'On Community'
What it takes to craft an elite community
Hi all! My name is Danna and I am an adventurer as well as a CrossFit coach…did we just become best friends?!
Hiking in the White Mountains:
The second I heard about VoyEge RX I was fascinated with the simplicity of the idea of combining travel and fitness. As many of you know, community is a HUGE part of making fitness fun and something you want to do everyday.
Personally I have a very outgoing personality and don’t often find myself worried about going to a new place or trying out a new gym. I know it’s not this way for everyone and dropping in at a gym on vacation alone may be such a scary thought that you avoid working out all together! Luckily, with VoyEdge RX you are with a community of individuals on the same adventure so you’re not alone.
Now that you understand why I think VoyEdge RX is so cool…I want to tell you a little more about my experience with the CrossFit community and why I think building healthy community in your life and business is so important.
I grew up always playing sports and never really experiencing working out on my own. Once I graduated college I was faced with the new challenge of how to stay in shape without organized sports in my life. I joined a gym with lots of equipment in hopes that I would just know what to do. No one talked to me and I found myself very rarely making an appearance.
Eventually I knew something needed to change. I had heard of CrossFit but couldn’t fathom spending the money on it. I didn’t understand what made it worth that much money…until I joined and was welcomed into a community. I immediately fell in love with it and couldn’t wait to go the next day. I made friends and those friends held me accountable for my fitness goals. They wanted to see me succeed and helped in any way they could.
My CrossFit Transformation - Left: May 2015 Right: December 2016
Eventually my life took me out of Western Massachusetts and into the big ‘ol city of Boston. I wasn’t scared of making friends because I knew I just had to join a gym and I’d be all set! Unfortunately the first gym I joined didn’t quite have the same type of community established and wasn’t for me. (This particular gym closed 3 months later) I was then in search of a new gym as I was trying to fill the void I had from leaving my gym in Western MA. I know…the anticipation is killing you! Did I find the community I was looking for? Did I make new fitness friends? Well I did find a new gym and I LOVED the programming. It was a much different community than I was used to, but I found myself happy in my new CrossFit home.
Myself and some our members for my Halloween WOD
Eventually life took me back to Western MA and I was greeted with open arms back to my old gym. It felt amazing to come back and it felt like no time had passed. I eventually became certified and started coaching so I could be a part of that welcoming crew to those first beginning their fitness journey.
I love to travel and I make it a point to drop in at a gym everywhere I go. I love to witness and immerse myself into other fitness communities so I can learn what works and what doesn’t work for them. I’ve dropped in at gyms on Cape Cod, in Arizona, in Colorado, and all over New England.
Being a part of the CrossFit community has made travel so much more welcoming for me. It’s like having a friend everywhere you visit and it’s the community we have to thank for that.
I personally can't wait for a VRX excursion and I think it's a powerful combination they've put together. Maybe we'll meet on a future trip?
See ya out there...
-Danna Mazzola