When I think about my life, the wild ride of Westside, I think about Belonging: from attending different schools every year between 1st and 9th grade to my inevitable landing place in NYC on July 4th, 2016. Returning to the city in 2022 after two years away, I could immediately tell there was nowhere to belong like there had been in 2019. I realized it fell to me to create the place for my people to belong – this became my platform Adonis, the first place for clients to find and hire personal trainers, where we’ve held over 100 events in the last 20 months. We now have more than 1,000 trainers across the US with big dreams for 2026 and I couldn’t be more optimistic or proud to be the premier community for fitness professionals to belong. 

After losing my parents and my business to the pandemic, I had to rebuild my world based on a promise made at my mother’s deathbed: to find a life worth living again. In just five months, I went from having it all to losing my family, my career, and my will to live—but the gym taught me how to breathe again.Through the discipline of elite fitness, I transformed my grief into a mission, proving that being a “Life Athlete” isn’t about the trophies we win, but the strength we find to get back up when everything is gone. Now at 43, I use my journey and my coaching to help others turn their own breaking points into their greatest breakthroughs. I’ve turned my survival into a blueprint, coaching others to find their inner power and fall back in love with themselves and with a life they once thought was over.

I’ve learned the hardest part isn’t the distance, it’s showing up when you don’t feel like it. From completing an Iron-distance triathlon on all seven continents to building communities at home, being a Life Athlete means choosing growth over comfort every single day. If I can do it, so can you. Go ALL IN. 

My biggest hurting point was being injured and unable to do the thing I love most, which is run. It forced me to do what I could do in the moments that I couldn’t run and rebuild myself from the ground up both mentally and physically. This moment gave me a deeper understanding of what my client experience on day-to-day basis: how it feels to start over, how it feels to keep going in front of you seem so big, and how to start over. Being a Life Athlete means showing up with intention, resilience, and belief even in discomfort, even in the hardest moments of your life, and I strive to help others find that same strength every day as a trainer. I truly believe that everyone deserves to be healthy and the best version of themselves. 

My athletic journey started very early with my mom introducing me to different sports such as gymnastics, skiing, trail running, xc skiing and ski jumping. I am a very driven and self motivated person and I take my daily training seriously with the goal to improve my form and jumps every single time. I am part of the Sea to Sky Nordics and I am well known for my enthusiastic leadership role in fundraising initiatives that fortunately benefit the whole team in support of the mandatory international training and competition. My biggest challenge is continued access to larger ski jumps such as 60m and 90m which I have successfully jumped in Anchorage and Lake Placid. Being a Life Athlete for me means showing up, ready to go no matter the conditions and encouraging my teammates to do their best too and thank you for helping young athletes like me to achieve their dreams.

After tumor surgery, I was forced to slow down—but I rebuilt my life one step at a time, turning daily walks into a foundation for strength, clarity, and resilience. Being a Life Athlete means choosing consistency over intensity, and choosing myself every day through simple, intentional movement. I train for life—and by living this way, I hope to inspire others, especially my father, to take that first step toward their own health.

The biggest thing that’s shaped me as an athlete is realizing how much real effort it takes to get better – not just in baseball, but in every sport I play. Every day I try to live like a Life Athlete by training year-round, working hard on every part of my game, staying resilient when faced with challenges or injury, uplifting my teammates and pushing myself to be a little better than yesterday. A huge turning point for me was understanding that not everyone in my Indigenous community gets the same chances to play organized sports. Being part of different community projects reminds me that every time I step on the field, it’s a privilege. I’m a proud Indigenous athlete, and make an impact by sharing my culture and my passion with my teammates, showing them that progress is possible for anyone who keeps moving forward. I hope my dedication inspires other youth athletes in my community to believe they belong in any sport they choose. 

My turning point came in June 2022 when I showed up overweight to my first 5km and barely finished in 36:13—but that moment changed everything. Three years later, after losing over 50 lbs, I crossed the marathon finish line in 3:35:42, proving that real transformation is built through consistency, discipline, and refusing to quit. I live as a Life Athlete by leading through action every day—chasing growth relentlessly and showing others that with commitment and belief, ordinary beginnings can lead to extraordinary outcomes.

I was lost in addiction, shame, and a belief that I didn’t deserve happiness. Jail had become a revolving door, and I lost everyone who cared about me. But when you hit the bottom and there’s nowhere left to fall, the only direction left is up. What changed my life wasn’t becoming unbreakable — it was learning to endure. Showing up again and again, no matter how hard, messy, or uncomfortable it got. To me, being a Life Athlete means earning your life back every day, and showing others that change is always possible.

