My story

 Everyone has a story. And within that story is a compilation of many life experiences. While every story is unique-they all contain the same ingredients- some parts more; some parts less. Our stories are comprised of joy, pain, heartache, heartbreak, inspiration, power, gut wrenching disappointment, loss, and hopefully love - in many forms.

At the risk of being completely vulnerable; but, with the goal to share sacred space, here is part of my story.

It is long, but I hope it helps those of you who are curious about Beats Studio to 

connect with me on a personal level, and not feel intimidated to join me on your fitness journey.

Academically, school was hard for me. I had tutors in high school and college. I was even waitlisted at The University of Alabama, if that tells you anything. 

I thrived in high school because of cheerleading. (Middle school almost killed me being the the chubby and weird preacher’s kid that I was- but that’s a different story) By the time I got to high school I had shed 40 lbs; and after one failed attempt I finally landed a spot on the coveted dance based cheerleading squad at Murphy High School. 

I was ecstatic-My brain understood dance and movement. I loved it. I had instant girlfriends and my mind could translate a dance combination. I didn’t feel stupid like I often did at school. As hard as I tried (and I did try) my brain didn’t “get” math…or biology, or chemistry, for that matter. I only sat through that God forsaken Algebra class so that I could get to practice and learn those dance combinations that my brain and body loved so much. It was most definitely the best part of high school for me. 

After graduation, I went to a small private college in South Carolina (go Bluehose!) It was a wonderful place with brilliant professors-but a dance mecca is was not. My senior year they did begin to develop a small dance department. I took as many of those classes as my schedule would allow -but I was already halfway through my declared major of Christian Education; so switching this late in the game just wasn’t an option. 

My beloved dancing mostly had to take place on the weekends, which usually included a fraternity house and alcohol. So, to the casual observer I know that I looked like your typical party girl - but that just wasn’t the case. I had (and still have) a deep faith, I love people, and the joy that movement and dancing brings me. It fulfills me in a way that nothing else does. In retrospect, I didn’t fill my dance void in college in the healthiest of ways; but, you live and you learn. 

Fortunately, I did learn and I did graduate ..BUT it was not without several weeks of academic probation from my sorority, and an extra semester due to a series of poor decisions on my part. 

Enter 2005….official adulting. The good news about painful choices is that you can learn from them if you so choose. I knew that regular late night dance parties would not be conducive to my new professional career that I had worked hard for. So, in lieu of late nights to get my dance fix and endorphin rush- I began my hunt for and tried any and all fitness classes that I could. I did everything from step aerobics to kickboxing, body jam, hip hop, pure barre, extend barre, Tracy Anderson, and Nancy Kunberger’s Hi/lo cardio class (which to this day is tied with DanceBody for my favorite workout of all time) 

Fitness was how I kept my body healthy, my mental health in check, and it helped me make friends outside of my church work. 

In 2014, right before the birth of my 2nd son we moved to our precious Lexington, NC. We did so for several reasons; but mostly so that we could raise our little family in a small town, I could focus on my job at First Presbyterian church without a 40 minute commute, and my husband Roland traveled often so our location was flexible. However gym options were limited in our small town. 

I joined the local YMCA. It was there that someone approached me and asked if I would be interested in teaching a class. Although my initial reaction was fear:

was I good enough? could I balance the time? would people show up? What if they left in the middle? 

However, I chose not to listen to that fearful or doubting voice, and I felt fairly confident in my ability so -I went for it. 

