A couple weeks ago, I was in Nashville for a gym owners' mastermind, and our first presentation of the day was by a man named William Vanderbloemen, author of Be the Unicorn—a book about 12 data-driven habits that separate the best leaders from the rest.
His talk was excellent. He covered a few different traits he sees in the highest performers across the software and tech world, but there was one thing he said that hit me like a freight train and instantly made me think of CrossFit Ares.
William interviews hundreds of people a year for roles in his company—people with incredible skills and accolades. But the way he filters the best of the best, the ones who actually get hired, comes down to one simple phrase:
They have to be “our kind of crazy.”
Boom.
Right there, I knew exactly why CrossFit Ares has always felt different. Why it’s worked since day one. Why our people are different.
It started with a small group of people who were my kind of crazy—and over the years, it grew into a full-blown community of people who are our kind of crazy.
But what does that even mean?
It means:
That’s our kind of crazy.
Is it for everyone? Nope. And that’s okay.
But the ones who walk through our doors and choose to change their lives?
They live better.
They live happier.
They keep pushing, even when life hits hard.
They know what matters.
And they know their crew has their back.
This community was built person by person—one amazing, gritty, curious human at a time. From the ones who wandered in wondering if this place could help... to the ones who got dragged in by a friend and never left.
Our community is built on this shared spark. This shared fire.
Our kind of crazy.
We’re not like most.
Most people don’t get it.
Most people don’t want to do what we do.
But when you walk in on a sunny Saturday morning and see the sweat, the grind, the fist bumps, the laughter, the grit, and the love... when you see people getting after it, choosing better, stronger, not mediocre...
You get it.
We have something special.
We have a community full of our kind of crazy.
And together—we’re not just changing lives…
We’re building a movement that the world won’t understand until it’s undeniable.
- Coach John
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