You meet people, even if it’s not always face-to-face…Crystal’s charity challenge to walk on fire captured my attention from the start to her fabulous finish! Click on the video to listen to the music that inspired her, then read our interview. Bet you’ll think twice next time you are faced with fear or a real challenge!

YGF: Your experience was life changing for you and touched so many of us, like an arrow straight to the heart. During your fire walker training you were asked to write down something you want, you wrote down five words and then honed in on one – Joyful! Can you share the other words you wrote down and what they mean to you today?

Crystal: Thank you so much Correen. This is really an honor for me.

During the training we were asked what we wanted – anything, whatever we wished. After we wrote it down we were asked how we would feel if we had that thing. My five words/phrases were Great, Healthy, Thankful, Better Mother, Happy. Then we were told to narrow it down to one, so I looked at all of these and the best word I could come up with was – Joyful.

My one thing was that I would want to loose weight because I am about 100lbs overweight. I know I would feel great and be healthy if I could loose the weight. I would also be a better mother with more energy. And I would be happy and thankful. All of this really comes down to…I would be full of joy if I were to loose the weight…Joyful. So that became my word. In all honesty that is what I want in every part of my life, to be full of joy.

YGF: At the beginning of your lens you mention that your family thought you were crazy for doing this. What do they have to say now that you successfully walked across a ten foot bed of hot coals?

Crystal: My mom claims to have never thought I was crazy, but she’s said she’s very proud of me. She thinks I’m a very strong woman. My husband is proud of me and says he sees a major change in me. He says I’m more easy going and full of life. My 9 year old thinks I’m superwoman now and he wants to walk on fire too! I think my step dad was just relieved that I wasn’t burned. Before the event he heard on the radio that the guy leading it had been burned during one of his walks. All in all they are all very proud.

YGF: Your inspiration before fire walking was to listen quietly to the song I Dare You by ShineDown. I got goosebumps listening to the song – did you? What is your favorite line from the song?

Crystal: After the training we were all very emotional and this song was a last moment to get our thoughts and feelings in check. It was so very calming and energizing at the same time. My favorite lines are:

“Even in madness, I know you still believe
Paint me on canvas so I become
What you could never be”

For me, in the context of the fire walk, it was saying that yes, what we’re going to do was crazy but since we believed in what we were doing that we could become what we couldn’t be before because of fear. It may sound far reaching, but that was the part that really spoke to me.

Now after the fire walk I feel like it’s telling me to project what I want and eventually I’ll feel that way. I guess it goes back to the whole law of attraction thing.

YGF: I am curious, as others may be too – did you have blisters on the bottom of your feet at the end of the fire walk?

Crystal: I had no blisters. About 3 hours after the walk my feet got really hot and felt sunburned, but it didn’t last. The next morning my feet were fine.

YGF: By doing this fire walk for charity it also helped you face a lot of personal issues. Could you please share your thoughts with us about how to overcome fear?

Crystal: As I mentioned before, one of the things I want is to be a healthy weight. I realized because of the fire walk that it was fear stopping me. I was afraid to fail. I was afraid to look funny exercising. I was afraid to be noticed if I were to loose weight….the fire walk was symbolic for me.

I think back and say to myself “this is nothing, I walked on fire” and then I’m calm and unafraid. I think anything we’ve done can do this for us.”I’ve had a child, this is nothing!” “I’m a giant squid, this is nothing” “I have dealt with teenagers and survived, this is nothing!” “I quit drinking, this is nothing” I think we all have those things that we can look back on.

If we can look to those accomplishments in the face of fear, what do we have to fear in the first place, since we’ve already faced so much more?

Since the fire walk I have been exercising because I’m no longer afraid. I have loosened up and am more relaxed. I have joy because the fear in my life is gone, there’s nothing holding me back now!

Thank you…Crystal