Fueled by goals, built through discipline—always stronger, leaner, better.
My Fitness Journey
Throughout my life, I struggled with self-confidence when it came to my physical appearance and sense of masculinity. As an uncoordinated, non-athletic kid, I felt intimidated by the gym, by athletic men, and by the idea of lifting weights. I was insecure, weak, overweight, and had little to no muscle mass.
When I got to college, I became determined to lose weight. I drastically cut my food intake and joined a gym, where I spent nearly two hours a day doing cardio. Eventually, I lost the weight—but in an unhealthy way. I looked emaciated. I looked sick. But at the time, no one could tell me otherwise; I was completely addicted to the process.
After college, reality hit. Between living on a small teacher’s salary and carrying the burden of art school debt, life became overwhelming. I slowly gained back much of the weight I had worked so hard to lose. Around that same time, I launched Ouchii as a creative outlet and escape from life’s stressors—though ironically, it came with its own set of pressures. Before long, I found myself physically back where I had started.
At my heaviest, I weighed 164 pounds with little muscle mass—just fat, skin, and bones. I knew something had to change. I joined another gym near my apartment, prepared to repeat the same routine all over again.
Then something unexpected happened: I discovered Zumba.
While doing cardio on the treadmill and elliptical, I would watch the Zumba classes through the window and see how much fun everyone was having. I was far too shy to try it myself, but my husband—then boyfriend—Jey encouraged me to go in. He practically dragged me inside.
Funny enough, I became obsessed… and he stopped coming.
Zumba was different. It didn’t feel like punishment. It was fun, energetic, and gave me a way to move my body that I genuinely enjoyed. I was dancing, sweating, burning calories, and for the first time, fitness didn’t feel like a chore. The weight came off quickly.
A few months later, the teaching bug hit me. Since I was already a teacher by profession, becoming an instructor felt like a natural extension of who I was. In 2017, I earned my Zumba certification, and within a year I was teaching up to 12 classes a week at gyms all across the South Bay.
(Far left, 20 years old, 2006. 164 lbs. No muscle mass, high body fat. Center, 31 years old, 2017, 131 lbs. Zumba addict! Mega lean, no muscle mass. Far right, proud Zumba instructor, 32 years old, 2018)
The Pandemic + Ouchii Fitness
By the time the pandemic hit in 2020, I looked just as thin and unhealthy as I had in college. At the time, I genuinely thought I looked great—and if you had asked me then, I probably would have said I could still lose a few pounds. As difficult as that period was for the world, the pandemic gave me something I remain grateful for to this day: a reset button.
With my teaching job moved remote, gyms closed, and more free time than ever before, I had the opportunity to truly reexamine my goals and priorities.
During that time, I launched Ouchii’s online fitness division. After years of coaching multiple classes each week, I had built a strong network of loyal Zumba students who suddenly needed a place to stay active during lockdown—and I was eager to create that space for them.
I knew that if I was going to grow this into something meaningful, I needed to offer more than dance fitness alone. I needed strength training. I needed HIIT. I needed to evolve.
So I leveled up once again—earning certifications in personal training and group fitness, and fully stepping into the next chapter of coaching. It became one of the most rewarding and transformative seasons of my life.
At its peak, my online Fitness division of Ouchii was serving hundreds. It was donation based initially and eventually transformed into monthly memberships with classes offered six days a week!
Back to Reality
I knew the pandemic would not last forever, and that eventually the online fitness bubble would begin to fade. Before the pandemic, one of the gyms I coached at was Crunch Fitness in Sunnyvale. As businesses gradually began reopening, my former group fitness coordinator reached out to ask if I would be interested in returning—not only to Sunnyvale, but also to a new location opening in San Jose.
I knew it was time to slowly transition back and begin rebuilding my in-person fitness community, so I returned. Not long after, an unexpected opportunity presented itself: the chance to step into the role of Group Fitness Coordinator.
Group Fitness Coordinator
Within a few weeks, I was asked if I would be interested in group fitness management by Crunch San Jose. I interviewed, and took on the role. I knew I could handle it. Ouchii by then was turned into an online business. At school, I am off by the early afternoon. It was doable.
Shortly thereafter, I absorbed Crunch Sunnyvale. A year or so after, I was tapped to handle Crunch Winchester – our latest location in the South Bay. I then became the Regional Group Fitness Manager.
Looking the Part
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I became the coordinator for Crunch San Jose was building a schedule that leaned too heavily into Zumba. I clearly had a bias. What I realized very quickly was that the pandemic had shifted people’s habits. While Zumba was still a force to be reckoned with, it was no longer the guaranteed draw it once had been. There were more options than ever, and instructors no longer had the same pull they once did.
What I did notice was that everyone was lifting. The younger crowd was heavily into weight training, and all of the personal trainers around me were in incredible shape. That realization pushed me to make a very intentional pivot.
If I was going to build a successful group fitness program, I needed to fully understand the demand for more than just dance fitness. I needed to lift weights—not just casually, but with a real understanding of how to build muscle effectively. I needed to do HIIT. I needed to learn nutrition, understand macros, and become knowledgeable across every area of fitness in order to truly understand what made those formats successful.
That shift changed everything for me.
So here I am in 2026. I think I look great—but if I’m being honest, I felt that way at every stage of my fitness journey. The difference now is that I carry much more confidence, significantly more muscle mass, and a far deeper understanding of health and fitness overall. While I still enjoy cardio, I now keep it to one or two times a week. My current goal is to continue building muscle, staying lean, and using my experience to coach, inspire, and share my knowledge with every student and client I work with.
For live updates about my classes including special events, subbing information or to retrieve photos from class, check my Fitness business page on Facebook!