Hey SLAM Nation! I’m Krystal, the proud new owner of SLAM Montgomery! I am a military spouse and mother to three awesome kiddos – Rowan (4), Luke (2.5), and Adalynn (1). I am also a stay-at-home-mom, HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator, and former Forensic Psychologist. My husband, Adam, is an active-duty officer in the Air Force and we have been married for six years. And because we like chaos, we also have 3 dogs, one of which is a 7-month-old Australian Shepherd!

My SLAM journey began in January 2020 with SLAM Monterey. Like so many moms, I was nervous to attend my first SLAM class. In fact, I had been following SLAM on social media for months but had never mustered the courage to attend a class on my own. Through a series of chance encounters, I met a wonderfully cheerful SLAM mom who invited me to try a SLAM class. This fellow mom became the anchor I needed to finally commit to going. The nerves, anxiety and fear immediately lifted after receiving the warmest, friendliest welcome by all the moms and seeing how without question, they jumped in to help me roll up my yoga mat between stations, offered to let me borrow their weights, and pushed my fussy baby around while I learned the exercises. Not only did I feel accepted immediately, I felt inspired. Looking at the circle of women around me, I saw moms in various stages of motherhood and at all levels of fitness. I never felt judged, but instead, I felt encouraged to do what felt right to me and to listen to my body. I was hooked from that day forward and SLAM became my safe haven and fun zone over the next 2.5 years. Not only were the workouts fun, challenging and making me feel like I was “strong as a mother,” but the community of moms supported and encouraged me, inspired me, and rallied around me in some of life’s most challenging moments.

During my 2.5 years with SLAM Monterey, there were some particularly difficult days when I would show up to class only to sit on my yoga mat crying with my hoodie pulled over my head. Many of the moms knew what I was going through, but even if they didn’t, they were all there for me. I could feel their love and compassion to my core, and they held the space for me to just be. They tended to my kiddos in the stroller. They hugged me and wiped away my tears. They offered to get my kids set up in the stroller if I needed a few minutes to cry alone in my car before joining the crew. And when my husband and I had to go out of town and leave our kids for the first time ever, they came to our house in shifts to take care of our kids. These moms are truly the reason why I continued showing up to SLAM and a big reason why I feel like I *CAN* open a SLAM. They have encouraged me and cheered me on since day one, and as I have been preparing to open SLAM Montgomery, they have been there with a quick response to every single text looking for their feedback and opinions. I hope to spread the SLAM Love to all the moms in Montgomery who need a space to connect, belong, feel encouraged and inspired, and I want to create a space where they can not only show up for themselves, but for their little ones who are watching them.

When our family got orders to move to Montgomery, the first thing I searched for – before housing, doctors, or schools – was a SLAM. I was so bummed to find out there wasn’t an affiliate there but was grateful to be able to fuel my SLAM addiction with Virtual SLAM. After settling in and participating in Virtual SLAM for a few months, I found myself missing the in-person connections and relationships like the ones I had cultivated with SLAM Monterey. I had taken some time to get familiar with the area to see if there were any groups where I could connect with other moms and feel apart of a community again. I couldn’t find anything on my own and in talking with other moms, they hadn’t found anything like it either. After a lot of discussions filled with support and encouragement from my husband, family and SLAM friends, I decided to take the leap of opening up my own affiliate. I am so excited to finally be bringing SLAM to Montgomery, AL and to begin this journey of bringing women together who want to Sweat Like a Mother!

Cheer us on and see what SLAM-A-BAMA is up to through Instagram and Facebook! Check out our webpage too!