Since Oct 2, 2006 and over the span of 15 years, a few things in iGnite have changed. When I started our first iGnite classes in Austin, TX:
I was the only Leader
We had one class location: a concrete slab (was once part of a bridge) overlooking Lady Bird Lake, which back then was called 'Town Lake' (pictures to come).
I offered two classes on M/W/F. One at 6:00 a.m. and the other at 8:00 a.m.
Everyone brought their own equipment: I brought some equipment but everyone always brought their yoga mat, "udderball", a pair of 5lb weights and 3 resistance band (pictures to come)
As life is a journey, we had 6-week sessions that I called "Journeys". Every 6-weeks the Monarchs (members) would decide if they wanted to participate in the next Journey. If they did, the goal would be to stretch and grow (morph) from a caterpillar and into a Monarch butterfly again (just a visual representation of the growth process..it's not always pretty but the result--WOW!). We had a total of 18 Journeys and they all had different themes. Every week our members/Monarchs would receive a copy or email of the "Weekly Intention Guide", which included inspiration, information, and weekly intentions to fill out.
As you can see, 15 years has brought about some change, but most essential is what remains the same: the heart and mission, as well as the people in iGnite. We are deeply committed to the same mission: to inspire and positively impact the physical, mental and spiritual lives of women through a fun, encouraging, empowering and relational health, fitness, and wellness community experience. *And, our Team and You (the people) are THE BEST PART! In fact, you are the most important part!
Like you, our awesome team is made up of variety of amazing women--all born and raised in different places throughout the country (and world), and we all have had an array of experiences. But also like you, our team is a group of deeply passionate, loving, talented and committed women--who value the importance of health, fitness, community, family and fun! In fact, below are some quotes from our team bios. By reading below, I suspect you'll be surprised, inspired and get a good laugh..and for fun, try guessing who said what. Then, head to Our Team page to find out who said what and get to know us even more.
Betty Cunningham- Best advice: “Look up.” Between carpools and the crazy pace of having 10 children, my mother would pull things out of the air to make us think, especially when we were arguing over things like who had to ride in the “very back” of the station wagon.
Crystal Tidmore- My favorite quote is: "What would you to do if you knew you couldn't fail?"
Amy Younkman- Originally from Illinois, I consider myself a born-again Texas.
Rebecca Young- My life changing experience was selling books door to door to pay for college - 4 summers. (That’s a long story for another day).
Susie Matzorkis- Growing up in Austin, I spent 8 yrs in competitive gymnastics, then began dancing at age 14. After high school I moved to California to pursue a professional dance career.
Alli Phillips- My favorite quote is: "We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing."
Jill Watts- I attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned a Bachelor of Science in Textiles and Apparel. I lived in Seattle for 8 years (and loved living there), but family and job changes brought us back to Austin.
Kathleen Parker- Living my best life means: Staying strong and healthy. It's the the greatest gift we can give ourselves.
Carissa Seaton- My favorite quote is: "Attitude is a choice!"
Molly Daniels- Something people don't know about me is I don't have a sense of smell.
Sarah Hamilton- Many years ago, when my children were babies, I experienced the sudden loss of my husband. That experience taught me that I could handle anything that comes my way. I wanted to teach them how to be strong, confident, capable women and that life is a wonderful gift.
Paula Harnish- After graduation, I had the opportunity to travel to the U.S as a nanny. The plan was to stay for one year, but it turned into 30 years, so as you can tell I do like living here. I have lived in L.A, Santa Fe and Austin.
Rory Smith- Something people don't know about me is I am 100% Irish and spent my junior year "studying" abroad in Galway, Ireland. By studying, I really mean I spent most of my time enjoying the sights, the Irish music and (of course) the pubs in one of the most beautiful places on earth!
Sha Klatt- My parents are my inspiration! They are in their 90’s and still lead very active lives. They continue to try new things, eat well, exercise daily, travel and most importantly are very involved with their family.
Neissa Springmann- I reallllly love to laugh and dance! And....i’ve always desired a career in television, simply to communicate a passionate, encouraging and positive message to the masses.
The bottom line is, our Team and you are awesome and I am beyond grateful! Thank you for 15 years and in fact, here's to 15 years of iGniting our lives together, which is a whole-lotta fun, friendship and fitness...a whole lot more to come!
Love,