I'm a L-2 CrossFit Coach at CFNE, Head Of In-App Coaching & App Co-Project Manager of App Development at CompTrain, and a CrossFit Competitor.

Natick, Massachusetts

I’ve known for basically my whole life that helping people in some capacity is what I am meant to do. My earliest memory of this realization was telling my grandparents when I was around 5 years old that I wanted to help find a cure for arthritis so that they could have the ability to play with me without being in pain.

I got my first chance to help people when I was 16 years old. I was a competitive gymnastics for 12 years and about a week after quitting, I got a call from my old head coach asking if I wanted to coach kids classes. Helping kids learn how to move their bodies and watching them develop over the years brought me so much joy and fulfillment that I knew coaching was something I not only wanted to do, but something I needed to do.

After coaching gymnastics off and on for about 6 years, I had the opportunity to get my L-1 and start coaching Crossfit. At that time, I had already competed at Regionals 3 times (2 x Team & 1 x Indy) and I felt I was ready to make a change. It was a scary leap going from coaching kids to coaching adults but it ended up being the best leap of faith I could have ever taken.

Every day I get to wake up and help athletes all over the world become better versions of themselves through fitness via the CompTrain app as well as help people in my local community do the same at CFNE. To me, coaching CrossFit isn’t just about the training aspect though. Training with intention and intensity 5-6 days a week is one aspect of leading someone to living a healthier life. Other important pieces to the puzzle include getting enough sleep, having healthy relationships with the people around you and yourself, having the ability to mange stress, and (arguably) most importantly, putting the right things into your body.

Eating the right types of food unlocks your body’s ability to fight off infection/illnesses and is what literally keeps you alive. An athlete that understands and cares about their nutrition is far more likely to get the results they want as well as live a healthier and longer life than an athlete who does not.

Helping people understand all the aspects of living a healthy life gives me purpose and coaching provides a path for doing just that.

From my first year of competing in CrossFit in 2015 through March of 2020, competing was everything to me. I worked part time, depended on others for basic needs, and sacrificed everything to chase the dream of making the CrossFit Games. Doing this…was my biggest failure.

Focusing on the goal and the goal alone, lead me to becoming the worst version of myself. I defined every part of who I was by my successes and failures both on and off the competition floor. I was unhappy most days but faked a smile, I dreaded getting up in the morning to train but went to gym anyway, my body was all banged up, and I was OBSESSED with how I looked. Competitive Crossfit was affecting my relationships, my sleep, my diet…literally every aspect of my life was being affected in some way.

I woke up one morning and decided that was it. I was going to be done with it all and that it was time to put myself first.

I took LOTS of time to rebuild myself from scratch. I got my first full time job, I got my own apartment, and I discovered how much peace I found in being able to be independent. In the process I also became a better coach, a better team player, a better friend, a better girl friend, a better daughter, and a better sister. I fell back in love with CrossFit and training because I am an athlete at heart and know that I always will be. I realized that I could BE and DO anything I wanted because no matter whether I come in first or last and if I never make the CrossFit Games, I still have my family, my friends, my job, my independence, my ability to help others, and all the things that make me, ME.

Taking time off and being able to rediscover who I am has brought me back to competing but with a much more healthy approach this time around. I am excited to get out of bed in the morning and go to bed feeling thankful for the struggles that have lead me to this point.

Growing up I cared A LOT about what other people thought of me. It used to take me FOREVER to get ready for school in the morning, I was afraid to be myself because I was scared the other kids at school wouldn’t like me, and I was always trying impress others by being who or what I thought they would want me to be.

I’m still not totally sure to this day where that came from but I am so proud that I have grown out of that phase of my life and have entered into a phase of freedom and confidence. I am fully accepting of the fact that some people are going to like you and some people just aren’t…and that is okay. There is nothing wrong with who you are. Waking up every morning and choosing to be authentically YOU is the best thing you can do not only for yourself, but for every person you come in contact with.

The best advice I can give to others is that good things come to those who wait, but GREAT things come to those who know that the journey is the gift, not the destination. Staying present and living for today is so much more fulfilling than being focused on whatever is over the horizon or whatever is in the light at the end of the tunnel. Having goals is great but not enjoying the ride is like hiking up a mountain with a gorgeous view but never looking up from the ground to see it.

It’s hard to pick my favorite NG Nutra product but if I had to choose, it would be the Chocolate Plant Pro. It’s perfect for a post workout shake or little bedtime dessert drink. It is, of course, packed with protein as well as a whole food vitamin and probiotic blend that makes it easy on the stomach.