Broke collegiate records on the crew team at my college.
Graduated with a bachelors in Exercise Physiology.
Learned how to spin fire props, weapon props, and circus props in my earlier 20s.
Created a business out of my circus arts and turned my passionate hobby into a form of income.
Opened up an e-commerce shop and created a form of passive income.
American College Sports Medicine Personal Training Certification
Throughout my life, I've always been exceptionally athletic. However, I had a lot of trouble focusing my strong energy and utilizing it properly. As a kid, I enjoyed grabbing a PVC pipe and going on make-believe adventures with my friends through the woods; fighting bad guys in our imaginative mystical lands. By age 12, there was no use for that anymore since it was time for me to grow up. My father knew I was more athletic than most girls, so he decided to sign me up for running sports. I had very low self-esteem as a kid, but cross country and track taught me how incredible I could be. I ended up walking on both the middle school and high school cross country and track teams as the fastest endurance runner. I immediately started winning first-place titles, gold medals and plaques, and a lot of positive recognition. Throughout my youth and college years, I also participated in Greek dancing and Greek basketball. Greek dancing gave me the opportunity to somewhat creatively express myself through movement while also engaging heavily with the Greek community. Greek basketball was also a big thing when it came to networking within the community, but it also offered me other movement skills that normal running didn't. By the time I enrolled in my undergrad, I had quit competing in running sports. However, I continued to train myself at the gym. This made me realize that I wanted to go a step further into my training and actually study health and fitness. I enrolled in the Exercise Physiology program at my college. I have done a few internships with athletes of all levels (anywhere from young child athletes to Olympians). Eventually, towards the end of my undergrad, the crew team found me. I again became very successful in competing in the rowing realm. I broke many collegiate records and helped push the team into success. Eventually, after college, I signed up for the adult program of Cleveland, where they were much more competitive. I also became successful with this new group, however, I was no longer the fastest on the team anymore. I was the third fastest on the team, while the 2 fastest women were well into their 40s, and very established adults. It was a great way to challenge myself not only physically but also professionally. Throughout my rowing life, I had worked as a fitness trainer at various gyms. Eventually, I wanted to study more professional athletes, so I took some time to intern at Geneva's Olympic trainer center, Spire. After that endeavor, I started diving more into a hobby of mine that I picked up a year prior to working at Spire. I learned the art of fire/LED prop manipulation and circus arts. I continued working as a trainer but my workouts revolved around my circus art. I actually found myself becoming more athletic than while I was a competitive athlete. The circus art that I picked up had a bigger variety of range of movement that needed to be studied. This eventually lead me into studying Functional Patterns. I realized that if I wanted to be a better-performing artist, I needed to train my body better and more intentionally. At around the time of Covid, I had fallen out of training others and spent a lot of time focusing on myself. Covid gave me the opportunity to dive inward to fix my own errors. This self-reflection process actually catapulted me into becoming a professional Circus artist. I have my own solo performing business and I get paid to be an athlete. What is so beautiful about this path is that in order for me to be a better Circus Artist, I have to be better at studying human biomechanics, and in order to be better at studying human biomechanics, I have to be a better trainer. Likewise, I become a better trainer, coach, and mentor to others as I dive into my circus arts more. As I learn better ways to move the body on stage, I take that into the gym and teach it to my clients. I failed out of my Masters, I couldn't row anymore because I wasn't wealthy enough, and I had to find something else to keep working out. I am the type of person that needs to excel and work at something in order to feel whole and fulfilled. I need to obsess over some sort of adventure, some sort of project, something to keep me moving upwards. I decided to intern at the Olympic training center in Geneva. I was signed up to work with them for 6 months. They paid me $90 a month to spend 10 hrs a day, 5 days a week at the gym, training professional athletes, and then spend the rest of the day (including while I was sleeping) watching 21-year-old female Olympic swimmers at a house nearby. I got free room and board, but virtually 0 freedom. The only freedom I had was 1 Sunday off a month...between the hours of 8 am-8 pm. I broke under the lack of freedom and straight up couldn't do it anymore. After a dramatic way out of my situation, I found myself back where I was again when I quit racing and when I failed out of my Master's program...lost, hopeless, and confused.
I've had many failures and downfalls in my life. I think the absolute biggest turning point ever was when I failed out of my Master's program. During that time, I was dealing with a traumatic experience with another individual and it caused me to lack focus. I was still on the rowing team then, and I was still making major gains through rowing, but my academics weren't all there. In fact, I've always struggled as a student, however, I have never FAILED out of anything. When I failed out of my Master's program, I was forced to hardcore reflect on my life. I wondered why I even started my Master's Program in the first place. The ultimate answer was that I was doing what people thought I should be doing. I wasn't following my own path, I was just following the status quo. Due to my athleticism and my love for fitness, I was told I HAD TO graduate with a Ph.D. I was taught that only great people in our society were highly qualified academics. I learned that greatness is not about the certifications and degrees you have under your belt, but how strong you can get up when you knocked down. I also learned that greatness happens when you create something magnificent out of pain. This was not my only major failure in life. Like I've said, I have had huge downfalls throughout life. However, this particular point in my life taught me to finally step into the path that I want for myself. To ignore what everyone else says I should do, and do what I feel is right for me.
My purpose for coaching is really for me to learn how to master the body. Although I've spent literally almost my whole life studying human biomechanics, I am forever a student of the craft. I love learning, and in order to learn, I must apply. Coaching others, and training myself offers me more tools to help expand the life of a human.
