How Rae Found a Gym That Finally Stuck
Rae has always been active. She dances, performs in theater, and has played her share of disc golf, but sticking with a gym was another story. "I have been to MANY gyms in my life," she says. "I've had personal trainers, and friend motivators. But nothing that has stuck."
Her routine at those gyms rarely changed: show up, do her own thing, and leave. "No connection," she says. Even when she brought friends along, "they end up doing their own thing and I do mine." Then her feet started giving her real trouble, with major pain and numbness, and she noticed the only thing that made them feel better was exercise. She knew she needed to start lifting to strengthen the muscles around her weak ankles and knees. She also had a big date coming up. She got engaged in July 2025, and her original goal was to "prep for my wedding."
A Gym and a Community
Rae found Studio ME through choir. She sang alongside a coach at the time, Siri, and started joking about wanting to get "Ripped" for her wedding. Siri told her about Studio ME and convinced her we could help her get there, and even help with her feet. Just as important, she described a place that was "a gym but also a community," where people connected outside of workouts too.
That was enough for Rae to give it a try. "I knew she was a good person and she told me good things about this place so I just felt like following and proving to myself that I could!" she says.
Still, she walked in with some doubts. "I was nervous I would give up like most gyms I had ever been to," she says. "People wouldn't understand my needs or help me achieve my goal." Her first goal was clear and very much her: "Get strong for my wedding. To be able to walk without pain, have energy and out dance everyone who came to my wedding!"
Support That Shows Up
What she found was the opposite of what she feared. "I have never felt so supported in not only my goals but also in all the things I love outside of the gym!" she says. "Megan even came to see me in Legally Blonde the musical!" For Rae, that one gesture said a lot. "Megan coming to my show showed me that this gym cares more about me and my fitness than my money!"
That support mattered even more when life got harder. "To be honest, I got diagnosed with a new disease which could really feel like an end if I let it," she says. She soon learned she wasn't facing it alone. People in our community knew the road she was on, and Studio ME even hosted a fundraiser for the cause. "I have never felt so supported in a time of mental struggle," she says. She leans on her coaches, too. "To have a coach who will tell me I can do more than I believe I can, really helps."
The people are a big part of why she keeps coming back. "I'm honestly very motivated by people," Rae says. "From the coaches, classmates, to just the environment within the gym." She also appreciates how the workouts are planned. "It's SO well thought out. The four step (ME) method works very well and I feel very well led in my workouts!"
Stronger Than She Gave Herself Credit For
The results have followed, and they've surprised her most of all. Rae can now deadlift 275 pounds and squat 195. Her reaction says it all: "No way!! Whaaaaaaaaat. Who am I?!?!" Her conditioning has improved too. "Yes I still get winded, but I feel like I bounce back so much faster and stronger than ever before!!"
As she puts it, "my body has proven time and time again that it's stronger than I give it credit!" When she went to a powerlifting competition, she caught herself thinking, "I can do that." Now she's driven to try it herself.
She's also done something no other gym helped her do: she built a habit. "Studio ME helped me create a habit with morning workouts I NEVER thought I could," she says. "I have a routine that is now engraved in my week and I will not miss it!" That consistency carries into the rest of her week. "It's amazing to me how having this routine makes me feel so much better about the rest of my life."
As she gets close to 40, Rae isn't buying the idea that she's past her prime. "Now I feel like my body is a fighter and I have more to succeed at!" she says. "No disease can hold me back! I want to keep pushing myself and see what this almost 40 year old body can conquer!"
Congratulations, Rae!
Rae, you came in hoping to get "Ripped" for your wedding and worried this might be one more gym that didn't stick. Instead you found a morning routine you won't miss, a 275-pound deadlift, and a community that shows up for you, in the gym and in the theater seats. Thank you for bringing your energy, your honesty, and your belief in what's next to every session. Congratulations on being our November Member of the Month!