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Home / Fashlete™ of the Month / Tagged: Women's Fitness

Fashlete™ of the Month

Transform Your Body and Mind : Challenge Equals Change

Name: Shondelle Solomon Miles
Age: 40 and Fabulous
Occupation: Owner of CrossFit 954/Coach

There are two main criteria for being chosen as a "Fashlete":

1. The individual is committed to health and fitness in a way that has changed her life in significant ways. You can't help but look at her and say: "Oh WOW".

2. The individual uses her knowledge and experience to help others do the same. She will look right back at you and say: "Now let me show you how." 

As long as I've known Shondelle, she has always had that "Oh WOW" factor. She attacks life with an intense energy, often with her two young kids in tow. She loves life and wants you to love it too. Since graduating from Columbia University in 1996, it has been Shondelle’s personal and professional mission to improve and transform lives via the vehicle of health and fitness.

 

Shondelle opened Synergize!, a multifaceted small-group personal training center after graduating with her Masters in Sports Medicine from University of Miami. Additional certifications have followed and she has no doubt become an expert in body fat loss and weight management for men and women.

BUT… being an expert is not enough. Some of the best coaches are the ones who seek out experiences in which they do not necessarily excel. A true leader will face her own fears in order to become stronger both mentally and physically. And once the fear is conquered, she will lead others down their own dark and daunting paths until they too find the first break of light...

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Terri Rosen : The Integrity of a Black Belt

 

Name: Terri Rosen
Occupation: Owner at Ohio Krav Maga & Fitness, Owner/Designer at temalidesign

Sometimes the best experiences in life are things that we don't even see coming. What I learned from our interview with Terri is that it is important to always remain open minded, especially when we find ourselves at a crossroads. Instead of looking for the quick answer, ask more questions. Verbalize what you need in your life and be open to venturing down all sorts of unfamiliar paths in order to reach the desired destination.

Terri moved to Columbus in 2006 and suddenly had a lot of questions. Prior to her move she had a fulfilling college experience where she majored in graphic design and was introduced to weightlifting. She began to wonder: "How does someone make friends as an adult in a new city?" She was also interested in training for a triathlon but wasn't sure where to start. And finally, she was closing in 180 lbs she wondering how she could "fix it".

One year later, the answers to all of Terri's questions were answered in an unusual way - a way that she couldn't even pronounce. On a fateful Saturday morning, a friend convinced her to try Krav Maga.

"Krav Ma-what??" ...I had no idea what I was in for..."

What happened next was a journey of self-discovery, success, health, and love. Terri was the second woman in the United States Krav Maga Association to earn her Black Belt, and one of only a handful in the entire world. In our interview, Terri shares the ups and downs of her experience and how taking a leap of faith has transformed her life and the lives of others...

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Ashley Beaver : Pursue Your Passion

 

Name: Ashley Beaver
Age: 27
Occupation: CrossFit Coach and Creator of Livin Paleo Cuisine

At what point does a hobby become a passion? And at what point does a passion become worth pursuing full time? Making a living doing something you love sounds pretty ideal, right?  Once you find success, people will remark on how "lucky" you are. Ashley Beaver knows first hand that pursuing a passion is not about luck. It takes sacrifice, unwavering dedication, and the strength to carry on even in the face of failure... again and again.

"I've found something I'm extremely passionate about, but it wasn't easy to leave certain aspects of my life to pursue this 100%. It's easy to doubt yourself, or to settle into something that's easy. But in the end I don't think what's easy makes you happy. I may struggle now, but I know down the road, wherever it may lead, I'll be happy that I took a chance to do what I love."

Ashley is on the brink of taking her love for CrossFit and paleo cooking to the next level by making a career out of what started as hobbies. With a strong Instagram following, and 4th place team finish at the Northern California CrossFit Regional competition, Ashley is off to a great start already. In our interview, Ashley fills us in on her evolution as an athlete/chef, why these two "hobbies" are so important to her, and her plans for the future.

Ashley, how and when did you first become interested in the paleo diet?  

I first heard about the paleo diet about five and half years ago when I first got involved with crossfit. I’ve always been pretty healthy and concerned with eating things that fuel my body, but it wasn’t until about two years ago when I decided to give paleo a real go that I found out how beneficial the diet was to my training and overall health.

Like a lot of people, going paleo can seem difficult, but that’s mostly because we’re so attached to things like cereal and bread and pasta. As the diet has become more and more popular, the amount of resources has grown tremendously, and in my opinion, it’s one of the easiest diets to follow...

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The Pursuit of Strength : Olympic Athlete Cara Heads Slaughter

January 2014

Name: Cara Heads Slaughter
Age: 36
Occupation: Owner of CH Fitness and Performance

I met Cara last July at the Reebok CrossFit Games. She is bright, friendly, energetic, strong and beautiful... and this is the impression you will get within the first 5 seconds of meeting her. There is nothing I love more than speaking with women who are as passionate about lifting and strength as Cara. To some this may seem like a dull topic, meathead kind of stuff. But it is so much more. We're not just gabbing about our workouts, how much weight, how many reps, bla bla bla.  We are talking about the pursuit of strength on a broad and massive scale. It is technical, it is physical, it is mental, it can even be spiritual. You know what I mean.

Come to find out, Cara isn't just any ol' weightlifting enthusiast. Cara Heads Slaughter is a US Olympic Weightlifter with an 18 year Olympic weightlifting career under her belt. She has earned 8 national championship titles, set 2 American records, and represented  the U.S. at 5 world championships. Cara was also part of the 2000 Olympic Team in Sydney. In short, this woman is the real deal.

"...I am a cheerleader at heart; someone that genuinely wants to see people succeed in life. I consider it a privilege to get to help people train and reach their personal weightlifting or fitness goals, because it almost always means they had to overcome significant challenges to do it. Challenges are full of lessons and I value the lessons that can be learned from the discipline of Olympic weightlifting, or any true discipline for that matter. It takes courage to try a new technique, enter your first competition, or endure when your training doesn’t seem to be producing the expected results. I love coaching people through these kinds of circumstances.  I’m a very passionate person in general, but I am especially passionate about helping people pursue their goals and helping them be as successful as they want to be." -Cara

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Barbells for Boobs : The Woman Leading the Way

October 2013

Name: Zionna Munoz
Age: 34
Occupation: Founder and CEO of Barbells for Boobs - Mammograms in Action

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are very proud to feature Zionna Munoz as our Fashlete of the Month.  After a close friend was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, Zionna knew she had to do something. This "something" has grown from 60 athletes in a parking lot to more than 45,000 participants across 1300 affiliates in 23 countries raising funds for Zionna's organization, Mammograms in Action.

Though Zionna says she has always been in the "industry of helping others", running a non-profit was something completely new.  Prior to starting Barbells for Boobs, Zionna had been a CrossFit Affiliate owner, massage therapist, and pharmacy tech.

"I became a health insurance specialist in the pharmacy industry and lead the team that troubleshooter for over 600 pharmacies on the west coast. I hoped to one day become a pharmacist until I saw the pharmaceutical industry take a huge change in a direction I did not believe in."

It is clear now that Zionna has found her true calling.  She is currently on the road, visiting CrossFit Affiliates across the country on the annual Pink Bra Tour. She took some time out of her schedule to answer the following questions and give us some insight into how she got started, why she continues, and who has helped her along the way.

To date, this incredible woman is responsible for starting an organization that has provided 1,123 procedures, detected 30 cases of breast cancer, and served 749 individuals in need of care.

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