Design Challenge
How might we help people stay healthy, active, and connected during a global pandemic?
Project?
Research, design, ideation, and prototyping for a volunteer-run community platform supporting movement, wellbeing, and connection.
Role
Founder
Overview
Pandemics and war zones share a similar truth: both disrupt daily life, livelihoods, and community. Having taught fitness classes to aid workers in Afghanistan, I had seen firsthand how movement and connection can sustain wellbeing in uncertain environments.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I wanted to extend that same sense of care to my own community - especially to independent fitness professionals facing widespread closures and financial instability.
In March 2020, I founded Fitness to the People, a volunteer-run platform designed to help people stay active and connected from anywhere. The platform hosted live virtual classes and community-driven fitness fundraisers, directly supporting independent instructors and social impact causes.
Within months, Fitness to the People grew into a vibrant global community. One event in June 2020 raised nearly $13,000 in individual contributions for social justice initiatives—proof that movement can be a powerful act of solidarity.
Duration of Engagement
March 2020 - December 2022