Courtney is a last year graduate student finishing her doctoral degree in physical therapy at Marquette University. She became a certified personal trainer in 2016, training and helping students, staff, and community members at Marquette reach their individualized goals. However, her love for fitness and overall wellness began long before that. She remembers a very active childhood, eventually focusing on varsity volleyball and lacrosse in high school.

After deciding to not pursue collegiate athletics to focus more on her academics, Courtney did not have daily structured practice or conditioning sessions for the first time. Taking matters into her own hands, she created her own gym workouts and signed up for a half marathon, with the eventual goal of running a full marathon like her mom someday. Since, she has completed 7 half marathons and 4 full marathons. Most recently, she qualified for Boston 2021 with a time of 3:20:16. Early morning runs along the lake continue to be her favorite stress relief, even when she is not actively training for a race. 

Having two older brothers and some familiarity with weights from high school conditioning, Courtney stepped right into the “boy’s” section of the gym with the squat racks and bench presses her freshman year. The apparent divide between males and females in the gym was astounding. Females gravitated towards cardio machines and small free weights, whereas males dominated the barbells. This not only inspired Courtney to incorporate heavier lifts into her own routine, but empower other women to do so as well, leading her to found CHAARG at Marquette University between her sophomore and junior years. 

CHAARG is a national organization that stands for Changing Health, Actions, + Attitudes to Recreate Girls that continues to expand to universities across the country. It creates a community of strong women, physically and mentally, that inspire each other to “liberate themselves from the elliptical” and try a new workout each week, spanning from CrossFit to hot yoga. Body positivity and mental health are championed. Courtney served as ambassador through her senior year and has since passed the leadership on, but remains involved through social media and dropping in on events. Marquette CHAARG continues to have over 125 members each semester and build a closer community of women each day. 

Now, Courtney’s goals include becoming a licensed physical therapist working in an outpatient orthopedic clinic with a focus in sports medicine. She continues to love running and lifting, creating workouts based on her training schedule, and trying new recipes to meal prep for the week. Courtney hopes to inspire others to find movement that they enjoy and feel confident doing. She is a big proponent of healthy recipes that are filling, delicious, and fuel long days. She will never deny herself a good beer, glass (or two) of wine, cheese curds, or ice cream. She promotes lifetime wellness and knows that the journey can begin from any stage. 

Certifications

• NSCA Certified Personal Trainer