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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Name: Danielle Sidell
Age: 25
Occupation: CrossFit Athlete

“A lot of Crossfit is not about being the strongest or the most fit, it’s about who is willing to push through the pain the longest. Who can mentally endure the most, who is willing to go until they pass out. I’m betting on myself… That is what draws me to Crossfit…” -Danielle Sidell

There is no question that there is something special about Danielle when it comes to her athletic ability, but behind that raw talent is an athlete who is even stronger mentally. And that is why Danielle Sidell is a force to be reckoned with.
 
"You can teach someone the movements, you can coach them to be more efficient and strategic with a workout to get a better score, but when you’re standing on that line with another person, they have the same training, they have a similar game plan, they are all elite level athletes at almost the same fitness level, it comes down to who wants it more. I embrace the pain and I love it! When I die, I die on 'E'… Leaving it all in the workout."
 
Danielle finished the CrossFit Open in 10th place for the Central East Region after some incredible performances including a first place finish on Open Workout 14.3… but it was not love at first burped...

Name: Maddy Curley
Occupation: Coach at Brick CrossFit, Actress, Writer, CrossFit L1 Instructor 

Maddy Curley has some impressive CrossFit stats including a 5th place team finish at the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games, and finishing 11th in the world in the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Open. In 2013 her team (Brick Nation) qualified for the Games for a second time, but was DQ'ed after failing to meet eligibility requirements. Brick Nation is back and stronger than ever for the 2014 season. The team finished 11th Worldwide and 2nd in their Region during the 2014 CrossFt Open. This impressive finish has earned the team a spot at Regionals and a chance to qualify for the 2014 CrossFit Games. 

With stats like that and a background in competitive gymnastics, I figured an athlete like Maddy took to CrossFit right away. Wrong. So very, very wrong.

"Maddy" I asked, "What first drew you to CrossFit?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Several years ago a good friend was trying really hard to get Maddy to come out and try a WOD with him. And how did this now elite athlete respond?

"That sounds really dumb. I don’t lift weights."

Finally, she gave in after being told that the workouts were fun and catered to soccer moms. Her first WOD was "Chelsea": 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 air squats performed every minute on the minute for 30 minutes. Sounds like a piece of cake for a former collegiate gymnast, right? Wrong again...