We recently connected with Lindsay Castiglione and have shared our conversation below.
Lindsay , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me: This was an easy one for me to answer but it is, I’ll admit, probably going to be a little difficult for me to verbalize. The kindest thing anyone ever did for me was done by the kindest person in my life, my husband. He might come across as a tough guy from northern NJ, but once you get past the street wise, loud Sicilian, you get to the soft, gooey lasagna mush he really is. He’d give a stranger the shirt off of his back even if it meant he would go cold, just so that that person wouldn’t have to suffer. He’s the single most caring person I have ever met and he makes me want to be more like that every day. What was that kind thing? He simply let me be myself. Unapologetically my own genuine self. He embraces my tenacity and my “too much-ness.” He stares hard and long at my demons, and at the end of a bad day, tells me he loves me not in spite of my bad parts, but because of them. He never asks me to tone myself down or to be anything less than I am. In fact, he challenges me to embrace myself for who I am and never apologize for it. He supports me without having an agenda or cause. Without fail, he is always there to catch me if I falter or start to second guess myself.
Because of his constant acceptance of who I am, he challenges me to grow and fight for the things that I want and believe in. One of these things being Barbells For Bullies. We started Barbells For Bullies to help fundraise for dog rescues across the U.S and at the same time help raise awareness to the struggles that specifically bully breeds face. We do this by hosting CrossFit, powerlifting, USAW, and strong man competitions across the country. It started as a pet project (no pun intended) and has now become a part of our daily life. Like any small business, it’s a beast and can be intimidating. When you are instructed most of your life to, tone yourself down, and suddenly you find yourself in a position where that is acceptable, it creates a strange dissonance and for a time, it made me second guess every one of my actions. If Alex had not been there to support me when I needed it, acquiesced to every amount of travel, tolerated early morning and very late night work sessions, and my borderline obsessive hyper-focus, I would have imploded. But, instead, I grew. I am growing, thriving, and hopeful for my future. Loving me for who I am is the kindest thing someone has ever done for me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In a nutshell, Barbells For Bullies was founded in 2016 after Alex and I went to the shelter to adopt a dog. Upon seeing the dilapidated state of the shelter and the sheer number of dogs (mostly bully breeds), Alex decided he couldn’t sit idly by. He kept telling me, “I have to do something.” We were both pretty thick into CrossFit at the time so he said “hey, why don’t we put on a competition and donate the money made from registrations to a local shelter. ” We held our first competition that year in Atlanta, GA and then shortly after, someone reached out from Colorado who wanted to hold a competition and donate the proceeds, then came California, New Jersey, Texas, and Florida. What we thought would be just a simple one time competition in Atlanta, GA was something others wanted to do to benefit rescues in their area. And, they wanted us to help. Let’s do it. What could go wrong? And, that’s where we are today, hosting fundraising competitions across the US to help local dog rescues. We are a 501c3 organization that has hosted around 50 competitions to date across the country ranging from CrossFit to Strongman and USAW sanctioned events. I am most proud of the fact that our organization has donated $250,000 to rescue since we started and we want to do so much more. If it’s about making your community a fitter and pittier place, we want to be a part of it.
How’d you meet your business partner?
My Co Founder is my husband, Alex, and of course I would love to tell you how we met. We are originally from the northeast, Jersey to be more specific. And, after college we took jobs at a company called HRP in Manhattan. It is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprieses and the strange thing is that both of us applied without it having anything to do with our majors (Alex, is was a journalism major and I was a biology major). We simply needed something that would keep food on our tables. Alex started after me and at that time there was a NYC Sports Club in the basement. Where I would work out every day at lunch. One day, my boss let me know that there was a new hire who was “really into this thing called CrossFit and that I should say hello.” I walked over to introduce myself and let Alex know there was a gym in the basement where a few of us lifted and he should stop in one day. It simply grew from there. We were friends first and both fresh from long term relationships so we honestly weren’t looking for another relationship. I remember initially feeling like I was developing a little crush and tried every tactic in the book to dissuade myself from liking him, but we were just too compatible to ignore. Here we are 11 years later having built a non profit together, and having both learned and grown so much more than either of us would’ve expected. When I met Alex, he asked me what I wanted out of life. I told him I wanted to drink in every experience, every emotion, the good, the bad and the terrible. I wanted to squeeze the life out of my life so that when I look back I can say, yes, I lived. With him and with Barbells For Bullies, I feel like I have a chance at really doing that.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Transparency, communication, and practicing kindness. We are and have always been open and honest about the money we bring in, the rescues and dogs we work with, and even about our personal lives. I think that shows through. Often times I get run down or feel stressed and simply can’t respond to an email. Not because I physically cant, but because I am emotionally tapped out. I always respond to any supporter with my true reason for not getting back faster and I think the vulnerability I present helps others to better understand where I am coming. I hope too that maybe if they are feeling the same way, it creates normalcy around burnout and other things that make having your own business a challenge. With regard to communication. We strive to always have open communication within the organization and to those we are working with outside the org. I try very hard to have less than a 48 hour turnaround when it comes to messages and inquiries. I think it makes a difference. Finally, we always try to practice kindness and empathy when it comes to Barbells. From time to time we will get inquiries about rehoming, not having finances to pay for care, among other things that can be upsetting. I always try to approach those situations with empathy and a chance to educate because I do not know that person’s story, and if I can get someone to hear my side and learn something, that’s a win.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.barbellsforbullies.org
- Instagram: barbellsforbullies
- Facebook: Barbells For Bullies
- Other: Anyone interested in hosting an event can email: [email protected] and general inquiries can go to [email protected]
Image Credits
Pitness At The Mill Photos credit to: Kara E. Media