Who We Are

Katie grew up in Christian home but didn't personally/fully surrender her life to Jesus until 2021.
When she was about 8 years old, she stopped passing the pediatrician hearing test, so they referred her to the "best" ENT. This was all in South Florida where she was born/grew up.
After 10 weeks of a different hearing test each week, the Dr.'s conclusion was that she was lying about her hearing loss to get attention as a kid. 

Her mom and dad wanted her to go to a different Dr. However, Katie didn't want to because her self-esteem was scarred, and she decided she could just live with it.

 So, she made it through all of life, through her bachelor's without any assistance just reading lips, sitting up front in school and using context clues to put things together. She was a competitive swimmer in high school and college, then started swimming with masters after college and started CrossFit in 2018. In sports she mainly just got yelled at a lot because the coach thought she wasn't paying attention, but she was really paying OVER attention, just couldn't hear. 

She took Spanish as her language in high school and college because she was embarrassed at the time for "being mostly deaf" but also made to believe she was lying about it. When she turned 26, she wasn't going to be on her parents' insurance anymore and they begged me to go get hearing checked out again. And she did. This time Dr. Green was so good and SO impressed. She had 40% (R) and 25% (L) volume but her cochlear hair cells were all frayed so that explained why she could hear a little volume but no clarity of sounds/speech without reading lips. Katie turned down the option of cochlear implants at the time out of fear of being completely deaf after the surgery. 

Fast forward to 2022, after she surrendered her life to Jesus in 2021, her hearing dropped to 5% for unknown reasons. But, she holds onto the truth that Jesus knows why and what He's doing in every situation.

 She started learning ASL at 2x the speed through bill vicars and talked about cochlear implants again. She went home and prayed about it, and Jesus distinctively told her "kaykay if you say no out of fear of being completely deaf then your missing out on all I have for you on the other side." So she said yes. 

Three days later she made it into accelerated DPT program and underwent both cochlear implant surgeries last year while maintaining school and also won the CrossFit Games as the first deaf athlete just a few months ago. 

She doesn't like her cochlea's and is still trying to be patient with them, but she LOVES being deaf and feels that it's Gods biggest blessing and how he uses her never ceases to amaze her. 

Now she is also the first deaf DPT and currently just moved from Jeannette PA where she was working for the past year as a PT. She's been a gym manager and head coach for 3 years, PTA for 3 years in a variety of settings and now is a Doctor of Physical therapy whose heart loves ALL people but is very called to minister to the special needs' population. Katie is excited to just use whatever platform Jesus gives her to share the gospel in both physical therapy and as an elite athlete. 

I am a NCSF Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutrition Specialist. I’ve always been an athlete and competitor. I became a CPT in order to share my love of exercise and God-given gifts with a wide range of people. I’ve played all the sports growing up, but in college I played Ultimate for FSU graduating in 2016. My fitness career started as a high school basketball strength and conditioning coach. I did that for 8 years until my husband and I moved from my hometown in Florida to Chattanooga in 2024. I am now a personal trainer and wellness coordinator at the YMCA. When I’m not strength training, I could be hiking, at the zoo, horseback riding, or trying out new restaurants in town.

Heart Warrior- CHD Interruption of the Aortic Valve 

3 Open Heart Surgeries 

Abuse Survivor
Certified NASM Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Certified Athletic Trainer, 

AIT Certified Adaptive and Inclusive Personal Trainer, Trauma informed Coach.

B.A. in Elementary Education

Equine Assisted Therapist

Pilates Certified Instructor 

Deka World Championship Competitor

WODAPTIVE London Games Competitor

Fitness healed me mentally, physically, and emotionally. It is my calling to be that to others through my love for movement. My favorite training techniques to use is referred to as cross training. This means my methods are a combination of strength training, conditioning, endurance, mobility, and functional fitness. All of my workouts are easily modified and designed specifically for each individual and their abilities. I have been in the fitness world for four years. I’ve competed in London at the WODAPTIVE games to bring awareness to the adaptive community and to show why movement matters for all types of individuals no matter ability. I’ve also competed in CrossFit competitions and had a blast doing it! I owned my own gym briefly and focused on adaptive training and group fitness training. I’m thankful for each of these opportunities because they made a beautiful impact on my life with each individual I was gifted along the way. I believe in following God, wherever He leads me, and I am very thankful for every hardship and challenge I’ve been faced with in life.

My only desire is that my life song will reflect all of God’s gifts that he’s poured into me, and the lessons I’ve learned, in hopes of helping others in their journey. My favorite classes to take are barre/pilates and strength training style classes. I’m a big mountain climber, hiker, and adventurer. I’m a proud Mom and Wife. Family is important to me. My favorite saying/verse: Philippians 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.