Catchup with Coach M - Edition 58 - When You’re Forced to Start Again: Protecting Momentum After Rock Bottom

The Hard Reset: When Momentum Is the Only Thing You Have

This one was hard to write.

Three weeks of starting, stopping, rewriting, deleting, staring at a blank screen. Not because I didn’t know what to say — but because this is a place I never wanted to visit again.

Scratch. Rock bottom. Starting over.

Six weeks ago, I finished chemo. And if I’m honest, it felt like life pressed rewind — five years back to just after my colectomy. The fatigue. The weakness. The emotional fog. The physical setbacks. It all felt painfully familiar.

And I fought it.

There are many details to this journey that I won’t share — but understand this: the fight was never about resisting what needed to be done to heal. I was willing to walk through every part of treatment. The fight, for me, was about survival. It was about seeing the bigger picture when everything in the present felt heavy.

I wasn’t just fighting the treatment. I wasn’t just fighting the side effects.

I was fighting the possibility of losing my momentum — the very thing that had carried me through five years of recovery, and the five years before that of pure survival.

Years of quite literally fighting for each day. Fighting to keep moving forward. Fighting not to give in. Not to give up. Choosing, again and again, to keep living. And finally getting to a place where my nervous system wasn't in survival mode. Because our story isn’t finished yet....

momentum creates joy in all parts of life. Live to created the life you want to live!

AND Because I know something about momentum: once you lose it, it’s harder to rebuild than it was to create in the first place.

So I adjusted.

Was it easy? Heck no.

I’m sitting here with emotions layered on top of each other — gratitude that treatment is done, frustration at the strength lost, humility in the total hair loss, the muscle loss, the drop in cardio fitness. Yes, my cancer journey looks different from someone else’s. But that doesn’t make it less meaningful.

And that’s something we need to remember.

Rock bottom is not universal. Starting from scratch is not one-size-fits-all.

We are individuals. We process differently. We experience challenges differently. What devastates one person might strengthen another. What looks manageable from the outside may feel like survival on the inside.

For me, the real battle wasn’t just physical recovery.

It was protecting the automation of habit. Because what gets us out of scratch — whatever scratch looks like — is momentum.

Momentum built through daily, intentional action.

I’m sitting on day 580-something of consistent, intentional daily movement. It has never looked the same.

Trust me, even as a meticulous planner, my schedule has not always gone to plan.

But the automation I built — the identity of being someone who moves daily — became my anchor along with a few other habits I built over the years.

Even when uncertainty tried to pull me under.

I listened to a podcast recently where the host spoke about losing momentum after just a few days in bed with illness. How quickly the brain justifies rest turning into more rest. How food tracking slips. How food choices slips Journaling stops. Workouts get postponed. Purpose softens. And how much harder it becomes to restart than to simply continue.

That hit me.

Because although from the outside it may have looked like I was “still going,” internally the uncertainty of what comes next threatened everything. The only thing that saved me was this:

I was not willing to give up on the daily movement. Some people might read this and see it as Vain, and unnecessary - but each person has that one or two things that keep sanity. For me mentally....daily movement plays a massive role in the way I function daily, my mood and also how my body feels.

And that’s where today’s real conversation begins.

Not about cancer Not about setbacks. Not even about rock bottom.

But about the conscious, daily decision to build — and protect — momentum with purpose.

In our businesses — through marketing, planning, consistent action. In our health — through meal prep, movement, recovery. In our families — through time, presence, attention. In ourselves — through discipline, journaling, reflection, growth.

Momentum is not accidental. It is chosen.

And sometimes, when everything else feels uncertain, it’s the only solid ground you have.

This brings me to the real topic for today… Starting from Scratch: Rock Bottom, Momentum & the Rebuild

Starting from scratch.

It sounds dramatic. Almost cinematic. Like everything burned down and now you’re standing in the ashes.

For some, “starting from scratch” is rock bottom — the end of a relationship, a failed business, illness, burnout, financial stress, a race that went horribly wrong, or a season where you simply lost yourself. For others, it’s quieter. It’s waking up one day and realizing you’re no longer aligned with who you said you wanted to become.

The truth is, rock bottom has no universal definition. It’s deeply personal.

What feels like devastation to one person might look like a minor setback to someone else. And that’s okay. Your version of starting over doesn’t need validation from anyone.

But here’s the part people don’t talk about:

Starting from scratch isn’t just about loss.

It’s about momentum — or rather, the lack of it.

The Invisible Struggle: Lost Momentum

When life is flowing, momentum carries you.

