Meet Susan

I began teaching group fitness classes over 20 years ago for fun while working full-time in non-profit social work and education with youth and families, and continued as I transitioned through graduate school, work and later becoming a stay home mother of 3 young children.  Each season had it's challenges, but exercise always gave me an outlet to live more fully and lead a healthier life.  In 2013, after having had my 3 children, leaving full time work and my long time fitness classes, then moving to a new city, I found myself out of shape, overweight and depressed.  I began an 8 month long journey of  learning how to start over physically so I could be my healthiest version of myself for my family.  It was a life changing journey that ignited a passion for improving my own fitness and knowledge, finding new physical hobbies and adventures and inspiring and empowering others to take charge of their own fitness and health. 

 

Over the last 12 years I have gained much lived experience that makes me a knowledgable, compassionate and practical trainer.  I had some injuries over those years that required healing, physical therapy and creative training to stay active and strong.  It is my belief that there is always healthy movement we can and should do for our total health, regardless of circumstances.  I never recommend extreme dieting or quick fix promises, rather developing a healthy, active lifestyle that is sustainable.  Navigating life challenges while maintaining physical fitness and active lifestyle a priority are hard, but do-able with the right mindset, training and education.  Now at 52, I have more than just book knowledge as a Women's Fitness Specialist.  I understand all the complexities of hormones at different life stages and the peri-menopausal transitional years (lived first-hand!), as well as how to adapt training for each stage.  I understand bridging the gaps between the course of injuries, surgeries and physical therapy to creatively adapting and safely getting back to movement, favorite activities and functional strength. 

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More about my own journey: With 3 young children, I began running again at 40 and started learning Karate with my kids at 41 while teaching Sculpt, Boot Camp and Cardio-Kickboxing classes several times a week.  I learned quickly though that exercising over 40, with less sleep and more stress, wasn't the same as in my 20's after a knee injury that required surgery and a long recovery.  Rather than quitting, I learned quickly how to adapt and change my training and safely take care of my joints and mobility. Road running was out for a while, but I fell in love with trail running on softer surfaces.  I learned to emphasize functional mobility work versus over-stretching.  I continued learning karate, finding ways to keep learning from the sidelines even when my body had to rest.  While letting my knee recover, I worked on HIIT cardio with upper body workouts like cardio-boxing, kipping, rowing, assisted pull-ups, wall handstands and others exercises. After many months, while rehabbing my knee, my upper body and core strength had improved  so much that I tried Ninja Warrior classes with my kids when they were young.  I was surprised at what I could do, but learned that progressive training pays off and encouraged to know that there is always a way forward in what we can do.  Through that, I discovered fun, but challenging Obstacle Course Training and Spartan Races.  Having an event or goal to train for is so motivating!

 

In 2017, I had a fluke accident that caused permanent disc and nerve compression damage in my lumbar spine.  Again, I went through months of recovery, physical therapy, more deep dive learning about kinesiology and getting creative with exercising differently while recovering.  A year later I did my first Spartan race and completed a total of 8 over the next 5 years. In 2021, I added my NASM certification for personal training and also kept learning Karate and became a Black Belt in 2022.  After years of worsening back pain, I had a major lumbar fusion surgery in 2023 followed by another acute spinal compression injury just 8 months later, but I have continued to adapt and learn through all of it. 

 

I deeply understand the experience and process of dealing with pain and rehabilitation while still maintaining an active lifestyle mindset.  We all CAN adapt and learn from what we've been through to find our new normal with our amazing bodies.  I love being challenged to grow and encouraging others to do the same!