You could say Macrostax was conceived on the interstate highway between Orlando and Chicago in 2016. That was when my husband Casey and I made a deal; I’d drive the entire way if he would create a Macrostax app for me. By the time we got to Chicago, I was the very tired, very proud owner of a prototype for a web app that would eventually give tens of thousands of people an affordable, personalized way to count macros. I should say, using the word “app” is generous. It was super basic—it looked nothing like Macrostax looks now. When I took it to digital agencies and told them I had $5,000 to build it out, most of them laughed at me.
You could also say Macrostax began when I lost my mom to type 2 diabetes when I was 21. To say it was painful to watch her make the decisions leading up to her passing would be an extreme understatement. She was my best friend and I miss her every single day. While health and fitness have always been important to me—I’ve played a sport every season since I was six years old—my mom’s death cemented my mission to help people live healthier lives.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Florida (go Gators!) I was lucky to land a position as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for UF’s cheerleading team. The schedule was grueling, often requiring me to work from 4:45 am to 9:30 pm and the pay was low (we’re talking minimum wage) but I loved it. I was grateful for the opportunity to learn from the best, as this was during the Leak/Tebow era.
With the skills and experience I gained while coaching at the University of Florida, I launched a personal training business focusing on speed and agility. My clientele included competitive athletes, stay-at-home moms who just wanted to get back in shape, and everyone in between. I hustled day and night to get clients, eventually growing the business to full-time within a few years. This would be the first of several entrepreneurial endeavors.
Meanwhile, I’d fallen in love with CrossFit. This was 2007, before CrossFit gyms were even a thing. My friends and I did our WOD’s at the University of Florida rec center. Since I only have two speeds (sleeping or full-steam ahead!), I decided the next logical step was to open a box.
In 2011 Casey and I established CrossFit Kings Point, the third CrossFit gym in the Orlando area. I’m proud to say that by the time we sold the business in 2016 it was one of the best known CrossFit gyms in the Southeast. But I’m even more proud that we built it with an A+ team and changed thousands of lives in the process.
At that point, I knew the next step on my journey would revolve around helping people become fitter and healthier through nutrition. I’d seen the impact proper fueling made in my own life and this was something I felt called to share with as many people as possible. I’d tried every diet under the sun; paleo, low carb, keto, diet pills, you name it. Nothing worked until I started counting macros. It completely changed my life. I was eating 1000 calories more, over 200g of carbs a day and losing fat, getting lighter and PR’ing left and right. It took me 30 years to find a way to lose that last bit of weight but it was worth the wait. Macrostax has revolutionized my relationship with nutrition; foods are no longer “good” or “bad.” Eating is about enjoying my food (including the occasional frozen yogurt ) and getting the right amounts of carbs, protein, and fat.In 2015 I started Lean Machine Nutrition, a macro nutrition consulting company that would later evolve into Macrostax. We served over 200 people during our first year in business but I knew we had the potential to extend our reach—not by the hundreds but by the millions. The only way to create something scalable and affordable, though, was to create an app. Casey, who is a software developer, warned me that building software is never as easy as you think. Taking the wheel for our entire cross-country drive was just the beginning!
We officially launched Macrostax in May 2017. In the first year we served over 20,000 clients. While I am thrilled with our early success, I know this is just the beginning. I am confident we are going to change the world by helping people take charge of their nutrition in a way that is sustainable. Every time a client says Macrostax has changed their life, I know the effort was 100% worth it. I am so honored to have built a company that gives people the results they want without the expense of a personal macros coach or feeling guilty for eating foods they love.
Have there been challenges along the way? Of course. No startup is without its share of hard days. But I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. With a background as a competitive athlete—I’ve competed at the state level for the 4×100 meter dash and I’ve been to the CrossFit Regionals as an individual three times—I thrive on big goals and hard work. To stay motivated, especially on rough days, I stay focused on our mission, to improve people’s lives through nutrition. Also, I am very intentional about surrounding myself with the best team possible, which is hugely helpful when it comes to solving problems and staying energized.
People sometimes ask me what my secret is. I really don’t have one! There’s no “magical” morning routine (unless you count my daily cup of black coffee). My self-care consists of a minimum of eight hours of sleep per night, regular workouts, and spending time in the outdoors with Cammi and Merley, our Australian shepherds (a.k.a. our babies).
As a CEO, I find that customer feedback is a goldmine. You may have a certain idea of what’s going to work, but if it’s not working for your customers, you need to change directions. I’ve found that being open to feedback and staying flexible go a long way.
Surrounding myself with an amazing team has also been key. Having played sports all my life, I’ve always known how important teams are. Both on the field and off, your team can be your best asset or your undoing. Knowing I can trust our team to help solve problems, stay focused, remain positive, and make me laugh has gotten me through the ups and downs that come with starting a company.
There’s a proverb I heard in church that has stuck with me: You can be a slave to your circumstances or a servant to a cause. If you surrender to your circumstances then your attitude will shift and change with the seasons, but if you surrender to a cause then you can stand firm in every season. So I guess you could say total commitment to Macrostax’s mission is my secret.
