A Girl, a Garage, and a Dream …
Rewind to 2010 — the year I found CrossFit.
My very first CrossFit workout was Murph, completed with the thickest green band imaginable. I was humbled, exhausted, and completely hooked. When I showed up the next day, I knew it was love.
After that, I worked on and off at several local CrossFit gyms, and each experience shaped me into the coach I am today. But I always wanted to own my own CrossFit affiliate. I continued my education, earning my Level 1 and Level 2 trainer credentials, and ultimately achieving my CrossFit Level 3 certification. During COVID, I had to step back from coaching to raise our four kids, but we already had a garage gym, which put us ahead of the shutdown curve.
Fast forward to July 2025 at the CrossFit Owners and Coaches Conference in Albany, New York. I was a coach sitting in a room full of affiliate owners, completely in awe of the people who had followed their dreams and opened their own gyms. For the past 16 years, “mom” had been my most important job title, and the dream of owning an affiliate had quietly lived on the back burner.
That conference changed everything.
My husband met me afterward for the CrossFit Games weekend — an event we never miss. It’s the one trip we both look forward to all year. While we were there, I finally worked up the courage to tell him I was ready to open a gym, fully expecting him to say no.
Instead, he said yes.
The moment we got home, we submitted our name — Vanguard CrossFit— to CrossFit HQ. Three days later, our name was approved.
We immediately began looking for buildings and stumbled upon a former CrossFit gym that had been vacant for five years. It was perfect: 5,000 square feet of open space and the biggest garage door you’ve ever seen. The only downside? It wouldn’t be ours for another five months.
So I had a choice: wait and put my dream on hold (again) or take action.
We chose action.
We affiliated the garage.
I honestly thought no one would want to work out in a 700-square-foot garage with me. I offered “free training” until our permanent space opened. We started with a 9 a.m. class three days a week. That quickly turned into every day. Then came 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. daily, 8 a.m. Saturday mornings. We added evening classes and soon averaged 25 people a day coming through the garage. Before long, we launched Vanguard Barbell Club three days a week.
We signed up for PushPress, launched a custom app, took professional headshots for seven coaches, created founding memberships — the Vanguard Circle — and invested in website development.
We run the garage exactly like an affiliate.
We have a monthly Resilience Club winner — one male and one female — who earns the privilege of using the Golden Barbell for the month. (You’d be amazed at what people will do for a golden barbell.) Every garage member committed to becoming part of the Vanguard Circle, locking in their membership rate for life, even knowing we didn’t have a lease until March 1.
I program every workout specifically for my members, my equipment, and my space. In the garage alone, we have over 2,000 lb of plates, two rowers, two Echo bikes, two Assault Runners, 16 barbells (including five Olympic barbells), enough dumbbells and kettlebells for every athlete, soft plyo boxes, rings, a rope, a ski erg, and four pull-up bars.
We sell merch, protein bars, and electrolyte drinks out of my mudroom. There’s an InBody 570 in the corner. We offer a full nutrition program with custom macros.
We are no different than any other affiliate. We just happen to run it out of a garage.
What initially felt like a delay turned out to be a blessing. When we open our permanent location, we’ll do so with more members than some gyms gain in their first six months.
My lesson learned?
- Don’t wait.
- Don’t put your dream on the back burner.
- Don’t let timing or fear decide your future.
If you dreamed it, it’s your calling. With hard work, belief, and relentless determination, it’s achievable.
