I did team sports from childhood through my 20s, mainly soccer and rugby. I enjoyed the teamwork and the physicality. I took up rugby because I kept getting yellow cards in soccer. In my late 30s, my knees said "hey, please stop" so I found CrossFit. I loved moving heavy things with my body, and it still felt like we were all in it together. Having spent about half of my life in search of the right diet to control my unruly body (thanks to Roxane Gay's book "Hunger" for that term), I counted my last calorie in my mid-30s and found anti-diet, HAES, fat acceptance, etc.

I took a break from fitness and tried to figure out why I was moving my body: did I find it joyful or was I doing it out of penance? I still craved being physical with my body. I wanted to tackle people, throw heavy things to the ground. The heavy lifts were my favorite part of CrossFit so when I was ready to return, I knew I'd need to find the right way for me. I found Will and began remote personal training with him. I was beyond thrilled when Will and Christina opened All Bodies Strong. I've said it a million times, but being there truly feels like being on the playground as a kid before you know what shame is. I've had many a bad day turn around into a good day after a visit.

Movement has meant a lot of different things to me over the years. The urge to treat it like penance has dimmed and I now strongly associate many kinds of movement with joy. I love power-lifting. I love biking and hiking. I love walking my dog. I love yoga. At the end of 2024, I asked Will and Christina if they could help me become a coach and they agreed. Because of a recent brain surgery (I'll tell you all about it if you want!) I can't return to power-lifting until 2026. But through coaching, I've found that I can get a lot of satisfaction out of watching others get their lifts in. It's not quite the same movement, but I'm loving coaching too. Come lift with us!