From Miami to Dallas – The Calm with No Storm
In 64 days exactly, my family and I moved back to Dallas, Texas.
This may come as a surprise to most of you, but those who know my husband and me deeply knew this day was coming.
In hindsight, South Florida was a pit stop for my sanctification and my husband's glorification. The weather is beautiful, but truth be told, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. While everyone was attending holiday parties, checking off Christmas shopping lists, and writing New Year's resolutions, I was staying low—spending day and night preparing, packing, cooking, researching schools, and coordinating absolutely everything for our cross-country move.
Have you ever been through something that went so smoothly you couldn't even question the divine orchestration? Every detail aligned so perfectly that all I had to do was listen, obey, and adjust according to His will. When I tell you EVERY detail of this move worked out SO perfectly, there were moments I had to pinch myself. I'm smiling about it RIGHT now. It's one of those stories that's so good you don't even care to share it with anyone else. The joy from the experience is enough to savor on your own—within the tribe you entrusted to selflessly pray for you.
Now you may have some questions: How did I not know this woman moved across the country? How did she do it with two kids and no help? How did she not completely lose herself in the chaos? How did she manage to maintain her wellness? What about her business?
Valid questions. Honestly, if I weren't a good health coach, I probably would've flopped. It always comes back to being a good messenger by living your organization's message. Balcony People cultivates vitality—where your wellness is not just a goal but our purpose. My personal wellness as a bio-individual, wife, and mother is so rooted in who God has called me to be that it's the only way I know how to live. By keeping five things as my main focus during those 64 days, I was able to thrive and prosper through a vigorous transition.
1. I Didn't Tell a Soul. Not even my mom.
When my husband broke the news to me, the Holy Spirit put it directly on my heart to keep it to myself. As a health coach, I'm already disciplined about discretion, but this was different. This was God telling me to sit back and watch Him work. There were plenty of opportunities to confide in people I truly trust, but I chose not to out of reverence for God. By keeping this big secret between God, my husband, and myself, I conserved more energy, avoided absorbing others' opinions, and maintained a clear mind to hear God's guidance.
During our time at Believers City, led by Pastor Latasha Tudman and featuring guest pastor Joel Tudman, I learned how to support my husband in preparing for a pivotal opportunity. I learned to keep my circle small—less people, less opinions—and to proceed quietly. Pastor Joel said in a teaching one morning, "The key to your success is in keeping your mouth shut. Your power is in your quietness." He went on to discuss the strength it takes to control who enters your life and who has the privilege of knowing your blessings.
I realized that everything I'd been through over the last two years—renewing my mind, changing my habits and mindset, becoming who God created me to be—was spiritual preparation for the blessings I'd been asking God for. Keeping my mouth quiet ensured I wouldn't break under my own requests and wouldn't decrease by living between two worlds of sin and truth.
Proverbs 17:28 says: "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent." I wonder what grand blessings YOU could receive by simply keeping your mouth shut.
2. I Was Super Disciplined with My Diet
This comes as no surprise, but let me share my exclusive reasons why. When someone works with me one-on-one for six months, they learn about their blood type and the group of highly beneficial foods I call "Home Base." These are the foods you focus on when healing from illness, managing stress, preparing for a procedure, or going through significant transitions like starting a new job or moving.
Highly beneficial foods are green lights for optimal wellness. They help you detox, lose weight fast, reduce inflammation, keep your blood pure and healthy, and boost your immune system so you're resilient and fully prepared for whatever life throws at you. They're home base. The foods you can count on to take care of you the way our moms, grandmothers, and aunties did growing up.
As the Queen of my house, I didn't have anyone to take care of me outside of these beneficial foods supporting my body the entire way. My Type A beneficial list were my royal officials and supporting staff, keeping my royal body in line and in check so I could think clearly and work extremely hard. So whenever you're going through something intense that triggers stress or want to get your wellness together and detox that beautiful body, reach for home base.
3. I Stayed Committed to My Bible Studies and Prayer Time
For some, this may be at the top of the list. As a mom, I haven't figured out the exact formula for staying committed to a specific time slot with God every single day. But don't get it twisted, whether it's first thing in the morning, after school drop-off, or before bed, I get my spiritual studies done. Prayer and worship happen throughout the day.
During those 64 days of transition, my husband would take the girls to school, and between 8:30 and 10:00 AM, I was getting spiritually fit. I experienced the Holy Spirit in a way I'd never experienced before, paying close attention to my "sin list"—behaviors and tendencies that cut me off from hearing the Spirit and being used by the Spirit to contribute to a higher purpose. Truthfully, even now that the move is complete, I'm happy to report that my commitment still stands.
4. I Adjusted My Workout Routine
I de-stressed but didn't overwork my body with the constant moving. This adjustment has taken me to a new level of letting go—letting go of expectations, results, and the reflection in the mirror, and completely giving my body the grace it needed to endure the physical demands of moving.
So my isolated-leg-and-glute days, four-mile walks, and 4:30 AM gym sessions came to a complete stop between December 8th and December 31st. Instead, I did a lot of yoga, pilates, and stretching.
I visited Dr. Gena at Dr. Gena Chiropractic twice a week to maintain clear communication of the nervous system and spinal alignment during heavy lifting and constant movement.
My New Year celebration was a hardcore session under the warmth of the sun in my beautiful new driveway while my oldest rode her big girl bike around the cul-de-sac. It was one of the best moments ever. Our last morning in Florida, I did a quick two miles on the beach—regardless of how exhausted my body was from tightening all loose ends for the movers. That sunrise, that ocean smell, and walking next to my attorney (who happened to be staying at the same hotel) was a chef's kiss to my departure. A tight squeeze from The Man above, saying, "Well done, my daughter."
Yes, I slimmed down about eight pounds, and my booty got a little droopy. But I completed something that made me feel like I could do anything in the world. And for the record, gym sessions are fully activated now.
5. I Stayed in My Lane
The moral of this story is how I stayed in my lane. South Florida was for my sanctification and my husband's glorification. Dallas is his hometown, where our first child was born, and it's thriving now that Californians and East Coasters are flocking there.
When Akin came home with the news of his opportunity, I knew this was my test: to let him lead and to trust him completely. Whenever I felt the urge to voice an opposing opinion, I took it to God first and gave my husband time and space to think it through. In those 64 days, we were like synchronized swimmers beautifully executing our routine, choreographed by Heaven, and receiving our Olympic gold medal in the form of a key to our new home.
For me, that routine was called "The Nine Fruits," the virtues I've been faithfully working to acquire over the last two years.
The Result
Focusing on these five things allowed me to honor the one-inch rule—to not lose focus in the last inch. We did it. From Miami to Dallas, the transition back home was calm with no storm. I couldn't be more proud, I couldn't be more grateful, and I'm super excited for this next chapter in our lives.
