@Julie Foucher : Sept. 2010: Two months after my CrossFit Games debut, I sat in the audience of my first CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course in Michigan, watching intently as Pat Sherwood drew the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum on the whiteboard. That moment stuck with me and became a catalyst for my future career.
Jan. 2012: After what seemed like one too many days of driving to the gym with dread after a long day of medical school, crying in my car and turning around to drive home, I did what anyone would do: I called my mom. “You don’t have to do any of this, Julie,” she said. “You could stop doing CrossFit today, and you could drop out of medical school today, and we would still love you the same.” I knew I wanted to go back to the Games, but I’d never stopped to ask myself why. Discovering the answer to this question proved to be life-changing and led to my best Games finish in 2012. My “why” was multifaceted, but in part it was an understanding that using my gifts on the competition floor would open doors that would help me launch my medical career one day.
Dec. 2017: My phone rings. It’s Greg Glassman. “Julie,” he says, “on Jan. 1, I’m launching CrossFit Health. Soon after, I’m hosting a Level 1 Seminar free for physicians, and I want you to be there.” Now myself an MD in residency for family medicine, I was suddenly in the position of educating my colleagues about CrossFit as a Level 1 Seminar Staff member.
Feb. 2020: Just months away from launching my career as a family physician, I’m eternally grateful for my experiences with CrossFit. I’m more prepared to help my future patients, have a better understanding of how to create health, and because of my performance at the Games, I have a platform for sharing this knowledge with the public and other physicians.
If you told the college student who just finished her first CrossFit workout 10 years ago or the medical student leaving the gym in tears because she was so exhausted 5 years ago that this is where she’d end up, she wouldn’t believe you. The path doesn’t always make sense as you’re going through it, but if you wake up every day, work hard, follow your passions, and understand your “why,” you will find your way.
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