Maria Dziembowska
Hi, my name is Maria and I am the Director of the GreshFit Training Studio - the person everyone loves to hate because, amongst many other things, I create the structured workouts we use for our training program.
I was born in Poland and moved to the US with my family when I was 12 years old.
I got involved in Track & Field, and Cross Country shortly after our move to meet people and get acclimated to US culture. These were also sports where my, at-the-time limited, English skills weren’t as detrimental as in a team sport like soccer.
I have a passion for learning and have a master’s degree in Sociology from UCLA. I love teaching as well and thought I would end up as a college professor. I was a dissertation away from my PhD, but I decided to pursue other career options when I realized my love of teaching was but one manifestation of my desire to help individuals grow and live more fulfilled lives.
I found my professional niche in the not-for-profit sector where I held a variety of roles from event organizing and community outreach, to program development and strategic management.
My first bike as an adult was a used black aluminum Trek that a friend gave me. I liked riding, did a few group rides and even signed up for a local triathlon. I still remember the ear-to-ear smile I had on my face during the cycling portion of the race. That was my start as a cyclist!
Charity rides turned into criteriums and road races as I explored different aspects of road cycling. It didn’t take long for me to discover that, as with running, I loved being in the woods and exploring quiet gravel roads. I still ride on the road, but you can find me most often on my gravel and mountain bikes.
It also didn’t take long for my desire to help individuals grow to incorporate itself into my cycling passion. I have been involved with cycling advocacy and mentoring for over 10 years. I love helping people get involved in active living, especially cycling and running. I have been active with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Cadence Youth Cycling Foundation, Trek Women’s Advocacy and the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. And, as you by now know, I now pursue this passion with my husband Tim Gresh and GreshFit Bike Fitting and Performance Cycling.
My first exposure to GreshFit was when a friend recommended a bike fit. Tim’s reputation as an exceptional bike fitter made it easy to go ahead and schedule the fit. We became friends and I could immediately see Tim’s shared commitment to helping people, in his case to feel best on their bikes. As our friendship evolved, we began to discuss how my passion and skills could add value to the growing business.
Fast forward to today and GreshFit is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary! I am proud to stand by Tim as the Director of Training and Community for GreshFit. We have built a unique program that any cyclist, regardless of fitness, experience, or goal can benefit from.
I hope you give it a try!