PROJECT GREEN BEARD
INSPIRE INFLUENCE IGNITE
The Green-Beard Effect was coined decades ago to describe altruistic behaviors towards others who look similar to us. But what if we didn't require an external marker to recognize we are all part of a community?
Project Green Beard aims to build a greater sense of community through storytelling in examining the underlying traits that make us human: our drive to find purpose, our capacity to do good, and our connection in striving for better health. Through relatable experiences we can deconstruct fitness into accessible pieces for people from all walks of life.
BEHIND PGB
More Than Fitness Consultation And Training
My name is Judith. Most friends know me as Jude.
I am a San Francisco Bay Area-based certified strength and conditioning specialist, postpartum corrective exercise specialist, and physical therapist.
My personal relationship to health has changed tremendously over the years.
By sharing the stories of passionate, gritty people and examining their interconnectedness through the desire to keep moving, we will explore what the word "health" has meant to them through their journeys.
I want to bring stretches, exercise, and rehabilitation to you in an accessible and digestible form, to empower you through movement, and invite you to join a re-imagined community of movers and shakers.
I want you to find your version of healthy and happy.
SHARED STORIES
Health and fitness mean something different in our lives. Here are people in our communities who share some things in common: their power to persevere through hardships, and their pursuit of better overall health.
This is: Project Green Beard
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WHEN PERSONAL GOALS TAKE SHAPE AS THE HEALTH OF A COMMUNITY
Lenore Estrada grew up in Stockton and has navigated obstacles to start Three Babes Bakeshop in San Francisco after graduating from Yale and a stint in tech. She now operates the business while helping uplift other small businesses through the non-profit, SF New Deal. Her idea of healthy involves food and a more equitable community.
Photo by Jessica Chou
HAVING FUN IS THE KEY TO A HEALTHY LIFE, BUT IT'S NOT ALL THAT SIMPLE
Emily, founder of TayloredFit Solutions, is a sports diversity advocate and world class coach doing work in our community. What's her take on health?
Photo by Michael Estrada
TRAVERSING ENVIRONMENTALISM AND FIGHTING RACISM REQUIRE PROACTIVE LEADERSHIP
The outdoors are for everyone. Morgan is an Environmental Activism Associate with Patagonia. We explore how her passion in sports and her competitive spirit has driven her to help bring an indisputable right to nature to underrepresented communities.
Sample of off/pre-season training regimen for field sports included!
Photo courtesy of Morgan Greenwood
HEALTH WITH ROOTS IN FOOD AND SUSTAINABILITY
She gardens, volunteers with Brown Girls Surf, plays rugby, studies and works passionately, all while finding a path to her own definition of healthy.
Check out why we're inspired by her and the workout that we tailored for her.
Photo courtesy of Shannon Brown
EVERYDAY MOVEMENTS: START OR END BY WIGGLING YOUR BIG TOE
Waiting for her favorite forest trails to reopen, Syd shares how she found her calling, and how small simple everyday practices helps them arrive at a new calm while they empowers others. Holistic, integrative therapies and daily movement can effectively alleviate pain and allow the body function more optimally--maybe starting from your big toe.
Photo courtesy of Syd Fleischer
NOGGINS IN NATURE
Linnea Delucchi is in the woods, teaching a group of kids away from cityscapes and bustling streets; in her free time, she’s going on trail-runs through nature. She describes her best career decision to be the moment she chose to work in adaptive skiing--opening her up to opportunities to work with disadvantaged groups while still being outside, her favorite place to be. To be outside and helping people overcome personal barriers, is 100% what she wants to do.
Photo Courtesy of Linnea Delucchi
FINDING MOVEMENT
Personal Training Testimonials
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"It has been amazing having Jude train Cutthroat! She does a fantastic job of creating a program that builds and refines our fundamental movements but at the same time she is able to make each workout feel new and engaging. It's so helpful having her there to push us during the zoom workouts and give feedback if we need to make any adjustments. I am feeling stronger and more stable all around and I can already tell it will pay off when we finally step on the field to play."
Morgan
MEET THE TEAM
The Writers
&
Collaborators Behind Stretch and Workouts For Our Storytellers
JUDITH
Founder, Content x Training
DPT
NSCA - CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist)
PCES (Pregnancy and Postpartum Correctional Exercise Specialist)
Judith is a graduate of Samuel Merritt University, earning her DPT in 2025. She has experience in outpatient ortho/neuro PT settings and is interested in fostering greater health equity.
After graduating from University of California, Santa Cruz in 2015 with degrees in Biology and Economics, she's had fun coaching large and small group sessions, as well as one on one personal training in various settings, and was so excited to train Reno Cutthroat (Club Ultimate) as their team's strength and conditioning coach for the 2021 season. She worked in corporate wellness at a multinational company in Silicon Valley and with DI athletes in the SF Bay Area.
