Kathi considers herself a New River Valley native, having moved to Blacksburg when she was in the 3rd grade.  Although she was always fairly active, she was an overweight child, teen, and young adult.  Full-time work, marriage, and raising two kids made time for exercise very low on the priority ladder.  When her son was 12, he and a friend decided they wanted to do karate but would only go if their moms joined.  Although reluctant to sign up, Kathi didn’t want her son to miss out because of her, so they started attending Kempo karate classes and she was hooked!  To increase her cardio endurance while preparing for her black belt test four years later, she started running – a sport she had always said she would rather take a beating than do, and once again fell in love with the positive benefits.  Two years later she certified to teach a core strength class and added a yoga-style certification two years after that.  Fast forward to today, she is a 4th degree black belt in Kempo karate, has run over 20 half-marathons (personal best 1:53:17), countless 5Ks, 10K, etc., and teaches karate and group fitness classes at three different facilities in the Blacksburg area.  Kathi loves to share her passion for exercise and health with others and encourages everyone to find something they love and just do it!