“I first met the coaches of Missing Link CrossFit when they were running a box our of their garage! I had just moved here with my husband from NJ, and needed to find a home away from home. All i can say is that I am grateful that i stumbled onto their Facebook Page! They were more than welcoming and have kept me comping back since day 1. Though Missing Link CrossFit is based on, and follows, the fundamentals of CrossFit, they are certainly no cookie cutter gym. Missing Link prioritized their members and our individual goals, never asking too much, but still always encouraging  us to break out of our comfort zones. Brenna, Casey, and Al are extremely approachable. Among the coaches there is a vast knowledge base which allows Missing Link to offer more specialized training each and every time you go to a class. The support and guidance they provide constantly helps me to advance as an athletes as well as improve my sense in self.”​

“This review is after training at Missing Link CrossFit 6 days a week for 30 days. The coaches and other athletes are great and very welcoming. I was only in town for a month and signed up to see what they were all about. The coaches at Missing Link gave me 100% from my first day until my last. Missing Link combines powerlifting and CrossFit to give you a dynamic workout. With 4 to 5 class times and open gym throughout the day it was easy to swing by to get a session in. I would recommend it to anyone living in or visiting the Jacksonville, NC area. I will definitely renew my membership and workout here when I return to this area.”​

       I spent some time this week with a friend discussing this very topic, and when I came across these pictures last night — I felt compelled to share. I guess we’ll call it Sunday story time😉

So, here’s a pretty ugly picture on the left. Yep. If you didn’t guess it, that’s me. Taken about six years ago at a family graduation party. And then there’s me on the right – in a picture taken yesterday.

       So when women tell me that I don’t understand the FEAR of being the “overweight” chick in the gym, that I don’t understand how HARD training will be, that I don’t understand how it feels to not BELONG in the gym with all of those “hard bodies” — I say, LOOK AT THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT! I’ve been there. I’ve known that fear. I’ve known the anxiety of walking into a gym and feeling lost, like I didn’t belong and like every person had a right to be there EXCEPT for me. Ya know what? I was feeding myself bullshit. I was so wrong for denying myself the opportunity to become as strong and as healthy as I can be. And any other woman who thinks they don’t belong and don’t deserve to be strong and healthy…well, they’re wrong too.

       Funny thing is: not one person, hear me on this, not ONE person (man or woman) at Missing Link has ever laughed at me because I was the last one to finish the WOD, or because I looked silly doing a bear crawl, or because I don’t broad jump very well, or because I have rolls that poke out when I cinch my belt down. And I know they never would. Because we’re a community. We respect each other’s effort, even if that effort means that the weight on the bar is different. What matters is that we show up and put in the work. That’s what counts.

       I hope that sharing this picture changes someone’s perspective. I hope, whoever you are, that you read this and understand, I’m no one special. I’m not unique in my ability to do this. You have just as much right and ability as I do. If sharing my picture somehow encourages or inspires you, then it was worth it. And if you just so happen to step foot into Missing Link (God knows I hope you do), I promise that you’re gonna have an entire community of athletes and coaches behind you every step of the way

Dropped into Missing Link CrossFit today. Great family environment and great CrossFit atmosphere in general! I knew I was in for a great WOD when i discovered the foam rollers were PVC pipes wrapped in tape :). Both Casey and Allen were on hand to provide great tips and encouragement. Will definitely feel this tomorrow and will definitely be back for more before we leave for home.”

I grew up playing sports, from soccer to golf, swimming to college rugby, I was always a very active individual. Through these ventures, I have had 4 knee surgeries and after the last one, my husband and I learned we were pregnant. I was still recovering and couldn’t do any kind of exercise regimen besides walking. For someone who had always been practicing sports or working out, I didn’t realize just how quickly you gain weight when you can no longer participate in those activities. After giving birth, I was shocked at how much wasn’t the baby weight. For the first eight months I found myself with postpartum depression (PPD) in a new town where I didn’t know anyone. My family lived across the country and now I had a baby that depended on me completely. I had utterly lost myself and had almost given up. Then I found CrossFit, more specifically, “Missing Link CrossFit”. I was incredibly intimidated to start but I took a deep breath and gave them a call. Coach Casey picked up with his sunny disposition and I proceeded to speak: “I’m pretty overweight, am I allowed to do CrossFit”? I was ready to hear “No sorry, this is an elite level fitness class only” but instead I was met with a laugh and a resounding “CrossFit is for absolutely everyone. Are you busy right now? If not, come in and let’s get started”!

 I was nervous but headed in with my new baby in the car seat. I was welcomed warmly by the beautiful and kind coach Mere and waited for my trial class to start. I didn’t know any of the people and knew less of the movements and was about to cry due to being overwhelmed. Coach Al introduced himself and told me he would help me through the movements and help me scale where needed. When it came time for the WOD, I prayed silently to God “not to let me be the last one done”. Well, my nightmare had come true: I finished DEAD last and didn’t even come close to the weights that were prescribed for the workout. I was breathing so hard, splayed out from exhaustion on the floor, and looked around expecting to be the last one in the room because I took so long to finish. Instead I was surrounded by the rest of the class and their cheers! Most of them hadn’t even cleaned up their weights before they came to cheer me on in my final minutes. I was drastically out of shape but was not made fun of, judged, or diminished in any way. In fact it was quite the opposite. Throughout the class I was never made to feel left out or less valued than any other athlete.  

After that first WOD and with the help and encouragement from coaches and athletes alike, I resolved to keep going. It didn’t matter how slow I went, or how few reps I could do, what mattered is that I kept going. Every drop of sweat and every heavy breath paved my journey back to myself. I stopped caring about the numbers on the scale and started caring about what my body is capable of. Two and a half years of CrossFit later, I am stronger than I have ever been physically; and more importantly, mentally. I have found myself again and have a stronger sense of confidence and accomplishment than ever before.

I have dropped into CrossFit gyms over 8 states and 4 different countries and each one of them with similar culture dedicated to improvement and decimation of doubts and fears. To this day, I have never been in a more accepting, encouraging, and genuinely kind place. It’s the only sport in which people cheer the loudest for the last to finish. Every day I ask myself, “ Am I better than I was yesterday”? I am thankful to each and every person at Missing Link CrossFit for the extraordinary gift of helping guide me back to believing in myself!

I have tried to train, I have been turned away, I have never found a coach that knew what to do with me or that could see the potential that I had until I found Hybrid Theory Athletics/ Missing Link CrossFit. It had been 6 years since I even tried looking for a place to train so I was apprehensive to say the least when my wife, Monica, told me about these guys with a gym on the other side of town. Hesitantly I decided to give them a shot. When I arrived rather than being greeted with raised eyebrows or being told “there’s nothing they can do with me” (which I expected), I was greeted with open arms and have not looked back since. The coaches at Hybrid Theory Athletics were my “Missing Link”. Each day that I came back the coaches were totally excited to work with me and help me get back to the best me possible! Since then I have been able to accomplish things, I never thought possible. After countless surgeries and R and R of my lat muscle I believed that pull ups were a thing of the past but with the help of my coaches I can now do more than 5! Since beginning training with them in June of 2018 I have also lost over 100lbs! Huge strides in self confidence have given me back the ability to try and conquer new things like head and handstands. My gains in strength have also helped me in my practice of Jiu Jitsu, not only training in the gym but also participating and placing in competition! I am sad to leave but am thankful to coaches at Missing Link for helping me rediscover myself.