You’re training consistently. You’re eating well. You’re sleeping enough. You’re ticking off tasks toward your goals.

And then something disrupts the rhythm.

In fitness, it could be injury. In life, it could be stress, illness, grief, or burnout.

Suddenly, you’re not just rebuilding fitness or a routine — you’re rebuilding momentum.

Momentum is powerful because it removes friction. When you already train four times a week, the fifth session feels natural. When you’ve been journaling daily, reflection feels automatic. When you’re disciplined with nutrition, better choices require less willpower.

But when momentum is gone? Everything feels heavy.

One workout feels like climbing a mountain. One healthy meal feels like effort. One small disciplined action feels like a battle.

And this is where most people quit.

Why Momentum Matters More Than Motivation

Motivation is emotional. Momentum is mechanical.

Motivation comes and goes. It’s influenced by mood, weather, sleep, hormones, stress. If you rely on motivation alone, your progress will always fluctuate.

Momentum, however, is built through action — especially small, repeatable action.

In fitness:

• One 20-minute walk becomes three.

• Three strength sessions become a weekly habit.

• A habit becomes an identity.

In life:

• One honest conversation builds courage.

• One uncomfortable decision builds clarity.

• One small win builds confidence.

Momentum doesn’t ask how you feel. It asks what you’re doing.

Starting From Scratch in Fitness

If you’ve ever had to return to training after illness, surgery, injury, or a long break, you know the humbling feeling.

Your lungs burn sooner. Your strength feels reduced. Your endurance isn’t where it used to be.

It can bruise your ego.

But here’s the reframe:

You’re not starting from zero. You’re starting from experience.

Your body remembers more than you think. Your mind understands the process. You know what consistency feels like.

The key is not trying to “get back” overnight.

Starting from scratch in fitness requires:

• Reduced intensity

• Realistic expectations

• Patience with your current capacity

• Commitment to showing up, even imperfectly

Momentum in fitness is built by stacking small wins:

• 10 minutes instead of 60.

• Bodyweight instead of heavy loads.

• Easy miles before fast ones.

Consistency builds confidence. Confidence builds momentum.

Starting From Scratch in Life

Life goals are no different.

Maybe you’re rebuilding:

• A career

• A relationship

• Financial stability

• Self-worth

• Health after a difficult diagnosis

• Or simply your belief in yourself

The hardest part isn’t the external work. It’s silencing the internal voice that whispers:

“You should be further by now.”

Comparison kills momentum before it even begins.

When you start from scratch, your only job is forward motion — no matter how small.

Momentum in life is built by:

• Keeping promises to yourself

• Choosing discipline over excuses

• Taking responsibility instead of waiting to be rescued

• Focusing on today, not the mountain

Progress compounds.

Just like training adaptations, life growth happens quietly at first. You don’t notice it day to day — but six months later, you realize you are not the same person.

The Power of Identity Shift

Starting from scratch gives you something powerful:

Choice.

When everything feels stripped back, you get to decide:

Who do I want to be now?

In fitness: - Are you someone who moves daily, regardless of mood?

In life: - Are you someone who finishes what they start?

Momentum begins when identity changes.

Instead of saying: “I’m trying to get fit.”

You say: “I’m someone who trains.”

Instead of: “I’m trying to rebuild my life.”

You say: “I rebuild.”

Small language shifts create powerful behavioural shifts.

Practical Steps to Build Momentum From Zero

1. Lower the bar — temporarily. Make success almost guaranteed. Small wins create traction.

2. Remove emotional negotiation. Decide in advance. Schedule it. Show up.

3. Track consistency, not perfection. Momentum loves repetition.

4. Detach from timelines. Growth is not linear.

5. Protect your energy. Sleep, nutrition, boundaries — they fuel consistency.

6. Celebrate effort. Effort precedes outcome.

The Truth About Rock Bottom

Rock bottom isn’t the end.

It’s a foundation.

When you start from scratch, you’re not weak. You’re rebuilding. And rebuilding requires courage most people never develop because they quit before momentum kicks in.

Momentum doesn’t explode overnight.

It whispers.

It starts with:

• One walk.

• One disciplined choice.

• One uncomfortable action.

• One day of consistency.

Then it becomes two.

Then five.

Then a habit.

Then a lifestyle.

Then a new identity.

And one day, you’ll look back at the season you called “starting from scratch” and realize:

It wasn’t the end.

It was the reset that built your strength — physically and mentally. Have a brilliant week and remember Motivation is emotional. Momentum is mechanical.