⭐MEET THE FIERCE EXECUTIVES⭐
Christine Lyons - Fierce CFO
A bit about my background: I was born and raised in FL. I was a gymnast, wakeboarder, and avid runner pretty much my whole life. I attended the University of Florida (Go Gators!) where I received my Master’s in Accounting and also completed my CPA. I had the best group of friends and moved with one of my best friends to Atlanta after we graduated where I worked for PwC. In 2014, I visited CO for a friend’s wedding, and without hesitation, looked for a job out here immediately. In May of 2015, I packed everything up, left behind everyone I loved, and moved out here to CO. I didn’t start my job until July 2015 so during that time I explored different areas and gyms which leads me to…
Outside of being the CFO: When I’m not at Fierce, coaching Fierce, taking Fierce, breathing Fierce, I spend my days with my husband (who I met at my old CO public accounting firm) Jordan and all of our friends. Jordan and I are the proud parents of 2 corgis, Ripley, and Ziggy Starburst. We both love to bike and snowboard. I also love to travel and visit all my friends and family who are scattered across the country.
How I started at Fierce: During my extended vacation before starting my job, I decided to try out this gym in LoHi through classpass called Fierce45. I showed up thinking this would be easy peasy and got my butt handed to me in a way I never had before (except the time I took my mom’s car out for a joy ride at 13) It was so hard I didn’t come back for three months. However, once I braved coming back, I fell in love. Then in 2017, I decided I would sign up for Teacher Training. It took a lot of convincing since my day-to-day was pencil skirts and board meetings. Getting on a mic to yell at people to hold a plank was a whole new challenge, and I was up for it because fitness was always my passion. During teacher training, we were given a brief overview of the Company. Looking it over, I realized Melissa Williams was in charge of all things operational and financial. At that moment, I decided this was my chance. This was how I could marry my accounting knowledge with my love of movement and fitness. I walked up to Torrey, asked her if they would be interested in a CPA, and the rest is history. Follow your gut and your dreams!
Melissa Willams - COO
My History: I grew up in NY, about 15 miles north of Manhattan and started my college experience at SUNY Albany. I had a 2-year-old sister and felt I was missing everything, so I quickly transferred and finished my undergrad degree in Speech Pathology & Audiology at Iona College. I then went on to attend St. John’s University, where I received my Masters in Speech-Language Pathology while managing a restaurant in the West Village. I needed a change, and if I had to step on one more subway, someone might have gotten hurt. I decided to look for fellowship positions in Colorado. My family had vacationed in Colorado during the Winter and Summer, and I loved it. The plan was to move to Denver for two years and then back to NY or somewhere new. My dad had lived in many places, and I was always intrigued and inspired by that. These plans quickly changed when I met my husband Ray, about a month after moving. After 8 years of dating, Ray asked me to marry him on New Year’s Day, 3 years later (to the day), our daughter, Serafina, was born and just 4 months ago, our son Atticus entered this wild ride.
Why Fierce: I was in a pretty dark place when I learned about Fierce45. Serafina was a ROUGH baby and had terrible colic. She cried all day every day for 6 months, and then it lessened, and finally, we all got some real relief around month ten. I learned that I had been battling postpartum depression, but didn’t really know it until much later. I met one of Torrey’s BFF’s, Robin, at baby and me swimming, and she suggested I check out Fierce. I told her I had seen it, and it looked too hard, but she assured me that anyone could do it and modify as needed. So I pushed myself really hard, stepped out of my comfort zone, and went. I was welcomed with open arms and the energy, vibe, and Community that I felt within seconds was amazing. I genuinely felt seen, supported, and I finally felt strong – both physically and mentally. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time. I firmly believe that my time on the machine and the people inside the walls of Fierce45 pulled me out of the dark postpartum days.
After my first class, I immediately signed up for a week, then a month, and then hopped into a membership. A few months in, I was asked to start doing front desk and childcare work. From there, I began to manage our LoHi and West Wash Park locations. When we were ready, we hired designated Studio Mangers for those locations, and I became the General Manager for the Company. Since then, I have done everything from installing closet organizers, to washing rental socks, to opening new studios, to taking on our financials/books/payroll (which was completely insane) – Fast forward to today, I’m the COO and get to work hand-in-hand with Christine Lyons as our CFO to take Fierce45 to the next level.
I couldn’t be happier in my position at Fierce and am always excited by the next challenge my dear friend, Torrey visualizes. Getting to work alongside some bad-ass, inspiring, women every day that I call friends is an honor and a privilege. AND I get to do so all while wearing leggings and my favorite pair of Cofi Leather sneakers.
Weird thing about me: I have a photographic memory. Which is pretty cool for me, but not so much for my husband.