{"id":9370,"date":"2019-01-28T22:29:05","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T22:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/?p=9370"},"modified":"2022-06-22T11:21:00","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T15:21:00","slug":"meet-the-curvy-kili-crew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dia.com\/blog\/travel\/meet-the-curvy-kili-crew\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Curvy Kili Crew"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Christa Singleton hiked Kilimanjaro in 2016 with a group of women from WHOA Travel<\/a>, she pushed her body far outside her comfort zone, reaching a height of 18,885 ft, Kilimanjaro\u2019s iconic Stella Point.  It was an incredibly moving moment, igniting a new appreciation for her body despite being the largest hiker on the mountain.  She then vowed to come back one day to finish the last 300 ft to Uhuru Peak with another plus size woman. Much to her surprise, there were many women with plus-size figures that were ready to take on the challenge\u2014and that\u2019s how the Curvy Kili Crew was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Curvy Kili Crew consists of 20 incredible women who are leaving their families and jobs for a week-long adventure in Africa, with the goal of reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro on March 8th, International Women\u2019s Day. As firm believers that all people are #FitToThrive<\/a>, no matter their size, we couldn\u2019t be more excited to follow along on the Curvy Kili Crew\u2019s adventure. Below you\u2019ll get an introduction to the whole group, but stay tuned throughout the month as we showcase their stories in the days leading up to their arrival in Tanzania and as they chronicle their journey on the mountain as the climb begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Andrea<\/a>

Andrea DiMaio<\/strong> is a Western New York-based business owner and a lover of all things adventure<\/a>. When she\u2019s not in yoga teacher training, you can find her and her husky, Rammu<\/a> adventuring on the trail.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Bisa Myles<\/strong> is a tax accountant who lives in Northwest Indiana and is a parent to three teenage girls and a Pomeranian named Jack. Bisa is also a breast cancer survivor who writes<\/a> in her spare time.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Christa Singleton<\/strong>, leader of the crew, is a Virginia-based 37-year-old mom, blogger<\/a>, world traveler, and Harry Potter fanatic. When she\u2019s not climbing mountains she\u2019s adventuring with her husband and young daughter in places like Costa Rica and Germany.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Celeste Thompson<\/strong> currently lives in Los Angeles. She considers herself a hiking enthusiast<\/a> who loves exploring trails and being one with nature. She also loves meeting people from all walks of life. Follow Celeste\u2019s adventures on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Yolanda Berry<\/strong> is a legal professional from the San Francisco Bay Area. In her spare time, she enjoys painting and fashion photography<\/a> and looks forward to the ultimate challenge of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Bonnie Crawford<\/strong> is a software executive from Portland, OR and a 2-time Ironman finisher. She loves to travel and is thrilled to make Mt. Kilimanjaro her next adventure. Follow her continuing adventures on Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Deb Malkin<\/strong> is a Bay Area body\/fat-positive massage therapist<\/a>, yoga enthusiast, Nutritious Movement student, and anatomy nerd. She is thrilled to climb Kilimanjaro with the CurvyKiliCrew!<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kara Hardman<\/strong> is a curvy adventurer living in Denver, Colorado. Her favorite adventures include hiking or snowshoeing with her adorable dog on one of Colorado\u2019s many trails. Follow Kara\u2019s adventures on Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Eve Bogdanove<\/strong> is the oldest of the CurvyKiliCrew members and the only one with one eye. She is a psychotherapist in private practice and is raising a fiercely independent anti-racist kid. Eve is a lifelong hiker and fat activist living in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Diandra Oliver<\/strong> is a queer writer and activist from unceded Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en territories in northern British Columbia. To cope with late capitalism and the ever-crushing patriarchy, Diandra spends much of her time outside. Follow Diandra\u2019s adventures on Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Megan McReynolds<\/strong> is a women\u2019s health advocate based in Washington D.C. She enjoys being outdoors, yoga, and weight training.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>

Shazz Nderitu<\/strong> is a plus-size fashion model, blogger<\/a>, artist, and wander-luster based in Nairobi. When she isn\u2019t blogging about life, fashion, and body acceptance, she can be found basking or singing old jazz standards.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kathy McCready<\/strong> is a 43-year-old laughter-seeking, picture-taking<\/a> volleyball enthusiast and bucket-list adventurer trying to live her best life one crazy imperfect memory at a time. Kathy is based in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Casey Cunningham<\/strong> is an Australian living in New York City. She works in the nonprofit field and enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking, and challenging perceptions of living with chronic illness and autoimmune diseases. Follow her adventures on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Molly Homchenko<\/strong> is a 26-year-old currently living in Mystic, CT. In addition to her full time job as an engineer, Molly volunteers as an EMT and firefighter. She enjoys cooking and spending time in the outdoors.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Karen Rooney<\/strong> is an intrepid adventurer from Saskatoon, Canada. As Helen Keller once said, \u201cLife is either a daring adventure or nothing!\u201d Karen is excited to continue her daring adventure on Kilimanjaro.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Alyson Avery<\/strong> is an information professional with her MLIS from Philadelphia, PA. She loves traveling, comics, and going on hikes with her dog, Annabelle.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kat Ward<\/strong> is a social media manager in Atlanta, Georgia. When she\u2019s not hiking, she enjoys baking, running, playing with her cat Maggie, and planning her next big adventure.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Autumn Stoflet<\/strong> is an Emergency Room Nurse who works in hospitals all over the country. In her free time, she loves to hike and explore the new city she is living in, Denver!<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Claudia Patterson<\/strong> is a Human Resource Manager living in Oakland, California and mother of two amazing girls and an energetic rescue pup named Nina. Claudia loves exciting adventures<\/a> and traveling\u2014she has skydived, bungee jumped, and snorkeled.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Want to follow along as the CurvyKiliCrew embarks on their big adventure?<\/strong> Follow the crew\u2019s Instagram page here<\/a> and join the Dia&Co Wellness Facebook Group<\/a> to get insight on beginning your own walking or hiking journey with the expertise from CurvyKiliCrew\u2019s leader Christa. Interested in joining future plus size adventures? Check out WHOA plus Adventures<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos provided by each member of the Curvy Kili Crew.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image of Christa and header image were provided by WHOA Travel, courtesy of Allison Fleece.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Christa Singleton hiked Kilimanjaro in 2016 with a group of women from WHOA Travel, she pushed her body far outside her comfort zone, reaching a height of 18,885 ft, Kilimanjaro\u2019s iconic Stella Point.  It was an incredibly moving moment, igniting a new appreciation for her body despite being the largest hiker on the mountain.  […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":9401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"class_list":["post-9370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the Curvy Kili Crew - Dia & Co<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These 20 plus-size women are hiking Mt. 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