At the end of every year, I like to look back and reflect on the good, the bad, and everything in between. 2018 was truly the year of growth for me and I’m walking into 2019 feeling the best I’ve ever felt – mentally, spiritually and even physically. Going back through photos, videos, and social media and wow… what an epic year it was. I’m so grateful for all my big moments and thankful for the learning moments too. Here are my 12 of my favorite moments this year:
Rebranded Fitness Ambassadors
I rebranded from Dallas Fitness Ambassadors to Fitness Ambassadors. I essentially gave myself the opportunity to take my life’s work and travel with it. Each year, as I make changes and improvements, it continues to evolve and it’s just so cool! I eventually launched it in Austin, got my trademark approved, and got to meet some incredible people along the way. We hosted countless community events, worked with national brands to create interesting marketing strategies, and freakin killed it.
HQ at Goodwork
After a year of working from home or random coffee shops, I realized I missed the routine of going to an office. I made the decision to office out of GoodWork which is located outside of the Cedars and Deep Ellum and love it. The vibes are so on brand with my company and it’s been really awesome to be around other entrepreneurs. Plus, my coffee expenses finally went down. It felt good to have a second home and try to separate work and personal life.
Renewed my ambassadorship with Michelob ULTRA
This was year two as a global Michelob ULTRA ambassador. Felt really grateful to be part of their influencer team again this year. We renewed my contract on my actual birthday! I was able to travel to Santa Monica for the influencer summit with Instagram and got to experience their first ever ULTRA Fit Fest in Scottsdale. Seriously SO much freaking fun. They’ve been a great partner for my events and I’m a fan for life.
Featured in Dallas Observer. TWICE.
This was seriously so cool and a highlight in my career as an influencer and entrepreneur. It felt so great to know that my work was getting noticed. Thank you so much Isabel for taking the time to get to know me, experience one of my favorite events, and sharing my story. You can read them here:
Life of an Influencer: Mai Lyn Ngo Gets Paid to Eat Fried Chicken
Fitness Ambassadors and Yogis Gather for Silent Yoga — You Know, Like Silent Disco
Joined the Oakfit Fam
I found a new home at Oakfit. It was just by chance that Ron reached out to me via Instagram and invited me in to train. We hit it off and I’ve never been more grateful for our friendship. It’s been amazing to train with true purpose, with a clearer understanding of why I’m doing what I’m doing, and being able to share the highs and lows with all of you. I always come back to strength training and lifting. After every lifting session, I walk away feeling strong, accomplished, and challenged mentally and physically. While this is the most “fit” I ever felt, training with Ron goes beyond the aesthetic. It’s helped me become more confident in myself and my ability to do more. Thank you for welcoming me into the Oakfit fam.
Body Positivity + Confidence Found
I’ve always considered myself a confident person, but something about this year helped me really come into my own. Like any person, I had my own body insecurities and I challenged myself to overcome them. Logically, I knew my insecurities were stupid. Before this year, I would never photograph myself straight on without a shirt. I felt very insecure about my belly region. However, with the content partnerships this year, I wanted to push my limits and just get over it. I was tired of wasting energy feeling bad about myself. It required me to get comfortable in front of the camera. It helped me learn how to love my body, stop myself from nitpicking things that no one else would see, and just OWN it. A combination of working out at Oakfit and shooting with my favorite person ever, Maribel Morales helped me gain confidence in myself and I learned to love my body so much more. This was huge for me. I posted about it here.
The Opening Finals with Nike
Probably one of the coolest media experiences I’ve ever had. It was a weekend packed with football, fun, and new friends. I made connections with folks from all over the U.S. that share the love for Nike and Football. The swag was legit and I even got to play a pick up game of touch football! So in my element and I want to do it all over again. I got to see the best of the best train, saw some all-star NFL players that made my friends jealous, and left with an unforgettable experience.
Fitness Ambassadors turns 3
Celebrated 3 incredible years of events, people, and community in West Village. The celebration included a silent disco yoga class and ended with a block party that went into the night. This event was so freaking fun and I loved seeing all of my friends come to show their support. It meant the world to me to see familiar faces and to realize that my company turned 3!!! My heart was so full and it was the perfect way to celebrate this milestone.
Adventured to Hong Kong and Thailand
Traveled to Asia for two weeks in November for an unforgettable adventure. It’s been years since I took an international trip and this was so fun! I ventured to Hong Kong to visit my best friend John where I ate my way through the city. Loved that I could go from a cosmopolitan city to mountain peak and back down to a beach all in one. I love Hong Kong and can’t wait to back. Even more surreal were our adventures in Phuket, Thailand. It was endless pad thai, beautiful beaches, and all the best memories. We traveled to Phi Phi Islands, visited the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary and chilled TF out. Just what I needed.
Collaboration with adidas
As an influencer and entrepreneur, I am so grateful for every opportunity that I’m given. I was able to work with some incredible brands this year. One of my favorite collabs is with adidas. I was invited to be part of their blogging community where we are offered actual sponsored opportunities to create content and blogs. Working with adidas was on my vision board and it came true! I’m so excited to continue working with them in 2019.
Other amazing partnerships include Fabletics, Ketel One Botanical, Crusher Wines, 7-11 Now, Smoothie King, Bulletproof, JC Penny Active, Sprouts and so much more.
Ran my first 10K with BMW Marathon
This was one of my favorite partnerships this year because it pushed me out of my comfort zone. I consider myself more of the heavy lifting type of girl and have shied away from running. This forced me to train to run a distance I’ve never done. I experienced excitement, doubt, discouragement, and more. I completed the race on a rainy, cold day without stopping once during the run. Realizing my body is capable of doing more than I imagine was so cool and I felt so proud of myself. Also loved being able to share the whole journey from beginning to end.
All about the people
I’ve had some pretty amazing people come into my life. This year, I was surrounded by friends that actually want to show up for me and support me as much as I do them. Without a strong support group, I would not be here and I’m so grateful for some of the badasses that continue to push me, cheer me on, and tell me what’s up. Going into 2019, I have my tribe and I love them hard.
Thanks guys for following along and having my back during these last 6 years of blogging. It’s been pretty incredible and I’ve got to meet so many awesome people. Here’s to another year of opportunity, abundance, and purpose. Happy New Year!