Victoria Swann

I found CrossFit in 2017 and it changed everything.

‍

Before that, I spent over a decade as a competitive dancer, starting in 2005 and rising to be one of the top-ranked dancers in the East. Movement and discipline were always part of my life, but outside of the studio, I never quite felt like I fit in until I walked through the doors at Aevitas.

‍

What started as a place to train quickly became my home. CrossFit gave me the space to grow not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Throughout my dance career and early days in CrossFit, I battled an eating disorder. But I wanted to move heavy weights. I wanted the stamina to keep up with the “big girls.” So I learned to eat. To fuel. To show up for myself. CrossFit didn’t just help me recover, it saved me.

‍

In 2020, I was invited to join the Aevitas coaching staff. Coaching here has been a dream and a privilege. CrossFit has taught me more about resilience, leadership, and personal growth than any college course, job, or dance class I’ve ever taken. Now, I get to pass those lessons on to our community, one lift, one class, one athlete at a time.

My turning point came when I realized I was tired of shrinking myself in every sense of the word.

‍

As a competitive dancer, I grew up chasing perfection. I knew how to perform, how to smile, how to win. But behind the curtain, I was battling something invisible: an eating disorder rooted in the pressure to be smaller, quieter, “better.” My enemy wasn’t a person, it was the belief that I had to take up less space to succeed. That I had to earn my worth through how I looked or how little I needed.

‍

Then I found CrossFit.

‍

Suddenly, the goal wasn’t to be smaller. It was to be stronger. I wanted to lift heavy. I wanted to last through workouts. I wanted to be the kind of athlete who took up space. That shift in mindset was everything. CrossFit gave me a new language for success: effort, resilience, consistency.

‍

That enemy, self doubt, perfectionism, the fear of being "too much," still try to creep in. But now I’ve got the tools to fight back. And coaching gives me the chance to help others do the same.

My purpose as a coach is to help people feel strong, seen, and supported, especially in those first moments when it all feels new. I’m often the first face someone meets when they walk into Aevitas for their very first class, and that means a lot to me. I love helping beginners find their confidence, their rhythm, and their passion for movement.

‍

Whether it’s your first time picking up a barbell or you’re just trying to find your way back to yourself, I’m here to remind you that you deserve to take up space, loudly, fully, and without apology. That’s what drives me every day.