I've run over 10 marathons and love to lift heavy things (clean & jerk, deadlift, back squat, bench press, overhead squat). I've also been doing CrossFit since 2013, which is a feat in itself to stick with something this long.
Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer
CrossFit Kids Trainer
CrossFit Weightlifting
CrossFit Endurance
CrossFit Nutrition
CrossFit Flexibility
CrossFit Anatomy
CrossFit Gymnastics
... and more
As a previous high school science teacher, I love to travel and I spent many summers with some awesome teacher research experiences (working on a fisheries research vessel in the Bering Sea, touring around Germany when they won the 2014 World Cup in soccer, or exploring the west coast by hiking Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens after working at Pacific Northwest National Lab). I moved to southern Maryland in 2012 and joined another CrossFit facility when it opened in early 2013. I struggled to jump on a 6-inch box or complete push-ups on my knees when I first started, but found it oddly exhilarating to be laid out on my back at the end of a hard workout, wondering what just happened. I completed my CrossFit Level 1 certification to start a CrossFit Kids program (the first one in Calvert County) and found myself wanting to coach everyone from kids to teens to adults. After co-owning and running a CrossFit facility from 2016 to 2019, I opened a2o Fit: Home of CrossFit Panthera in July 2019 to expand the coach-led classes in northern Calvert County/southern Anne Arundel County.
I was never a super athletic kid growing up. I played rec league sports, but I wasn't great at any of them (soccer, softball, track & field). I've always liked fitness-y things (hiking, horseback riding, swimming, etc.), but I didn't find my passion for fitness until I joined CrossFit. I used to look at working out solely as a way to lose weight and get skinny. I remember going to the rec center in college to "lose the freshman 15" (more like 30) and hating the workouts themselves (it still gives me nightmares when I think about those spin classes - sorry to my Peloton folks). When I moved to southern Maryland in 2012, I didn't have any friends, so I started running and joined the first CrossFit box in the county to make some friends. I fell in love with the community and the workouts - there was always something I couldn't do (but I would practice getting better at them). I liked to be able to see how far I had come in my jump rope skills or watch my run times get faster. Now I just want to lift all the heavy things and feel confident in my body and encourage those around me to do the same.
I love to watch people accomplish their own personal goals or hit new milestones, no matter how seemingly small they might seem. Some of my favorite memories from coaching are the first time someone jumped on a plate 6 inches off the ground or did their first push-up on their toes. I also love to work with folks who are motivated and coachable - they check their ego at the door and utilize modifications to the workouts based on their goals and how they're feeling that day. I don't have a favorite class to coach; I truly love them all in their own way. I love making fitness fun at a young age so hopefully, they take that same passion with them as they get older. Coaching our SilverFit folks reminds me of working with my Dad. I love our CrossFit classes because we really strive to make each workout tailored to the individual so they feel accomplished when they're done, surrounded by a community of folks that are just as proud of everyone's hard work each and every day.
