Be the First: The Moment I Stopped Waiting for Permission
I'll never forget the sound.
That pop. That sickening, career-ending pop that echoed through the American Ninja Warrior course as my ACL tore on national television. One second I was flying through the air, unstoppable and invincible. The next, I was crumpled on the ground, staring at the ceiling lights while cameras captured every moment of what felt like my dreams dying.
But here's the thing about rock bottom—it gives you a solid foundation to build on.
Lying there in that moment, I had two choices. I could let this injury define me as the girl who got hurt on TV, or I could become something else entirely. I could be the first person I knew to come back stronger than before.
I chose to be the first.
What Does It Really Mean to Be First?
Being first isn't about winning some competition or beating other people to the finish line. It's about being the first person in your own mind to believe something impossible is actually possible.
It's being the first in your family to start that business. The first in your company to speak up in that meeting. The first in your friend group to go after that "crazy" dream.
Every single breakthrough in history started with someone deciding to go first. But let's be honest—it's terrifying. You're walking into the unknown, fighting doubts at every turn, feeling like you don't belong.
The Framework That Changed Everything
When I was rebuilding myself after that injury, I developed what I call the WRITE framework. These are the exact steps I used to push past fear and step into being first:
Recognize and Feel: I gave myself permission to feel devastated. For three days, I let myself grieve what I thought I'd lost. But I set a deadline on that feeling.
Identify What You Can Control: I couldn't control that my ACL was torn, but I could control my response, my rehab, my mindset.
Generate a Game Plan: No one goes from injured to unstoppable overnight. I broke it down into tiny, manageable steps.
Hold Your Why: When the pain got unbearable and doubt crept in, I remembered why I was fighting—to prove that setbacks don't have to be endings.
Take Action: I sent the email to my physical therapist. I showed up to that first appointment. One step, then another.
The Ripple Effect of Going First
Eleven months later, I didn't just return to American Ninja Warrior—I dominated that course. But the real victory wasn't in my performance. It was in the messages I started receiving from people who watched my journey and decided to be first in their own lives.
There was Amy Jo Martin, who wanted to do a flip on stage in front of thousands of people. Corporate leaders who stopped waiting for perfect conditions to solve impossible problems. Women who finally believed they could do that first pull-up.
When you step into being first, you don't just change your life. You create permission for everyone around you to do the same.
Your Turn to Be First
Right now, I want you to grab a piece of paper or open your notes app. Write down that thing you've been putting off because you didn't think you could do it. That goal that excites you but also scares the hell out of you.
Feel whatever comes up—the fear, the doubt, the excitement. Set a deadline on those feelings, then ask yourself: What can I control right now? What's one tiny step I can take today?
Because here's what I know for sure: You were built for this. Resilience isn't something you're born with—it's something you build, one first step at a time.
The world doesn't need more people waiting for permission or for someone else to go first.
The world needs you to be the first.
So what's it going to be? Are you ready to step up and be that first person? Because I promise you, every time you choose to go first—even when it's messy, even when you doubt yourself—it leads to something incredible.
Your breakthrough is waiting on the other side of that first step.
