Whether you’re looking to learn more about the person behind The Vibe : CT, you’re already one of her biggest fans, or just trying to figure out whether or not you wanna jump into your own personal fitness journey, start by getting to know why Erica does what she does!

Isn’t it ironic how some things in life you never envisioned for yourself? As we grow surrounded by our families and our habits, we typically tend to follow in those foot steps. Until one day, that all changes.

As female, we see the media always showing us one way to be…Skinny. We beat ourselves up for not being in a certain size or not living up to society’s expectations. I did just that. I wasn’t always accepting of my body. I had plenty of things to pick on myself about because what I seen was not who I was.

I was 18 and just landing a job in a hospital and basically just starting my life. The next few years, I settled down and had a daughter. The trauma that happens during pregnancy is aggressive both on the mind and body. After my pregnancy, I knew I would never get back who I was but wanted to make some changes. I joined Planet Fitness and starting to find some things I enjoyed.

Once I did that, I started to focus on the food I was eating. Sooner or later this all came together, and I was doing things that made me feel good both inside and out. I had a weight loss goal and a vision of being thinner. I accomplished those goals and later found out I was going to be having another child. Emotions ran high as I recently reached my goals and finally felt good about me and now I was going to be having another child.

After her birth, I went back to doing what I loved to make me feel good about myself. Now granted, I am human and eat all of the food and didn’t always have the greatest discipline, but for the most part, I knew what I was doing for me. 4 years ago I stepped into a class that was intense, at that time in my life. Mind you, I had never taken a fitness class before. I typically worked on the machines and moved in other ways that I knew worked for my body.

After, taking this class, my body felt something it never felt before. I could hardly walk up the stairs let alone sit down to go to the bathroom, LOL. My body needed THIS. It needed a change, something that was going to break me out of my routine to help break new boundaries. A few months later, there it was. A post shared to me by my mother on Facebook saying, “Erica, you should go for this!” Become a POUND PRO today!

My goodness I never thought about teaching ANY type of fitness format in my life. I just do this because I wanted to get back to who I was and have “me” time after having two children. After discussing this crazy idea with my husband, my mother-in-law jumped in a said, “GO FOR IT” She literally supported me and fronted the funds for me to jump into a fitness training! Talk about having no doubts. After that, the rest was history.

It has been 8 years since becoming a POUNDPRO. Since I stepped into the fitness world, all of those previous visions I had in my head, started to get pushed aside. I was finding that even though I was young and had all of those previous visions of what I was supposed to be and look like, they were all going away.

Why was I going to beat myself comparing myself to something or someone that only existed in a magazine? I started to watch me grow, mentally. I started to accept who I was, not this person I would never be. That’s not me. I am me and I must learn to love her and accept her for who she is. Including all the perfect imperfections. And it was time for my people to start believing in themselves too!

I have been working since the age of 14 and had a great job as a Director in the business world. I received a POUND opportunity that would be a once in a lifetime gig. A chance to teach children all over the Reading School District for the Reading Recreation Commission. This was only a summer thing… how could I possible leave me job and not know what our lives would hold after this was over.

I took the leap! I gave my two weeks notice and just went for it. I left the corporate world to live my passion. To give individuals an outlet. To be able to forget about whatever was going on in their lives for just an hour and to give kids the chance to be kids. This quickly started to grow into so much more.

This then led me to expand and grow into other formats and areas. Finding formats that speak to a wider population. POUND TOUR CREW, 200 hr YOGA YTT, Strength and conditioning, Personal Training, Buti Yoga and more! Each format holds a special place in my heart and soul. They all have a purpose within me that I get to share with you! Each class creates something different. The ability to be able to connect with anyone in the room is something very rare.

Over this time I started to watch this community grow. We were becoming more than people who came to class to get a workout in. We were real people with stories and purpose. This place soon became a space where we came to connect on another level. Sharing our struggles and life experiences as we battled the every day struggle of not appreciating the person looking back at them in the mirror.

Learning how to love ourselves no matter what we have gone through in the past, accepting the challenges we have faced and becoming present with who we are today. Lets be honest, the struggle is real! I promise you, this all starts to change when you become part of this family.

This group of people who aren’t just there for a class but there for you on a personal level. To help pick you up and push you through because they to know, you have it in you!

Without this community, who knows where I would be. And most importantly, without the love and support of my husband, close friends and family! If it wasn’t for you, this dream wouldn’t have came true!

~A dream is only a dream, unless you make it a reality! ~Erica