A Massachusetts fitness instructor is taking the pain of her personal tragedy and using it to help others.Inside STRIDE Fitness in Burlington, Massachusetts, Kris Fabbri is a coach who leads by example, finding joy through movement.Outside the studio, she’s a mother and licensed therapist. “I learned a lot of what not to do as a kid. I saw a lot of people just ignoring it or pushing it off and not addressing it not dealing with it,” Fabbri said.Fabbri lost her brother to suicide when she was 11 years old.“That transformed how I think about mental health, and it certainly fueled me wanting to go into the field and help other people,” Fabbri said.It also fueled her journey into an athlete — as a distance runner, marathoner and ultra-marathoner.“Used my experience as a runner and on teams to help me feel powerful in times when I felt completely powerless,” she said.Through sharing her story, Fabbri hopes to contribute to a larger movement in reducing the stigma around mental health and the shame that comes from addressing it.“We have the conversations, we have to normalize it we need to speak up about our own experiences. Ask the hard questions,” she said.As she leads a room full of runners, it’s easy to feel inspired by Fabbri’s energetic and upbeat personality — one that is both genuine and intentional.“One of the best things — and this has been researched and proven to help our mental health — is to seek out connections with warm and supportive people,” she said.When that connection also includes movement, which science shows releases endorphins and reduces stress, Fabbri said it can change someone’s entire outlook for the day.“People have said, verbatim, ‘Coming here helps my mental health.’ For me, as a coach, and a therapist, it brings joy to my heart in a way that I can’t even put into words,” she said.
A Massachusetts fitness instructor is taking the pain of her personal tragedy and using it to help others.
Inside STRIDE Fitness in Burlington, Massachusetts, Kris Fabbri is a coach who leads by example, finding joy through movement.
Outside the studio, she’s a mother and licensed therapist.
“I learned a lot of what not to do as a kid. I saw a lot of people just ignoring it or pushing it off and not addressing it not dealing with it,” Fabbri said.
Fabbri lost her brother to suicide when she was 11 years old.
“That transformed how I think about mental health, and it certainly fueled me wanting to go into the field and help other people,” Fabbri said.
It also fueled her journey into an athlete — as a distance runner, marathoner and ultra-marathoner.
“Used my experience as a runner and on teams to help me feel powerful in times when I felt completely powerless,” she said.
Through sharing her story, Fabbri hopes to contribute to a larger movement in reducing the stigma around mental health and the shame that comes from addressing it.
“We have the conversations, we have to normalize it we need to speak up about our own experiences. Ask the hard questions,” she said.
As she leads a room full of runners, it’s easy to feel inspired by Fabbri’s energetic and upbeat personality — one that is both genuine and intentional.
“One of the best things — and this has been researched and proven to help our mental health — is to seek out connections with warm and supportive people,” she said.
When that connection also includes movement, which science shows releases endorphins and reduces stress, Fabbri said it can change someone’s entire outlook for the day.
“People have said, verbatim, ‘Coming here helps my mental health.’ For me, as a coach, and a therapist, it brings joy to my heart in a way that I can’t even put into words,” she said.
