Amber: Pound Rockstar. True Warrior.

This is Amber. Pound Fitness Instructor. Rockstar. True Warrior.

And I know a thing or two about warriors.

When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was a teenager. I remember asking her if she was going to die. She looked at me and said, “I don’t know. But I’m going to fight every step of the way.”

And she did.

She showed up for her family, for her life, for herself—through the pain, through the chemo, through moments when we almost lost her. She never stopped being my mom. That was the moment I learned what a real warrior looks like. And once you’ve seen a warrior like that, you recognize that energy when it kicks in the door.

Amber doesn’t just kick. She’ll pound down anything standing in her way. And cancer got in her way.

From the moment I met her, I was drawn in by her stick-it attitude—the kind of spirit that doesn’t just go through life, but pounds through it. (Yes, the pun is intentional.) She was already a regular in the Pound Fitness world, and always encouraged me to try it. But I had a long list of reasons not to—my size, my knees, my coordination… you name it, I gave the excuse.

But when Amber asked me to photograph her Pound: Colon Cancer Awareness event, everything in me said yes.

When you know someone has walked through fire and is still showing up, still leading, still smiling and creating space for others to thrive—you honor that. You witness it. You celebrate it.

Photographing this event was a privilege.

What I saw in that room wasn’t just a fitness class. It was a full-blown rock concert of resilience. There was music, laughter, sweat, joy—and Amber, right at the center of it, surrounded by people who had clearly shown up that day because of her. Some were familiar faces from my past, and I knew—just by the way they looked at her—they were there because Amber got them through the door.

That’s what real warriors do.

They don’t just survive.
They lead.
They inspire.
They remind the rest of us what we’re capable of.

And they aren’t afraid to do it with poop on their head. (Just sayin’.)

A few months back, I told Amber how much I admired that she kept showing up through everything. She simply said:

“Well, I had to.”

Did she have to? No. She chose to.
But for Amber? There wasn’t another option.

That’s a warrior.

She knew people were counting on her.
She knew the power of showing up.
And she did it—again and again.
Inspiring all the way.

What I captured that day was more than a class.
It was a room full of rockstars, every single one of them pounding out fear, doubt, excuses, and showing up loudly for themselves and each other.

Amber creates that space. She builds that energy. And being in it—watching her lead with that signature fire, surrounded by people clearly there because she inspires them—**she inspired me, too.

Yoga mat? Purchased. Pound class? Located. Ripstix? On the way.