Inspiration comes in a lot of different packages. We’ve got superheroes, real and imaginary, that provoke a sense of awe and aspiration. We’ve also got everyday heroes and humans that walk among us as friends, family and colleagues, inspiring us to practice courage, take one step, try something new, or try just a little harder. Becky is the Marketing Operations Specialist and one of our everyday heroes and wonderful inspiring humans at Metabolic Meals.
Meg: So how long have you been with Metabolic Meals?
Becky: I’ve been with the company for about 2 1/2 years.
M: Sweet, and what does your job entail?
B: I do a lot of behind the scenes work for our marketing team, pulling levers and pushing buttons to make sure colleagues and customers have the information and communications they need, when they need it. My daughters tease that I spend all day sending e-mail and scrolling social media.
M: Haha, I mean, if that’s your job, then clearly they should just be allowed to do the same thing. Is this something you were doing in your previous job or that drew you to the company?
B: This is wildly different from anything I’ve done before. I was in the middle of a life transition, and was striving to make a lot of changes, work among them. At the same time, I was dialing in on eating good food, with an eye to improved health… and here’s this company, a small company, doing big things, believing that making even the tiniest changes can help you move forward. That’s a philosophy I TOTALLY believe in! I took a chance and reached out, saying I don’t know yet where you need my help, but I’d love to talk about it! … And that’s how we got started.
M: That’s so fun, you kind of got to create your own position. And now that you’re here, what are some of the work challenges that you’ve had?
B: My background is education, so learning marketing on the fly has been a challenge! I’m a big picture thinker, and I love finding creative solutions to problems— which is good because my job gives me new opportunities to problem solve daily! I love my team, I have supportive leadership, and I believe in the mission of the company. In this moment, I couldn’t ask for more!
M: Gosh, that really resonates with me too. How about accomplishments and things you’re proud of?
B: I’m proud of my children— I’ve raised good people, and I don’t tell them that enough. I love learning new things— I’m in grad school now— even when the new things are hard or outside my wheelhouse… I taught myself to roof watching YouTube videos and reading library books— and then re-shingled my porch! It takes courage to do new things, and I really, really don’t like making mistakes… but you can’t get better if you don’t try— and trying means making mistakes. So I decided I was more comfortable making mistakes and trying new things than just doing the same things I’ve always done.
M: Yes! I also love YouTube University, one of my favorites. You mentioned your interest in health and wellness and I’ve heard you had your own transformation of sorts. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
B: I‘d love to. Ten years ago I was a worn-out momma of littles, taking care of everyone but me. The number on the scale was creeping up, I was dissatisfied with how I looked, and I was exhausted, every day. I got on the scale one morning and realized I weighed 100lbs more than I had when I’d graduated college. I decided I’d had enough. I thought “I am not this person; I can’t keep doing this.” It felt insurmountable, and so I said, “you know what I can do, I can walk a little farther every day, I have the energy to park 2-3 spots away at work.” Because that’s ridiculous, you have to walk back to your car. That’s not exercise, it’s life. I can do life. I can manage that much, and so I did.
It occurred to me about 3 months later, when I was at the far end of the parking lot, that this probably wasn’t a big deal anymore. I had enough energy that I could walk a little bit farther, so I started walking around the block after dinner every night. I walked more, and I ate less… it took a while, but three years later, I was one hundred pounds lighter. I ran my first 5K, then another. I did a 10K, then a duathlon, and just before the pandemic I completed a sprint triathlon. I feel good on the inside and I feel good on the outside. I still walk, run, and swim a few times a week. There are so many ways to measure success; I think a lot of times we get hung up on a number— I weigh this many pounds, I’m this many years old, I ate this many calories— and we forget to measure any other way.
M: Yeah, in parking spots! That’s such a creative achievable way to start.
B: Exactly, it’s any little thing you can do to get yourself unstuck. Just do any one little thing and it’ll build.
M: That’s good advice, the hardest thing is often to just start, and it’ll totally build. I also heard that you have some big plans for this year, anything you want to share?
B: Yeah, I turned fifty this month, and I wasn’t really looking forward to it— it just felt like such a daunting number. As a society, we have so many ideas about what constitutes “old,” and even though my body has been here for a while now, I just don’t feel old… So I started thinking, What can I do to make this milestone year special, to embrace it? I decided to do something fun or interesting every month, to level up… I’m throwing myself a party, first! And next month, I’m doing something I’ve always wanted to do— getting my scuba certification! In the fall I’ll go leaf peeping in New England, I’m signed up for an improv class this winter, and I’m going to wrap up the year with spring training– or at least Opening Day for the Cardinals– because I love baseball.
M: Ohh, that’s so good! Such a great opportunity to celebrate all year long. And then maybe on the other side, keep celebrating?
B: Yeah, as I was looking at things I might want to do, the list goes on longer than 12 months’ worth of stuff. So I might have to keep trying new stuff and things.
M: Completely agree. Is there anything else that you’d like to share? Or maybe something about you that most people don’t know?
B: A few thoughts. I love taking photos of doors and I’ve got an Instagram account called My Unbroken Doorknobs. It’s super fun. Something a lot of people don’t know is in 1994, way back in the day, I tried out for Jeopardy! and got to meet Alex Trebek. And I mean, he totally knew me. He called me by name–the girl in the back with the ponytail, so we were besties. That’s something not many people know about me.
The other thing I would say is, it’s really, really easy to be afraid. I spend a lot of time looking over my shoulder, not to see what used to be, but to remind myself of everything I’ve already done and use that experience to move myself forward. Because I’ve done a lot of things that were hard or scary or that took more courage than I thought I had in that moment. Those tiny things can help leverage me forward to whatever the next thing I need to tackle is, whether it’s a relationship or whether it’s a question I’m afraid to ask or a thing I’m afraid to try. That’s something that matters to me.
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Struggle is part of the human experience, and the notion of courage and celebration in all the small steps is a worthy reminder. Becky’s story and outlook is nothing short of inspirational, her attention to detail and work ethic is next level, and we like that she cannot help but bring puns to our meetings. The value Becky brings is immeasurable and we’re grateful to work with her.
