The Journey So Far (yes, I am a huge fan of Supernatural):

My journey to fitness started way differently than a lot of trainers. I spent my younger years doing everything in my power to avoid physical activity and it was only once I was a graduate student that I decided to try using running as a coping strategy for the stress of working on a PhD and coping with infertility (spoiler: I survived my PhD, countless 5Ks, 3 half marathons, and now have three brilliant daughters). Graduate school was probably one of the lowest times of my life, especially as a former gifted child with undiagnosed ADHD, but running turned into a safe space to release all of the frustration and stress, even as I transitioned from academia to full-time motherhood of a child with special needs.

After the birth of my second child in 2014, I hit rock bottom thanks to severe post-partum depression, but somehow I managed to continue to drag myself to the gym everyday and discovered powerlifting (along with finding the right combination of medication to help me manage my depression symptoms #breakthestigma). I went on to compete in my first powerlifting meet, lift through my entire third pregnancy, and have the easiest c-section recovery of all of my pregnancies. Even through Covid shutdowns, powerlifting has remained a touchstone for me through all of the ups and downs.I have also had the opportunity to earn a blue belt in combative kickboxing, a yellow belt in Shingitai Jiu Jitsu, and dabble in Olympic lifting.

I started coaching professionally in 2020 and have experience with general fitness clients, powerlifters, martial artists, and nutrition only clients. I am particularly passionate about working with neurodiverse clients to translate their goals into concrete action steps based on their unique abilities and needs. I know from my own ADHD journey that typical theories around habit formation are often not inclusive of our unique brains. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to merge my love of fitness with my education in biomedical science to provide current, evidence based guidance based on the latest research.

Why Superkind?

It took me SEVEN years to actually sit for my personal trainer exam because I kept hearing “you don’t look like a trainer” from almost everyone I knew. Unlike a lot of fitness professionals, I have struggled with my weight and body image my entire life and have experienced first hand how intimidating and unwelcoming the fitness world can be for women and people with bigger bodies. Lifting taught me to love and accept my body for all of the amazing things it can do and that my value is not determined by how little space I can take up in the universe. I want fitness to be a safe space for every client and strive to meet everyone where they are on their own journey with sensitivity and respect. The is room for EVERY body in fitness and I truly consider it an honor to be part of every client’s personal journey.