We haven’t always had the nutrition habits we have today. Late-night Taco Bell runs, fast-food breakfasts, pizza deliveries, and ice cream stops were a normal part of our lives.

Things began to shift in 2015, when we got serious about fitness and started powerlifting. Our coach gave us macro-based nutrition plans, and we learned how to eat toward specific goals. We got leaner, became stronger, and lost weight. From the outside, it looked like we were getting healthier.

But food quality was rarely part of the conversation. If something fit our macros, we ate it. Over time, digestive issues, poor recovery, recurring injuries, and stress made it clear that looking fit and feeling well were not always the same thing.

In 2020, just a couple of months after starting CrossFit, we joined a “5 Ingredients or Less” challenge. For the first time, we began paying close attention to food labels and what was actually in the food we were eating. The difference surprised us. Karly’s digestive symptoms improved, Tom had more energy, and we started to understand how much our everyday choices were affecting the way we felt.

Not long after that, Karly was diagnosed with celiac disease. We removed gluten, but we still relied heavily on fast food and ultra-processed foods. We thought eliminating gluten was enough, even as injuries continued, recovery remained difficult, and some of our health markers raised concerns.

Like many people, we assumed we were doing reasonably well. We exercised. We looked healthy. We went to the doctor when something was wrong.

We didn’t yet realize there was another way to approach our health.

Our Backstory - Then

Our Backstory - Now

Owning CrossFit 605 didn't just give us the opportunity to coach others. It challenged us to keep growing ourselves.

Over the past few years, we've learned that health is about much more than calories, macros, or even food quality alone. It's about the way we live every day. The food we eat, the way we move, how we recover, how we manage stress, how well we sleep, and the small choices we make over and over again all work together to shape our health.

Those changes have transformed more than our lab work or body composition. We have more energy, recover better, rarely get sick, and feel healthier than we ever have before. More importantly, we've gained confidence in our ability to care for our bodies instead of simply reacting when something goes wrong.

That perspective became the foundation for The Herd Health & Wellness.

We know there isn't one perfect way to eat or one plan that works for everyone. Our goal isn't to tell you what you should do. It's to help you better understand your own health, build habits that fit your life, and make choices you can continue making for years to come.

Because healthy habits don't just change your body.

They change the way you experience your life.