Hi Friends~
Here’s something you might not know about me~
In addition to being a strength and fitness professional, and an advocate for women and kids (you might know that I created a Youth Indoor Rowing program at the Boys&Girls Club)… I’ve also spent the last decade as an activist for mobility equity. I founded a community advocacy group, Asbury Park Complete Streets Coalition, focused on making streets safer and more accessible for the most vulnerable – people outside of cars – kids, older adults, walkers, cyclists, people with disabilities.
I’ve learned that when you speak up in more than one arena, someone might inevitably tell you to “stay in your lane.” But I operate in more than one lane. Yeah, weird to use a car analogy, right?
Right now creators, actors, musicians, coaches, and athletes are stepping out of their lanes. We are using the opportunity to speak for vulnerable people who need a strong voice.
- I’m a coach.
- I’m an advocate for equity, pushing for legislation about what I believe.
- I’m a mother of six married kids, grandmother of fifteen, with vast parenting experience that applies to almost everything in life.
- I’m a woman who has lived long enough to know that strength is not just physical.
All of those are the ways that I move in the world, and they’re all related to why I train the way I do.
Lately, life feels heavy for a lot of people. In times like this I won’t step away from training, and I encourage you to stay strong too.
Strength training isn’t about aesthetics and appearance… It’s about capacity and resilience => the ability to stand up for justice.
The capacity to carry load – physically and emotionally.
The resilience to stay steady under stress.
Every hard set, every tough rowing interval is practice in staying with discomfort, and going the distance. Breathing for bracing. Continuing, when it would be easier to stop. Especially if thoughts creep in that working out might seem meaningless or superficial. Those thoughts do occur – “why am I doing this when there are people suffering…” I shut all that down and keep moving.
My practice carries into real life. “Get Up Keep Moving” doesn’t just mean exercise.
When I feel strong in my body, I am steadier in my mind. More grounded. I’m better able to think clearly, respond thoughtfully, and use my voice where it matters.
I believe that our personal health, our communities, and all human health are connected. Women’s health in particular is affected by policy: addressing access, safety, and those who are most valued in our current system. I believe that we all deserve to live in a just system that provides equitably for every woman. And I’ll keep on saying it.
I recently read a post from Molly Galbraith, founder of Girls Gone Strong, that resonated deeply with me. She wrote:
Do good things for yourself that you would like to do for others.
Do for one person what you wish you could do for everyone.
Every action you take matters.
This is how I think about coaching, advocacy, and parenting.
I can’t fix everything. None of us can.
But I can take care of this body.
- I can stay strong.
- I can help one woman feel more capable today.
- I can speak up for the most vulnerable.
- I can show up for my family and my community.
And that ripple effect matters, even if we sometimes don’t see the results right away.
To the women reading this, especially the mothers, grandmothers, caregivers, and community anchors:
Staying strong is not vanity.
It’s not selfish.
And it’s not optional.
It’s how we remain able to protect, support, advocate, and love the people who depend on us, including people we may never meet.
Strength doesn’t just change muscles.
It changes what you can carry in this world.
