Meet the trainer
Hello and welcome to my webpage! If you're here, I know you’re looking for a way to elevate your fitness routine- and you have come to the right place. Whether you’re looking to regain strength, enhance flexibility, focus on nutrition habits, graduating from physical therapy, or simply wanting to “get back into it” in a safe and controlled setting where a professional can assess proper body mechanics, I am here to help every step of the way.
Why do I do this, you might ask? Well, pull up a chair and let me tell you my story.
After leaving my home town in Texas I found myself in Colorado and a wee- bit home sick. I was finishing up my undergraduate degree at MSU Denver and realized (several pounds later) I had zero time to workout for myself. I needed to get paid to workout or else it just wasn’t going to happen. I enrolled in a personal training course (another class, just what I needed right?) and as soon as I felt ready to take my certification exam, I did. I wasted no time finding a job at a gym. Let me tell you, this gym changed my life! As I began my new role, I learned I had inadvertently become a therapist too. The individuals I trained, not only needed guidance on body movement, but many needed to be heard and, quite frankly, validated. The reward I felt in my new role was a new feeling I never thought I needed. As I became established in my position, it was clear that I had a knack for connecting with our senior clients. Anyway, fast forward a bit, my grandma flew out for my graduation and it was the first time I saw her struggle to walk! She was 75. My grandma was everything to me- she basically raised me, along with my parents. It broke my heart to see that her sedentary lifestyle was beginning to take her independence. Here I was, well equipped to help her, yet I couldn’t help the way I wanted to. I would write programs for her to follow, ask her if she was keeping up, but the reality was that she needed more accountability than I could provide. It was extremely challenging to not be able to help someone that meant so much to me. After graduation, I stuck with personal training. I felt I had found my calling and it wasn’t going to be behind a desk in the Public Health field. I began to work with the majority of our senior clients at my gym. I treated them as if they were my own grandparents and the feelings were mutual. I gained several “pseudo” grandparents in my journey and it felt amazing. Although I decided to move to Arizona, I retained a few of my favorite clients and trained them online- a BIG adjustment but if they were determined to keep up, I was going to be there for them. I didn’t realize this would be my new platform until Covid struck. Talk about being ahead of the curve by chance! During this time, I enrolled at U of A (Bear Down!) for a Master’s program in Public Health. It seemed like a promising choice considering the state of the world. About halfway through the academic year, a senior living community position fell onto my lap. Their fitness department wasn’t “shut down” completely like most gyms. WHY? Because for seniors, movement is ESSENTIAL. It was a different path I had in mind for myself (back in school thinking about Public Health careers again) but something about it resonated with me. I went for the interview and met a few residents while I was there. I knew immediately that’s where I wanted to be. This new role I took on, lead me to where I am today. Although I no longer have my grandma to check in on, I have a place in this world now that let’s me help others live life to their full potential. It’s something I wish I could have given my grandma but now can give to others. It’s something I would love to help YOU with!