*Additional Certifications:
Exercise and Stress Management
RX Suspension Certified
KRISTINA
Collaborating Therapist
PT, DPT
Kristina graduated from the University of the Pacific with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in 2017. She has worked as a traveling physical therapist in acute and outpatient care settings in Northern California. Kristina enjoys working with the geriatric population and also has experience with aquatic therapy. Her hobbies include running, hiking, and reading. She's completed a half marathon in 2020 and aims to complete a full marathon soon. Her greatest accomplishment so far has been completing the Cactus to Clouds hike in Palm Springs, a 16 hour, 22 mile hike with 10,834 ft of elevation gain up to the top of San Jacinto.
JUSTIN
Collaborating Therapist
PT, DPT, OCS
Justin graduated from the University of the Pacific with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in 2017. He went on to complete an orthopedic residency program at Kaiser Southern California in 2018, passing his specialty exam and becoming a Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist in 2019. Justin worked as a travel physical therapist in Northern California, in both outpatient and home health. He is currently working in an outpatient setting on a Navy base. He has a multitude of hobbies, with some being jiujitsu, running, surfing, and listening to podcasts.
JOSIE
Ambassador
Josie’s interest in human health began with a degree in Nutritional Sciences at The Ohio State University, and after graduating with a Masters in Metabolism & Immunology from Colorado State University in 2016, her interest evolved into a passion for discovering the human body’s limitlessness. She continued putting pieces of the body’s puzzle together as she managed a start-up microbiome lab at the University California of San Diego for 2 years before hanging up her lab coat to live out the lifestyle she always read about in scientific journals. Josie puts herself — mind and body — through the ultimate test as an elite Paracyclist, seamlessly synchronizing all body systems together during her training for the 2021 Tokyo Games. Her greatest accomplishments so far are 2x National Champion Titles and riding for Team USA at the 2019 ParaPan American Games. Josie enjoys advocating for Para-Mountain Biking to be a Nationally recognized sport, and cat calling dogs for the irony.
PARTNERS AND SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS
VII ULTIMATE
VII keeps all of production in-house, from design to printing and sewing. More recently, they've launched GreenLine, using fabric made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. We've partnered with VII for their commitment to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint.
PGB rotates organizations that receives profits off of sales from our branded jerseys and VII Ultimate helps us get that done!
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BAWT
BAWT works with adults in the SF Bay Area community to instill skills so that they may inspire youth to explore outdoor spaces.
We work with BAWT to raise greater awareness of their programs and their commitment to equitable access to outdoor spaces and bettering the community.
SPILL YOUR GUTS: THE JUICY DETAILS ABOUT THE MICROBIOME
JOSIE X PGB
Everyone already knows how the old saying goes -- we are what we eat -- but really we are what our microbiome digests. So let’s begin our digestion of what we know about the microbiome.
WHO has a microbiome? Everyone.
WHAT influences the microbiome? Everything: from age, diet, medications, pets, friends, family and roommates.
WHEN is the microbiome working? All the time. Like ourselves, the microbiome works by a biological clock, and dominant bacteria and functions fluctuate throughout the day.
WHERE is the microbiome located? Our microbiome is present wherever our bodies meet the environment: our skin, lungs, and even the gut. (Really the gut? Yes, our guts are technically a tube within us that encloses the food from the outside to keep it outside).
WHY should we care about our microbiome? Because it’s a huge part of our health! In specific places, the microbiome’s role can change. For example, the skin microbiome contributes to external health (like dermatitis) while lung + gut microbiomes contribute to internal health (pulmonary and gastrointestinal diseases, respectively).
So if everyone has a microbiome that is influenced by everything we eat, touch, do (or not do), and the microbiome contributes to both internal and external health, why are we just now hearing about it? The aweing answer is: technology.
If the DNA for a person’s genome is a book, it’d be over 6 million characters, longer than the world record for the longest novel (9 million characters). The key method that tells the story of our microbiome is called High-Throughput Sequencing: we are ‘sequencing’ the genetics at a ‘high-throughput’ pace for better cost effectiveness. Compared to a human, computers are speedy hares at reading the unabridged novel of each individual. Thank you High-Throughput Sequencing. The more reads per sample, the more accurate the method (ie: reducing the noise from contamination, by products, etc)... which also means the more data generated.
This new technology is only useful if the reads are translatable, and the abundance of data generated from sequencing makes line graphs and pie charts look like child’s play when reading results. Only those who can read the results can interpret the data and furthermore, determine for themselves if the study is sound or just sounds like (pun intended)... bullshit. It’s easy to forget that experts are also human, and their subconscious views (like politics) can influence the outcome of the study (aka bias).
Everyone has a microbiome that is influenced by everything we eat, touch, do (or not do), and the microbiome contributes to both internal and external health, but data and graphs are like cigarette advertisements -- sexy, flashy, and full of misleading messages.
That’s why it’s important for humanity to work together: the more perspectives, the less biases.
It’s important for individuals to take accountability for their own actions, reading, and health.
That’s why Project Green Beard exists: to build a greater sense of community.
That’s why we at PGB want to share with you how to dissect data for a greater collective knowledge like our microbiome digests food for thought.
SPILL YOUR GUTS: ALL THE JUICY DETAILS ABOUT THE MICROBIOME
What is it and why should we care about our microbiome?
We start the discussion on how to start thinking about what we eat, why we eat is, and how to be healthier with sustainable lifelong practices.
More to come!
