In CrossFit, when we talk about community we often highlight the group workouts, the fist pumps that follow and the peer pressure to keep showing up to class the next day. What doesn’t get talked about as often is how being a CrossFitter creates the drive to serve and give back within those communities. And not just from the perspective of an affiliate owner or coach, but from the individuals and members who’ve had their lives positively changed by CrossFit.
We saw this first hand last year when the CrossFit Medical Society in partnership with Penn State University, led by Dr. Janette Watkins, launched its Pilot Mentorship Program. Students who did CrossFit were paired with mentors who also did CrossFit and shared similar professional interests. Here’s what we learned:
Thirty-nine pairs launched in the fall, matched deliberately rather than randomly: pre-med students with physicians, aspiring coaches with experienced coaches, future affiliate owners with people who had already signed a lease, and students bound for engineering or accounting with professionals in those fields.
What we watched happen over the next six months was that these relationships skipped the awkward opening chapter entirely. Participants told us again and again that a shared foundation in CrossFit meant there was no warm-up period, no professional distance to negotiate — they already spoke the same language, and the relationship started with a shared interest in something that was very important to both the mentor and mentee, CrossFit.
“As a passionate health care provider and CrossFitter living and working in the dilapidated and misinformed healthcare system we allow, I am ALL ABOARD with teaching, training, guiding, and advising the next generation into a world that will live LONGER and STRONGER through CrossFit.” – Mentor, Pilot Program
The results followed: Level 1 and Level 2 Trainer Certificates earned, first Opens completed, graduate school acceptances secured. When we asked what would have made the year better, the answer came back with unusual consistency: more hands-on experience, more time in person, and a real connection to the affiliate down the street. Our mentees had gained a guide. What they wanted next was somewhere to put what the guide was teaching them.
“I believe the CrossFit methodology is the most powerful tool one can learn — much more than just doing CrossFit workouts. With the right guidance, the lessons learned in a WOD can be carried over to life.” –Mentor, Pilot Program
As we look to year two, the CFMS Mentorship Program led by Dr. Janette Watkins, will expand its reach to recruit not only student mentees from around the globe, but we’ve added an experiential component where students will have the opportunity to also pay it forward to their local affiliate.
We are matching students to hand-selected, industry expert mentors by career interest: healthcare, coaching, research, marketing, finance, engineering, and more. In addition to the individual mentor relationship, participants join a virtual cohort organized by profession. Monthly mentor meetings, career discussions, and networking — so a pre-med student is not just learning from one physician, but from people building the same career.
Every mentee completes a semester-long project that benefits their local affiliate while building genuine career experience: coaching, social media, business operations, community events, research, and health education. The student finishes the year with something real on a résumé. The local affiliate finishes the year with something real in the gym. At the conclusion of the semester, participants present their affiliate project and its impact to their mentor and their cohort. Selected projects may be shared across CrossFit Medical Society and CrossFit channels. The showcase recognizes innovation, leadership, and community impact — and lets participants learn from what everyone else built.
Get involved:
Students: If you are an undergraduate looking for direction — in healthcare, coaching, research, business, media, or anywhere else — and you want a mentor who understands CrossFit and its importance in life inside and outside the gym, tell us you are interested. There is an application process. To get started, complete this survey. The program kicks off in October.
Mentors and Affiliates: To learn more about how you can support this program, reach out to support@crossfitmedicalsociety.com.
About the CrossFit Medical Society
The CrossFit Medical Society (CFMS) is a community of physicians, coaches, researchers, and health professionals working to establish the CrossFit affiliate as legitimate health infrastructure. Its education arm exists to do two things: validate the CrossFit methodology through research and measurable outcomes, and expand its global reach. Through the Health Integration Summit (HIS) curriculum, the CFMS Health Hub™ designation pathway, university research partnerships, and its mentorship program, the CFMS translates clinical science into terms a coach can use on the gym floor — and translates what happens on that floor into terms a clinician, a researcher, and a health system can evaluate. Chronic disease accounts for roughly three-quarters of deaths worldwide, and the majority of what determines health outcomes happens outside a clinic. The CFMS is building the education, credentialing, and evidence base to prove that affiliates are where that gap gets closed.
About Dr. Janette Watkins
Dr. Janette Watkins holds dual doctorates in neuroscience and kinesiology and is an assistant professor at Penn State University, as well as a regular contributing writer to the CrossFit Medical Society. She led the CFMS Mentorship Program pilot during the 2025–2026 academic year and serves as principal investigator in on-going research examining CrossFit as a health intervention.
