What happens when two badass women whose names start with the name K meet and weeks later, start Co-leading in Chicago? Turns out, a BUNCH of fun, shenanigans, and well organized events. Today we’re checking in with Kelly (she/her) and Kylin (she/her) for our celebration of International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month (US).
- Who are some of the women in the world of running/sport that you look up to?
Kelly: Kara Goucher–for her transparency and pioneering for pregnancy clauses in professional contracts; Molly Seidel-for her vulnerability around her mental health journey and how it’s intersected with running; Keira D’Amato–for reminding everyone that running should be joyful. And also she’s just a fucking badass.
- When did you first #JustShowUp to NP? How did you come across NP? What is it that you were looking for in a fitness group? How did NP provide that? What was an “extra” that NP has that you found value in?
Kelly: I first showed up in May 2017 in Grand Rapids (when it was a pledge called “Carpe Diem GR”). I heard about NP on Kelly Roberts podcast where she talked about being part of this fitness group that was fun and inclusive of her body size. I figured that if Kelly liked this group then maybe I would too (and here we are, haha).I was looking for a group that would challenge me and push me, physically. But what I found were people to do life with–people who would encourage me before, during, and after workouts.I grew up in the church and, before NP, most of my social circle was also from the church. NP gave me people who are so vastly different from me who have blown open my worldview and my beliefs around…quite literally everything. I am a more compassionate, more open-minded, and more tattooed (sorry mom) person with NP.
Kylin: I learned about November Project through my friend Kaitlyn (who would later become the Co-leader Kelly and I would take over from). She was telling everyone about this new group she was going to but really stressed she thought I would really like it. I put off checking them out because of the logistics but when there was a special pop up on my side of town, I thought I should give it a try. Only problem was that I showed up to a dark and empty park because I was a week early. When I tried again the next week, the group’s ability to transform the park into a fun welcoming space was only that much more noticeable.
- What apprehensions did you have as you considered coming for the first time? What was your first impression? Why did you keep showing up?
Kelly: My worth used to be SO tied up around my body size, so anywhere I went, I would look to see if there was going to be anyone else my size there. I was SO scared to show up and be the slowest person. But wow I was not prepared for how this group functioned. The way the workout was designed made it so the workout wasn’t a race, there was no first or last place. Even the super fit/fast people were working out right next to me and it was one of the first times that I didn’t feel “othered” in the fitness world. I kept showing up because (1) the workout kicked my ass and (2) the people were so incredibly kind and inviting.
Kylin: At first I didn’t think I needed another group to join. (I was already going to three running workouts/meet-ups a week.) But while biking home after that first post-workout coffee, I realized my face hurt from smiling so much. It was obvious that this group was different.
- What does it mean to you to be a woman Co-leader? What does it mean to your community? What does it mean to our global community?
Kylin: With each new woman Co-leader, we get to see and celebrate a new way for women to be an athlete and a leader. The NP world is full of badass women, each with different fitness goals and showing up for their communities in different ways. There are other fitness spaces that are full of women but feel like they are for only one type of women. By being a part of the club of women NP Co-leaders while also each being our unique selves, I hope others feel like this is a space for them too.
- How does being a woman influence your leadership? What was it like to be a woman in your community before you stepped into leadership?
Kelly: I think what I love most about being a woman in leadership is that the things that society deem as weakness in women (our emotions) are actually my greatest strength. I love that I have the freedom and safety to bring all of me to leading this group: my laughter, my voice that can be heard a million miles away. But our city has also experienced loss and grief and I’m forever grateful that I also can bring my tears, my sadness, and my anger to leading. I am not one of these things, but all of them. And I love that, as a woman, I can use all of my emotions for creating a safer, more honest, space.
Kylin: I think being a woman leader in fitness makes it easier to support and celebrate the broader range of fitness journeys and goals of our members. In male-dominated spaces, it can feel like being the “strongest”, as defined by who can do the most pushups, becomes the primary metric of success. As a woman, it’s easier for me to see how “strength” manifests itself differently in different bodies. I also have the life experience to know that being the best/fastest/strongest isn’t, and shouldn’t be, the goal for many people. In many aspects of life, women lean to navigate setting goals that are different than the “typical” (read male-dominated) path. At NP, I want to make it clear that finding joy in movement or learning how to balance fitness goals with other important life goals are just as important at setting new PRs.
- Did you have any apprehensions to lead this group? Did you experience imposter syndrome when you were asked to lead?
Kelly: 100% yes, haha. I was asked to be a Co-leader in Chicago only 3 weeks after moving to the city. So my immediate thoughts were “SURELY there is someone from this community who is better suited to lead than me”. I hardly knew how to get to my office, let alone lead a group of strangers. I had only interacted with Kylin less than 5 times before I found out she would also be leading. It was absolutely terrifying. Even on the day that we were announced, I was looking in the crowd to see if people would be surprised/disappointed because me, the new girl, was chosen over a more tenured Chicago member.
Kylin: Honestly, no. I was lucky to see multiple great NP-Chi Co-leaders (many of them women) each take on the role and really make it their own. Watching them each be their full, unique selves up in front of the group gave me the confidence to do the same and not try to fit into some preconceived mold of what a NP Co-leader has to look like.
- How do you celebrate International Women’s Day? How can others celebrate you or celebrate with you this day? How can we celebrate you all year long?
Kelly: IWD is a chance for me to celebrate the women who have come before me, who are with me, and then also who I can pave the way for in the future. Not only is IWD a day where you should be celebrating the women in your life for what they bring to the table, but it’s also a chance to recognize the barriers we’ve had to conquer to get there. We’re looked over for promotions, we’re paid less, and we lack safety in many areas that our male counterparts do not. So not only should we be celebrated for occupying C-Suites, accomplishing equal pay, and being able to run marathons, but that celebration should also come with realizing what it took/what it takes for us to get there.
- What else do you want people reading this to know? About being a woman in leadership or anything else you’d like to share.
Kylin: My newest challenge of being a Co-leader is figuring out how to lead a workout while pregnant. There has been more than one morning when I realized I had gotten to the point of an exercise no longer working for me, mid-demonstration. Extreme fatigue and morning sickness at the Chicago Marathon Cheer Station was also a low point.
At the same time, NP has been really important to helping me celebrate the amazing things my body can do. Because our workouts are always designed to be modifiable, they are a great space for me to experiment and learn that some moves I would have thought wouldn’t work actually feel really good in my body. Most importantly, it’s also been amazing to see how excited the whole NP Chi community has been about our newest member arriving in June. While growing another human isn’t the more efficient means of membership recruitment, it’s definitely the most exciting.
