Pema lin: february member of the month
Pema’s love for Sanitas, the programming, and the community is truly genuine and shows every single day. The progress Pema has made since joining has been incredible to watch, but even more than that, her positive energy lifts everyone around her. Pema cheers, encourages, and celebrates others in a way that makes the gym feel special. We are so lucky to have you at Sanitas Pema!!
1. Tell us about yourself! Family, hobbies, where did you grow up?
I’m a second-generation Chinese American. My parents are immigrants from Taiwan and moved to New York in the 1970s. I grew up in Western New York in a predominantly white community, where I was one of a very small handful of Asian kids. I went to college at the University of Richmond in Richmond, VA, and then to graduate school at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, MA, where I met my wife, Andy (a recent Sanitas addition). We celebrated 20 years of marriage last May.
Over our 20+ years together, we’ve lived in Massachusetts, Virginia, California, and now Colorado, so our community and family are spread all over the globe. Since moving to Colorado at the end of 2021, we’ve been gradually building our local community through connections we’ve made at CrossFit. Andy and I spend a fair amount of time traveling to reconnect with, and invest in, our relationships wherever people are. We also love hosting guests in our home, which has felt like an absolute privilege and joy after 10 years of one-bedroom living in San Francisco.
I am a lover of books and music. My favorite book from the last 12 months was Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. I love seeing live shows, and this year we’re booked to see Lady Gaga, Brandi Carlile, Cardi B, José González, BTS, Ariana Grande, and Riley Green.
I’ve been working from home since the early days of COVID, when we were living in San Francisco. I spent much of my HR career working in tech and startups, and then made the transition to a more established professional services firm when I realized I needed to build a more sustainable life. I am proud to be a recovered workaholic.
Andy and I have a four-year-old Westie named Lambchop—aka Lambie, aka Lamberton P. Chop…the nickname list goes on and on. She’s a 14-lb tyrant: full of sass, with the cutest ears you’ve ever seen.
2. What do you like to do outside the gym on a perfect day off?
I love to sleep in, have a quiet breakfast, and drink coffee while listening to music. There’s also nothing like getting Lambie out on the trails on a beautiful day, where we go at her pace. Watching her be fully present in the moment is such a good model for me. I also really cherish time connecting with my friends.
3. What’s one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day, knowing everything you know now?
I would tell my inner critic to take a damn seat, because literally nobody is judging or criticizing me except her. When I first started, I was riddled with anxiety about people watching me struggle through workouts. Pretty quickly, I realized that people were simply supportive of anybody showing up.
I have a vivid memory from January or February 2024, when I first started CrossFit. The workout involved a lot of thrusters, and I had to take a lot of breaks to catch my breath. I spent that workout filled with shame and negative self-talk, but it evaporated when someone I admired in the gym came over, gave me a fist bump, and told me “good job.” That small gesture made such a difference to me.
4. What is one challenge you have overcome recently, and how did you push through?
As a child, I was asthmatic, sickly, and uncoordinated, and it has taken a lifetime of work to rewrite the narrative that I am no longer that kid. Through a combination of loving and encouraging relationships, and by showing up to the gym day after day, I’ve been slowly uncovering a new identity: someone resilient who is strong and getting stronger every day.
With the support of my dietitian and now dear friend, Erica Giovinazzo, I’ve also been changing my relationship with food and discovering the power of fueling for performance rather than trying to make myself smaller.
5. Any goals you are working toward at the moment?
I’d love to hit a beautiful 100-lb snatch by my birthday in April. You can find me at the gym every Tuesday evening working toward it.
6. List a few of your favorite movements—and some numbers that are meaningful to you. (We’ll make a workout for you based on these!)
Favorite movements
Snatches
Squats
Box jumps
Rowing
Burpees
Meaningful numbers
5 (anniversary month)
6 (anniversary day)
12 (my birthday)
15 (Andy’s birthday)