“Mom, I am spending the night at Mick’s, I yell from my room as I stare at my clothes; hmm, what shade of black should I wear? I go on, I know it’s a school night, and then I proceed to lie, easily I might add…we are working on a project”. I shove clothes in my backpack and head out the door. It’s 1989, cell phones are not a thing, tracking devices are definitely not a thing; I am free to roam. The whole of 16, the two of us, big hair, and wheels. Betsy-Mick’s 1979 car -I can’t remember the make but Betsy girl was beaten up, bandaged up with Duct tape, resembling our lives; we too were a little banged up. It was a warm fall night, and I could hardly contain myself. I only knew a couple of songs; I didn’t care; it would be epic. The Rolling Stones, my first concert, how many girls can say that? We drive off into the sunset, windows down, our hair is not going anywhere… a little prayer for Betsy- don’t fail us now, girl!

There he was, on stage, Mick Jagger, gyrating, doing what he does. Midway he plays ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, finally, a song I recognize. I am convinced we lock eyes (based on our seats-this, of course, is impossible-). I don’t care; I am certain Jagger is speaking directly to us, you know, from one Mick to another… conceding… I know you don’t always get what you want girls, I know the days can be rough, it’s going to be okay, you will get exactly what you need from life … 

Mickie and I were forced to grow up fast. We had to play adults at a young age. Who has time for high school drama? Not us. We were dealing with real shit. Don’t get me wrong; we desperately wanted to be normal; we wanted a mom & dad, family dinners, and the acid-wash jeans. It wasn’t in the cards for us. We danced between two worlds, one of trying to assimilate with our peers and a world in which we didn’t get to fret over which prom dress to buy. We needed boundaries, but the real adults in our lives were desperate to survive; they too were in survival mode. We had no choice but to lean heavily on each other, our crew. Even though we were foolish at times, I am convinced we survived those years by melding as one. Individually, we would have drowned, but together, we were the right amount of everything. Together we were one strong girl. Mick taught me the importance of mental toughness. I was a bit soft and needed sharper edges if I was to survive; she helped sharpen my edges. Mick was always strong, wicked smart, and hard-working… still is.

Today, it seems Jagger was right; we are getting exactly what we need out of life. Mickie is still small but doing big things, one step at a time. She is redefining fitness. Turning the industry upside down, calling BS on the false narrative, the excuses, turning I can’t to I can. She does all the heavy lifting and connects the dots. As a result, she offers a fluid (because we are all different-one size does not fit all) template to reclaim our fitness. All of this …from the comfort of home.  

One Strong Southern Girl was launched in 2017 (the name could not be more fitting).  Mickie believes that we can manage our health (body, mind & spiritual) with physical strength. She encourages all of us to rep it out. Strength is required to handle life’s hurdles. You can’t leap hurdles without strong legs; we must prioritize, we must do the squats. 

Mick answers to mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, blogger, podcaster, instructor, author, designer, motivational speaker. She is kind, funny, intelligent, and speaks all things Southern, ‘y’all fixin’…she is a big ball of awesome. She is kicking ass and is honestly a goddamn cheetah, as one of my favorite authors, Glennon Doyle, says.

Together JOY is a sisterhood, a community, and Mick embodies this philosophy. She is all about, “I gotcha, I believe in you”, she wants all women to soar. It’s clear that I adore her, she is a lifer; after all these years, I am stronger with her by my side, and I also have a deep respect for what she is doing because she walks the walk and practices what she preaches. She too is ridiculously busy, she has kids, basketball and softball tourneys are part of her weekends, she has a career, she is one of us, she gets it- she designs programs with purpose, with a busy life in mind, and with no pricey memberships. I invited her to share one of her posts-this one focuses on younger girls; frankly, it still applies to this forty-plus girl. 

Mickie you are, in fact, One Strong Southern Girl, a beacon of hope, a reminder that anything is possible. Keep turning things upside down. Keep being a fucking cheetah sister.  

