We were lucky to catch up with LaRae McCurry recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, LaRae thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

I had been working as a fitness instructor and personal trainer at a small, locally-owned gym for several years after struggling with an autoimmune disorder. In 2014, the gym was bought by current owners, Lacey and Vito Ramon. A couple years later, Lacey started receiving emails at the gym asking if we offered a program called Rock Steady Boxing for people living with Parkinson’s Disease. After a few inquiries, Lacey started looking into the program and the training involved to start. Needless to say, it was well outside of the budget for a small, locally-owned gym, however, fate had bigger plans for Lacey and me. Lacey had a personal training client that served on the board for a local non-profit, Camp Brian, that was dedicated to providing resources for people with Parkinson’s in Snohomish County. Camp Brian provided the gym with a grant to send Lacey and me to Indianapolis for the training and to kick-start Rock Steady Boxing Pacific Northwest. We weren’t sure what to expect when we returned from the training and started planning our first class, which was on June 1, 2017 with six participants.

LaRae, 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?

My name is LaRae McCurry and I am the COO and Head Coach for Parkinson’s Wellness Place in Snohomish, WA. We are a non-profit dedicated to providing health and wellness services for people living with Parkinson’s Disease in the Greater Puget Sound region. Our mission is to empower individuals with PD to optimize their physical, emotional, and social health through exercise, support, and education. We strive to improve the quality of life for those living with PD.

One of our most popular programs is our non-contact boxing classes. We offer 9 classes per week, which are divided into five different levels based on the mobility, cognitive abilities, and fall-risk factors of participants. These classes provide an excellent opportunity for individuals with PD to engage in a fun, safe and challenging workout that improves balance, strength, and coordination. Our boxing classes are led by experienced trainers who understand the unique needs of individuals with PD and can tailor the workouts to each participant’s abilities.

In addition to our boxing classes, we also offer a PWR! Moves class each week. This class focuses on functional movements that are essential for everyday living, such as getting up from a chair or walking up stairs. Participants in this class improve their ability to perform these movements and maintain their independence.

We also offer a TREBLE Makers of PD class each week. This theater, improv-based class helps individuals with PD improve intentional movement and expression and provides a creative outlet for participants and help them build confidence, control, balance, and self-esteem.

In addition, we offer monthly educational opportunities for individuals interested in learning about various topics related to PD. We bring in experts to speak on a range of subjects, including caretaker support, mental health, nutrition, and neurology to name a few. These educational sessions provide a valuable opportunity to gain knowledge and insights that can help individuals better understand and manage the challenges of living with PD.

We added a part time physical therapist to our staff this year and have been able to offer physical therapy to our participants every other week. This has been helpful in getting our participants some much needed relief from nagging aches and pains but more importantly to teach them some exercises that can help keep them pain free. Adding physical therapy to our programming has been an absolutely huge benefit to our folks living with Parkinson’s disease. As they have had improved outcomes when coupling the physical therapy with the ongoing workouts.

The physical impacts of our programs are near equaled by the mental health benefits of belonging to a social group and exercising regularly. Parkinson’s can be very isolating due to the symptoms and our program seeks to connect with and create community for those living with PD.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Compassion and flexibility. You never know when one of our participants is going to have an “off” day so having the compassion and flexibility to meet them where they are at each day is vital.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

One thousand percent, yes! This has been the best job that I have ever had. Seeing how we are changing the lives of people is everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.parkinsonswellnessplace.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocksteadyboxingpnw/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RSBPNW
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@parkinsonswellnessplace

Image Credits
Jenny Evans, Getsome Pictures