This May marks 15 years with Fit2Run for Attiah Sturgis, but her journey didn’t begin with a title. It began with service.
Fifteen years ago, she was volunteering, cleaning donated shoes for the Boys & Girls Club. She wasn’t on payroll. She wasn’t in leadership. She was simply giving back.
“Serving others felt natural to me,” Attiah says. “Purposeful.”
She had no idea that small act of service would lay the foundation for the most transformative season of her life. Over time, Fit2Run became more than a workplace. It became a community rooted in movement, encouragement, and growth.
“There is nothing more powerful than helping someone believe in themselves,” she says. “Watching someone go from a hesitant beginner to running six or more races a year fills me with pride.”
But life would test her belief in movement in ways she never imagined.
A high-risk pregnancy resulted in her newborn sustaining a brachial plexus injury at birth, leaving him completely paralyzed on his right side. Two weeks after bringing him home, physical therapy began. Four months later, surgeries followed. At the same time, she was caring for a 6-year-old who needed her strength just as much.
“In trying to be strong for everyone else, I lost myself,” she says.
Her diabetes spiraled out of control. Stress mounted. COVID brought isolation and homeschooling. Her oldest son struggled with bullying and declining mental health. Then came another blow, her kidneys were showing signs of damage, and her medications would need to increase.
“I remember feeling like the weight of the world was pressing down on my chest.”
Then something shifted. Surrounded by a culture that believes in movement as medicine, Attiah was encouraged to step into the in-house bootcamp-style training sessions led by Prosper Bradenton, a decision that would begin changing everything.
“At first, I was intimidated. The workouts were hard. I was out of shape. I doubted myself.” But she showed up. “And then I showed up again. And again.”
Slowly, change began. Her stamina improved. Her blood sugar levels decreased. Her strength returned. Six months later, her doctor began lowering her insulin dosage. “She asked what I was doing differently. That’s when I realized, I wasn’t just surviving anymore. I was fighting back.”
Walking. Running. Strength training. Movement became her medicine. “It gave me control when everything else felt uncontrollable. It gave me clarity when my mind felt overwhelmed. It gave me strength when I thought I had none left.” But, the hardest part wasn’t the workouts. “It was consistency. It was choosing discipline on the days I felt exhausted. Motivation fades, discipline carries you forward.”
Today, movement is not optional in her life. “It is how I manage my diabetes. It is how I protect my kidneys. It is how I reduce medications. It is how I manage stress and protect my mental health.” She can’t go more than two days without moving, not because she has to, but because she chooses to.
“I remember what it feels like to lose control of your health. I refuse to go back there.” Now, she uses those same tools to encourage others, especially those facing diabetes.
“Medication may manage disease, but lifestyle changes transform it. No one can do the work for you, but you are capable of more than you think.”
Being part of Fit2Run’s culture pushed her further. She began signing up for races. Then more races. She chased personal records. But what fills her heart most is watching others cross finish lines. “That’s leadership. That’s impact.”
Fifteen years ago, Attiah was cleaning donated shoes to give back to children in need. Today, she’s lacing up her own, not just to run races, but to lead her children, her team, and her community forward.
For Attiah, movement is no longer just exercise.
“It is resilience.
It is healing.
It is leadership.
It is strength.
It is proof that no matter how heavy life becomes, you can still move forward.”
