Linda Brown

Hello!

I was born and raised in the Midwest in Olney, Illinois. I come from a family of eight. I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters, just like the Brady Bunch! :) Unfortunately, my parents are both deceased; however, my siblings all remain living in Olney. I have 11 nieces and nephews and now 13 great nieces and nephews with one more on the way!! They all continue to live in the Midwest, except one niece. She currently lives in Southern California with her family as her husband is in the United States Navy. I was not blessed with children of my own - I know that God had other plans for my life!  I have been married to my husband for 30 years this past December. We have been blessed beyond measure in our lives! Arron has been employed at the Walmart Distribution Center here in Olney for 26 years and I am employed as a Juvenile / Adult Probation Officer in the Second Judicial Circuit Court Services here in Richland County for ten years in June of 2022. 

I always wanted to obtain my Bachelor's degree when I was in high school. I was offered a softball scholarship at Olney Central College and accepted it. However, I made the decision to relinquish this to get married at the age of 19. As it turned out, this was not one of my wisest decisions as this marriage ended in divorce. However, my goal of obtaining that degree never left me. I returned to college years after this and after 15 years of education, I DID obtain that bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 2006. I obtained it while working full-time and completed my studies with a 4.0 GPA from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. I completed my associate studies at Olney Central College and then completed all bachelor's level studies online. This is something I am very proud of achieving. I am the only one in my family to obtain a Bachelor's degree. I am very proud also of ALL my nieces and nephews as they HAVE ALL obtained a bachelor's degree in their selected area of study. 

 I have always been a sports lover! I played four years of high school basketball, one year of high school tennis and was on the track team in middle school. Softball was not offered at my high school as a sport; however, I played summer league ball from the age of 9 until the age of 18. After this, I played fast pitch and then slow pitch softball as an adult. I have always thrived and enjoyed movement. Thus, my physical fitness journey began. I am an avid cyclist and have rode thousands of miles on my bicycle in the past 30 years. My biggest and most proud accomplishment on my bicycle is completing the RAIN (Ride Across Indiana) Ride four times. This ride consists of riding 165 miles across the state in one day! It took many hours of training and discipline to prepare myself both physically and mentally for this challenge. 

I volunteered as a summer league softball coach here in Richland County for numerous years. I coached fast pitch softball for young females ages 12 - 15. I loved it every minute of it! 

I love the gym and working out and during the pandemic, I decided it was time to put my passion into my work. I became a certified personal trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association 1/2/21. I provide personal training at Fit By G in Olney, Illinois and love every minute of helping others achieve their fitness goals. I recently completed the Nutritionist certification through the ISSA in January 2022. Because of obtaining both of these certifications, I am also eligible for the title of Fitness Coach as of 1/7/22.  

I have always considered myself an outdoors person! I love camping, kayaking, hiking, boating and anything outside! My husband and I also love to jeep on the weekends with our friends! 

I have been doing personal training for one year. Albeit, not certified to teach Spinning, I taught spin class at Transformations Gym in Olney, Illinois for approximately 2 years. My passion for health and fitness is a constant learning process. I will continue on with other courses to learn and grow in this arena. I am a life-long learner in all aspects of life. I LOVE to learn and grow in all things!