Our Story
So you’ve heard a lot about ME, but what about US? My family is EVERYTHING to me and WHY I do what I do. So we deserve our own story!!
My husband, Robb, and I have been married for 15 years now. Holy cow!! We’ve been together for 20! Robb is from outside of Philadelphia and went to the University of Pittsburgh to play soccer in college. Like me, he was also super active his whole life with soccer, baseball, and wrestling. With all the choices he had for soccer, thank goodness he went to Pitt (even if I am a PSU alum). After he graduated from Pitt, he got his first job out of college at Bally Total Fitness as an assistant manager. That spring after he graduated, I wrapped up my sophomore year at Penn State. I also ended up getting a job at Bally Total Fitness. I worked in their childcare (to add to my teaching resume) as well as the “Juice Bar” (made all these amazing, sugar-filled shakes) and the front desk. We started dating in June and when August came along, we had to decide if we were going to make this long distance thing work. He was promoted to a general manager and moving to Canton, OH, and I was going back to Penn State for my junior year. Needless to say, we made it work. It wasn’t easy, but clearly it was worth it.
Robb proposed to me after I had graduated from college and was nearing the end of my first year of teaching. We both knew it was coming, so he set out to really catch me off guard. And did he ever! One afternoon while I was teaching, my guidance counselor came to my room and told me I had something to pick up in the office. She would watch my students for me. I thought it was really weird, but I went. When I got to the office, there were a dozen red roses for me from Robb. It was such a sweet surprise! Little did I know there was more. When I walked back into my classroom, my sweetest little second graders were holding up a sign…”Dear Miss Mal, Today is the day! Will you marry me? Love, Robb” Next thing I knew, Robb was down on one knee proposing! I could not believe it! It was one of the BEST days ever!! After 15 months of planning, Robb and I got married the following June.
Almost two years later we got exciting news!! We were going to be parents for the very first time and later found out it was a boy!! We had Jordan on New Years Eve in 2009. Our world had changed drastically moving into 2010. Jordan did not sleep. He was AWFUL!! I learned that I could handle myself much better being sleep deprived than Robb could. Having a baby was definitely a test for us!! With how HARD it was, we loved it so much. Jordan was total boy...trucks, dirt, running. He was CRAZY and always all over the place. He also had a speech delay which made communication so difficult. I remember crying WITH HIM in his frustration and finally realized when he was almost two we needed some early intervention. We had the BEST speech therapist who worked with Jordan for a year. You would have NO CLUE if you talked to Jordan today. He turned into the best napper (still took naps occasionally in first grade) and sleeper. And he has grown up to be one of the sweetest, lovable, hard-working kids I know. He’s my early bird and is so responsible. He takes school seriously and is also becoming quite the little athlete.
When Jordan was around 18 months old, we found out we were pregnant with baby #2. This time a GIRL!! Seriously I was THRILLED!! I always wanted a boy and a girl. I had a sister 4.5 years older than me and a brother 4.5 years younger than me. I knew I wanted to have children closer in age. When I was growing up, it felt like we were in different worlds. So Ashlyn came into this world in April of 2012. She was a perfect angel. Unlike her big brother, she was an AMAZING sleeper. A few months before Ashlyn was born, Jordan was starting to get night terrors. When Ashlyn was born, she was sleeping right through Jordan’s night terrors as he was adjusting to the change. She was such a great baby! I’ve heard from several people the role reversal that takes place. Boys are handfuls when they are little and girls become handfuls later. I’d say that is pretty true in our home. Jordan has totally mellowed out as he has gotten older. Ashy on the other hand has grown in spunk and spirit, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! She is a loving little girl, filled with wild emotions at times!! She is totally a mama’s girl and we have such a special bond!! When I was able to work from home and put Jordan on the bus, that meant one-on-one time for the two of us. We have so many memories together.
Both Jordan and Ashlyn are FULL of personality and have the BIGGEST smiles. They are both such great students and love school! Our active lifestyles have created a very active FAMILY!! Jordan started playing soccer when he was four and started wrestling and T-ball when he was six. He absolutely LOVES sports and being an athlete. He took a step back from wrestling while he continues with soccer and baseball. Baseball is his #1 sport. He loves playing for his AAU team, the Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs. Ashlyn danced for three years and also played soccer for three years. She is now down to competitive gymnastics. She has been competing for four years now. If you know anything about competitive gymnastics, it is A LOT!! And Ashlyn loves every minute of it!!
When I first talked to Robb about becoming a coach, he 1000% supported me. He’s always been that way with me with whatever I wanted to do. He saw the changes I was making and he was doing the same. It became a healthy lifestyle we worked on together. When I was able to go to my first conference for coaching, Robb went with me to Las Vegas. We both saw the bigger picture and the incredible potential with this business. And that was a year and a half into me starting. That was such a big turning point, and knowing he “GOT IT” just as much as I did was huge!!
My whole family is such a big part of coaching. It enhances our lives through taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. Robb and I have had the ability to travel together to so many new places and have even brought the kids with us on trips earned through my work. And it has brought me HOME. I still work. I work HARD. But I have the freedom and flexibility I never thought was possible. I can be home for scheduled two hour late starts. I can volunteer for their school parties. I can pick Ashlyn up from school for early gymnastics training. I never have to worry about not being there when they are sick. I can work my schedule around them. I’m truly grateful for our story, where we were, where we are today, and where we are still going with this incredible opportunity.
