“…I’m surrounded by people that 1000% care about my well-being. Can’t get much better than that.”
How did your journey with CrossFit Northland began? How long have you been a member of CrossFit Northland? What brought you into CFN?
I moved to KC in March 2012 after getting engaged to my now husband. I had always been active and fit before I moved here; played co-ed indoor soccer (pretty competitively) after playing through college etc; so, I joined a YMCA type of gym that was by my apartment at the time. I was missing something. I only knew my coworkers and my fiancé so communal exercise/suffering was not happening. After some googling of crossfit gyms in the Northland, I dropped into CFN in the early fall of 2012 when we were at the old location. I remember vividly my first workout was 100 burpee pull ups… yikes. Anyways, for whatever reason I came back.
Tell us about your fitness/health background? (Have you always been active? Played sports growing up? Tried other gym settings? Worked out at home?)
I grew up playing soccer competitively and was fortunate to play in college. I never had to think about my workouts until I stopped playing soccer. It was just a way of life, you show up, they tell you what to do, you do it and you do it well. Or else. So naturally, Crossfit kind of made sense.
What are some changes you’ve noticed in yourself during your time here at CFN? (Physically, mentally, capabilities, daily life, etc.)
Holy cow, 8 years of constant development. . . where do I start. I came into the gym as a competitive, stubborn, “gonna figure it out” 23 year-old (some may argue nothing has changed except my age). A lot of life has happened between then and now and yet the gym has remained a steady component/outlet/friend/whatever you want to call it depending on the day. I’ve been married, had two children while being a member at CFN, always maintained a full-time job and am a wife to a LEO AKA. I have all the reasons to not put myself towards the top of my priority list. I’m not sure I could say that I have prioritized my health if I hadn’t been at CFN all this time. I’ve noticed that I have become a better person (wife, friend, mom, employee, boss, competitor, teammate, etc.) over these amazing years. To dig into this would take days so I’ll leave it at that.
What kinds of things can you do now that you were not able to do when you first started CrossFit? (inside or outside of the gym)
Um, all the things. I was never in gymnastics as a kid, I could run fast and work hard.. that’s about all I could bring to the crossfit realm. Now, as a 31 y/o, I have learned how to do all the kipping movements (safely), handstand push-ups, handstand walk (that was a fun journey), CrossFit Northlands, heavy barbell movements…
When I was in college, we had a challenge in the weightroom with another sports team…the challenge was to pull yourself up and over a beam in the room (aka a bar muscleup more or less). The s&c coach captured a video of these attempts and you can probably find them on youtube somewhere, but all that to say, I looked like an injured animal trying to get over that bar. If you opened that challenge up today, over 10 years later, no problem.
How has CFN played a role in your life outside of the gym?
Ready for a short story?
We are always trying to set great examples for our kids; through faith, choices we make, health, etc… I’d say I have added a pillar of strength for my boys to strive for/expect/ respect in other humans/women specifically.
I never connected well with other females growing up outside of my soccer teams. We just didn’t get each other. I have never been surrounded and accepted by so many strong women in my life. I love every bit of the time we spend in the gym and definitely outside the gym as well.
Lastly, I’ve so appreciated the chance to connect with the leaders in our gym. They have helped me navigate so many life issues and I couldn’t be more grateful. Specifically, I recently applied for and accepted a promotion to lead a sales team in my company. When I applied, I reached out to David and Jeff for some feedback on my natural leadership abilities but also some insights into how to develop leadership abilities. I really feel that without those insights, I would have had a harder time securing my current position with the company. They immediately provided me with the answers and resources that helped me put my abilities into words that I couldn’t find myself. No hesitation, no surcharge, just there to help.
Every season brings new challenges. I’ve had my fair share, mostly self-induced I can’t even try to keep my issues in the dark with these people. All that means to me is I’m surrounded by people that 1000% care about my wellbeing. Can’t get much better than that.
What is a goal you are working towards in the gym right now?
I’ve never measured my success by a scale but currently that’s where I am. I’ve had a few months of healing injuries/adjusting to new job requirements and put the gym on the back burner for 2 months-ish. My goals now are to show up, let the workouts do what they are intended to do and leverage David’s nutrition knowledge to reach my weight goals. (I worked with David 2 years ago on nutrition and getting a better understanding of what I should be doing, grateful to apply that to today’s lifestyle).
What does your favorite type of workout look like?
Up-downs, JK. I really love some handstand pushups, lunges, deadlifts, any light barbell cycling, CrossFit Northlands… all the love.
In your opinion, what is the most valuable aspect of Crossfit Northland?
Well shoot, if you hadn’t picked up on a few in the first 7 questions… if you show up to this place, no matter how sad, happy, angry, competitive, overweight, underweight, whatever it is that has you showing up, you will be faced with a challenge. The challenge will take your mind off how angry, sad, happy, overweight, underweight, or stressed you are. The challenge will most likely always humble you, and you will come back. Probably because you’re surrounded by other people that do the same. Perhaps it’s why I haven’t stopped showing up in 8 years.