Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Homestead . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sarah , appreciate you joining us today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

There have been so many wonderful memories over the last 3 years of owning my gym. Watching the athletes old and young learning to skills, turning those “I can’ts” into “I dids” and din general just getting people out of their comfort zone- that is where the real magic happens. Every year we host an in-house event called the Festivus Games. It is a 1 day competition packed with multiple workouts, challenges and of course a fun theme! This year we made the competition adult/ child. So 1 adult worked with 1 child. I wasn’t sure exactly how popular it was going to be. We have a huge kids program with over 50 kids so I didn’t really know what to expect (especially since not all their parents do CrossFit). What transpired was beyond what I could have imagined.
We hosted a special workout before where the kids could come and mingle with adults who were willing to do the competition with the kids. They started creating these special little friendships, they practiced together outside gym times, they made matching outfits for the event! Like these teams took it to the next level! We had 45 teams come out and represent during the competition!
It brought tears to my eyes. We did a Grinch theme, so all the athletes were Who’s who had to save Christmas from the evil Grinch! The workouts were hard, we didn’t take it easy, we pushed them and you know what? Every single team rose to the occasion!! Such a sight to behold….strangers who came together to work hard and lift some weights! We had a 75 year old gentleman who did it with his 8 year old partner (this is their 2nd year) and at the same time had a dad, who has never done CrossFit before compete with his son so they could bond more. Every team had a special story so it made the event even more meaningful! All the money made from the competition is donated to a local food bank for families at Christmas!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I own a CrossFit gym in a Panama City, Florida where we have multiple classes, ages and all walks of life. We lift weights, do gymnastics and enjoy lots of cardio! The gym is almost 3 years old and we are just here trying to crate the fittest humans in the county!

Have you ever had to pivot?

It’s funny because I was just talking to my dad about this. Growing up I had an idea of what I wanted my life to look like but it definitely wasn’t what played out. I majored in psychology in college and never did anything with it. I went to massage school and graduated started working and then quit to stay home with my kids. I thought once they went to school naturally I would find mh way back but I didn’t. I kind of floated around life until I found CrossFit. Little did I know I would use my years of random knowledge every day!!

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

For me obvious knowing the physical piece is extremely important but the emotional side is something I never expected as a coach. I think more than anything knowing how to talk to and read people is so important. So many emotions are tied to people’s appearance of themselves and the dang number on the scale so it’s very important to have an empathetic understanding to help that athlete be the best they can be!

Contact Info:

• Website: Panamacitycrossfit.com
• Instagram: @sarah.homestead

Image Credits
@thillmedia @adriaphotography