Ariana Gailie

I didn’t find my love for fitness until much later in life.  Growing up I loved sports and played basketball in high school, but it was never something that came naturally.   It wasn’t until life handed me a few curveballs that I was drawn back to being active.  
I started running because I needed an outlet.  I would run for miles with just my headphones and a good playlist to clear my head and cope with everything that had happened over the last two years.  I loved it.  Running in the rain was my favorite.  I remember picking my face up to the sky and feeling like the sky’s tears were hiding mine and it was so therapeutic.  But after a while, it became more and more difficult to run because of old injuries, so I was looking for another option.  
A CrossFit gym opened up in the next building over from my office and they were advertising a 6 week challenge.  Despite how stupid I thought CrossFit was at that time, I figured I’d go check it out.  
I still remember my interview with the coach there (who to this day is one of my closest friends) and saying “I’m fine with hiit/style classes but I am NOT doing CrossFit.”  That lasted for about 4 months.   2x a week turned into 5x a week and then I’d see the CrossFit classes finishing up and I’d be so intrigued.   So I on-ramped and finally found something that I LOVED.  It was my social hour, my therapy, and my happy place.  I realized I could do things I never thought I’d be able to do and the confidence I found literally changed my life.  
That’s why I started coaching.  I wanted to help people feel what I felt and watch their confidence grow every day.  The smile when someone gets that first box jump, or that first pull-up, or that squat PR… it’s one of the best feelings.

I tore my ACL in high school (in the 90s) and it left me with huge limitations from arthritis and pain.  Training through pain has just been my reality for years, but eventually, it catches up to you.  I’m home as I write this, recovering from a total knee replacement.  When I say I felt completely hopeless the first week after surgery, I’m not exaggerating.  I have always been super strong but I couldn’t even lift my leg up on my own.  I was so discouraged, feeling like I’d never get back to where I was.  
Then someone told me “Your only limitation is yourself.  You can do whatever you want to push yourself to do.”  I’m just under 3 weeks post-surgery now and I’m walking with a normal gait, my range of motion is better than it was before surgery, I’m driving, I’m doing stairs with ease, and I’m able to come back to the gym (with modifications).  Injuries are setbacks, but you can come back stronger than ever.

I have a daughter.   She was around 6 years old when I started my fitness journey; the age where they want to do everything you do.   That became my motivation.   I wanted her to find confidence in learning what she’s capable of.  We are all capable of so much more than we think, and once we really know that we can be unstoppable.