Our people: Health and wellness

Brooke McDonald came to Clovis just a few months before the world closed down with COVID-19 last year. McDonald's husband is in the Air Force and together with their young son, the couple moved here from Florida in January of 2020.

Before moving to Clovis, the Oklahoma native only knew one family here - the Crawfords. Together with Megan Crawford, McDonald decided to chase a dream and open a fitness studio in her new home. She was prepared by a marketing degree, prior work experience, and a friendship that blossomed into a business partnership. Now on the corner of Pile and Fifth, McDonald can usually be found at her gym, Range Movement.

Q: Where is the most interesting place you've ever been to?

A: The Banaue region of the Philippines in the Ifugao mountains

Q: If you had to choose one person to swap lives with for a day, who would it be and why?

A: Pretty much any exceptional athlete: Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix. They seem limitless to me. The dedication to training, the mindset that allows them to compete at whatever level they need to perform to win, the explosiveness of their athleticism.

I love watching people move. I love learning about the extensive measures they took to perfect their craft, the kind of mental discipline it takes to harness the full power of their capabilities inspires me.

Q: What is one of your funniest memories?

A: Back when I lived in Florida, one of my best friends, Alisha, and I were planning a day trip to Port St. Joes to go scalloping. (We had heard about people coming back with buckets full of delicious scallops, so we were game!)

I remember doing a bunch of research beforehand about scalloping and where to find them and how to catch them.

I collected some of the items we would need like small nets, cooler, water-shoes, and explained it all to Alisha on the two-hour drive there. I'm sure I sounded really confident as I explained that all we had to do was wade out into the shallow bays, look for the scallops' bright blue eyes to peek out through the sea grass and scoop them up.

Well the area I ended up directing us to was a disgusting swamp surrounded by mosquito-infested grass.

It was full of mud and wasn't at all clear like the description of where we would be able to find scallops. We waded out in the swamp for probably 20 minutes of terrifying jelly fish encounters, searching for the blue-eyed scallops. Finally, we'd had enough.

My friend was like, "Where did you learn all this scalloping info?" As I pulled up some charter website, she (said), "We have to have a charter (boat) to do this!" We weren't just going to find scallops!

Q: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A: Soup. Any kind of soup, or sushi.

Q: What is the best scary movie you've ever seen?

A: Pass. I do my best to avoid scary movies. Truly, I don't think I've seen one since I was a teenager. I just prefer to relax when I watch TV, and there's nothing relaxing about gripping your seat or anxiously anticipating the next sudden scare tactic.

Q: What is your life's motto?

A: Be confident in your skill, and humble in your approach.

Q: What are your two biggest pet peeves?

A: Toxicity - any rhetoric that is toxic, divisive or cruel creates confusion, pain and insecurity.

And the mentality of "talk-the-talk" or "fake it 'til you make it."

As humans we walk before we talk because we need the experience of practicing and doing something before we can speak to it.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do in Clovis?

A: Be at Range, (play) golf, and frequent the local coffee shops and breweries.

Q: Who is one of your heroes?

A: I have many ... I worked with an extremely talented, intelligent and inspiring group of people for three years at EXOS (...a human performance company). (I also...) met other inspiring individuals through my work there.

My co-workers were dietitians, physical therapists and performance specialists who trained athletes and (members of the) military who were at the highest levels in their careers. My co-workers were the best at what they did. We serviced big-name pro athletes and active-duty special forces, and impacted our clients' performance in life-changing ways.

None of my co-workers had social media or marketed themselves in any way. Most people will never know their names or understand what they did to improve a top athlete's athleticism - or rehab a Navy Seal from years of injuries down range. But this special group of people changed lives in a way that clients will remember and favor them forever.

Q: What are you most proud of?

A: Pride is not something I typically identify with. By definition (pride) is to find pleasure/satisfaction in one's own accomplishments.

And for me "accomplishing" deteriorates my drive. As soon as I say I've accomplished something, that thing is done, and then I can relax - so I'm not ready to say I'm proud.

However, it is rewarding to see that what Meg and I built has impacted personal growth and community in so many ways.

Members have reached health goals they hadn't been able to before, they move better and with less pain, they have improved their performance in sports and many found a safe outlet for community during the ongoing pandemic.

It's also extremely rewarding to me to see how our staff has expanded, and how each individual on this team contributes to a vast array of skills that allow Range to extend services beyond what we initially set out to do.

I am grateful.