XOXO,

If you could go back in time what would you tell your younger (teenage) self about your body and fitness? ~MIckie

Do you ever hear a group of teenage girls talking about pretty much anything and think…Wow, did I ever think like that?

Overhearing the conversations of a younger generation of girls often makes me think of my own teenage years.

Float back in time with me to your days of Guess jeans and Aqua Net.

Whether you were the rockstar of sports, queen of every social circle, or preferred to hang alone with a book, you had a teenage body and you had an opinion about it.

So, if you could go back in time and tell yourself something about your body and fitness, what would it be?

I have a few ideas for myself…

Be Patient

Oh, teenage me, try and dig up some patience.

You’re going to need it in every aspect of life but especially when it comes to your body.

A woman’s shape changes as often as her moods and sometimes it’s not fun to watch or live out.

College, career, friends, relationships, pregnancy…with every stage of life, your body will transform like a ball of fresh playdoh. You’ll be shocked at the shapes your silhouette can (and will) take on.

But hang in there.

Remember, you’re the one building this castle and you get to decide how it ends up.

Don’t settle down with a shape that makes you unhappy. Strive for a healthy body, one inch (and one pound) at a time.

And never, ever get cocky when your body is looking good.

Because karma is real, girls.

The second you think your body is amazing–WHAM–just like that, you’ll wake up with cellulite dimples and folds of fat squeezing out of your seams one morning when you’d swear you left all your body parts perky the night before.

You’ll never forget every size and shape you go through physically because it changes you psychologically.

Be a good steward of the things you learn and ALWAYS encourage other women in different stages of their lives and body shapes.

Thighs aren’t everything…

As a teenager, every other second (for me) was spent daydreaming about being something I wasn’t (and never could be).

Maybe you wanted bigger boobs or a flatter stomach. But my obsession was laser-focused on my thighs.

I swear I spent HOURS wondering what it would be like to have skinny thighs. #sadtruth

If I could go back in time, I’d grab my face with two hands and stare daggers right into my eyes and make myself promise to never, ever waste another spark of neuron juice on the appearance of my thighs.

I’d give myself a giant bear hug and insist that I love my body (every last fold, dimple, and curve).

Because after all—my teenage thighs were actually trim and tone next to the barrels of cellulite with sandals at the ends that I’d be lugging around in a few years when I was pregnant.

So, enjoy those teenage thighs, I’d say.

Focus on health as a complete package (mental and physical) instead of being fixated on a single body part.

Trust me, dear teen, no amount of leg lifts will morph your physique into the likes of Brooke Shields.

Step away from the french fries–and the beets

Maybe it was pizza or cheeseburgers for you, but for me, it was French fries.

I knew they weren’t healthy. But it didn’t matter. I ate them. A lot of them.

I’d definitely tell my teenage self to go easy on the French fries (and coddle those young arteries like a kitten instead of treating them like my first car–oil change?–What’s that?)

And then there were the beets…

I remember my dad’s face when I told him I needed him to buy beets, vanilla ice cream, and carrots—a far cry from my usual grocery list of Lucky Charms and microwave chimichangas.

The beets, ice cream, and carrots were a trifecta of the items in a ‘Lose 10 lbs. in 3-days’ diet I’d gotten ahold of.

Me (and all my friends) were absolutely convinced it was the magical order in which we ate the foods on the list (there were instructions) that caused the incredible weight loss. (Just in time for the weekend, baby!)

Funny how it never occurred to me that maybe it was the portions of the foods (the 3-day diet allowed for 1-cup of most of the things on the list) that resulted in weight-loss, rather than the foods themselves.

I’m not sure if you could actually lose 10 lbs. on the diet because I never made it past that cup of beets in the first 24 hours.

But I pulled that magic diet out many, many Wednesday afternoons.

There was also the grapefruit diet and the liquid diet…you see the common variable with all of these diets.

A quick fix! Instant gratification, of course!

Listen up, I’d say to teenage me. Life is hard. Life is short. And there’ll be plenty of time to diet later.

