For those of you who may not know, I was born and raised in a small town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. One of those places where very few people ever leave. My Wife, Liz, grew up here in Pittsburgh in the North Hills and moved down to Maryland for a teaching position at the local high school. We both met each other on the first week of our new jobs. Me as a Personal Trainer, and her as a High School Math teacher who became a member of the gym where I worked. She always had ambitions of returning to Pittsburgh, while I swore that I’d never leave home.
Over the first few years that we were together, we made monthly trips up here to the city. Every time we were in town, we would make it a priority to stop by Union Fitness for a training session. Over that time, we met some absolutely amazing people who are now some of our closest friends. Each time we would leave to head back to Maryland, I would ponder what it might be like to live here. Each time, I grew closer and closer to making the jump. Being away from my family for extended periods of time is hard for me, but I knew that I needed to grow, and I knew that this City was going to help me to do that.
One day in January of 2019, I came home after a 12 hour day of training clients, looked at Liz, and told her that we should move to Pittsburgh. She asked if I was serious, but she already knew the answer by the look on my face and the tone in my voice. It was time. So we decided that she would finish out the school year, and I would finish my time at the gym. We decided that we would head up at the end of June. During that time, neither one of us had a job lined up here in Pittsburgh. I was willing to work wherever I needed to in order to make ends meet, and we knew that Liz would have no trouble finding a teaching position, even if it took some time.
One month before our move, I got a phone call from my good friend Casey Williams, who at the time was the Manager of Union Fitness. He told me that he needed a Director of Personal Training, and asked me if I’d accept, but he already knew the answer. It felt like it was meant to be. When I finally started at Union, my goals were to be the best Director, co worker, professional, and friend that I could possibly be. Every day for the past 4 years, that was everything that mattered to me. Since coming on board around the same time I did, Todd has trusted me and has given me the opportunity to grow and evolve, while also passing along the wisdom that he has acquired throughout his career. And for that, I cannot thank him enough. My co workers have been some of the best I’ve ever had. Because of them, there wasn’t one day that actually felt like work. They’ve believed in me, just as I’ve believed in them. I’m extremely grateful for all that they have done for me. The amazing members of Union Fitness are the reason that I get out of bed every morning. Seeing everyone grow and progress into the best versions of themselves while building the confidence to take on the world is the most gratifying thing that I’ve been a part of. I am forever grateful for meeting and working with everything single person.
Unfortunately, my time as the Director of Personal Training/ Customer Engagement here at Union Fitness has come to an end, and it is time for me to pursue the next step of my journey. You will still see me in the gym working out and training a few clients, so please do not hesitate to come up and ask me for help, advice, or just to catch up. Pittsburgh has become my home, and I look forward to continuing to grow with each and every one of you.
Curtis
