All my life, I have been in a constant state of motion, whether through dance, fitness, or travel.  A native of Washington, D.C., I began dancing at local studios at the age of five, and joined the Joy Of Motion (JOM) community during high school, focusing primarily on jazz, ballet, and modern dance.  The theme of movement continued, leading me to Connecticut, where I earned a B.A. in Romance Literatures from Wesleyan University.  (That’s right… your personal training session can include a Spanish or Italian tutorial!)  During university, I studied in Spain and Italy, concentrating academically on film and theater.  Throughout my university career, I continued to pursue dance, whether in or out of the DC area.  

During the last decade at JOM, I have explored movement beyond dance, to include yoga, pilates, kickboxing and body sculpture.  My interests piqued as a student of JOM’s body sculpture class, where friend and trainer Robert Teri helped me build the strength and confidence to pursue my own teaching career.  When Robert left JOM to join in a business partnership with his wife, Kim, and others at Precision Health and Fitness, I followed their path to elite training.  Kim and Robert, along with the other amazing people at Precision, gave me great support and guidance as I expanded my teaching to include conditioning, cardio kickboxing, aerobics, stretch and Spinning®.  Beyond teaching at a variety of DC area locations, I also devoted myself to personal training, thriving on one-on-one interactions, as well as group dynamics.  I hold certifications with the Register of Exercise Professionals, American Council on Exercise, Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc., BOSU Integrated Balance Training, PowerHouse Pilates and YMCAFit.

The change to full-time fitness employment came with the start of 2005, as I decided to follow my passions beyond those addressed in the traditional 9 to 5 job.  Apart from all things physical, I had been working for the previous three years, expanding the intellectual and international horizons of my students as an advisor and coordinator of study abroad programmes for American University.  I have always tried to give my own passport a workout whenever possible.

The wanderlust in me has never been dormant, and once again the theme of motion surfaced, leading me to move across the pond.  Destination: London, England.  A continued interest in international education inspired me to return to university to pursue an M.A. degree in Modern Foreign Language Education at King's College London, where I graduated with Distinction in January 2008.  My dissertation focused on the use of culinary arts as a medium through which to teach foreign languages.  The degree was both challenging and fulfilling, and now that it's completed, I am once again combining my passion for international education programmes with my enhanced knowlege of learning outside the box.  Whether the subject is fitness, cuisine, languages or life, I believe we can push traditional boundaries of education to suit our niche interests and goals.

2008 brought a new fitness dimension to my life: I began cycling to work. Although the London traffic can sometimes be daunting, I am now fully committed to my daily rides and really love the fresh air wake-up each morning, and the rolling wind-down each evening. Even when it's pouring with rain, I must admit I'll gladly hop on my bike and get wet, rather than endure a crammed tube journey. Utilising the friendly advice from my local bike shops, Cyclopolis and Psubliminal (both in Balham, SW12), I have definitely become a confident and dedicated cyclist.

I enjoy the healthy balance of intellectual and physical stimulation, and thus I am pleased to have brought Fired Up Fitness to the UK.  After all the fish, chips and tasty pints, we've got to work it off somehow...

London's calling, and I've got just the answer!

Fired Up Fitness is a Registered Tradename, 2005-2010.