I haven’t shared my story in a while, and I think it’s important to let you know why I do what I do. I was diagnosed with clinical depression at age 27, and in an ironic twist of fate, hoop dance entered my life shortly thereafter. This was before hula hooping tutorials existed online and prior to the rise of social media. There was no hoop community in Florida, and no classes to be found. So, I turned to You Tube, which was also brand new at the time. I watched hoopers in California and in the UK do amazing things and I did my best to dissect their movements and teach myself everything I possibly could about my newfound obsession.
I spent hours in my backyard every day, learning tricks, exploring ways to move with the hoop that felt good, and allowing myself to escape into the flow state. It enabled me to get out of my head and tap into my body. To be present and stop the depression feedback loops that had been taking over my mind. And to my surprise and relief, hula hooping worked better than the medication my doctor had prescribed. I credit this artform as my primary means of healing from depression. That was 16 years ago, and my biggest accomplishment to date is this:
When I truly realized the healing benefits of hooping, I felt it was my duty to share it with others. This is WHY I created Hoola-Fit… to inspire people to get out in the world and teach. To share this powerful tool with others – and help people become more mentally and physically fit. I believed in it so much that I left a successful marketing career to become a full-time hula hoop teacher and performer.
| Life Can Hit Hard… |
| The past couple of weeks have been extremely difficult for me. I lost someone I loved in a very tragic and unexpected way. And I’ve been doing everything I possibly can to use the tools I have in my toolbox to deal with the trauma and grief. Therapy. Hoop dance. Clean eating. Exercise (lots of it). Time in nature. Journaling. Limiting alcohol intake. Asking family and friends for support. I’m sharing this with you because the hoop isn’t just a toy. It’s a tool that can help us heal. And I’m leaning on it once again to help me through these dark days. |
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| After discovering how much hoop dance helped me through my depression, I felt it was my DUTY to share it with others. This is WHY I created Hoola-Fit… to inspire passionate hoopers to get out in the world and teach. To share this powerful form of creative movement – and help people become more mentally and physically fit. I believed in it so much that I left a successful marketing career to become a full-time hula hoop teacher and performer. People thought I was crazy for doing it, too. But as the old saying goes, “With great risk, comes great reward.” My second biggest accomplishment during my 16-year tenure as a full time hooper is creating the Hoola-Fit program. I’m really proud of the program itself and the fact that we’ve been able to maintain our ACE-approved status since 2012 (Hoola-Fit is still the only hoop fitness program in the US that’s ACE approved, and the online teacher training course is available anytime). But I’m not telling you my story today to sell you anything. In fact, I don’t have any live trainings on the calendar right now because I’m heading into a jam-packed couple months of summer camps and kids programming. I’m sharing this with you because I want to remind you that this art form is more powerful than you may think. We can lean on it to help us through tough times. And we have the ability to help others when we share it. |
