July 17th, 2020

Agape Leaders Rebranded

​Agape Leaders’ website has been completely revamped by the talented Jessica Maldonado. She has dragged our organization into the 21st century with her on point graphics and exceptional designs. But don’t take our word for it, you can see her work first hand by perusing our website or by visiting her website at vichesniche.com

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Meet Madison Deaton

This month’s guest writer is Madison Deaton. She is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in kinesiology. She is also a certified nutrition coach and personal trainer. She is the owner of The Fit Flamingo Studio, in Plano, TX. The studio is a 40-foot shipping container she converted into a safe space for women.
With a positive energy that transcends just being a fitness coach, Madison seeks to help women love who they are, right where they are. Her goal with The Fit Flamingo Studio is to create a safe place where women can gather, speak vulnerably and authentically, and grow in their self-love and body resilience.
It is an honor to have Madison Deaton writing this month’s Agape Letter. We believe you will enjoy her message too.

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Dear Friend,

 I don’t know you.
 And yet I do.
You’re my brother. You’re my sister. You’re my friend and fellow seeker of the Light, searching for truth in the darkest of places. You’re showing up even when it’s hard. You’re facing the giants of this life even when you’re running low on stones to throw. I see you and I’m so honored to share this space with you.

Hi, I’m Madison :)
I’m a personal trainer and nutrition coach who’s on a mission to help women feel really good in their own skin. I own a fitness studio in my hometown of Plano, Texas where I coach women through their trauma, deeply rooted pain, and negative beliefs so they can fully own their lives and embrace all that they were created to be.
Within this post, I wanted to share two things that were on my heart.

Number one is this:
YOU ARE ENOUGH.

 Just as you are.
There’s nothing you can do to earn or un-earn it. You’re enough. Simple as that!
But let me ask you this, do you believe that you are enough?
Take a moment to sit with yourself and see what thoughts and feelings come up for you…

[Did you sit with yourself and ponder this question!!? Do you believe that you are enough??]

Maybe you know you’re enough, but you don’t feel like you are. On a conscious level, we know we’re loved and valued but on a deeper subconscious level, we may be holding on too tightly to old stories and limiting beliefs from our past.
 
For example, as a young girl, basketball was my first love. But I often got bullied for being “too skinny.” I was called names that have stuck with me my whole life. And now as an adult, I’ve had to be really intentional about letting go of what those people said about me. You see, it’s all too easy to let negative opinions and mean comments become our truths.
 
But it’s our job to identify and become aware of the thoughts we’re listening to with the aim to heal the deeper root cause.
 
Now, I have the power to claim who I want to be (who I am), create space for myself and others to shine, and to believe full heartedly that I am enough.
 
It’s super counter-cultural to feel good in your own skin, without wanting to lose weight or change bits and pieces about who you are to feel worthy of love.
 
Loving who you are is a radical form of self-care.
 
So let this post be a friendly reminder to you that you always have and will always be enough. This truth is here waiting for you to claim, own, and fully believe. It’s yours for the taking!

My second point is this sweet and simple truth:
THERE IS ONLY ONE YOU.

 So friend, I beg of you!!! Show up to each day in the way that only you can. Do it unapologetically. Show up with bravery and an unmatched fierceness, even in the midst of your doubt and faithless nights.
 
Show up on the good days and show up on the tough days too. Show up when you’re filled with joy and know that you can show up even on the days when the depression feels too heavy to lift you off the floor.
 
For you don’t have to show up perfect. You just have to show up as you. Fully you.  
Because that’s where the magic is.
 
You see, God will always use where we’re at to grow us. Every season of this life has meaning. Each struggle shapes the narrative of our story. Every high offers a new vantage point and every low is filled full with lessons to be learned.
 
So soak in each season. Treasure the periods of waiting. Trust in your slow and steady growth. Find the strength to be grateful, even when the answer is “no.”
 
Because there is magic to be found as we sit within our story, without rushing to the next chapter.
 
So sit with your sadness, anger, loneliness and disappointment. Sit with your joy, victories, blessings, and peace. Sit with your scars, trauma, hurts, and baggage. Sit with them long enough to know what they came to teach and reveal to you.
 
And as you let yourself feel and experience all that this life has to offer, I hope you remember to cling to God and to the ones who remind you of your enough-ness. Be determined to find moments of hope and light, even in the midst of your messy middle.
 
For there is always Light to be found for those who look for it.
 
Dear friend, your Creator has already given you everything you need to live a life fulfilled. You have every tool and every idea already inside of you!!! You don’t have to become like someone else or do what someone else is doing. Because if you do, you will miss out on the very thing that God is calling YOU (and only you) to.
 
So be you.
 
Tell your story.
 
Follow the call that has been placed on your heart.
 
Because we need you to show up in all of your fullness. This is the fullness you were born to claim.
 
For you have always been enough just as you are.
 
So be you. Fully you. In the ways that only you can.
 
I’m sending you so much love.
 
You are enough.
 
With love,
Madison Deaton.
 
Ps! If you’d like to connect with me online, you can find me @thefitflamingo on Instagram and more resources for owning your enough-ness on my website @ thefitflamingo.com. You can also find me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/madisondeaton/. I’d love to hear what this season of life is revealing to you :)

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