November Alpha Maiden of the Month

Taylor Gage

It’s the beginning of the month and here on Alpha Maiden, we have a monthly feature highlighting another strong woman who is doing great things in the world! I am honored to announce the Alpha Maiden of November, Taylor Gage!
Taylor a Crossfit and weightlifting coach, and she owns and runs her business, She Thrives, where her mission is to make others feel strong, capable, healthy and confident in their own skin. She is also an extremely talented photographer, and is the behind-the-camera woman who took all the photos to date for Alpha Maiden!

Who is Taylor outside all the amazing stuff she does on the daily? Check out her responses to the questions I asked her below:

Q: Please tell me about your story and what got you into health and fitness:
1. Write about your story and what got you into health/fitness
A: I was a competitive swimmer in my youth and enjoyed it until I didn’t, and then quit swimming around the age of 12.
I dabbled casually in workouts throughout my teens and 20’s, but never became fanatical about health, fitness and overall wellness until I discovered CrossFit in 2012. When I worked out before CrossFit, it was usually doing either group classes at the gym or at-home style workout videos, because I always hated the 24-hour fitness style gyms; where you go alone and put your headphones on and jog on a treadmill until the end of time. No thank you.

Finding CrossFit reignited my competitive nature while simultaneously putting me in a room with dozens of peers and coaches who were eager to see me succeed and improve, and that feeling was (is!) intoxicating. The drive to get better took hold of me, and instead of trying to burn off last night’s pantry raid on the hamster wheel, I was interested in becoming stronger, fitter, and a better all around athlete.

Q. When was a time you felt weak and what did you do to feel strong again?

A: As a person who loves (needs?) to be in control and in charge, I feel my weakest when I’m either not taking purposeful action in a direction I want to be moving, or not taking action at all. Whether that’s being perfectly “busy” and “productive” and moving along, but all under someone else’s terms and expectations and not my own, or feeling paralyzed or stagnant and not taking ANY steps at all, (or both): not being at the driver’s seat of my own life is when I feel most powerless.

And it can be a tricky one to navigate sometimes, because it can feel safe to sit around and contemplate your next move, to plan, to plot, to mentally prepare. It can even feel productive! But I know that the best way out of these moments is through actually taking action; by doing one thing; by taking one tiny step.

Sitting around and waiting for the right time to arrive, or the perfect conditions to appear, or a lightning bolt of inspiration to hit in order to finally take control of your own life is a dangerous way to live.

No matter what I’m currently struggling with, taking action right now is what puts me back into my power, every time.

Q: What is your passion, purpose and the She Thrives Mission?

A: My mission with She Thrives is a simple one, but the paths to get there are often complex and varied in nature. I want to help women find their strength. This comes in many flavors: I want women to feel their physical strength and get to see their body as a powerful force of nature. I want them to feel strong in spirit and in mind, and feel capable of handling not only everything that life throws their way (defense), but able to take meaningful action towards what they want most in life (offense). I want us all as a society to stop shaming women over every damn thing and to stop worrying about our bodies and how we’re being perceived and the list of trivial bullshit that we’re told we should be caring about or doing. You’ll never see a “tips for fat loss” post from me, but instead tons of words on how to embrace the skin you’re in, stop fighting with food and your body, and how to have a fulfilling, balanced, fun life— all while feeling healthy and strong.

I also do my best to let my readers know that whatever hardship they may be facing, they are not alone. And feeling like the grass is always greener, or that she has it easier, or that her life is perfect, is normal, but also a product of the social media age. I don’t advertise myself as an expert, or as someone who has it all figured out. I am just a girl with a passion and an instagram account, doing my best and making it all up as I go. I try to be as real as I can about the peaks and valleys of my own journey, and hope that my openness and honesty about my moments of weakness and strength and everything in between, helps someone else tap into their own power.

If I can help one woman, even in the tiniest way, end the pursuit of “perfect” and embrace the messy journey; let go of what she thinks she SHOULD be (to herself or others or society at large), and start to feel in control of her own life, more happy in her own skin, more focused on what fills her up, and like she’s finally giving a f*ck about the stuff that actually matters to her, my mission is accomplished.

Q: Here on Alpha Maiden we support our officers in blue, firemen, military and other service members. Can you tell us what it’s like being married to a Police Officer?

A: It’s interesting because we are both in the business of helping people, and also both in the business of teaching adults new skills (he is also a field training officer, teaching new hires the ropes). We have a lot in common with our work, and I truly do always worry about him— but find that I have to just not think about it in order to not lose my mind over it all the time. I think the thing that stands out to me the most (in that thought’s place, perhaps), is the fact that I could never do what he does. I am so emotional, and quick to react, and I take things to heart, and am generally a sensitive person. He, on the other hand, is methodical, patient, level-headed and even keeled. Not only are these qualities necessary for his job, but they challenge ME to practice patience and the art of letting things go— things I can always use more of.

He embodies strength in a whole different way than I do, and I think that’s a beautiful thing: both for my personal journey and growth, but more so for the people in this world that he has opportunities to help on a daily basis.

Q: What does being an Alpha Maiden mean to you? What makes you an ‘Alpha Maiden?’

A: To me, when I hear “alpha”, I think leader. Someone who is in charge. And not in the sense of bossing others around or holding the rule book, but actually the opposite: someone who throws OUT the rulebook in favor of their own rules, and someone who lets others speak and live their truth in the same way.

While I thrive when I’m in control or in charge, my mission is to help women step fully into their OWN life and their own strength: not fit the mold of mine or anyone else’s.

– Taylor