Hey Y’all!
My name is Maggie Nell Sellers and I’m proud to be SLAMing with the Mamas in Columbus, GA!
I am originally from a small town in South Georgia and was transplanted to the Columbus area during my freshman year of high school. It was there that I met my high school sweetheart turned husband, Matt. We were married in 2007 and started our family with the birth of our son Jack (7) and have been blessed with another son Mason (5), and daughter Olivia Nell (1). I am SO LUCKY to be a stay at home mama to our wild and crazy kids! When I’m not chauffeuring children or doing the laundry, I am an avid gardener, beekeeper, and a reality TV connoisseur.
Growing up, I was not the athletic type by any stretch of the imagination. It wasn’t until I met a running-minded friend in my first job out of college that I ran my first 5k. I was slow, but I crossed the finish line! That lit something within me and I continued to slowly run around Georgia from one small town 5k to the next—collecting smiles, miles, and t-shirts along the way.
When we started our family, I learned just how becoming a mother can change you in big, overwhelming, whole heart kind of ways. I’d never known such love, fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, excitement, and joy could exist all at once. I was blessed see the beauty and the chaos that is motherhood with bright, yet sometime tear-filled eyes. I found happiness and deep, deep love in being a Mama, but the active part of my life slowly fell away. Making time for myself was no longer a priority and I thought that I was ok with that.
I first saw a SSM sticker on the back of a van in the carpool line. I went home and googled it to find a website filled with pictures of women smiling big smiles and looking healthy and strong. It was everything I didn’t feel about myself. I was struggling with unhealthy body image issues and at some point my self-worth became contingent upon my weight. I was in a low place and having a hard time loving myself, so the thought of getting out of my comfort zone and struggling in front of a crowd of women did not seem like something I was open to. Instead I told myself that I was going to make healthy changes on my own, but I kept allowing excuses to keep me from real results.
When I made the decision to attend a SSM class in August 2017, I pulled out my stroller (with flat tires :/) and took a leap. No one gave me a hard time because I was slow. Mamas encouraged me even though I could only manage one sit up (literally). I was amazed that a group of women would show such unfaltering support for me—someone they didn’t even know! Each morning I showed up and did the work. I didn’t let myself think about how sore I was or what fresh craziness they were going to ask of me. I just buckled the baby in the car and headed to the park, water bottle and growing determination in hand.
In time I found myself getting STRONGER and FASTER and I was the one getting to CHEER for other mamas on their journey. I have finally been set free from the scale and empowered with my own strength and a newfound belief in myself.
I’ve learned a great deal in my relatively short time with Stroller Strong Moms. I’ve learned that being around women CAN be a sisterhood of love and empowerment. It CAN be about struggles and real life and not just the highlight reels on social media. It is 100%, without a doubt worth doing because you cannot fail—they won’t let you! When I am mentally talking myself out of those last few reps, I’ll hear a mama encourage me to keep going. Surely if they think I can do it then I must have it in me! It has become part of our routine and I have never regretted showing up—even when the instructor decides it’s all the burpees, all the time.
If it hadn’t been for this place and this group of women, I would still be in that negative headspace letting my weight determine how much I loved myself. I’m proud to SLAM and show my children how strong their Mama can be.
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