Blake Howie - Human Biomechanics Specialist
I was born and raised in North Augusta, SC. I grew up being very active, with a passion for staying fit. I attended the University of South Carolina for Marketing & Management. After college I found myself in a bit of an emotional hole. The apartment complex I lived in my last semester caught fire, & the majority of my personal belongs were lost. I started running as a form of exercise, because I didn’t want to go to my local gym. Running felt great at first, it was my personal time to get outside and connect with nature. I also started kayaking & I would wear a heart rate monitor because I was focused on my endurance, just like when I ran.
Upon starting a career in retail for Apple, I soon found myself in extreme discomfort. After seeing multiple types of doctors, the closest to a true diagnosis I received was Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome. I had been using exercise as a coping mechanism, and not in pursuit of health, and my body paid the price. The fascia around my shoulder blade locked me down, and slowly got worse as I struggled to find help from traditional medicine. The pain would spiral down my left arm & leg.
For seven years I built a career at Apple. I started as a part-time salesperson then worked up to management where I worked for 3 years. I never missed more than 3 days of work in my career. That said, every day off I had was spent seeing some type of doctor, therapist, or other specialist for my pain. My body was exhausted from fighting and gravity felt like it was pushing me to the floor constantly.
Having no spouse or children depending on me, I chose to leave Apple. At this point I had collected a tremendous amount of knowledge around what didn’t work. Luckily I had been following Naudi Aguilar (the CEO of Functional Patterns) on Instagram. His methods didn’t make sense in the beginning, but after everything else I had tried, he was the only hope I had. Seeing the results he had posted online were what drew my attention.
I discovered HBS3 Michael Dugan was about 2 hours away from my hometown in Greenville SC. I rented an air bnb for months at a time. In 6 months, Michael had me feeling better than I had in 7 years. I knew immediately that Functional Patterns was different, and it reignited my passion for staying fit. I’m extremely grateful to have found this path. I’m excited to bring my experience to Functional Patterns Atlanta, & support the growth of a community push for functionality. Thank you Naudi & Michael for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing company.