About Me
Growing up in the mountains has helped shape who I am today. The ever changing weather, rugged terrain, waterfalls, river crossings, and the adventures that ensued taught me how to adapt to change, how to change direction in those times of uncertainty, and continue on my journey. We all face adversity in life. It's how we respond that determines our direction.
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As a lifelong athlete, health and fitness has always been a part of my identity, and becoming a Personal Trainer and Coach has enabled me to share my passion with others to help them move forward on their own fitness journey.
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Growing up, my main sport was softball, where I was a catcher for nearly 16 years. At the age of 13 I earned my First Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do under the Late Master Muma. This was around the time when I first started lifting weights and learning more about sport specific training, including speed and agility, and how I could increase my strength to become a stronger and faster athlete. I was a three sport varsity athlete at Hood River Valley High School, competing in Cross Country, Swimming, and Softball. My freshman year in college, I rowed for Oregon State University sitting in the bow seat, and competed at NCAA D1 championships placing 5th in the women's novice 8. From there I fell in love with trail running. I found my way back into the mountains, enjoying the beauty and solitude of the forest. Upon graduating from the University of Puget Sound with a degree in Business and Leadership, I moved back home to Oregon to help run my family's business as the VP of Operations.
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But one semester before I graduated from college I faced the greatest adversity I would ever know. In 2013 my life came to a crashing halt when I was diagnosed with a tumor growing quickly inside of my spinal cord, from C4 to T1, causing me the loss of function in my legs almost overnight. My neurosurgeon gave me two outcomes against all odds: death or paralysis. He cut open my spinal cord and inserted a shunt inside of the tumor that drained for about a year before it was gone. The surgery left me with no feeling below my chest. Some of which came back, but I am left with a phantom leg and no feeling in my my feet and legs, and partial paralysis on the right side of my body and in my lungs. I am lucky to be alive. Accepting disability has been my biggest challenge. I went through stages of paralysis, had to learn how to walk again, and to learn how to move beyond the permanent loss of sensation. Every day I am faced with pain and loss yet I am so grateful to be alive. But it doesn't stop me from pushing my limits. To climb higher than I did the day before. Learning how to accept and live with my disability. Believing in myself every step of the way on this journey that has shaped who I am today. With the hope that I can give others hope to transcend their physical disabilities to live the life they want to live. Most people ask me how I am still able to run. I instinctively point to my heart. I run for the joy it brings me. The fulfillment it brings my heart and soul to lift others while lifting up myself. I'm not out here to break records or win races. I'm just excited to experience life and the adventures it brings me.
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Through my journey, I developed a new perspective on life, and it led me in the direction of coaching. I had some very impactful coaches throughout my life that helped me become the strong and resilient person that I am today and I knew that I wanted to be that kind of positive influence on other young athletes' lives. I have a passion for trail running and I knew I still wanted to be a part of the running community even though I couldn't run yet when I started coaching in 2014. What I didn’t know was how much I would fall in love with coaching cross country at the high school level. To have the opportunity to share my passion for running with others, with my knowledge and expertise to help the athletes achieve their goals in Track & Field and Cross Country, and to see them grow as young adults both athletically and academically, has been a wonderful experience that I am very grateful to be a part of. Seeing all of their smiling faces every day brings me so much joy and happiness, and to be able to connect with all of them in a positive way and to create an influential coaching relationship with them, inspires me every day. As an HRV alumni, I am happy to be at home on the track and trails.
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It seemed only natural for me to start Skarn Strength. Keeping health and fitness close to my heart and sharing that passion with others is what drives me every day. My journey has been carved through grit and integrity, taking one day at a time, and enjoying every moment of it. I'll see you on the mountain.
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