There’s a group of women who meet early in the morning, joining across Naperville to light up the dark with community and become stronger — together.
The group is called FiA Naperville, and it’s a chapter of a national organization that stands for Females in Action.
“Welcome to FiA,” member Jamie Schluckebier said during one recent workout. “We’re a community of women dedicated to making each other stronger through all areas of our lives — that includes bodies, minds and hearts.”
Bringing community to women’s workouts
FiA Naperville was established in April 2022, when Erica Banyard wanted to expand on a positive workout environment she’d encountered in Wheaton and Glen Ellyn.
“I really enjoyed the community of women, the health aspects that come from it, and wanted to bring that to Naperville for more women to experience,” Banyard said.
The focus at FiA isn’t only on burning calories. Members say it’s about stepping up for themselves and their health, while also being there for others.
“FiA is a peer-led community of women getting together in the early morning hours, typically, to work out and build one another up in all areas of our lives,” Banyard said.
Participants in one recent workout ranged in age from 34 to 70 and spanned all fitness levels, careers and family stages. Natives of Brazil and South Africa joined lifelong suburbanites at 5:15 one Monday morning for a perfect example of a FiA workout, called “pearls on a string.”
Typical workout? ‘Pearls on a string’
“The string of pearls was just that we were walking, and as you stop at each one, you’ve got the pearl of the workout. So it becomes like that string of pearls — like the pearls that I decided to wear today,” FiA member Christine Grano said.
Grano is the 70-year-old of the group. She enjoys her community of workout friends, who kick back any doubts or excuses and get moving together.
“Everything is fun, and you do it at your own pace, so nobody’s telling you you have to do it a certain way,” Grano said.
FiA members take on nicknames to use while walking off the morning doldrums with conversation and connection. Banyard is K9, and FiA Naperville cofounder Ashley Lopez is Coco. Grano goes by Rosebud and Schluckebier’s nickname is Gemstone.
Early workouts provide ‘time to invest in myself’
Fernanda Domaredzky goes by Samba. She takes her nickname from the dance style popular in her native Brazil.
“It makes me stronger because I couldn’t build the time to take care of myself,” Domaredzky said. “And early in the morning — it’s before work and before I need to organize my kids to go to school — so it makes me stronger because now I have time to invest in myself and my health.”
FiA principles: Free, outside, women
FiA Naperville workouts are always free, outside and peer-led, and they’re always for women. The group hosts 12 workouts each week across four locations, including runs or boot-camp style sessions, where women squat, twist and kick toward better health.
Meeting spots include Wolf’s Crossing Community Park, DuPage River Sports Complex, Nike Sports Complex and the Free Speech Pavilion along the Naperville Riverwalk.
Leaders say FiA members aren’t afraid to sweat it out, whether it’s 100 degrees and humid or subzero and snowing, and they’re dedicated to pushing each other up toward stronger selves.
FiA is similar to the men’s fitness group F3, which formed in Naperville in 2017, and the groups sometimes join together for fitness challenges or charity events. FiA also hosts a book club, volunteer efforts and game nights.
Leaders say getting involved is as easy as showing up at 5:15 in the morning can be. There’s no special invite required, they say — just give it a try.
“We’re always looking to continue to bring more women in, just to enjoy FiA for what it is,” Lopez said.
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!