My biggest turning points were the moments that tested every part of me, facing a thyroid tumor, raising my children alone for the past 13 years while working three jobs, and losing my dad in a way that broke my heart. Through fear and uncertainty, I leaned on my faith, trusted my body, and used movement to stay grounded while showing my children what strength looks like even in the hardest times. Today, I pour that resilience back into my community through a run club that has become a family, uplifting messages placed throughout schools to support our youth, and a commitment to leading with heart so others including the next generation believe in their own strength.

I’ve lived my life as an athlete from the football field to serving as a state trooper, so a cancer diagnosis was the toughest opponent I’ve ever faced. I approached it like a mission, fighting through a bone marrow transplant with faith, family, and fitness guiding every step back to health. Today, I’m not just surviving, I’m racing again alongside my son, stronger and more driven than ever appreciating every moment.

After retiring as a professional ballerina in 2010, I rediscovered movement through running during the pandemic in 2020, what began as a way to support my mental health became a lifeline. As a full-time working mom, showing up isn’t always easy, but from completing my first marathon in 2022 to surprising myself and qualifying for Boston while my dad was undergoing cancer treatment, I’ve learned that resilience is built on the hardest days. I’m also driven to lead by example for my kids, showing them the importance of consistency, commitment, and showing up even when it’s hard. As a Life Athlete, I move with purpose, lean on and give back to an incredible community, and hope to inspire others to believe it’s never too late to begin again.

I rebuilt my life from the ground up after a life-threatening battle with ulcerative colitis left me physically depleted and mentally broken—and forced me to confront everything and choose growth over survival. Through that journey, I became a generational cycle breaker, transforming pain into purpose and developing a holistic approach with nervous system regulation through breath, movement, and healing. Being a Life Athlete means showing up every day with resilience, leading by example, and empowering others to reclaim their strength, rewrite their story, and become the strongest version of themselves—inside and out.

After my devastating brain injury this year, my greatest challenge is no longer on the tennis court but facing each day through pain, fear, and uncertainty. As a 57 yr old mom of a 5 and 8 yr old, my children and friends watch me get up, show up where I’m needed, and keep pushing myself even through tears because I believe my strength isn’t about just winning a tennis match or another physical activity , it’s about daily acceptance of my body that doesn’t move the same way or focus and concentrate like I used to. I’m in the middle of this new way of living but I know I’m still an athlete. I treat myself with thoughts of acceptance and forgiveness when tasks take so much longer. I won’t give up on myself. I can only hope I am showing others that I have become a stronger person now.

My greatest challenge as an athlete has been learning how to pivot without losing my purpose. Every injury or setback has simply been a new direction- one where I keep growing while continuing to show up for my community through teaching, mentoring and giving back, no matter what I’m facing. Along the way I’ve learned there is no single “look” for an athlete; true strength comes from within, and I hope my journey reminds others that if a dream is placed in your heart, it’s there for a reason. 

My journey hasn’t just been about playing football—it’s been about breaking through doubt, stereotypes, and limits that said women didn’t belong in this game, and proving otherwise every step of the way. Becoming the first woman in my community to play women’s professional tackle football pushed me to grow into a leader, showing women and girls—including my little sisters—that courage creates opportunity. Being a Life Athlete means using my story not just to win on the field, but to inspire others to believe in themselves and go after what once felt impossible.

The SC Lady Flyers 12AA team served as an inspiration to hockey teams everywhere this season. These young ladies battled in the face of adversity and showed what grit is truly about. Having competed hard all season, the Lady Flyers 12AA rallied at the Western Girls Hockey League Tournament finals with a short bench to win the league. Through their competitive spirt, they earned the support of the hockey community throughout the country.

I was shaped most by watching my son battle sickle cell—there were moments of fear and exhaustion that could have broken me, but instead they taught me strength, patience, and unwavering resilience. Being a Life Athlete means I show up every day not just for myself, but for him—with discipline, faith, and the determination to keep going no matter what we face. By sharing our journey and standing strong through it, I’ve been able to inspire others to find strength in their own struggles and keep pushing forward.

I didn’t become a Life Athlete through one defining moment. I built it through consistency, showing up on the days I’m tired, balancing school, work, training, and life, and choosing growth even when it’s uncomfortable. Being a Life Athlete to me means committing to getting 1% better every day and leading by example, whether that’s in my own training or in how I support and uplift others around me.

I’m a 17‑year‑old baseball player whose biggest growth came through adversity- overcoming self‑doubt shaped by former peers and coaches and choosing to start over at a new baseball academy. Over the past two years, I found coaches who believed in me, saw my potential, and recognized that I outwork most even when no one’s watching, showing up daily to train, lift, and follow a disciplined diet to reach my future size and strength- work that’s earned me elite national event selections as a 90‑plus mph pitcher since switching baseball academies. Being a Life Athlete means leading by example and giving a voice to young athletes- not through social media or hype, but by understanding how your environment shapes growth and ensuring you have the courage to change it, even when it’s uncomfortable.