CHAARG + What it Means For You

I’m about to let you in on a secret. Are you ready?

Good, me too. So, for many many weeks (too many to count at this point… time flies when you’re having fun, am I right?), I have been keeping myself busy. Very busy. Mainly, I’ve been working my tail off doing some local social media consulting, sitting on the board of Syracuse’ Social Media Breakfast and a new chapter of Girls in Tech, putting everything into getting my dream job in New York City, in addition to working behind-the-scenes on the administrative side for a company and university-level organization called CHAARG.

Portion of an event flyer I designed for CHAARG.

In early December, Elisabeth (founder) approached me with the pickup line similar to: “My business is becoming a business and I’m not exactly sure what I want you to do, but I want you to help me make this happen.” At this point, I was deciding whether to pursue my life as a professional adventure-seeker, so I told Elisabeth I would keep in contact and let her know.

One day, it felt right and I told her I wanted to help build her business to the national level. The rest is history, including a span of time in which we wrote a 40-page business plan in under 24 hours. Today we keep in near-constant contact, with extensive meetings three times a week. What it really came down to was that being a part of CHAARG felt right.

I’ve been a lifelong advocate for women of all ages to find a positive balance with exercise, and CHAARG does just that. Every week, Chapters have events with local fitness trainers, both on campus and at local studios. Young women find that variety in fitness and trying new activities can be both fun and good for their health. What we have found is that CHAARG activities save women from being chained to the elliptical; they learn that strong is beautiful, and fitness creates more than physical wellness. A healthy outlook on fitness builds a strong sense of community and happier women.

This last semester, CHAARG expanded to the University of Cincinnati from its first home at the Ohio State University. Now, we are in the midst of planning multiple large events, building a more vibrant, robust community, and deciding which 3-5 schools we will be expanding to in the fall. This week, I will be in Columbus with Elisabeth for a pitch to potential investors, a weekly CHAARG fitness event, multiple meetings with current and potential partners, graphic designers and advisors as well as FitFest on Saturday. Five whole days of CHAARG, coffee, and totally shameless avocado consumption that I know we both can’t wait for.

What does this all mean? First of all, I’ve been crazy busy and I hope that now I can be a little bit more forward on all of the happenings and how things are going. Here comes the shameless plug. I know many of you are University students who LOVE health and fitness, so if you have an interest in starting a chapter at your school, shoot an email to either elisabeth@chaarg.com or myself at katelyn@chaarg.com. We would be more than happy to introduce you a bit more to what it means to be a CHAARG girl and President of a chapter. Applications are coming in quickly; we would love for one of you to become a part of the CHAARG family.

Now, even more shamelessly, I’m going to direct you to these adorable tees and tanks that we’re selling in the chaarg.com shop. We would lahhhve for you to spread the CHAARG message, but of course, only if you love ‘em.

So, that’s what I’ve been doing all of these weeks! Blogging has been swept by the wayside as I’ve been in meetings, doing projects, and traveling to New York City. Plus, a lot of my better content goes where the money is made. At the end of the day, all I want to talk about are my daily shenanigans and Instagram pics. You can’t exactly blame me for that one. I’ve been cherishing every weekend, going home to my parents at least twice a month; you never know when life will pick you up and move you farther away.

I’m in Rochester with my parents tomorrow, getting a haircut for the first time since July (priorities, people) and taking the time to enjoy the company of my family. I really love them. That’s all for now!

What have you been up to lately?
Ready for spring?
Are you traveling anytime soon? Do share!