For now, just eat smart, for crying out loud. Eat with intention. Don’t shove it in if you don’t need it.

When it comes to exercise–do what you want–but do it

When it comes to exercise (and life), here’s a novel idea…do whatever the hell makes you happy.

Not what makes your best friend, boyfriend, or that girl who sits 4 desks in front of you in Honors English with the best damn hair happy, either.

Because guess what? You’re you, and they’re them.

And don’t pretend you don’t know precisely what I mean by that.

Find a way to move your body that makes you happy and do it all the time.

Whether it’s yoga, karate, hiking, canoeing, pogo-stick jumping, square-dancing, whatever–find what works for you and make it a habit.

Because the moral of the story is>>>exercise must be a part of your life.

Not a fad. Not something cool your friends are trying out. It has to be a habit that takes root in your life, like making your bed (bad example), brushing your teeth, or drinking coffee.

Exercise is a permanent forever kinda thing. So, find something you love to do (that involves moving your body in a good way) and do it all the time, dear teenager.

Because if you wait until a whole bunch of sedentary habits has hijacked your daily schedule, it’s SO MUCH HARDER to love the idea of exercising.

Start looking now, I’d say to teenage me, for an activity that you love.

That choice might (probably will) change over the years, but the idea of exercising will take a permanent place in your life if you start now.

Your assignment…

Being 13-18 years old is a complicated time for a million different reasons.

But every single teenager needs to hear this: You are beautiful.

Find a teenager today.

Take a deep breath and walk right into their personal space and look them in the eye.

Say this: You look beautiful today

And then dive in and give ’em a bear hug.

Guess what? You just made their day (maybe even their week).

*I know you’ll be on the receiving end of exasperated eye-rolling, and a mumbled sigh of ‘what are you doing?‘ or ‘what’s wrong with you?‘, but just ignore it. You’re doing the right thing, I promise.

So, what about you?

If you could go back in time, what would YOU tell teenage you about fitness?

Questions For Mick…

Why did you start One Strong Southern Girl? What is your BIG why?

I want to help women find their inner strength to conquer anything in life–from going after their dreams to leaving relationships that aren’t healthy. It starts with taking radical responsibility of your physical health. I realized as an adult that my mental resilience had come from the things I’d learned through exercise (starting young with competitive sports continuing as an adult doing workouts to stay fit). Physically strong. Mentally tough.

When did you F.L.Y. (first love yourself)?

Just like most women, this is a work in progress for me. But I try to be very intentional with my inner voice and try to develop habits that support the life (and body) I want. (And avoid situations, people and things that don’t.) It’s only been in the last year that I realized it’s ok to say no to the things in life that aren’t serving me. And that setting boundaries isn’t about keeping others out but about protecting myself and my goals.

Why do you think you have such a ‘strong’ following?

When I started OSSG I focused a lot on trying to help everyone.  These days I’m more interested in attracting women who ‘get me’ and are truly interested in my philosophy and how I can help them. I’ve had women tell me they can envision hanging out with me and that’s why they like to follow me. That’s the best compliment I could get. But at the end of the day, people want to be lead by someone they can trust so I try to be as genuine and authentic as possible so women know they can trust me to help them as best I can.   

What is your mantra?

Commitment trumps motivation all day long. We figure out how to do the things we’re committed to. 

For example, we’re committed to being good parents, paying our bills, going to work—these are all things that suck sometimes but we know we can’t say ‘if I only had more motivation, I’d pay my water bill’, because it’s non-negotiable. 

Self-care should be a non-negotiable, as well.

Too often women use ‘lack of motivation’ as an excuse. Motivation is fleeting. Commitment is everlasting.

So, get committed and you’ll find a way to do it.

How does your message resonate with your teenage daughter?

I like to think I’m a role model for her but it’s hard to tell. LOL. I want her to be her own person and find her own path in life. But I really hope she learns from me how important it is to be independent, strong and resourceful as a woman. I don’t want her to ever feel like she needs another person to do anything.