Strongtown Talks

This week’s episode is a sit-down conversation with a member who has been part of the Strongtown community since 2011. Caitlin Guelakis.

Caitlin is a consistent face at our 8am class, our weekend classes, and of course the Friday Beer WOD.

Outside of the gym she is a Territory Manager for Two Roads Brewing and has a degree in Art History and Historic Preservation.

We talk about her background, how she got involved with Two Roads, and what first brought her to Strongtown.

I have to thank her for giving up her time to come talk with me and hope you all enjoy.

IG @caitygue

This week’s episode is a sit-down conversation with the one only - Greg Toon.

Toon has been a coach at Strongtown since we opened our doors and we first met sometime around 2009 during the CrossFit Watertown days.

He’s a regular face at our 6:00am classes - both as an athlete and a coach.

Outside of the gym he is a father of 4, he has worked for IBM for the past 22 years and as of 2019 his wife Claire took over Southbury Dental Care and with the exception of Dentistry Toon has been very involved in the business.

I feel like Toon and I have a ton of interesting things we could talk about and it was hard to cover in one episode so we’ll be getting him back on a future episode.

I did forget to ask him about the best place to reach out to him at the end of the show, total rookie move on my part, so I’ve shared his contact info in the show notes below.

I have to thank him for giving up his time to come and talk with me and hope you all enjoy.

IG @its_toontime

This week’s episode is a sit-down conversation with Sydney aka “Syd” Malaspina.

Syd first started at Strongtown with our Kids program shortly after we opened.

I was excited to get her on the show because CrossFit has had an impact on her life to the point where she credits it with literally saving her life.

We have been fortunate to have her around the gym since she is in the process of completing her clinical for her Physical Therapy degree and happens to be home for this portion of the program.

She is an amazing individual, as well as athlete, and this past year she finished the Open within the top 10% worldwide to qualify for the CrossFit Game Quarterfinals.

I have to thank her for giving up her time to come and talk with me and hope you all enjoy.

IG @sydneymal

On this week’s episode, I get a chance to sit down with a member who’s been with Strongtown since 2011 and who both Mikey and myself have personally known for the past 25’ish years - Justin Krajeski.

Justin first started at Strongtown back in 2011 shortly after we opened up and throughout the years he has been one of the most consistent people in the gym.

We get to talk about how he first found Strongtown and his experience of sticking with CrossFit while going to Law School at Penn State.

We also got to geek out over the Whoop Recovery bracelet, watch thing and do a deep dive into some of his mindset.

I have to thank him for giving up his time to come talk with me and hope you all enjoy.

IG @jtkraj

On this week’s episode I get a chance to sit down with the one and only, Stacy Boroski...we’re going to have to get Mr. Boroski (aka Rob) on a future episode.

I loved this conversation because she’s not competitive and doesn’t look at herself as an athlete...even though the gym has been part of her routine for the past 7 years.

Outside of the gym Stacy is a 2nd Grade Teacher, she’s a mother of 2, a wife to a Jets fan and is just an all around amazing person.

She has a great perspective on things and the analogy she used to describe what a typical CrossFit class is like is one of the best I’ve heard.

I have to thank her for giving up her time on a Saturday to come talk with me and hope you all enjoy.

IG @xfitwife

On this week’s episode, I get a chance to sit down with the Taggarts - Heidi & Garret. They have both been on the show before as solo guests, Heidi was episode 16 and Garrett was episode 13.

After a long courtship involving 6:00am workouts and free coffee these two amazing individuals came together and tied the knot this past fall. In an otherwise dismal year, their wedding was one of the few bright spots of 2020.

I was excited to get them back on the show as a couple and really enjoyed hearing their story and getting a chance to catch up.

I have to thank them both for giving up their time on a Saturday morning to come and talk with me and hope you all enjoy.

IG @heidi.taggart

This week’s episode is a sit-down with a long-time Strongtown member...Missy Booth.

I owe her an apology because when she first started at Strongtown she was Missy Hardwick and I did get a bit tripped up over the last name when I brought her onto the episode.

Missy has been a member at Strongtown since 2014 and was first introduced to CrossFIt through her cousin...Coach Becky.

The cliff notes for this episode is that Missy is a badass - prior to CrossFIt her background is in martial arts where she has earned her blackbelt.

CrossFit has also inspired her interest in Massage Therapy and she is now a licensed massage therapist, both Mikey and Kelly can vouch for her work.

I have to thank her for giving up her time to be on the show and hope you all enjoy.

IG @heymissayyyy

This week’s episode is something I hope to be able to incorporate more into future shows - it’s a conversation with another local business owner.

I had reached out to Local Gourmet Market & Kitchen to see if they had any interest in being on our podcast. Over the past 3 years they’ve transitioned from being the new kids on the block to becoming one of Southbury’s hidden gems and a staple of the downtown.

I was super excited when they responded and that both the owner and general manager wanted to be on the show.

That’s right - we have both Christy Buso, the Owner, and Ashley Bugnacki, the General Manager of Local Gourmet in the house for a sit-down talk.

They have an amazing story, and out of complete happenstance it really ties back to both Mikey and my own story out of the Watertown since Christy was also the former owner of the Watertown Meat Center and Ashley was a supervisor at the time.

There are links to their website and Instagram page in the show notes and I have to thank them both for giving up their free time on a Sunday to sit down and chat with me. I hope you all enjoy

Website: Local Gourmet Market & Kitchen - Southbury CT

This week’s episode is a sit-down with a long-time member & friend - Courtney Schwartz.

Courtney has been a member of the Strongtown community since 2013 and was first introduced to Strongtown through Edgewood and our summer Swim WOD.

She is a mother of 2 and when we initially met she was working as a teacher. After 17 years in the profession, she took a leap of faith and has transitioned into sales where she worked her way up to the Regional Sales Director at SpoonRead as well as becoming a Level II Executive Consultant with Rodan + Fields.

We get to talk about what first brought her to the gym, transitioning careers, as well as a bit of deep dive into Peloton and the world of at-home, on-demand fitness.

I have to thank her for taking the time to talk with me and hope you all enjoy.

IG @courtneyschwartz1978

This week’s episode is a sit-down with a friend and former member of the Strongtown community - Tarek aka as Rick Ahmed.

Rick was a member at Strongtown between 2012 and 2017 and first did his fundamentals with Mikey back in 2010 when Mike was a Coach at CrossFit Watertown.

When I was looking for guests to be on the show Rick reached out and said that although he doesn’t do CrossFit anymore, it has changed his life and sparked a passion for fitness and the gym.

He’s currently the lead vocalist for a band called Intercourse and his wife owns and operates a Tattoo Studio in Waterbury called Earthship Studios.

I have to thank him for taking the time to talk with me and hope you all enjoy.

IG @tarekemadahmed