Julie began her athletic career in competitive cheerleading as the “flyer,” or the person that always got tossed…and sometimes caught. Years of repetitive motion from gymnastic flips and being forced into a human pretzel caused a cracked vertebrae. Doctors told her if she followed her dream of cheering at the collegiate level she “wouldn’t be able to walk by the time she was 25” and suggested she try water aerobics. Instead, Julie picked up weight lifting as an elective, being only 1 of 2 girls in the class. She refused to accept a doomed fate and took her body into her own hands.
By prescribing workouts for herself and taking diligent care of her body, she was able to delay a spinal fusion for an additional 8 years. She may have two rods and four screws in her back now, but nothing will stop Julie from living an active lifestyle full of outdoor adventures with her family – not even 3 additional surgeries, including an 8 hour operation to donate part of her liver to help save a stranger’s life.
Through her own experiences, Coach Julie has become an expert at injury recovery and managing chronic pain. She has learned to modify pretty much every exercise known to mankind to ensure a safe and productive workout. By treating health and fitness like an experiment, she has structured her own diet to reduce inflammation and give her the energy she needs to keep up with her 3 year old. Everyone’s health and fitness journey will have some degree of trial and error, and Julie loves to support clients in their quest to build their own unique version of a sustainable healthy lifestyle.
Once Julie made the choice to pursue her fitness passions, nothing would stop her. While working 70+ hour weeks juggling multiple jobs, she earned her personal training certification, and then went on to obtain her masters in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Since then, she’s supported hundreds of clients both in person and virtually: from new moms trying to get their groove back to collegiate athletes looking to gain an upper edge, and beginners who’ve never stepped foot in a gym. She knows life is busy and strives to help clients with habit changes and workouts that are efficient and effective within their lifestyles.
Having tailored a regimen to meet her own physical needs and limitations, Julie is passionate about sharing her knowledge to help clients find what works for them. She loves people for where they are and where they are headed. Julie creates a safe coaching environment to help clients achieve their goals, whether that’s running a 5k for the first time, a double bodyweight deadlift, building solid nutrition strategies, or building the endurance to keep up with their kids. She believes that the health and fitness journey is not a sprint, rather a lifelong journey that needs to be fueled with positivity and balance. And for that reason, she believes you can have your cake…. And eat it too.
Education and certifications:
- Masters in Exercise Science and Health Promotion
- CrossFit certifications: Level 2, Weightlifting, Scaling, CrossFit Kids
- ACE Health Coach
And the important stuff…
Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?
Star Wars! Living in Haiti off and on for the past 6 years has made it tough to keep up with anything we’ve wanted to watch, but now that we have internet and the capability to stream shows (say whaaat) we’re enjoying introducing my son to the StarWar Lego episodes!
Favorite video game of all time?
As a kid my favorites were Zelda and Sonic, with some 007 mixed in as I got older! Nowadays, trying to keep a 3 year old entertained, I’d have to say Mario Kart!
What are you passionately nerdy about?
Reading food labels!! I find it fascinating to know what’s really going into my body! My husband and I also love playing the guessing game of how much sugar is in what we’re about to eat! Oh and I’m passionate about wearing my fanny pack during outdoor activities.. and traveling.. and basically everywhere.