Jenny Clough and Trish Warren are on a mission to reshape the world one woman at a time through their annual Total Makeover Challenge. Started in 2009, Clough, who owned a gym at the time, created the Challenge to inspire and motivate her female clientele. After coming in second in the first Challenge, Warren approached Clough and suggested the two collaborate to expand the Challenge’s reach.
By 2011, the popularity of the Total Makeover Challenge had grown so much, spilling over city borders and involving nearly two-dozen people, Clough and Warren created the Shape Your World Society, a not-for-profit organization through which the Challenge is now managed.
“We’re growing because we keep getting requests,’When are you coming to my city?’” explains Warren. “And we’re trying to make it happen.” First started in Abbotsford, the Challenge spread to Langley in 2015, and now it’s reached Vancouver and Chilliwack.
Registration for the Challenge opened on Dec. 1, and closes Jan. 17, 2018, with the top 30 contestants from each community being announced on Jan. 21. Panels of judges composed of sponsors, board members, and previous contestants for each of the four cities will select the Challenge’s 120 contestants.
Warren adds Challenge applicants don’t need to live in the city they apply for, “but they do need to be close enough to commute to events.”
In explaining the Challenge, Warren says it’s about giving women the chance to better themselves beyond the physical. “We want them to have a better, clearer idea of who they are, and the amazing opportunities in front of them.”
And for them “to know they’ve grown as a person: we want to help them see into the desires of their heart,” and reach those goals, she adds.
For their chance to participate, Challenge hopefuls need to complete an online application detailing why they believe they should be chosen. They also need to pay a non-refundable fee of $31.50, which guarantees entrants a consolation bag filled with more than a $100 in gifts from participating sponsors even if they’re not selected for the Challenge.
The Challenge lasts four months, with participants taking part in weekly weigh-ins and measurements. And each round of the Challenge is designed to 0ffer the women a way to either reconnect with themselves, or give back to the community.
“We realized over the years how personal health and growth are connected,” says Warren. “So we want to help the women be all they can be. That’s why the personal development aspect (of the Challenge) is so … important.”
To apply to the Total Makeover Challenge, visit totalmakeoverchallenge.com/register.
@SarahGawdin
Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com
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