I moved to Los Angeles from Michigan, in 1997, to attend the prestigious University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television. I earned my Master of Fine Arts in 2000 and spent seven years working as a music editor for various film and television projects including the NBC series “Scrubs” and the infamous Mariah Carey feature, “Glitter.” On the side I did freelance video and sound editing. It had long been my dream to work in Hollywood in post-production, so it was a pretty good gig!

Although I had been involved in sports and dance as a child, it was never a big part of my life. While attending USC, I worked on a documentary that sparked something inside me. It was called "Judy's Time" and was about a fifty-something year old woman who decided one day she wanted to be a tri-athlete. She wasn't a runner or an athlete, she just had a dream. That first day she ran around the block. The next day she ran a little further. Eventually she dominated her age division, and even beat some of the younger men. Then, one day, out on a training ride, she was hit by an under-aged driver and killed. I was moved by the dedication and the dream that Judy had and shared with everyone around her. I started trying different things like running, venturing into the gym, and so on, but I never quite found what “fit.”

After graduate school I looked for a more interesting way to get in shape and, truth be told, I wanted to be like my favorite video game character and learn how to fight with a 6-foot staff! I found a stick fighting class on the beach in Santa Monica. This began my addiction to martial arts. From there I went on to study Tai Chi and Kung Fu.

I eventually became enamored of the Ultimate Fighting Championships and decided to try my own hand at studying the arts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing. It was my desire to get stronger for competing in these sports that led me to Petranek Fitness.

I knew CrossFit was right for me from the first day. It became my newest and biggest passion and I went on to become certified as CrossFit Coach and also an Olympic weightlifting coach. I later also became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA.

I also wound up combining my passions for martial arts and video editing and produced a few DVDs for professional Mixed Martial Arts fighters. I continue to be involved in martial arts – both in my own training and also writing a monthly column for the CrossFit Journal.

I recently “retired” from the entertainment industry and work full-time at Petranek Fitness.