Kelly is always crushing it either at the gym or her professional life. No matter if she’s working out in the morning, noon or evening classes she brings the smiles and good vibes. When you see her in the gym tell her congratulations. We can’t wait to see what other things she can accomplish this year!
Tell us about yourself:
My name is Kelly Hines-Stellisch and I’ve lived in Ventura for the last 5 years. I’m originally from Dayton, Ohio but have lived all over, including Manchester England and Alamogordo, New Mexico. I’m married to my high school sweetheart (corny, I know) who is also a member at Beachside. Shoutout to Christian, aka Crushtian, who’s a regular at 530am class. Bentley is our dog, fur child, and pretty much the center of our world. I love to cook, read, travel, drink wine, listen to podcasts, sing and dance loudly, and spend time with friends.
What do you do for a job?
I am a nurse practitioner and currently work at a local urgent care. I recently passed a board exam to become certified to work in an emergency department. I was an ER nurse before becoming an NP, so I’m excited to head back to my “roots.” I also worked in family medicine and loved building relationships with patients and their families. I’m a bleeding heart and find a lot of fulfillment in helping other people.
Tell us something people might not know about you:
I kill *almost* every plant that I’ve ever had. I keep people alive at work but have a LOT of difficulty keeping plants alive at home! Maybe it’s because the stakes aren’t as high? I don’t know! 🙂
What brought you to CrossFit in the first place?
I came to CrossFit initially looking for something new. I was actually introduced to CrossFit when I was a Body Pump instructor at a local gym and took their version of a CrossFit class. I wanted something more challenging than the classic strength training I’d been doing, and something that was different from Body Pump and the Spin classes I used to teach.
What was your first impression? How has that changed?
I was so intimidated by CrossFit at first. I was afraid of being injured. Especially working in medicine, it’s really easy to remember those patients you care for that go too hard and suffer serious injuries later. But the first class I ever attended was so good! That coach showed me that CrossFit can be very safe if you have good coaches, the right environment, and if you listen to your body. I was hooked!
What was your first “bright spot”?
The first “bright spot” I ever had in CrossFit was being able to deadlift 200lbs for the first time. I surprised myself by lifting that much and felt so strong and powerful!
What are you working on now?
I’m working on pull-ups and double unders. My goal is to get 10 unbroken strict pull-ups and 50 consecutive double unders by the end of 2021. You’ll probably see me practicing both after a workout on days I’m not working clinic.
What’s your favorite Beachside Crossfit memory?
Probably Murph this year. It was my first Murph at Beachside, and it was so fun. Grinding through a tough workout with great people is what Crossfit is all about and this year was no exception.
