Jilleyn, I love your story! I know that if Sean were to read this right now, he would do exactly what I am doing – congratulating you, cheering you on, and thanking you for allowing others to share in your journey as we all continue to work toward powerful growth, mentally, emotionally, and beyond! Whether you choose the lion or gazelle, we are so glad you chose to “start with the heart” with Sean and Cardio Coach! All the best! Colleen

I can’t overemphasize the profound and long-term change Sean effected in me. Before starting Cardio Coach, I had never played a sport or belonged to a gym, much less embarked on interval training, but in my mid-30s I found myself wanting to melt off a few pounds and build some muscle. I’ve always had a treadmill, because the one thing I liked to do was walk, but I had never sprinted or even jogged on it. And I don’t even remember what compelled me to download Volume 1–the idea of “working out” was so alien to me! But I do remember bringing it up on my clunky first-generation iPod and sweating my butt off to those volumes night after night–sometimes envisioning myself as the gazelle, sometimes the lion. And how excited I was of course when a new one would come out. I truly loved doing Cardio Coach 4 or 5 times a week at home, and I really gave the workouts all I had.

Thanks to this initial inspiration, in the years following Sean’s death (which I wasn’t aware of for several years), I increased my exercise level to distance outdoor running and even managed to pull off a few sub-4-hour marathons. I also competed at local shorter races and was usually a contender for 1st or 2nd place among females in my age group. This is only because Cardio Coach’s challenge intervals had introduced me to actual speed–which mentally, again thanks to Sean’s inspiration, I was able to stretch out over several miles when I took it out on my own.

As time went on, various physical signs emerged that I am not built for lifelong distance running. So, to save my back and joints, I cut my mileage, joined a gym and have been spinning faithfully there a few days a week for 2 years, in addition to running only about 12 miles/week and power-walking about 10 miles a week. I look and feel more athletic and confident than I’d ever imagined I could, and I don’t suffer from any injuries.

So as you can see, my psychological and physical health, my readiness to take on challenges and so many other meaningful things about myself are forever changed because of Sean. And I wish I could email him right now to let him know how his legacy continues in me to this day. And that as I inch toward age 49, I look fit and attractive, and I am in the best shape of my life–simply because he showed me how to actually ENJOY working out.

Again, thank you for doing this, and thank you for reading!