Bella Martin

Sometimes, we move through life at warp speed – and in doing so, our wildest dreams become our reality. Finding purpose, goals and passions can creep up on you from the most un-expected places. Our next guest has lived such experiences – and though what she is doing now may not have been what she predicted, she’s found her home and her life’s purposes – and we’re all for that type of story.

Please welcome, Bella.

Bella and I snagged time together this past weekend in the always tranquil, Casa De Luz Village.

We dive in.

“I grew up in D.C. – my dad was in the military, and we moved around a lot as a kid – but honestly, all that moving makes me comfortable to try new things now, meet new people and travel. We lived in Boston for a time before moving to Germany!” Bella explains.

If you don’t know Bella, you should know that no matter the day, the time, or the weather – she represents all that is a sunny deposition. Always looking to encourage, interact and bring others out of their shell.

We continue – on how she ended up in the lone star state.

“From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a Texan! Originally, I went to Penn State, then transferred over to Texas A & M. I honestly just wanted the excuse to wear cowboy boots all the time!” We both laugh. “I studied Sport Management and Athlete Branding – what’s funny is everything I wanted to do for others with my degree, I ended up using and doing for myself.” Bella smiles.

Post grad, Bella took the first path in her journey.

“After grad school – I met a guy who created candles for men. He brought me on to help with partnerships and I was able to work with some NFL teams and a few athletes – it honestly was such a blast, but then COVID hit. So, we all took time off and I ended up moving to Austin during this period.”

Enter fitness, and the foundation for Bella’s future.

“I ended up coming to a gym here and they asked if I wanted to coach – I said, sure why not! I actually coached swimming in high school, so I already had some background. From there, someone asked if I wanted to be the MC for a Hyrox event, essentially an indoor fitness and obstacle course race – and here we are, three years or so later and I’m still MCing events around the world.”

Wait, around the world?! I needed to know more.

“Yeah! So, I’m one of the voices for CrossFit – This year alone I’m lucky enough to travel to thirteen countries the MC various events. It honestly has been so great making connections with all these production companies – I get to be around and collaborate with the best people.” Bella explains. “Another element that’s super important to me is that I, and we – collaborate quite a bit with other MC’s around the world. We are all so supportive of each other and our goals, it’s healthy and collaborative and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

In hearing Bella talk about her work, travels and passion – it’s clear that what she is doing is her life’s purpose – but it wasn’t always written in stone – and this path sort of snuck up on her.

“It’s crazy – I think I never imagined I’d be where I am – I’m just enjoying this journey. Even though this is not the path I originally wanted for myself, it’s what I’ve found, it’s what I’m meant to do – and I love it with all my heart.”

Our path in life is not always straight and linear – the universe tends to find ways to open the doors of opportunity for us throughout various stages of our life – it’s our responsibility to identify and walk through these doors with confidence and openness. Though this isn’t what Bella expected for herself, she found it, and it found her – that’s what’s important.

“I can’t really predict what the future holds – I think at some point I’d love to work on the branding side of things with companies. I’ve done this for myself, and I don’t have an agent, so I’ve built some great experience. I love working with brands and really appreciate the process of aligning brand with athletes. A great example of this is how I’m working with LKSD – our values, mission and goals align so well. It’s so important that athlete and brand are in the same headspace here. But for now, I’m enjoying the opportunity of these open doors that have been presented in my life – and I’m just going to keep walking through them.” Bella explains with a smile.

We close, in typical fashion – advice.

“One phrase I always remind myself of – People will always be jealous of you, but don’t hide your gifts and call it humility. People will always try and tear you down – but don’t listen. The world needs more of you and never hide that.” Bella explains.

“Love in people – that’s the best way to do everything. I think some people in younger generations don’t know how to connect in the real world. There’s such massive influence out there in the digital world – social media has accelerated access – but the influence there isn’t always relatable. How much more fun is it to connect to someone you can actually relate to and be able to ask questions – vs. some influencer that maybe if you met, you couldn’t have a deep conversation.”

“Be involved in different tribes – don’t commit to just one community. At some point, there will be a lack – and it won’t be anyone’s fault. If you can explore other communities, you’ll be able to bring wisdom and acceptance and receive it from others – it will make your life that much better.”

As we close, it’s easy for me to see why so many CrossFit organizations want to work and collaborate with Bella – her energy and openness are just un-matched. I’ve actually witnessed Bella in action recently and to no surprise of mine, she crushes it. Every time she’s on the mic, she’s focused on making sure everyone in the room, at the field, on the court – all are having the time of their lives. Because at the end of the day, isn’t that the point?