It Started with Two Tired Parents: The Story Behind Good Day CrossFit
Every gym has a beginning, but ours started with two tired parents, a newborn daughter, and a quiet desire to feel like ourselves again.
Our CrossFit journey began in 2014 in Chesapeake, Virginia, after the birth of our daughter, Maddie. Our health had been declining before pregnancy, and by the time she was born, we were both more than 70 pounds overweight and feeling every pound of it. Our bodies hurt... knees, backs, shoulders... all of it!
Like many people, we started with at home workouts, too embarrassed to walk into a gym and we made changes to our diet in the kitchen. In January 2016, we found a Groupon (remember those!?) for CrossFit Calloused, a local CrossFit gym. Walking into that gym changed our lives. It was not just the programming that drew us in; it was the people. Unfortunately for us, the Navy took us from that new community just 3 months later and sent us to Japan. Those three months shaped a lifetime of fitness and showed us a love of community we did not know was possible.
What we found was more than a workout. CrossFit gave us structure, coaching, and a community that made hard work feel possible. It helped us realize fitness did not have to be complicated to be effective... and that the people around you matter just as much as the work you are doing.
Learning CrossFit The hard way
Three months into our CrossFit journey, the Navy moved us to Japan. It was a move back to the place where we had met, but the closest CrossFit gym was two hours of our home. We had a choice: let that be the end of our CrossFit journey, or learn how to keep going.
So we kept going. For the first few years, we learned everything we could through practice, curiosity, and YouTube. Eventually, we wanted more, so we took our CrossFit Level 1 course at the closest gym to us in Fukuoka, Japan.
While Rob deployed with the Navy, Rachael hosted parent workout groups at the park. People showed up with their kids, moved together, encouraged one another, and proved that fitness could happen in the middle of real life.
That season taught us consistency over perfection. Some weeks, no one showed up. By the time we left Japan, we had a core group of 15 to 20 parents who trusted us to help them work hard every Saturday. Many became some of our best friends, and those relationships still matter to us today.
Bringing it back home
A few short years later, the navy sent us back to the United States. When we moved back to Wisconsin, CrossFit had become part of how we lived. Rob was still in the Navy and served as a boot camp drill instructor at Naval Station Great Lakes, so the time was not yet right to start our own gym, even though we had talked about it often.
For seven years, we were members of a local CrossFit gym. We grew, learned, coached, struggled, celebrated, and watched what happens when people are surrounded by others who want to see them succeed. When it came time for Rob to leave the navy, CrossFit was one of the reasons we wanted to stay in Wisconsin. Add CrossFit to our church and our daughter's school and we were bought in. This community felt like home.
Eventually, we started asking a bigger question: What would it look like to open our own CrossFit gym and build the kind of foundation and culture that had been given to us years ago?
Why good day crossfit exists
Good Day CrossFit exists because we know what it feels like to start from the beginning: out of shape, unsure, busy, and intimidated. We also know what happens when someone walks beside you, teaches you how to move safely, helps you scale appropriately, and reminds you that showing up matters.
Built on trust. Fueled by happiness. Driven by courage. That is the mission behind Good Day CrossFit: to serve busy adults by creating a safe, supportive fitness community where trust creates confidence, courage drives growth, and happiness makes the journey worth it—helping people become stronger, healthier, and more present for their families and their lives.
We did not start this gym because we believe everyone needs to become a competitive athlete. We started it because busy adults and parents in Kenosha deserve a place where fitness feels approachable, effective, and sustainable... a place where coaching matters, community makes consistency easier, and the people beside you can start to feel like family.
Our goal is simple: help people build strength, confidence, and health for life outside the gym. So they can have more energy, keep up with their families, and prove to themselves that they can do hard things.
Come start your good day with us
If you are nervous about starting, we understand. We have been there. If you are busy, we understand that too. Good Day CrossFit was built for real people with real lives, because that is exactly how our own CrossFit story began.
We cannot wait to meet you, hear your story, and help you take the next step. Here is to stronger bodies, healthier families, deeper friendships, and many good days ahead.
If you’re ready to start, we’d love to meet you. Come try a class at Good Day CrossFit.
