WHO

Believe I Am is about real people and real lives. That is what guides us from the point of creating a new design, to making choices about how to produce it, to getting it into your hands. We want to introduce you to the people behind Believe I Am, and to some of the real people that useit

Lauren Fleshman: Lauren is a California native who currently lives in Eugene Oregon as a pro runner for Nike Oregon Track Club Elite. She is best known for winning five NCAA titles and 15 All Americans at Stanford, followed by two USA Championships achieved with the use of huge balls and a ferocious kick. Her willingness to share her screw ups and hard fought victories on her popular blog has led to her being called "one of the most relatable pro athletes out there." She is married to stud triathlete Jesse ("The Aviator") Thomas, who is much funnier and better looking than her, although Lauren's athletic credentials are still superior at the moment. They aren't competitive at all. Lauren is the co-founder of Picky Bars, a gluten and dairy free energy bar she started with Pro Marathoner Steph Rothstein and the aforementioned Jesse. Lauren is the co-founder of Believe I Am and you can blame her for the designs, writing, educational context, illustrations, and the prices of all the products.

Ro McGettigan: Roisin (pronounced Row-sheen) is from the East Coast of Ireland and is basically as famous as Mr. Guiness there because she is an Olympic Finalist and an Irish Record Holder, not to mention smart and funny and pretty and inspiring (barf). She goes by Ro because she lives in America now and Americans are linguistically un-advanced. Her love affair with America started when she got a scholarship to Providence College and then went on to steal one of America's most eligible bachelors there (see Myles Dumas below). Lauren witnessed their epic Irish wedding but did not witness the conception of their little baby girl named Hope Lily Aisling Dumas who, thanks to her role in inspiring all Ro's ideas from the womb, is now the official Believe I Am mascot. Roisin is the co-founder of Believe I Am and you can blame her for the designs, inspirational quotes, some of the modeling, the actual psychology behind the products, the insistence on being environmentally conscious, and the lack of bows and ribbons on your shipment (we're saving the Earth, people).

Myles Dumas: Myles is a kick ass designer at an award winning design firm in Providence Rhode Island called Nail. He has worked on a variety of amazing projects, but Believe I Am is by far the most estrogen he has ever been exposed to in his life, other than witnessing the birth of their daughter Hope. Myles is also famous in Ireland; his picture can reportedly be found on every Irish, single male's dart board for stealing a national treasure. When he's not working, he's being super dad, or eating at Nick's on Broadway with friends (or both at once). He is armed with a certificate from RISDI and a boatload of talent in design and photography, which Ro and Lo take advantage of on a regular basis. You can blame Myles for the photography, for sleeping with one of the models (Ro), any website issues, and for using his technological and artistic skills to transform Ro and Lo's designs into living, breathing, products.

Ann Gaffigan: Ann is not only a USA Champion, she is one of the most important women of our generation behind the scenes of women's sports. Ann is the creator of Women Talk Sports, a ground breaking and acclaimed website that showcases women's sports, providing a palatable and inspiring alternative to the nauseatingly boring and repetitive male-dominated sports media outlets that make Lauren want to barf. Ann was the first person Ro and Lo called when they had the idea for Believe I Am, and with her web skills and passion for women's sports, she hooked them up with their first website, the design of which you still see today. Ann continues to be a trusted resource in Lauren and Ro's efforts to touch as many women's lives as possible.

Jeff and Matt at Seeds Printing: These are the guys behind the printing of the Believe I Am Training Journal. Seeds proves that you don't have to sacrifice the Earth to make gorgeous printed materials. They bought into our neurotic obsession with making the training journal perfect, and put up with the zillion emails and phone calls that come along with that. These guys have access to fantastic recycled and sustainable materials, and they use non-toxic vegetable based inks and presses powered by renewable energy. Jeff and Matt can tell you exactly how many resources (water, fossil fuels, trees, etc) you save by printing with them, which made Ro go into an epileptic seizure. They also ship your diary directly to you which saves fossil fuels associated with shipping them twice (to us and then to you). We are pretty sure they'll win the prize for "Coolness While Being Kermit the Frog Green" at the People's Choice Awards next year.

T-Shirt Printer: Dude is awesome. he's a real artist and artisan that prints your shirt himself. Boom.