We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hadley Wuertz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hadley below.

Hadley , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Anthem Strength & Conditioning was built with the goal of creating a space that prioritized health & wellness, but also emphasized the importance of community–a place where people feel genuinely seen and cared for, regardless of where they are on their fitness journey.

We opened Anthem with the vision of making CrossFit (strength & conditioning) accessible to everyone at any walk of life. A big part of doing that was creating a community where everyone has a place.

From the outset, we made intentional choices to offer belonging through our varied programs to every type of athlete from age 3 to 103 and we prioritized a strong sense of community both in and out of the gym.

The inspiration of this mission really stemmed from my mom, who died in March of 2020. I had always used fitness as a healthy way to manage my physical and mental well-being, but during COVID, the ability to be together came to an abrupt end at a time where I definitely needed the support of others. In her work, my mom often spoke about the importance of resilience in the context of First Responders and supporting them to manage their mental and physical well-being. Her work eventually led us to create a non-profit together where we worked with kids to build resiliency in developmentally appropriate ways and what I saw then and continue to experience now is that humans need each other.

The truth is that you can workout in the privacy of your own home, on your own time, but that doesn’t fill the same basic need as doing hard things with other humans. We need each other to be the best version of ourselves. We need coaches who will support us in our relentless pursuit to be better and we need other athletes to do hard things that we would never do on our own.=

And that’s what makes Anthem a magical place to be…the community and the unwavering support of other athletes and coaches

Hadley , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

First and foremost, I’m mom to three awesome girls: Bennet (13), Hero (10), & Temperance (7).  My girls have played an integral role in everything I have pursued in my career.  As they get older they have a more active role in the programs I build and it has been wonderful to share that with them.

I have a unique mix of professional experience both in education as well as health & wellness. I  have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and completed post-graduate courses in Montessori Education. Prior to opening Anthem, I worked in both public and private education settings for over ten years. But, my love of fitness began at a young age and has continued throughout my life.

I have coached cross country, track, and basketball before falling in love with CrossFit. I became a CrossFit coach in 2018 and have my CrossFit L1, L2, Burgener Strength and CrossFit Kids certifications. One of my greatest professional joys has been the creation and growth of our CrossFit Youth and Longevity Programs. These programs allow Anthem to serve members from age 3 to 103.

I have lived all over the country and in South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia, but Stillwater is the first place that has felt like home. And although I feel like I am still acclimating to the winters, I love the Stillwater community and the magic of raising my girls here with my husband, Adam.

There are many gyms in the area, how is Anthem different?

Anthem is different because we will meet you where you are. Our goal is to empower our athletes to be fitter, stronger, and more resilient than they ever thought possible. And, have a LOT of FUN on the journey!

We have three year olds learning to do cartwheels, parents throwing heavy weights around, AND we have 80 year olds building strength to maintain independence and a healthier way of being as they age as well as everything in between!

Our core classes are adult strength and conditioning classes using the CrossFit methodology with a focus on building strength. We also offer youth programs for preschoolers, elementary aged kids, and teens and our Longevity program for individuals 65+. To round things out we have a weekly Olympic Lifting class!

Our Longevity Program is of particular note. We execute it in collaboration with ThriveHQ and OSI Stillwater. We’ve seen massive improvements in the mobility, strength, and biomarkers of these hard working seniors!

What are some ways Anthem helps build community?

Previously I was the events director for a large nonprofit in Las Vegas and love organizing events.  At Anthem we do regular holiday workouts and get togethers that bring people together.  We even have a variety of health focused clubs (Women’s Book Club, Men’s Book Club, and a MTN Bike Club) for members looking for additional ways to connect, and we offer educational seminars on a regular basis on a variety of topics (nutrition, mobility & recovery, and perimenopause). We also sponsor Health & Wellness Events in Stillwater/Lake Elmo, often in partnership with ThriveHQ.

This year will be sponsoring several events with community partners this summer including the Kids Lumberjack themed Obstacle Course for Lumberjack Days in Stillwater on July 20th, A Warrior Ruck in support of the nonprofit, Warrior’s Next Adventure in August, A Health & Wellness Festival in Lake Elmo in September, and a Functional Fitness FireFighter Comp called, Disco Inferno in October for Firefighter Awareness in support of the Lake Elmo Fire Dept.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Anthem Strength & Conditioning – CrossFit Anthem is special because of the incredible humans that are involved. This is true from the members who show up day in and day out to support each other, to the coaches who are relentless in their pursuit to care for each athlete at Anthem, and this is especially true for my co-founder, Eric Chapman.

I met Eric a few years ago when I was coaching at a different gym. His family had recently relocated to Stillwater from Hastings to be closer to his kids’ school, St Croix Prep. I had never met a coach quite like him. His ability to give each athlete exactly the cue to fix their mechanics or to motivate them is impressive. He knew how to address the one thing that would have the biggest impact on the athlete for both their performance and their mindset.

The thing about Eric that is special is he is authentic. He will tell you the truth and he has a way of delivering it in the way that you need to hear it. He is incredibly adept at saying what needs to be said. And because he is relentless in his pursuit to make you better, I have watched him fundamentally change countless athletes.

He has made me a better athlete and a better coach. I’ve learned more from him over the last three years than from any other coach in my life (and that’s saying a lot because I’ve had the great benefit of many amazing coaches throughout my athletic career).

When I decided to start Anthem, he was the first person I approached. I knew I wanted to build this business with him and his wonderful family.

To this day, I rely on his direct approach and wisdom when I have to make a hard decision. There is no one I trust or admire more. Anthem is incredibly lucky to have him.

Have you ever had to pivot?

At the previous gym I worked at, I was building toward partial ownership. Our family had been involved in that gym and the community for seven years and I had built several programs there. When the owner decided he was no longer interested in having a partner and wanted to move the business in a different direction, my confidence was incredibly shaken. I had poured so much of myself into that business and our children had grown up within that space, so it was a loss, of sorts, for our whole family.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to do. I was filled with self doubt. My husband, Adam has always been my biggest supporter and regularly believes in me before I am able to believe in myself. He was so calm and nonchalant. He told me, “Well, I guess you’re opening your own gym.” I remember thinking he was crazy. But then I remembered that this is the thing I love doing. I love building community centered around health & wellness, I love creating programs, and being with the incredible humans that are drawn to self-improvement, and that I couldn’t let the loss of one business be the reason that I didn’t do the thing I loved.

My husband will tell you that once I decide to do something, there is no stopping me. I am not sure if that’s a compliment, but from that moment on I really leaned into pursuing the thing I loved. Because Adam was so reassuring and because our family was surrounded by so many amazing people we opened Anthem on May 1, 2023–only three months after deciding to do so. Now only one year later, Anthem is nearly at full capacity and we’re already working on plans to expand.

Every day, I am so grateful for the opportunity to own Anthem. Our staff and members are so incredible that some days I can hardly believe that I get to do this for my job day in and day out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anthemstrength.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossfitanthem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091803450342

Image Credits
Lexie Schuyler from LK Creative Co.