Enter February 2015- the very first BEATS class ever. Roland helped me come up with the name- I wanted something catchy- something that would stand out from the generic sweat/ or muscle toning classes that I would see on the fitness schedule. We came up with B.E.A.T.S (an acronym for Burn. Energize. and Toning. Sculpt.) All the things I wanted to accomplish in one class. My first class had 10 people, mostly because they were nice people and wanted to support the Y- Not because of me. I was so nervous. I fumbled over my counts, my music, my coaching on a “Britney Spears” microphone all the while trying to remember the 60 minute routine that took me hours and hours to put together. I was certain that not one out of the 10 that showed up would ever return. But to my shock -the next week-7 of them did. So, I took that little bit of encouragement and went from there. Over the next 4 years I went from 1 class a week to 5. My 7 person BEATS class on Saturday became so full that people were literally standing on top of each other and showing up early to get a spot. Now with that said- there were many times I would only teach for 3 people or I would be in so much pain that I had to smile through gritted teeth just to get through class. But it was worth it. During those 4 years I met some of the very best people. I learned their stories, and I was honored to become a part of theirs. I saw women’s bodies change to become stronger, leaner, and fitter. I saw their confidence boost. I loved how many of them would come in exhausted and ill but then leave happy feeling like they could “conquer the world”. And I met some of my very best friends. ❤️ 

In 2018 I began to have requests for private trainings. I was already stretched incredibly thin. I had just had my third baby James in April of 2017, and I was still working full time for the church (which I loved) but just like any job came with it’s own set of challenges. Yet, I knew that exercise was not something that I would ever give up by choice. It was just too important not only for my physical health but for my mental health as well; plus I was getting really good at it. I began to realize that this was not only the case for me but for most if not all the people I was working with. 

Not ready to quit my day job because I still felt called to serve the church- I continued to feel restless and felt like I could do more in the fitness space. Roland could sense this from me as well; so that year for Christmas, he installed a barre, a small floor, and a mirror in our basement. I now had a dedicated space to train girls privately or in small groups. This is when everything began to change. EVERYTHING.

Although it contained many happy times and new experiences, 2019 from start to finish was one of the most stressful, most difficult, most painful years of my life. What started small with only 4 or 5 girls a week -began to grow quickly. However, I still had a job to do, I had 3 young boys who needed their mom, and I was still teaching classes at the YMCA. I knew I was burning the candle at both ends. It was only through faith, grace, mercy from many, about a million prayers, and True Grit that I got me through that year.

Enter 2020. I prayed for clarity, relief, change. Well it came- but obviously not how I thought it would. During the early days of the pandemic I was a mess. I missed my classes, my church, my connection with people. I’m an extreme extrovert. For those of you who are not, or for those that teeter between the two- you will never know the darkness that comes with feeling so isolated. Through those dark feelings, I still had to be a mom (who was now homeschooling), dealing with major uncertainty (as we all were), fearful and aging parents (who I did not see for months on end), while learning how to work, workout, and communicate all through a virtual platform. It was during this time that I found dance body. I felt KP’s energy through the screen, and I learned to incorporate it with my workouts. It was also during this time that I realized it was time for a change in my professional life. I had served as the Director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church Lexington for 9 years. I came to the understanding that true growth requires change, and I felt like both I and the church needed that. 

After a 3 month notice I was able to dedicate all my professional energy into building up BEATS. Because we were still deep into the pandemic, without a vaccination in sight, I had to get creative with my workouts. We met outside in my driveway battling the heat, murder hornets and the damn virus. 

Over the next two years I was determined to become more balanced- as a mom, a wife, a friend, and a small business owner. Nonetheless, I was absolutely determined to give my BEATS girls absolutely 100% when I got the chance to train them. That meant every girl that walked in that door whether she had been there 100 times or it was her very first day. I wanted to show up for her; and then make it fun! I did this because I understood what it takes to show up. We don’t feel like it, we’re busy, we’re tired, we’re intimidated, we’re upset. The reason doesn’t matter. We do it anyway. We show up for each other. Period. 

I put on my first tutu at 4 years old. I have now spent over 36 years learning how to dance, challenge my body, and push myself past what I thought possible especially after having 3 babies via C-section. I know on a primal level what exercise has done and continues to do for me- and I refuse to keep that all to myself. 

Not to brag …but over a lifetime of working out I feel like I have created and put together what I feel like is the most effective, fun, and adaptable workout method that you can possibly have in an hour. I incorporate mat work, resistance band or light weights with cardio dance AND the barre!! We do this all while making friends, listening to the best music, having fun and getting stronger. 

I am so grateful and so ready for this next step for BEATS Studio. -M