I lived in Spokane from the time I was born until I was 14. From the ages of approx. 5-7 I grew up in a house that included drug abuse and drug dealing. From the ages of 7 - 17 I experienced homelessness 3 different times. I had many points in my youth where I struggled mentally to deal with my surroundings, or my own mental health, and parkour was my only escape. 

At 14 I moved to live with my father in Missoula MT. While living with my father I was threatened and verbally abused daily by my father's wife and her mother.  I was diagnosed with PTSD, high anxiety and depression by a youth behavioral counselor. In Missoula I found a parkour gym called Unparalleled Movement. One of the owners, Micah Marino, knew about my unhealthy living situation and did what he could to help me and be a positive role-model for me. This included giving me emotional support, allowing me to take classes in exchange for cleaning the gym, and letting me attend open gym for free. 

When I was 16, my suicidal thoughts had reached a point where I made a plan on how to end my life, so I decided to leave my negative living situation and went to court where I was legally emancipated. I continued to attend school, but a stable living situation wasn't consistent. I had friends who let me stay with them for periods of time and Micah even let me stay the night at the gym on a handful of occasions when I had nowhere else to go. 

At 18 I graduated high school and decided to join the Army Reserves as I had nowhere else to go. When I returned home, I began building a life for myself. I went through the average person's years of day-to-day work, struggling to pay bills, and trying to maintain a healthy mindset. At 24 I was finally able to do the thing I had dreamed of since I was a teen, I opened Fluent Motions.

Since then, I have been able to positively impact numerous kids and adults that have come in. I have worked with VOA, Lumen High School, and Daybreak Youth Services. As of March 2023, Fluent Motions has officially been open for 2 years and I'm beyond disbelief that we've come so far. I wouldn't have been able to do it without any of you or your amazing kids, so I want to say thank you for any and all support you have given or contributed. I hope the future of Fluent Motions can impact countless more in our community for years to come.