To all the women in the world that exercise or are thinking about exercising,
My name is Lauren Grace Updyke "Gracie", and I am President of gracie's gear Inc. For those of you that don't know about my company you are totally missing out on the BEST sports apparel made for women. I launched gracie's gear 1.5 years ago with my new invention: THE POWER POUCH: A sports bra and top that has a 3 compartment zippered pocket on the front of the tops that allow women to carry their iPod, cell phone, car key, energy gels, inhalers, ID...basically anything that they would normally stuff in their tops or carry anyway.
I came up with this idea because this was a HUGE probelm for me when I would go out running. Where do I put all of this and not feel weighed down or irritated by holding it all? After a few long and painful runs I asked my mom to sew a pocket on my sports bra. Well....my first marathon was incredible and it was all because I had it all in my bra. During the race I saw thousands of women pinning their energy gels to their shorts and holding their iPod's. As I was running with a smile on my face, they were worrying about the cord flapping everywhere and what they would do if they lost their energy gel....After my race I thought to myself "I need to help women and make more of these tops so they can get the experience I get every run."
Now, just one year later, I have 3 styles of sports tops to choose from with 5 different colors, jackets and shorts that all are functional gear for women. My Gear currently fits women from a size 0 - 16 and cup size A - DD.
http://www.graciesgearandtraining.com/
My background:
I started my career in the Health and Fitness Industry in worksite health promotion. As Fitness Manager at Duke University, I managed many fitness programs for over 30,000 employees. My experience as a coach and trainer has led me to add my fitness background and training programs to my line of apparel creating a one stop shop for women that want to change their lives.
My ultimate goal with gracie's gear is to reach as many women as possible "fitting" their needs while inspiring them to find their inner athlete and reach their full potential.
Something inspirational about me:
One month after I launched gracie's gear, we found out I was pregnant. With that being said, my 8 month old daughter has travelled all over the country helping me sell gracie's gear. At just 10 days old she travelled from North Carolina to Philly with me and my husband for an Oprah contest with QVC for the next big idea. She barely fit in her car seat and I think it took us more than 3 extra hours to get there because we were new parents (paranoid parents). We didn't win but we had a great experience promoting my gear.
My life has been a rollercoaster since the beginning of gracie's gear but it has allowed me to inspire other women through my personal perserverance of being a new mom and new business owner.
Stay tuned for more.....my fun stories with Daylin Grace and Gracie's Gear updates will make you laugh while being inspired to do what you dream about doing.
With inspiration,
Gracie
