Where are you from originally?

Ontario, NY

When did you join FIT4MOM

March 2015. I went to the grand opening of F4MCH when I was 8 months pregnant with my daughter

What is your favorite thing about FIT4MOM?

I love the friends I’ve made. I also became the strongest I have ever been through FIT4MOM Chapel Hill.

What do you currently do?

I am a middle school science teacher at Woods Charter

Share your thoughts on the concept of “it takes a village” – is it important for moms to join a village?

The village is hard work to create but it is everything for my mental health and identity as a grown woman. My village is a large, loose network of mostly women who have been important to various facets of my life. My village now goes across the country and crosses the Atlantic Ocean. We have given each other emotional support, witnessed each other’s aches and losses, and shown up over and over doing small mundane things like dropping off extra baby clothes. Creating the village means showing up time and time again and making space for people that don’t seem like a fast or obvious new friend. It’s slow, deliberate work to build the village but my experience is that building a social safety net is invaluable.

What is your favorite beverage?

unpasteurized apple cider

What is your favorite dessert?

carrot cake

You are given 4 hours of FREE baby-sitting. What would you do?

I’d go for a hike

What is your ultimate child-free vacation destination?

A trip to Santa Fe, NM to hike, see new plants and new birds, and eat good food.

How has becoming a mother changed you?

Being a mother has made me more focused and resilient and far less patient with men who waste my time

I am happiest when...I am engaging in purposeful action.