Steph “The Hammer” Hammerman is a well-known athlete in the CrossFit community and certainly one of the most beloved. At just 30 years old, Hammerman’s story already has more notable chapters than most octogenarians. You’ve probably seen or read a few. They’ve been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, in Shape, People, and on CrossFit.com.
Hammerman was featured in a video on CrossFit.com when she was only six months into her CrossFit journey. Eight years later, she is a seasoned athlete, trainer, and entrepreneur helping the CrossFit ecosystem flourish.
Hammerman was born with cerebral palsy (CP) and also with an indomitable spirit that drove her to become not only an athlete but a coach. She became the first person with CP to earn a Level 2 CrossFit Certificate in 2014. Doctors told her parents she would “never walk, talk, read, or write,” and her response has been to show she can run, shout, lead, and even write a book (forthcoming), thank you very much.
In 2016, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, and fortunately, that particular chapter has a happy ending. Now in remission, she will mark her fifth year cancer-free next November — the same month she’ll be getting married.
Once an affiliate owner in Knightdale, North Carolina, Hammerman has since moved to Arizona, where she and her fiancé, Tyler Roach, are running an online business coaching adaptive athletes and others seeking to improve their fitness from home. The way the business came about is tinged with the same extraordinariness that imbues the other chapters of her life.
Hammerman and Roach
Twenty-three years ago, Hammerman’s grandmother wanted to ensure Hammerman always would have accessible health-care options. In an effort to help disabled women find accessible doctors, fitness facilities, and other wellness services, Hammerman’s grandmother helped start NYU Langone Health’s Initiative for Women With Disabilities (IWD), now located in the Elly and Steve Hammerman Wellness Center in New York City.
When COVID-19 hit, her grandmother became worried about the women enrolled in the program. They didn’t have anything to do while in lockdown, she told Hammerman. “Would you be interested in teaching them an online fitness class?” she asked.
Hammerman was. She started teaching weekly classes for free, and after 19 weeks, the leadership for IWD asked if they could please pay her for her services.
And thus her new business was born. Within two weeks, Staying Driven, LLC, had acquired 34 new members, in addition to the 50 or so associated with IWD. Her athletes now tune in to the live interactive classes from around the world, from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to Australia, England, and Ireland.
With the sudden and unexpected growth of the business, Hammerman had to expand her team. Roach takes care of the business and financial side while Hammerman and two others share the coaching responsibilities.
Hammerman, Kelli Myers, and Jordan “Jordy” Ingalsbe bring a wide array of expertise and a lot of passion to the coaching team at Staying Driven.
Through Staying Driven, Hammerman continues her lifelong commitment to showing others that “adaptive is not a bad word.”
“Really, everyone is adaptive in one way or another,” she says, and she has made it her mission to empower adaptive athletes and help them believe in themselves.
Hammerman reflects on the progress her athlete Stephanie Michaels has made since they started working together in April: “I’ve seen her confidence grow like you wouldn’t believe,” Hammerman says. “People go from being these shy, timid people to being like, ‘Hell yeah, I can do that.’”
Anyone who knows Hammerman knows her ever-present smile lights up a room and drives away even the darkest of an athlete’s self-doubts (I’m pretty sure I PR every time she visits my gym — seriously, if you’ve hit a plateau, call her up). She also has a tremendous knowledge base, a keen eye for movement, and the dedication and discipline to continue to develop both. Here is a note in Hammerman’s own words about her personal coaching philosophy and her work with Michaels:
Steph Hammerman's Staying Driven