My goal is to make fitness attainable, affordable and approachable. On a deeper level, my goal through fitness is to help women gain confidence and strength, emotionally and mentally and to ground and empower women to see their worth. Then, take that and encourage them to help those who are still searching… by giving back.
I am a mother of 2 teens. I have a Psychology degree from Penn State and worked in Human Resources in several capacities over the course of 15 years. I started working out just after my second child was born. It took me a long time to even think about working out because it was one of the last things on my mind. I was struggling internally with things like confidence, self worth and positivity. It wasn’t until a friend of mine and her husband came to me and said “we got you a 30 day gym membership. Let’s go!” Talk about being pushed to face your fears head on! I’m thankful to this day for those friends. I didn’t realize my world was about to change… for the better!
I am a mother of 2 teens. I have a Psychology degree from Penn State and worked in Human Resources in several capacities over the course of 15 years. I started working out just after my second child was born. It took me a long time to even think about working out because it was one of the last things on my mind. I was struggling internally with things like confidence, self worth and positivity. It wasn’t until a friend of mine and her husband came to me and said “we got you a 30 day gym membership. Let’s go!” Talk about being pushed to face your fears head on! I’m thankful to this day for those friends. I didn’t realize my world was about to change… for the better!
My goal is to make fitness attainable, affordable and approachable. On a deeper level, my goal through fitness is to help women gain confidence and strength, emotionally and mentally and to ground and empower women to see their worth. Then, take that and encourage them to help those who are still searching… by giving back.
I am a mother of 2 teens. I have a Psychology degree from Penn State and worked in Human Resources in several capacities over the course of 15 years. I started working out just after my second child was born. It took me a long time to even think about working out because it was one of the last things on my mind. I was struggling internally with things like confidence, self worth and positivity. It wasn’t until a friend of mine and her husband came to me and said “we got you a 30 day gym membership. Let’s go!” Talk about being pushed to face your fears head on! I’m thankful to this day for those friends. I didn’t realize my world was about to change… for the better!
Not only were there physical changes, but more importantly, I started changing as a person. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t happen overnight and not without work on my end, but I attribute my ability to get there to my fitness experience. I faced fears that had haunted me for years and started to make tough life decisions. Although I still questioned it, my mindset to take some risk, began to emerge. It’s something I never experienced before, but something I realized needed to be present if I wanted to make any positive change in my life, in my kids’ lives.
One year after starting my health journey, I began teaching group fitness classes, hoping to touch my members and maybe, without discussion, help them to gain what they needed to from fitness… maybe it’s community, maybe it’s confidence, maybe it’s having the clarity to take a chance on changing something that’s haunted them in their lives. From time to time, I hear from members and clients from my past and I am blown away by what they accomplished in their personal struggles. Nothing warms my heart more! I still tear up when I think about their stories and when I hear new life stories. We all have a story and they are ALL important.
Let’s fast forward 6 years… My life goals and my work in fitness became so apparent to me that I stopped working in HR and started a Personal Training business RISE Training LLC (Resilient. Inspired. Strong. Empowered.) while still teaching group fitness. I am NASM CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) and AFAA (Group Fitness) certified. It was one of the BEST decisions I have ever made! A few years in, I started asking myself “how can I reach more people and help them feel good about themselves?” I am so grateful that the idea of a fitness app came up in a discussion with my husband and that his support and positivity were so present that I did just that… Girl Up - The Fitness App for Women - is now available on the Apple Store.