Born & raised in Wisconsin, my first dose of fitness was at age 2 when my mom signed me up for ballet class – I was totally hooked.  I started dancing seriously ever since.  I trained in ballet & modern dance at the North Shore School of Dance in Chicago for many years.  I also danced throughout high school.  I won many cheer & dance competitions and taught dance & aerobic classes since I was 15 years old. 

My cheerleading scholarship brought me to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I continued studying ballet & modern dance.  A month before graduating from the University, I was in a bad car accident & ended up shattering my humerus.  My life seemed to stop, while everyone else’s kept going.  Since the doctors said I’d never be able to use my arm again, I was determined that they were wrong.  I worked for years & years to get my arm back to normal.  It was a hard, long road, but it happened.  And not only did my arm heal, but it became even stronger then it was before I broke it.  Watching my arm & rest of my body transform after a horrible accident, was amazing to me – the power of fitness! 

I ended up graduating in 2000 with degrees in English & Creative Writing.  I then moved to Chicago and worked as a writer at an advertising agency for approximately 5 years.  I actually started missing all of my dance & fitness past, so I began dancing for the Luv-a-Bulls, the Chicago Bulls Cheerleaders.  After my Chicago stint, I began dancing for a famous burlesque group, FortyDeuce, in Hollywood & Las Vegas (Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino) a few times a month.  Flying out there, practicing for 8 hours a day with famous choreographers, and performing – it was the best time!  I began to concentrate more on my dancing vs. my writing job.  For my dance job, I had to work out A LOT to get in to the best shape.  And this became my life.  Loving fitness so much, I decided to get my certification in Personal Training (Fitour). 

I moved back to Madison to enroll in law school (that’s on hold…) & came across Kneaded Relief.  I definitely felt a connection here, and have loved every second since I’ve been here.  I think energy and atmosphere is so important, and Kneaded Relief has the best of both.  I work as a Personal Trainer here at Kneaded Relief, and I’m still dancing with FortyDeuce, and teaching dance classes at Memorial High School.  I believe that anyone can change their body, and I’m totally here to help them reach their fitness & health goals.  Yay!