The frustration sets in because you had to stay late at work and you haven’t cooked dinner yet, the kids are waiting to play ball with you and you still haven’t worked out yet, but you know you need to.
Sometimes it seems like there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. That’s not the case for Autumn of the Saint Louis Rams Cheerleading team. Autumn maintains a full-time job, is married with two little ones and is starting her first year as an NFL cheerleader!
Autumn has worked in the recruiting business for six years. Less than a month ago she was interviewing an individual for a position and was told, “You have to get comfortable being uncomfortable to really progress in life”. Autumn took those words of advice to heart. She applied for a new job in recruiting and has held that position for a little over a month. Not only did she progress in her career, but she decided it was time to go for her dream and tryout for the St. Louis Rams cheerleading squad. She made the team and those words of advice have jump-started her new journey.
Autumn has always found great joy in performing. When she had her first child, Aiden, who is now 5 years old, she knew she was going to have to take a break in her dancing career. Two short years later Autumn had a precious baby girl, Avani, who is now 3 years old. Autumn continued to take dance classes, work hard, and follow the St. Louis Rams cheerleading team. She knew a good amount of women on the team and learned the ins and outs of the organization.
Autumn’s 30th birthday was coming up and the desire to dance again was scratching at the door. She also knew the children were getting old enough to understand, so she listened to the advice “getting comfortable being uncomfortable” and pushed for her dream, and is now cheering for the St. Louis Rams!
It’s hard to get everything accomplished in a week with so much going on, but Autumn says, “It’s all about a balance of your time. The one thing I really try and do is focus on where I’m at, at that specific time. I try and stay off my phone and really remain focused on the family when I’m with them. Then when I’m at practice or work, I do the same. Really being able to be focused and present in the moment helps me to give each part of my life 100%.”
Autumn and her husband are both very busy and successful parents, but they make sure to show their children how important they are to them. Autumn says, “We eat dinner the old fashion way, at the table, all together. When I am cooking the children are there with me telling me about their day or out playing with their friends in the yard, not watching the television”.
Education is very important in their family. Autumn and her husband both graduated with College degrees and her husband just completed his Masters. Autumn says, “We want to let our kids know that you can do it all! That they can be successful in school, extra circular activities, and you can still spend the quality time with friends and family. People get caught up in there isn’t enough time and I believe that there is”. Autumn is achieving the things that she wants to accomplish in life, and her thoughts are, “Why not do it now?”
During Autumn’s audition process, her family were her biggest fans. The Rams have multiple rounds that they have to go through in order to be one of the final few selected. One of the rounds is a swimsuit round and her daughter, Avani, helped her bedazzle her suit. Avani also assisted in helping her mommy put on her makeup during tryouts. When it was time to practice the routines, she had to work on them a bit at home. Her son Aiden decided it was his time to help out and got up and showed his rhythm by dancing beside her, while her daughter liked to act like the crowd and cheer for her as she performed in the living room.
When the selection day approached, Autumn’s name and number had been called. Aiden looked at the person beside him and said in a really proud tone, “Yeah that’s my mom!”
“I feel really lucky to have a family that is entirely supportive of me, and we as a family have to be that way towards each other if we want to be successful in life” says Autumn.
Having the opportunity to perform at this level and with the St. Louis Rams is phenomenal. Autumn is looking forward to giving back to the community and interacting with all the fans. She can’t wait to be on the sidelines getting the crowd pumped and seeing everyone’s energy. Each cheerleader is required twenty appearances a year and she can’t wait to get started with giving back to the community through these appearances because this is something that has been missing in her life for the last couple of years.
The cheerleaders have two practices a week, along with all of the home games. And don’t forget working out! Yep, being a cheerleader means you have to stay in tip-top shape! She gets up in the morning before the kids get up and gets her run in. Her husband is a personal trainer on the side of coaching and helps to mix her workouts up a bit too. She makes sure to eat clean with those tasty egg whites, grilled chicken breasts, and veggies, but does live on the wild side and gets a cheat meal in every now and then.
It’s definitely hard to get everything to fit into your week, but to Autumn, it’s all worth it. You ask when her ME time is she says, it’s when she is at practice with her teammates working on the routines. That’s her ME time; it’s doing what she has been passionate about for so many years.
We all have those days when we feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day, but when you hit that point, remember Autumn. Remember that she pushes through each day with a smile on her face as she tries to reach out to each person she encounters. Autumn wants to be an inspiration to others and to make sure other women don’t give up on their own personal dreams just because they have a family or a busy schedule. She hopes that maybe more people will reach for the stars, and perhaps it’s not dancing, but it’s growing a garden or going back for their masters. Whatever it is, she wants people to jump into it and go for it!
