Cassidy, Community & Why I Train

As I get to know my clients, they get to know me. That matters to me, because the work we do together is built on trust, patience, and the freedom to show up as we are—not only on our strongest days.

Cassidy and My Family

Family is at the center of my life. I have been happily married to Kyle Firestone, and we have two daughters. Our daughter Cassidy passed away on February 20, 2025, at age 22, after a long struggle with mental health.

I share Cassidy’s story with love and respect—not for attention, and not for sympathy. I share it because no young person or family should have to face mental-health challenges alone. I also share it because I am human. I struggle. There are mornings when grief makes it difficult to get up, much less be the person who motivates someone else.

Grief is not smooth sailing. My life ebbs and flows through sadness and heartache. I am learning that moving forward does not mean leaving Cassidy behind. It means carrying her with me while I keep looking for the light.

The People Who Gave Me Grace

Some of my clients allowed me to keep practicing the work I love when I was not my full self. They met my vulnerability with patience, encouragement, and kindness.

To Gail Young, Cheryl Rayner, Marybeth Wilson, Carol Clements, and Jenn Atler: thank you. You have been my rocks and my role models for kindness. The grace you gave me helped me continue, and you are appreciated more than you know. You each hold a special place in my heart.

I also want to thank Evergreen Park & Recreation District. When I felt I had nothing left to give and tried to resign, EPRD gave me time, space, and encouragement instead of letting that moment define my future. The kindness and support I received from this community helped me take the next step, and then the next.

Why I Train

Each morning I try to choose Carpe Diem—to meet the day, find whatever light I can, and move forward.

That brings me back to training. I know what it feels like to struggle with motivation, depression, anxiety, grief, and the simple act of getting started. I want you to feel comfortable exercising and safe being exactly where you are. You do not have to arrive already confident, already fit, or already okay.

Movement can support our mental and emotional well-being. It can give us energy, confidence, structure, connection, and moments of joy. But exercise does not erase grief, cure depression or anxiety, or guarantee a good day. It is one supportive part of caring for ourselves, and it should never replace professional mental-health care.

My goal is to create a training experience filled with compassion, patience, and heart. I want to help you recognize your strength, build confidence in your body, and remember how much you still have to contribute to this world.

I could not change Cassidy’s ending, and that heartbreak will always be part of me. But I can choose how I honor her. If I can help another person feel seen, encouraged, capable, or a little less alone, then my life feels more purposeful. Helping you move toward your strongest and most authentic self is part of how I keep moving forward, too.

That may be the beginning of my larger mission: to carry Cassidy’s love with me, to meet people with honesty and kindness, and to use movement as a way to build strength, connection, and hope.

My Mission: Strength with Heart

At Firestone Fitness, my mission is to build strength with heart—creating a welcoming, encouraging space where every person can learn to move safely, grow in confidence, support their well-being, and feel seen through both the good days and the hard ones.

Strength for yourself. Heart for others.

If You Are Struggling

You do not have to face it alone. Please reach out to someone you trust and seek professional support. In the United States, call or text 988. If there is immediate danger, call 911.

With love,

Leslie