sufferwithfriends started as a journey for founder, Jess Schulz, as her next step in her fitness journey. After attending CrossFit Aspire for seven years until it closed, she was unsure of where her fitness path would lead. She originally thought of creating an Instagram account to show how she and her friends could still work out and suffer through horrible metcons together, even though they differed in abilities.

Deciding to join Street Parking and document her journey, she created sufferwithfriends on Instagram. Although it was intended to just be about workouts, it slowly morphed into Jess discussing her own mental health and how she uses fitness as a coping mechanism. A community was built where people can openly express if they are struggling with their own mental health.

Since 2019, sufferwithfriends has donated over thousands of dollars to multiple mental health organizations through causes like Miles for Mental Health and the Why Suffer Alone? Challenge. She, along with her supportive friends, plan to continue to spread mental health awareness, suffer through difficult workouts, and be there for one another. Friends don’t let friends suffer alone.