Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaj Larsen.
Kaj, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Carter Gaffney (co-founder) and I met as freshman at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. We became lifelong friends and would go on to become Navy SEALs together. We served at SEAL team 1 as junior officers and did multiple deployments together in the Global War on Terror. When we left active duty, we both went to graduate school at Harvard. Physical fitness, the fortitude and strength, and health that comes with working out were always an essential part of our life and friendship. We wanted to bring those same benefits to others. We started CrossFit Santa Monica together as a way to build a community of like-minded folks from all walks of life together by getting their sweat on. We have everything from former professional football players to soccer moms working out together and having an amazing time. Our belief and the belief of the whole staff at CrossFit Santa Monica is that working out isn’t a chore, its part of a fun, active, and healthy lifestyle. As avid CrossFitters, we built a brick and mortar facility that is about fun, fitness, and a great community. We borrow the best practices of our backgrounds as SEALs, CrossFitters, yogis, surfers, to bring a holistic and happy fitness experience to our customers.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Life is never a smooth road, but we believe that adversity builds strength. If you never broke a sweat working out, never hit your shin on a box jump, never pushed past your comfort zone you would never improve. Like any business, we wanted to make sure we were good neighbors. When the neighborhood first heard there was a CrossFit gym coming to Edgemar complex they were concerned. There is so much misinformation about what CrossFit actually is. Especially with a couple of Navy SEALs, I think they were worried that it would be some hardcore thing with us carrying logs through the street and screaming all the time. Turns out all that was a misconception and our athletes are the community themselves. Our box (gym) is beloved and some of the harshest critics from the beginning have come to be our friends and even members of the gym. At the end of the day turns out getting healthy, changing people’s lives is a cause everyone wants to get behind.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the CrossFit Santa Monica story. Tell us more about the business.
CrossFit Santa Monica is a conditioning focused gym. We build athletes with a focus on being lighter, leaner, stronger, and faster. Our athletes range from expert to amateur and our focus in on inclusivity, meaning my grandma can be working out next to a professional MMA fighter and they both are sweating their butts off!
Some CrossFit gyms focus on the competitive athletes. We, of course, have competition but its fun and low pressure. In fact, recently we hosted FitTastic a workout competition with an 80s theme where everyone was essentially dressed up as Richard Simmons competing in three-person co-ed teams.
The other great piece of CrossFit Santa Monica is a real sense of community. We have had a client lose 145lbs, another run their first marathon, and people who have met their life partner and gotten married. This is all done because of a great culture of health and fitness. Small things like a coffee club and a bowling night make CrossFit Santa Monica a great place to be both in and out of the gym.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck is essential, but you create your own luck. Carter and I feel lucky to have deployed overseas in service to our country and come back healthy. Not all our friends were so lucky and we often, memorialize them with special ‘Hero Workouts’ in the gym. These workouts remind all of us how lucky we are to have our health and our life here in beautiful Santa Monica.
Pricing:
- Unlimited monthly membership packages starting at $200/mo
Contact Info:
- Address: 2433 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405 - Website: https://www.crossfitsantamonica.com/
- Phone: 201-500-SEAL
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossfitsantamonica/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crossfitsantamonica/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/crossfit-santa-monica-santa-monica
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
