Something That Matters

It’s not the late nights that get you.
It’s the mornings when you wake up wondering if it’s all going to fall apart.
It’s the months when you have no idea how you’re going to pay the rent.
It’s the looming pressure of not wanting to let anyone down who believed in you.
It’s the birthdays you miss. The texts you forget to answer. The friends and family who quietly drift from your life because you’re not available to show up in those relationships like you used to.

Nobody tells you that chasing something meaningful can feel incredibly lonely. Period.

Especially when you want to succeed more than you want anything else. When you choose vision over validation. Pick going to corporate events over going to drinks with friends your age. When you pick career opportunities over the party . . . again. When you can’t afford to go out, because you spent every dollar you had to be part of the local golf club for networking. When you tell yourself you care more about building a business than being included in that group chat, or being invited to play on the flag football team.

And then you scroll Instagram, and you see everyone else’s curated success, and you wonder why your life still feels like a battle, when you have been working harder and taking more risks than anyone you know. Why does it look so shiny for them and still feel so damn hard for you?

I don’t have that answer.
If you do . . . I’m dying over here, so please, share! Here’s what I do know:

Building something that matters (to you) will stretch you in ways you never expected. It will bring up everything you never wanted to face. It will make you question your self-worth, your relationships, your past, your character, and your deepest desires.

And still… If you’re anything like me, you’ll keep showing up. You’ll keep fighting for the life you’ve always dreamt of, because something inside you knows that eventually you will get there, and it will have been worth it.

And also because, obviously you are a batshit crazy person!

The Fantasy vs. The Reality

When I started this thing, I had a vision for Podium that felt crystal clear. A high-energy, community wellness space in Regina. A place for people with big goals and full calendars. A place where ambition and well-being could coexist. A place for people like me to find community and opportunity.

Podium was never meant to be just another Regina fitness studio. It was, and it still is, my love letter to people with big dreams and messy lives.

The Instagram version? Clean floors. Motivated clients. Beautiful branding. High energy. Lots of laughter. VIBES.

The real version?
Late nights, early mornings, constant criticism. Tears. So many tears. Financial stress. Learning how to lead people, without ever having a real leadership mentor myself. Figuring everything out as you go. Trying to wear every hat. Navigating COVID shutdowns in the first two years of my five year term lease with my start up business. Cash flow. Burnout. Loneliness. Falling in love. Trying to figure out how to be a good partner and a good entrepreneur at the same time. Step-parenthood, and the crushing pressure of wanting to “do everything right.”

Nobody claps for the days you struggle. Or the hours spent wondering if you’re making the right call. But those are the days that matter most, and the days that you have to find a way to keep pushing through. The days where you have to learn to be okay with “clapping for your damn self” (I 100% stole that line from some unknown instagram).

Why It Still Matters. Why am I still Chasing this?

Because even now, through the messes I’ve created, the pivots, the hard conversations, the even harder lessons and failures, I’m still the girl with big dreams who wants to leave a mark on this world.

Because it still hits me every time I see a client succeed. When they tell me life feels easier because of what we do in the gym. When they share their own business and personal wins with me, or when they feel safe enough at the club to open up to me about things they might be struggling with. Because together, as a community of humans, we’ve built a space that allows people to do that.

Because I still believe our community truly needs a space like this.

A space that supports the people doing the most.
A space for real wellness. Not just workouts.
A space for recovery. Community. Bold conversations. And joy.

That’s what Podium is. And what it’s always been meant to be.

A wellness space for professionals.
A coworking hub for people who think big.
A fitness studio for those who train hard, lead harder, and still want more out of life.

Some things I’ve Learned (So Far)

Here’s what nobody has told me yet, but I’ll tell you, because I believe it to be true, and because I need the reminder too (something about clapping for myself):
It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to chase a dream and give it everything you have. Even if it fails.
You are allowed to outgrow your original vision. You are allowed to pivot. Start over.
You are allowed to do it your way, and it’s okay if not everyone agrees or gets it. It’s okay if you don’t get it right.
Whether you’re chasing fitness goals, building your own business, or trying to hold it all together, please give yourself permission to be human.

If you’re navigating burnout, rebuilding your body, shifting your relationships, starting something new . . . I see you. I AM you.

A Final Word for Those Actually Still Reading This

If you’re in the thick of it right now. Keep going. I don’t know if it ever gets easier, and I don’t know if it’s going to work out, but keep going.

If you’re lonely in your leadership or second-guessing your path, You are not alone.

I built Podium for people like you.
People like me.
People doing hard things on purpose.
Thanks for being here.

Ali
Founder. Coach. Work in Progress.
Podium Executive Club – Regina’s #1 space for fitness, coworking, and wellness

Regina’s #1 Gym