Introductions thread. Introduce yourself here.

AFS EducationAFS Education Administrator, Moderator, Practitioner admin
Use this thread  to tell the community a little bit about yourself.   We want the forum to feel like an extension of the in-facility community, and that means we should know each other a little bit beyond our little virtual avatars that accompany our posts.  Additionally, introducing yourself and sharing a little bit about yourself can serve as a further symbol of commitment to your goals and desired behavior change.

Feel free to share as much or as little as you'd like to, but we do hope each of you will introduce yourself!

In health,
Your AFS Fam
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Comments

  • Aimee TinkhamAimee Tinkham Member Rank ✭6✭

    Good morning! I’m super excited about this new forum! My name is Aimee Tinkham. I’ve been with AFS for almost 2 years. I can honestly say that AFS has become home for me. I’ve been on my fitness journey for almost 9 years. When I began I was 342 lbs. I’ve collectively lost 172 lbs in the 1st years of my journey. Along the way I found a love of working out. I NEVER thought that I’d be someone who looked forward to being active. I’d loved far too long in a heavy body. About 6 years into my new life I hit a wall. I needed to take a step back from what I was doing and whom I was working with to reevaluate my goals and needs. I gained some weight back and knew that I needed and wanted more. I used to drive by AFS daily and finally I stopped in. That day changes my life. I found a supportive community of people with a similar mindset willing to help challenge me and help me reach my goals. Here I am today stronger in mind, body and soul!


    Outside of AFS I am a full time nanny to 3 active boys in Birmingham. So if you see me crabby at a 7:00 class it’s because 696 steals your joy! LoL AFS helps bring it back! I am a huge sports fan, Disney lover, concert lover, game player (board and card) , an over all lover of being busy and not sitting on the sideline person.

    I hope to interact with and learn along with you all!

    Have a beautiful day!

  • John KochanJohn Kochan Member, AFS Staff Rank ✭3✭

    Hey everyone,

    My name is John Kochan, and I am a Strength Solutions Instructor at AFS Plymouth. I found AFS through my father (Rob Kochan) and started out as a client back in 2017. I began working as a weight room assistant in August 2018 and I soon realized that I would like to learn more, so I trained to become an instructor.

    I played baseball and ran cross country for Plymouth High School, where I also started a bit of strength training. As I started college I continued to lift weights with some of my friends, but I never really knew what I was doing. When I started as a client at AFS I found the personalized programming and instruction to be way more effective than anything I had done before. I eventually talked with Devin about working a part-time job throughout the school year, and became immediately attached to this awesome community! It has been a little over a year since I've started working here, and I am learning more everyday. I will be graduating in Spring 2020 with a degree in Marketing from U of M-Dearborn (Go Blue!) and I hope to bring in and help more people through their fitness journey at AFS.

    I look forward to reading about all of you on here!

  • Corinne AlbrechtCorinne Albrecht Member, AFS Staff Rank ✭8✭

    ahahah @Maranda McMaster there are some days I would DEFINITELY let you have Watson 😂😅

  • Patti ThibodeauPatti Thibodeau Member Rank ✭3✭
    edited November 2019

    Hi Everyone! I am Patti Thibodeau, I’m 56 years old and I’ve been a member at AFS PLYMOUTH for almost 5 years now. I previously worked in the health care system as a PA and now hold a few part time gigs...I am a partner in a global nutraceutical company, a Standardized Patient in the Simulation Department at St. Joe’s in Ann Arbor, domestic gardener & chef, full time dog lover, proud Mom of 3 kids (Anthony 28, Monica 26, Nicholas 19) and happy wife to Chris!

    I have had weight issues for most of my life...I was often the “chubby girl”. I started running track in junior high and added cross country in high school-it helped me to lose the excess weight and was a great stress relief in college and in my young adulthood years. I dabbled in other fitness activities but running was always my favorite! It was great to eat fairly healthy, have all of my goodies and just run a few extra miles to maintain my weight. As I got older, I knew I needed to add some weight training but I didn’t know what I was doing and frankly, I just didn’t enjoy it so I didn’t do it!

    When I was 41, I returned to my career as a PA and worked for 10 years-when I left that position, I unfortunately found myself 20 lbs heavier & quite fluffy and unfit😕. I spent about a year trying to regain my fitness and sadly discovered that I could no longer out exercise poor eating habits. I needed a fresh approach and I desperately needed accountability and that’s when I discovered AFS, which had just opened 3 miles from our home!

    I quickly realized that I had struck gold and had found my fitness tribe! The AFS Team helped me reach my initial weight loss and fitness goals (figuring out what my next goals will be!). And now I LOVE my time in the weight room!!!

    I truly love this community and in actuality, “AFS Cheerleader” should be added to my list of part time gigs! I’m excited about this forum and I think it will be a great opportunity to learn more about fitness, nutrition and each other!

