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Fashlete™ of the Month

Fierce Forward

July 2012

Name: Ashley Johns
Age: 30
Occupation: Creator and Owner of Fierce Forward, Online Consultant & Mentor, Personal Trainer 

Meet Ashley Johns, a compassionate, driven, and motivated mentor and personal trainer who has dedicated her life to helping others transform their lives through her website, Fierce Forward. Fierce Forward is Ashley's personal mantra, an attitude, and a lifestyle inspired by her own journey and transformation.

Before “The Fierce”

Part of what makes Ashley so good at what she does is the fact that she was her own first “project”.  She wasn’t always the fresh face, fierce body that you see pictured here.  Just three years ago while working as a Personal Banker, Ashley was experiencing daily anxiety attacks, turning to food for comfort, and letting an important relationship fall apart.

“After enough time, I was very unhappy in not only my job but the choices I made in response to my environment.  I ate to be happy and to escape and I began turning into a girl I not only didn’t recognize, but didn’t know anymore.  I was in a dark, deep hole.” 

Turning Point

On New Years Day Ashley reflected on the previous night’s events.  Everything about the night reminded her of how much she had let herself go.  Ringing in the New Year has a way of doing this to us.  Often we find ourselves thinking about how far we have come, or conversely, how glad we are to have the opportunity for a fresh start.  Ashley’s fresh start was on the horizon but first she had to confront the stranger in the mirror and let her know it was time for change.

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The Original Warrior

June 2012

Name: Vito Sztykiel
Age: 59
Occupation: Attorney, (Husband, Father of Four, Grandfather)
 
"I think putting away your childish things when you grow up is ill advised. I think you can stay a kid forever." -Vito

In honor of Father's Day we are featuring Vito - not just because he is a father (and he happens to be my father), but because just two weeks away from his 60th birthday, he is an example of the fact that the constant pursuit of athletic feats will in fact keep you young forever.  With two titanium hips and several back surgeries under his belt, he is still playing ice hockey, windsurfing on lake Michigan in the summer, and keeping up with his 4-year-old grandson around the clock.
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I Am Enough

May 2012

Name: Melissa Guitron
Age: 25
Occupation: Coach at CrossFit San Mateo - Certified in: Level 1 CrossFit, CF Gymnastics, CF Football, CF Kids and Mobility

You know what you know and you don’t know what do you don’t know. Four years ago if you asked me to define beauty, I probably would have told you it involved weighing 120 pounds, wearing a size four and looking “lean and toned.”  Today, though I wear a size 4, I am proud to weigh a strong 150 pounds.  Before Crossfit I simply did not know.  In a world that tells us who we are is not enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough, not tan enough, not strong enough, it is hard to believe that you are enough.

When did strong become the new skinny?

I discovered CrossFit three years ago through my ex-husband.  When he returned from his deployment to Afghanistan he introduced me to CrossFit and a completely new world of, you are not enough.  While CrossFit motivates most people to want to better for themselves, I embraced CrossFit to make my husband happy.  For 12 months I had spent hours on the elliptical, counting calories and skipping meals, starving myself in an attempt turn my body into what I thought was desirable.  I thought exposed hip and collar bones was beauty, yet now I find myself envious of girls with muscles and strength because that is what my husband suddenly found attractive.  All my hard work was now, once again, not enough. It was no longer, you are not skinny enough but instead you are not strong enough.  I was now expected to learn to row fast, jump high and clean massive amounts of weight all while wearing booty shorts if I wanted to be enough for him.

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The Strength to Endure

April 2012

Name: Susan Wallis
Age: 59
Occupation: Retired High School Teacher

1982 - A 29 year-old Susan Wallis runs a local 5k with a group of women from the school where she teaches high school math.  She’s hooked.

1988 - Susan qualifies for the prestigious Boston Marathon (26.2 miles) with a time of 3 hours and 19 minutes (7:35/mile pace).  Qualifying in 1988 was tougher than in 2012. Today, a 35 year old woman would “only” have to finish in 3 hours 40 minutes or better (8:23/mile).

1991 – An experienced training buddy tells Susan that she is in shape to do an Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run).  What a great friend!  With little knowledge of swimming or cycling, Susan signs up for the first Great Florida Triathlon, a brand new “iron-distance” race.

2012 - Susan is 59 years old, a mother of two, and a retired school teacher.  I’ve come to learn that Susan is as humble as she is talented and I can thank her daughter Chrissy for nominating her for Fashlete of the Month.

Since her first triathlon in 1991, Susan has completed AT LEAST one ironman per year, and at most THREE.  Her total to date is 36 Ironman/iron-distance races.  That’s 86.4 miles of swimming, 4,032 miles of cycling, and 943.2 miles of running… and that’s just the racing part.  Imagine the ground she has covered in training!

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Accepting Ourselves and Wanting More

March 2012

Name: Shanna Tokarsky
Age: 28
Occupation: AdvoCare Advisor, CrossFit Coach, Digital Marketing Lead

A little background... 

Last month Stephanie Vincent of Radical Hateloss hosted the second  Ladies Discussion Series RX - Real Conversations About Living Our Own Version of "As Prescribed".  I was invited on as the "special guest" and had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with a diverse group of women from across the country.

First of all, how great is the name Radical Hateloss?  In a world where so many women are still obsessed with the number on the scale, Radical Hateloss is an important reminder that the problem is not always the weight we carry on our hips or in our bellies... it is the weight we carry on our shoulders.  Obsessing over the scale or clothing size is nothing but a burden.  And while it may seem like perfectly reasonable motivation to get into the gym, such an obsession can actually be detrimental to your fitness and your happiness.

The theme of our discussion was "Accepting Ourselves and Wanting More".  Stephanie and I both agreed that this topic is synonymous with "Live, Love, Lift" and embodies what Fashletics is all about: Enjoy your life, love yourself, and find your strength inside and out. 

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