Have you ever tried CrossFit?

I played college baseball and during that time working out, practicing, playing, and all that kept me in relatively good shape. Once my career was over and I started on my life path, working out and taking care of myself really took a back seat to everything else. Ten years later I was out of shape, tired, weak, and generally unmotivated.

When I started this podcast I wanted to make sure I was highlighting as many industries as I could. I had walked past Motown Fitness countless times and have heard things about them from others that I know. So I decided to reach out about having them on the show and their owner, Karianne Anthes, was all in for coming on.

Walking into Motown, there's no flash. There are no mirrors on the wall, no fancy equipment, no smoothie bar. There's just workout equipment in what looks like a warehouse. It has a gritty vibe but Karianne could not be more welcoming.

When I first sat down to record the interview I could not have felt more out of place. I had never been in a CrossFit gym before (to be honest it had been a WHILE since I had been in a gym period) and I'm pretty sure most of the interview I was sweating even though I was just sitting there. But there was something about the way Karianne talked about their approach at Motown, how they scale their workouts, the attention of the coaches, and perhaps most importantly, the strength of their community. That had been something I had missed during my playing days, community! Working out by myself is a lot harder for me than working out as a group.

At the end of the interview, I went home and later texted Karianne that I wanted to give Motown a shot. Took my first class the following Monday, threw up at my second class that Thursday, and here we are. I have been a member since October and over the last couple of months have increased my membership and am having an absolute blast. I feel better, I have more energy, I'm making new friends, and my confidence is probably at an all time high.

That's probably the coolest thing about this episode. Personally it is one of my favorites, but there isn't any flash. It's just two people sitting on some boxes talking about Motown Fitness and CrossFit. But I think that's the beauty of it. When you get under the hood and see what actually goes on here (whether you listen to the episode or take a class) you will understand what I mean. To date we have posted 24 episodes and this one, by far, is the most important one for me. It's changed my life and I think if you give it a shot it could change yours too!