Dharna Macedo

I’ve been a member of CFMNC since 2012 and have been lucky enough to see our community evolve throughout these years. When I started I had no idea what weightlifting was. I found a Groupon and thought, “Why not?” I never thought I would still be so invested in it so many years later. I was the girl who stuck to treadmills and ellipticals before Crossfit, but this sport has pushed me physically and mentally, and I’ve accomplished more than I could have ever imagined. I wasn’t an athletic kid growing up but as an adult, I find so much happiness inside of our gym. I’ve competed in the Goddess Games, Festivus, and RX Madness, completed a few Spartan races, and finally was able to complete Murph with a weight vest in 2024.

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My turning point was when I finally realized that being insecure and being my own worst critic about what my body looked like wasn’t actually benefiting me. I wanted to feel better and get stronger, and I was tired of always comparing myself to other women, especially what we see online. Throughout my CrossFit journey, I’ve gained so much confidence because I’m constantly pushing myself and being motivated by coaches and other athletes. I’ve accomplished goals I never would have dreamed of; muscle ups, Murph, weighted Murph, and a half marathon… the strength I’ve gained inside our gym has served me outside of the gym. I feel so much better about who I am and it’s given me the strength to know that I’m capable of things that are hard.

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I’m a teacher for my day job and I think a lot of that transfers over. I want to help people be better versions of themselves, I want to motivate them to work a little harder, and to achieve things they didn’t know they were capable of. I’m passionate about showing people that even if we aren’t the stereotype of an athlete, we are all able to accomplish things we may think are impossible, and with motivation from others, we can all do difficult things.

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