I started CrossFit in 2013 after my career brought me to the Lancaster area. Not knowing many people in the area, I was looking for a way to meet people; but being a high school and collegiate level soccer player, I was also looking for something to keep me active. Little did I know walking in that door for the first time would change my life forever!

Working out was not new to me but CrossFit opened my eyes to what fitness truly was. The constantly varied workouts challenged me and pushed me out of my comfort zone, I’ve done things that I’ve never imagined I could do. The heart and commitment of the other athletes was contagious, not to mention, the knowledge and enthusiasm of the trainers. Walking in that door, not only taught me about the real meaning of fitness and functional movement; but nutrition, mental toughness, and community!

Walking in the door was the hardest part, but the results spoke for themselves, both physically and mentally. My love and interest for CrossFit grew with every WOD, PR, and competition, I was hooked. I wanted to learn more and better myself, so I got my L1 in June of 2016. That summer, I was offered the opportunity to coach. With a coaching background in soccer and being a current teacher, it was an opportunity that I could not pass up. I was excited to share my knowledge, passion, and experiences with others and help them change their own lives.

I have always had a passion for sports and staying active.  Through high school and college I played field hockey.  After graduation I chose to take up martial arts and got my black belt in Tae Kwan Do. My next addiction was running.  I was determined to make it to the Boston Marathon.  After just missing the cut by :14 I sought out a running coach, who also owned a CrossFit gym.  I would watch the classes and was envious of the variety of their workouts, the fun they were having, and the strength they had.  So in 2013 I joined my first CrossFit gym and never looked back.  My first CrossFit WOD was Helen with a 20# bar.  To this day, Helen is still one of my favorite benchmark WODs.

CrossFit gave me something to look forward to at every class.  Being a Masters athlete, it showed me that I’m capable of doing things I never imagined. Being in a community where I could be inspired by every athlete in the gym was, and is, amazing.  I love watching people compete.  I love watching people try something new that they didn’t realize they could do and I love seeing those smiles of accomplishments.  That passion led me to seek out coaching.

When I’m not at the gym, I’m either at my business (The Olde Mill House Shoppe) or spending time with my husband and three sons.  I still love running, but now “long distance” to me is anything over three miles.

The beginning of 2013 is when I would say my passion for CrossFit was born.  Growing up I was a competitive swimmer and diver, continuing this through high school.  I was always a member of a local gym with my primary focus being the typical “cardio” workout.  That all changed when I was introduced to CrossFit.

Intimidated, nervous and excited would describe my feelings right before that first WOD.  As soon as it was over I was hooked.  It was difficult and challenging, forcing me to perform movements that I’ve never done before.  CrossFit changed my physical and mental view of what being in shape means.  I mentally struggled with my body image while growing up and was diagnosed with cancer in 2000.  After struggling through my own obstacles and my year of chemo, never in my wildest dreams would I think that I’d be in the best shape of my life while in my 40’s.  I attribute CrossFit for my new found self confidence and strength.

CrossFit is made up of an amazing community that supports and encourages everyone on a daily basis.  Pushing and challenging each other to do better than the day before.  Friendship, support, strength, health, self confidence and so much more is what CrossFit has given me.  It’s only natural that I would want to help everyone else achieve that same goal for themselves.  That is what coaching is all about!

I first found CrossFit in 2013. A friend of mine convinced me to drop-in while we were on vacation and I had never experienced something so challenging, so humbling, and so fun. Since then I have never looked back.

Over the course of six years, I used CrossFit as a way to push my limits, achieve milestones, and find a strength I never knew. The biggest and best challenge came when I found out I was pregnant and since then through my postpartum journey. I had to learn to pay attention to my body, to move with intention and quality versus intensity and volume. When once before my drivers were to be the best, strongest version of myself, I now find that fitness is more for being well, quality movement, and setting an example for our daughter.

I decided to pursue my Level-1 in 2018 to share my knowledge and help others find their power and be their own inspiration. I want our athletes to show up and be present to their best selves and be okay with it looking different to someone else’s

I found CrossFit in 2007 from an unlikely source. I was in a personal training program and my instructor (a decorated powerlifter) was spending a few days going over non-traditional forms of fitness. He hated CrossFit and wasn’t shy about saying so. So being the rebel that I am I tried it out with a few classmates that day. Naturally I almost died and was instantly in love.

Teaching CrossFit really appeals to my more detailed nature. I love obsessing over the technical minutiae of the Olympic lifts or the compensation patterns that cause a little lack of ankle mobility to morph into back pain. I geek out hard in the gym. But it’s more than that.

Like that first WOD CrossFit constantly humbles me not only in my personal fitness goals but in its capacity to change lives. I’ve seen it bring completely disparate people together, strengthen people emotionally and physically and give a person a sense of control over themselves they never had before. It truly is the complete package and I love to see people get hooked and watch the impact it can have on their lives.

When I got out of college, I thought I was in the best shape ever. I was running a few miles every day, playing lacrosse, and “lifting” on machines at the gym. Shortly after I met my husband, I started going to a personal trainer. Doing that completely altered my view of what being in shape looked like. I was totally not as in shape as I thought I was. Down the road, I got certified as a personal trainer and that’s when my best friend convinced me to try CrossFit. It was many months of me saying things like “No way! You guys are crazy. I could never do any of that stuff” before I finally gave in. I found my first box in August of 2013 and once again realized how out of shape I truly was! I was immediately in love and signed up right then and there.

CrossFit has given me so many great gifts, not only in my own personal accomplishments, but in all the athlete’s I’ve coached and competed with thus far. With an athletic upbringing, I’ve had many injuries throughout the years. One in particular kept me going to a chiropractor monthly. Thanks to CrossFit, I’ve built up my strength so much that I haven’t been back in years! Knowing that this sport is helping so many people in so many walks of life continue their lives with more ease is so satisfying. And who doesn’t love seeing someone do something they never could before? They get so excited and their eyes light up. That’s what I love about coaching – the satisfaction I get from helping people becoming better versions of themselves.