I have been a part of the Fitness Battalion family since March 2010, when I started out as a bootcamper. I still remember getting my first butt-kicking, Fitness Battalion style, on that glorious Saturday morning – I mean, really, who needs to be able to catch their breath, right? Before I continue, let me rewind here and fill you in about my humble beginnings as an athlete growing up in Miami, FL.

When I was a little girl, I dabbled in gymnastics, ballet & tap. At 6, I found myself introduced to tennis, which turned into my sport of choice for the next 15+ years. I played tennis year round -- after-school programs, private lessons, USTA tournaments on weekends, and playing for my high school team. However, when it came time to decide where to go to college, I put competitive tennis on the backburner so I could have my real “college experience.” I spent four wonderful years at Vanderbilt University where, much to my parents’ dismay, I probably could have studied a little harder at times.

After college, I spent several months living and working in Perth, Australia before moving to Atlanta in August 2004 to join the ‘real world’. It wasn't long before I realized that I was allowing my 9-to-5 lifestyle to hinder my exercise routine.  

Running had become my form of exercise during college. This continued to be the case after school, as I entered a handful of 10k races each year. However, I was either running religiously or, sometimes, not running at all – we’ll call this my yo yo style of exercising. This yo yo-ing continued through early 2010, when I found my clothes fitting too tightly for comfort or not fitting at all. As a result, I felt my confidence being affected by what I saw in the mirror and then felt even worse for being vain! Haha.

It was around that same time that a friend of mine showed me a Fitness Battalion flier at her apartment complex. I dialed the phone number, which led to Mike being on the other end. Mike was very accommodating in letting two friends and I try out a bootcamp class at Piedmont Park on that memorable Saturday morning - March 27, 2010 to be exact.

I formed a love/hate relationship with bootcamp on Day 1 and, in June of that same year, crossed over to the ‘dark side’ – the addiction known as CrossFit. CrossFit challenges me and continues to transform my body in a way that no other workout regimen has done.

I cannot imagine my life without Fitness Battalion - not only have I found bootcamp and CrossFit, but I’ve also found a wonderful group of friends and a supportive community of people that I hold near and dear to my heart. I look forward to continuing to instruct and work out right alongside all of you.