  • Patti ThibodeauPatti Thibodeau Member Rank ✭3✭

    Ok, I should have also included that I’m not good with technology-I thought I was adding my little circle picture and that didn’t happen...can someone help me delete the gigantic picture from my intro post?🤣

  • Sawyer Paull-BairdSawyer Paull-Baird Administrator, Moderator, Practitioner, AFS Staff admin

    @Patti Thibodeau I deleted that for you =). Welcome to the forum! =)

    Sawyer Paull-Baird BS CSCS ACSM-EP PN-Lvl1
    Agent of Change / Fitness Innovation & Education Coordinator
  • Patti ThibodeauPatti Thibodeau Member Rank ✭3✭

    Thank you Sawyer!

  • Katelyn MeckKatelyn Meck Member, Practitioner admin

    Happy good day, everyone!

    I am Katelyn Meck, a practitioner and fitness instructor at the Plymouth facility. I have been with AFS a little over a year and a half. I attended school at Grand Valley, graduating with a Clinical Exercise Science Degree, with every intent of going to Physical Therapy school. As I learned more, I realized I was much more attracted to the exercise aspect as well as a personal connection that Physical Therapy did not seem to provide. And so, I came upon AFS and I could not be happier😍

    When I am not instructing Fitness or strength classes you will probably see me taking a Fitness class. I find taking a class with all of our wonderful clients is a really good way to connect a bit more; what a better way to do that than lifting, laughing, and sweating together! My other exercise of choice is hockey. It has brought me happiness since I was 3. So if hockey is your game, I am the girl to talk to! I am currently engaged to my fiance Kevin, who is a police officer in Lincoln Park, and set to be married September 24, 2021.

    I am really looking forward to getting to know more of our FitFam in Rochester and Ann Arbor as well as learning more about our Plymouth family😊

  • Anne GradyAnne Grady Member Rank ✭4✭

    Hey AFS Fam!

    My name is Anne Grady and I've been at AFS Ann Arbor since July 2018. I first found AFS through a coworker's Instagram posts. It was exactly the right time - I was unhappy with how I felt in my own skin, tired of throwing away money on a Planet Fitness membership I never used, and frustrated with studio fitness classes. I was intrigued by the idea of having the accountability of an assigned practitioner, so I scheduled an appointment with Gable and never looked back.

    Since then, AFS has definitely become my happy place. I'm incredibly grateful for the community I've found here, and the unending support and encouragement and celebration through all of my struggles and successes. I was never an athletic person, even when I played ultimate frisbee in college, so to have reached a point where my workout is something I look forward to and am excited about every day has been mind-blowing.

    I grew up in Arizona and, after 5 cross-country moves in 6 years, am quite happily in Michigan to stay for a while (even on the days I complain about shoveling my driveway...). I'm a recovering librarian/current user experience researcher. Outside of AFS, I love baking, knitting/quilting/crafting in general, and while I don't have time to read or play video games as much as I used to, I'm still a huge nerd at heart.

    My current goals include finally being able to do pull-ups, drinking more water, remembering to stretch, and managing stress. You'll see me dancing during bridge holds in FS on weeknight evenings or weekend mornings, and I'm always happy to make new friends in class - the shared suffering makes it go by faster!

  • Andrew AnderlieAndrew Anderlie Member, Administrator, Moderator, AFS Staff admin

    Fit Fam!

    My name is Andrew Anderlie and I started working with AFS 18 months ago. Most of you at our Rochester Hills location see me inside the fish bowl next to the front desk (my office). My background is a variety of different things all in the fitness industry and I've spent more than 10 years growing within it.

    I'm a husband, a father, a son, a nephew, a grandchild, a brother, and an uncle (I'm other things too, but those are what came to mind). My favorite things to do are spend time with my wife who is pregnant with our 2nd little girl (expected any day now) and spend time with my 2 year old daughter. My hobbies outside of that are playing hockey, camping, doing yard work, exercising, and going to AFS... yes I just said that one of my hobbies is going to work.

    Very excited for this forum and even more excited to connect with everyone throughout our 3 locations!

  • Angela JohnsonAngela Johnson Member Rank ✭6✭

    Thank you for encouraging members to do an introduction <3

    Hi to each of you and a big smile. I'm Angela and:

    I'm the happiest when I'm learning new skills or mentoring children. You may see me fall from grace if I'm overly tired or someone is unkind to a person in a vulnerable condition. I'm most at peace when I'm home and I value keeping my living environment serene.

    Present favorites: @Samantha McDevitts yoga class at AFS Ann Arbor, the television shows Declassified on CNN & Jersey Shore Family Vacation.

    Presently working on: eating something other than a toasted Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich from Panera, not getting discouraged that I get migraines frequently during the cold weather season.

    High five from my heart to yours,

    Angela

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