Having a Group Doesn’t Mean You Have a Community
What do you do when your community doesn’t want to, well…“community”? In addition to working with Swift Kick, I am also a personal trainer. I teach a weekly bootcamp class with “The People’s Bootcamp” and get to bring together two things I like to do: exercise and telling people what to do teaching. On any given week, up […]
When You Go To War with Post-It Notes as Your Ammo
What if you walked into work, looked out the window, and saw Marge Simpson looking at you from the office across the street? Here at the office, Melissa and I have been day-dreaming about attaching a #FreeHugs sign to the window by our desk, so that the building next to us can have a laugh. Apparently, […]
Leadership is Not Always About Being Followed
During a short car ride home from the gym with my father, he started to share about what he had been thinking about during his workout. He shared that through his life experiences, he has learned that leadership is not always about making sure others are following you, but more about being willing to go […]
5 Ways to Make Your Graduating Seniors Feel Appreciated
Every day, I use an orange highlighter to check off my to-do list during work at Swift Kick HQ. It makes me smile to use it because where it came from means so much more than an average highlighter. I can still remember my friend Rachel, at my last club meeting ever, saying Did you […]
Random Stranger Community Moment over Hockey
Since we have so many die hard Penguin hockey fans in my house, myself being one of them, my family decided that we were going to go out to watch the playoff game. When we got to the restaurant, there was already a good amount of people within an area surrounded by eight flat screen TVs. My […]
C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y
No matter what it is that brought you to your current community: passion, interest, language, love, friends or simply a whim, you are part of something special. What does your C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y stand for? Connection to each other and the larger community If you think about it, every group and relationship you are a part of is a community […]
Ways To Have An Adventurous Summer Within A New Community
As summer is approaching, I have had multiple conversations with my various groups of friends regarding their summer plans. A few of my friends within my cohort or graduate school class are attending summer internships in a different state. One of my undergraduate friends is also experiencing a similar change in scenery by moving to Pittsburgh […]
“Excuse me, Miss?”
“Excuse me miss, do you know where I can find an organically grown smile?” No. Wait, what? *Smile* Crap. You never know what someone might stop and ask you on a New York City street. But on my hurried way to the gym that day, I had to give this gentleman some credit. Of all […]
An Awfully Tone-Deaf Birthday Tradition
HAAAAaaaappppyyy BIIrrrRRRthDAYYYYYY toooOOO YOUUUUUUUuuuuuu. HAAAAaaaappppyyy BIIrrrRRRthDAYYYYYY toooOOO YOUUUUUUUuuuuuu. HAAAAaaaappppyyy BIIrrrRRRthDAYYYYYY DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEaaaaaaarrrrRRRRRR AHHHHlalalala CHRIIIsttttIIAAAANNNNN! HAAAAaaaappppyyy BIIrrrRRRthDAYYYYYY toooOOO YOUUUUUUUuuuuuu. Adults and toddlers, gathered around the dessert table in the dining room, screaming, gargling, laughing, chortling – all in the name of singing Happy Birthday to my brother. We know the drill well – if it’s someone’s birthday, you MUST sing the song in […]
It’s The Little Things That Matter Within Communities
A few days ago I went to the store to find one of my undergraduate friends her graduation present. Since my friend’s graduation is a big milestone in her life, I decided that I had to find her the perfect, meaningful graduation gift. Fast forward a few days, today I get a text message from […]