What is your PulsePDX story?
Like many other people, I have had a love/hate relationship with exercise my entire life. I am easily bored, and have always had a really difficult time forming habits, especially if I’m not having fun. It was even more challenging to find time to exercise after I had kids because I hated going to the gym so much.
Back in 2017, I worked for a local letterpress greeting card studio. Two of my coworkers had a habit of coming in to work late on Friday mornings. After being curious about what they were up to, they both convinced me I should join them in their Friday morning activity, which was going to Quinlan’s dance fitness class at PulsePDX. I immediately was in LOVE. It was hard! But fun! There was nothing boring about it! I went once a week for a few months, and then started going more frequently, adding in evening classes and eventually getting up to 3 to 4 times a week. I try to go as much as my schedule allows, and now that there are livestream classes, I add those in when I can’t get into the studio.
I went on stage for the first time maybe a year, a year and a half after my first class.
I remember I requested a song that wasn’t in rotation so much anymore, which was “Ready For It” by Taylor Swift. Donnie said something like “ok… if I add it back in, will you come up on stage??” and I said I would. When it came on I almost chickened out, but then Donnie gave me a LOOK. So I did it! I went the wrong way, and I forgot the steps, but I did it! So many people gave me high fives and cheered me on. I’ve been a regular on stage ever since. I honestly have no idea what I’m doing half the time, so I just smile and laugh and have fun. I hope seeing me up there encourages other people with bigger bodies like mine to go up too!
How long have you been coming to PulsePDX?
I’ve been a member for almost 8 years. I can’t believe it’s been that long!
What are some of your favorite things about PulsePDX?
The fun, the community, the joy, and the feeling! There is so much encouragement, laughing, singing, and FUN. I’ve made some really special friends at Pulse that I would have never met otherwise.
What do you do when you aren’t dancing with us?
For my day job, I’m a front-end software engineer. For fun, I have a bazillion hobbies, including knitting, sewing, embroidery, painting, paddleboarding, and singing karaoke. I love growing flowers and would love to share seeds with you. I spend a lot of time doing creative things with my husband Ben and our 10 year old twin daughters. I also spend a lot of time snuggling our pup Pretzel.
