Before joining Kanna in January 2023, Suz had come from several group training programs including a barbell gym in Philadelphia. Realizing she wanted to work on both strength AND cardio, she found us and was struck by the diverse bodies of both our members and coaching staff. Her willingness to keep showing up, putting in the work, and being coachable are admirable. In class, she embodies our values of Learning, Working Hard, and Having Fun and for all of those reasons and more, Suz Johnson is our August Member of the Month – Congratulations!
Name
Susanne (Suz) Johnson
Occupation
Nurse Practitioner
When did you start at Kanna?
January 2023
What are your favorite numbers and why?
14 (my aunt and I are both born on 01/14); 3 (my Dad’s birthday and just a tidy little number – I tend to like sets of 3); 8 (was my brother’s soccer number and is my mom’s day of birth and it’s like an infinity symbol)
What movements do you like?
For cardio – rowing. For strength – Most barbell movements but especially overhead presses, bench press, deadlift, and barbell row. I have also been enjoying kettle bell movements recently like working on snatches.
What movements do you dislike?
Anything I dislike is usually because I feel like it is a movement that doesn’t “work” with my body type but I force myself to focus on giving things a shot and adapting to my needs. I will say I will never jive with gymnastics movements (wall walks, rope climbs) – I just don’t possess that level of agility and that’s ok. And, honestly, wall balls – the up/down up/down just messes with my equilibrium.
What sports or fitness things did you do before Kanna?
My parents had me in soccer, tennis, softball, and field hockey as a kid. I even did some figure skating. I had pretty severe asthma as a child and adolescent and really struggled with sprint sports. In high school, they finally let me bail on organized sports because I was miserable. I have always had a strained relationship with my body and saw exercise as something I needed to do to be seen as a good and productive person. Given that I was always trying to make myself smaller – I have tried just about every exercise trend in existence (Tae-Bo included!). I tried running in 2015 – 2017 but was really discouraged because I just didn’t enjoy it. In 2018, I discovered barbell and strength training and it felt good to LIKE something, to even be a tiny bit good at it!
How did you find Kanna? How did you feel when you first walked in?
I found Kanna through a good old fashioned Google search. Prior to the COVID emergency I had belonged to a barbell gym in Port Richmond which was more or less on my way home from my job in Camden NJ at the time. In 2022, I took a WFH position and it just wasn’t feasible to belong to a gym that far away from my house. I also knew I wanted the option to work on both strength training and conditioning to build back endurance after being hospitalized with COVID in 2020. Kanna’s social media content really piqued my interest because I saw such diversity in age and ability even among the coaching staff. When I came in for my initial meeting with Steph I was prepared to be on the defensive but she was so disarming and put me at ease. I was pretty terrified about my first group class, though.
What’s your “why” for working out?
Longevity. I am less interested in the size of my body at this point than I am in its ability to get shit done. I am a healthcare provider and I know that health and being able bodied are privileges that the universe can revoke at any time. It’s important to me to be able to carry out activities of daily living independently and without pain. Physical activity has also become the way I connect with other folks now that I WFH – it feels like recess! I also sleep better and my depression/anxiety are much better managed with regular workouts.
What’s your favorite thing about Kanna?
The way members show up for one another. You really do belong here. Going through a rough time? We got you! We notice if you are out of the gym for a few weeks, we want to support you and that cool thing your kid is doing and see photos of your dog, too.
What are your hobbies?
Knitting – I learned when I was 18! I love reading and listening to audiobooks. I have recently discovered cozy Nintendo switch games like Spiritfarer. To be honest, I love to try new things so I have been known to dabble in a lot but these are the hobbies that have stayed consistent!
What’s something most people don’t know about you or a fun fact?
A lot of my healthcare advocacy work revolves around making healthcare spaces safer and more accessible for folks in larger bodies and folks with disabilities. I got to share a little bit about this work in a documentary called “Thick Skin” but I typically get to work one on one with health centers or providers who want to learn more about how they can create an inclusive office environment.
What PRs or accomplishments (fitness-related) are you most proud of?
Showing up to 100+ classes so far. This is the most committed relationship I have ever been in with a gym. My WOD PR’s will come and go and evolve over time, but the satisfaction of creating a routine for myself has made me really proud.
What’s on your fitness bucket list?
I want to continue cultivating upper body strength. I am very anxious about movements like dips or anything related to a pull up. It’s ok to be bad at something – it gives me room to grow.
What’s on your general bucket list?
I finally got up the courage to address my lipedema! It’s a genetic and progressive and fibrotic tissue disorder (affecting 11% of women over age 30!) and it causes these painful nodules of adipose tissues in my lower extremities. I found a provider who can address it surgically and plan to do that in 2025. I am hoping to have less pain and more mobility so maybe running and jump rope will be in my future!
What advice do you have for people new to Kanna?
Feel your feelings – we show up to class with all sorts of stuff going on – Kanna is a safe community. Allow yourself to be absolutely terrible at something – seriously – no one cares where you are in your particular fitness journey and you WILL get better with practice. Along the same lines, always do what is best and safest for you. We ARE glad to have you here – it’s not a gimmick or BS – we are proud of this space and are excited to welcome you. Get involved in something like the Open, volunteer for All Abilities, sign up for a competition – you’ll get to meet folks outside your usual class time.
Anything else you’d like to mention?
All bodies are good bodies regardless of how they look or what they can do and the work I put in at Kanna has moved me towards a much healthier relationship with myself.
***Kanna members: The MOTM custom workout is TBD***
How does one become Member of the Month? By embodying the Kanna ideals of Learning, Working Hard, and Having Fun. By contributing to the community and supporting others in and out of the workout. By being open to coaching and improving oneself for the sake of being better, not to “win” the workout. By just generally being a good person and having a positive attitude. And a lot more, but you get the idea!Post navigation