I came to fitness later in life, when I found Crossfit at 42. Weightlifting was completely outside my comfort zone. It felt awkward, hard and honestly, I didn’t feel very capable.

Crossfit challenged me in ways I never expected, but more importantly, it changed the way I saw myself and my body. I became stronger, more confident and more capable.

Then menopause changed the game.

I began noticing changes in my strength and body composition and realized I needed to understand what was happening to my body. The strategies I used before to produce results no longer worked.

Reading Dr Stacy Sims’ work “Next Level” became a turning point. I changed the way I trained and fueled my body. I lost weight, changed my body composition, continued to build strength and gained energy. Eventually, I progressed to competing at the CrossFit Games Semifinal level. I felt stronger, more energized, more confident and excited about what was possible in this stage of life.

That experience made me want to learn more - and just as importantly, to share what I was learning with other women. I wanted them to know that they weren’t simply supposed to accept the changes that come with midlife. There were ways they could support their strength, their health and how they felt in their bodies, too.

I earned my NASM accredited personal trainer certification and began working at a premium local health club. I continued my education by completing Dr Stacy Sims’ Menopause 2.0 course, along with continuing education in reactive training, osteoporosis, pelvic floor and core stability, NASM menopause coursework as well as the Active Life professional Assessment course that focuses on capacity and pain.

But the more women I worked with, the more I saw how much women could benefit from understanding their changing bodies and learning practical strategies to navigate menopause, maintain muscle mass, support bone density, and protect their long term health

So many women simply don't know how important muscle, bone health, power and strength are as we age. And honestly, why would they? Most of us were never taught that we needed to train for these things or that our approach to exercise needed to change as we got older.

Traditional health clubs offer a lot - classes, equipment, and plenty of opportunities to move, But having access to those resources is only the beginning. Building strength and maintaining muscle and bone health requires a thoughtful plan, progressive training, and exercise modifications that support your individual needs and goals. Without a plan its easy to lose direction or never achieve what you are capable of.

Women need more than a workout. They need training that is personalized to their goals, their experience, their current abilities, and the changes their bodies are going through. And they need an atmosphere where they feel comfortable asking questions, trying something new, and becoming stronger without feeling intimidated or out of place.

That means intentionally building strength through progressive overload, incorporating power and impact training to support strong bones, adapting exercises to the individual, and knowing when to challenge and when to modify.

I started Crown Strength because I wanted to create that kind of experience for women - one where strength training is purposeful, personalized, approachable and built around you.

Crown Strength is here to help women build the strong future they want