Despite founding and creating iGnite and having a very clear vision and mission, I am the worst at accurately describing who we are. For over simplification purposes I can say we are a holistic women’s fitness community, but in my opinion that doesn’t come close to describing us. For years I lamented over an "elevator pitch" (you know, the one I'm supposed to be able to say in 30 seconds or less), but have been wildly unsuccessful at creating one. Fortunately we've been able to come up with one sentence that most accurately describes us, which is "an inspiring, encouraging and empowering fitness and lifestyle community for women." For the sake of needing something short and sweet it does the trick, but I’m finally realizing why it is impossible to describe us in less that 30 seconds, which is our core value focus for this week— "family."
So, what is a family and what does family mean. It's complex, which is why I can't describe iGnite. Even Merriam-Webster finds it difficult to describe. They say "The answer to the question what does family mean is both difficult to answer and highly subjective. The word has shifted its meaning considerably since it entered our language, currently contains many different senses, and in at least one of these senses may signify different things to different people."
In iGnite, we feel family is a combination of these three personal dynamics: community, friendship and tribe.. and it all starts with community. A community is a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society. In iGnite, the common interest of health and fitness is what initially brings us together, but as a result of the time we spend together sweating, working hard and having fun, friendships are formed. A friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between two or more people. Personally, my deepest friendships have been established in iGnite and although I love hearing when individual health and fitness goals are achieved, when I learn of friendships built due to iGnite experiences, I do emotional backflips! Why? Because the friendships are what will sustain us through life. Finally, when intimate friendships form, a tighter and stronger circle is created, which is a tribe. A tribe is a distinctive or close-knit group. Subsequently, the combination of community, friendships and tribe ultimately create a true family and family goes beyond blood lines.
For iGnite, family is everything and while we love seeing you in our classes, we also look forward doing life with you. We love, support, encourage, inspire, empower, see one another through thick and thin, get personal, go deep and stay deep. Family is an anchor, filled with love, sharing, laughter, fun, and play and that is what makes the iGnite family. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your family and for being part of our iGnite family.