A lifestyle transformation
P
eople who meet Amanda Mavar-Schmidt these days see a self-assured woman who is fit, successful and happy. Her business, Paddles Up Paddleboards and More in Ocean Springs, suggests an owner who has always practiced a healthy lifestyle, but that was not so. Mavar-Schmidt married young and became a mother at age 20. She had her second daughter when she was 23, and by the next year, she was divorced. “I had a rough time when I was in my 20s, after the divorce,” she says. “I moved to Florida after Katrina, and things went downhill first. I hit bottom and changed my life from there.” Mavar-Schmidt says her epiphany came when her father came to visit her when she was at her lowest point. “I remember looking at him and seeing him, seeing me, and knowing I was capable of so much more,” she recalls. “That was the moment I asked for true help and meant it.”
Mavar-Schmidt turned her life around then and there. In 2008, she stopped drinking alcohol, stopped smoking, started eating healthful foods, and has continued the healthy lifestyle ever since. She works out nearly every day and believes that being active is the key to relieving stress; having a longer, healthier life; and maintaining a positive outlook. She credits her life transformation for making it possible to start her business. Going from being unable to even hold a job to owning and operating a business that promotes an active lifestyle has made all the difference, and was a natural fit: an active business and a healthy lifestyle goes hand in hand with paddleboarding. The business offers paddle classes and race training, as well as board rentals. “It is just a fun way to get active and get in touch with nature, so it is good for your body and mind,” Mavar-
Schmidt says. “It is so easy to just disconnect from the world when you’re out on the water, on a board.” Mavar-Schmidt believes the key to the success she now enjoys in both her personal and business lives is the balance and connection she works to keep with mind, body and spirit. “All three of these things need to be working together to help an individual reach their highest potential,” she says. “I feel better than I ever have and I believe I look better than I ever have. I am looking forward to my 40s because I know I am going to be rocking it even more by then.” For those starting their own journeys to a better life, MavarSchmidt advises to maintain commitment. “Some days were — and still are — easier than others, but as long as you get up and do something, that’s when change will start to happen,” she says.
“People that meet me now cannot believe how I used to be when I tell them my story, but the people that have known me through it all know that if I can do it, anyone can.” 36
January - February 2016