I’m the one fascinated with health and wellness. He’s the other one. Together we are invincible.
Joel grew up in the Midwest and spent his high school and college years in Ames, Iowa, and is a proud graduate of Iowa State University. Go ‘Clones! 28 years ago, his first job out of college was as a Corporate Management Trainee with Hyatt Hotels. That career has literally brought us around the world, and watching him flourish by doing something that he does so effortlessly and graciously has been the greatest joy of my life. But enough about him.
I grew up in Gorham, Maine, and after graduating from Johnson & Wales University in Providence Rhode Island, I, too, accepted a position as a Corporate Management Trainee with Hyatt Hotels. Six years into Joel’s career, I found myself fresh out of college and entrenched in the amazing industry that is the world of hotels in San Francisco, CA.
We met, we fell in love, we moved … a lot. It has, and continues to be, truly amazing. 16 years ago we rolled into Cambridge, Maryland, in a Jeep Wrangler full of house plants and our two dogs, and sleepy little Cambridge has held a special place in our hearts ever since we first drove over the Choptank River.
And all along the way I have pursued health and wellness through physical activity. In my early 20s in California, I actually had to use someone’s driver’s license (Thank you, Kristen!) as a fake ID so I could play in an adult soccer league because I wasn’t old enough. Haha
In Indianapolis, Indiana, I played in both co-ed and men’s indoor and outdoor soccer leagues, which I think turns any men’s league into a co-ed league, but whatever.
On the island of Curacao, I found a great routine with a friend of mine doing mostly exercise videos at her house with a lot of long hikes mixed in.
In Key West, Florida, I got into Pilates and running. This is also where I first tried CrossFit, and then I started to really enjoy the process of practicing and training functional fitness movements when we moved to Aruba.
Side note, I kinda feel like I just name dropped a bunch of beautiful islands that you need to visit at least once. If you ever want any vacation planning help, I’m your girl, hit me up. #sunsoutgunsout
Aruba was also where I really learned the value of the connections we make when we are on the edges of our comfort zone. The bonds we make in the process of sharing ourselves when we are at our most vulnerable, when we are stretching our limits and sometimes failing, are unsurpassed.
It is my goal to create a gathering place in downtown Cambridge, MD, for those who value exercise as an essential part of both leading a full life and living independently for as long as possible.
It will be where we bring people together around common interests in an environment that lifts people up and encourages everyone to be better, both to ourselves and to others.
I would be so honored if you want to join me.