One gets the impression when spending time with Becca and John that their combined energy levels could power a small city. Avid for anything active, the couple met a year ago and quickly bonded over a shared love of fitness, live music and especially their sons. Arguably the part of their lives requiring the most energy, Becca’s son Bronx, 7, and John’s son, J.J., almost 4, keep the couple busy as well.
Becca and John prioritize spending time together both as a blended family and as a couple. Introduced by mutual friends in St. Michaels, they have traveled together, attended some killer concerts, and Becca has slowly but surely influenced John’s fitness endeavors.
“Am I active? Yes. Some might say hyperactive,” John said. “I train to stay in shape for surfing, snowboarding and motocross. My routines are focused on flexibility, coordination and lean muscle. I never used to go to the gym, but Becca is slowly but surely turning me into a gym rat.”
And she knows what she’s doing. Voted Best Personal Trainer by APG Media’s Best of the Best — Chesapeake Community Choice Awards in 2022 and Best Personal Trainer by Coastal Style Magazine in 2023, Becca trains a devoted clientele at her in-home studio, in clients’ homes, virtually or at the gym.
“Most of my clients are women,” she said. “My phone is an open line of communication so they can reach out to me any time. We also do monthly challenges. A popular one is a plank challenge and the winner gets a free session. One of my clients in her fifties won with a time of 5.5 minutes.”
Becca’s preferred style of workout is strength training and bodybuilding, and she even worked with a bodybuilding coach last summer. Work and life eventually became too busy for her to pursue entering competitions, but it remains on her bucket list.
When she isn’t training herself or others in fitness, Becca loves to ride horses at Little Clovelly, travel and go to the beach. She is also becoming more involved with John’s family-owned business, Marasun Roofing, for which she does marketing and social media part time and will soon start training in production. Becca loves working within the company and learns a lot from John’s approach to owning a business.
“Watching him work, or build something, or problem solve is fascinating,” she said. “I love how his unique vision is showing me how to look at things from new angles.”
When they aren’t working, Becca and John love seeing live music together and are always on the lookout for the next great show. In the last year, the couple traveled to West Virginia to see Tyler Childers at Healing Appalachia, an event aimed at connecting and growing communities of recovery and healing; raising funds and awareness to combat opioid addiction; and promoting healthy lifestyles and wellness.
One of the couple’s favorite shows was at Roanoke Island Festival Park where they saw G. Love and Special Sauce.
“They opened for Matisyahu and just blew us away,” Becca said.
The couple also loves adventuring with their boys. Taking advantage of local happenings and participating in sports keep them on the move, with John coaching J.J.’s basketball team this past fall. Assateague is a favorite close-by destination for boat trips so everyone can take advantage of all the Shore has to offer — which Becca and John deeply value. Although John grew up in Florida, he feels comfort in raising his son in this community, and loves the people and beauty the Shore has to offer.
Becca enjoys “the feeling of safety this small community has to offer,”’ she said. “It’s the slower pace, safety, and connection to my roots that I love the most, especially as a parent… The Shore will always be home.”
On that, the couple also agrees. Long-term plans include potentially buying and living on a farm, but wherever their path together takes them, they are committed to life on the Shore, and to raising their boys immersed in the natural beauty of it. They have blended their family to reflect a shared set of values and outlook on life and parenting.
“We have similar parenting styles,” Becca said, “and we’ve been able to share new ideas with each other that have helped us both. John is much more relaxed; he’s shown me how to come from a place of peace and love.”
“Becca is an amazing mother and a compassionate leader. She brings a great balance of strength and empathy to the world,” John said. ”I know that I can always count on her to do her best and that she will never back down from a challenge if she believes it is the right thing to do. I am most appreciative that she chooses me, every single day, to walk this journey of life with.”
Both Becca and John are aware of how fortunate they’ve been to have found each other and find inspiration in the strong relationships around them. Becca’s mother and stepfather married when she was 14 and have made an impression on Becca as an adult, navigating relationships of her own.
“I feel like it’s just easy [with them],” she said. “Even when they’re arguing, they are good at coming back together and finding mutual respect and understanding for each other, and it’s clear that they care deeply for each other.”
John finds similar inspiration in his own parents.
“They have shown me how enduring, fearless, and rewarding love can be,” he said. “They are very different people who share the same values with complementary skills and strengths. They don’t always agree, but they always respect each other. When and where one is weak, the other is strong. Together, they are unstoppable.”
The couple finds common ground in what they need within their relationship as well.
“I most value communication, mutual respect, trust and the freedom to let each other be who you are and grow inside and outside of the relationship,” Becca said. “Dreaming together is also so important, even something like wanting to go to Montana in an RV.”
For John, trust, communication, and humility are key ingredients to a successful life partnership. The ability to feel a sense of security and loyalty with your partner can only make them stronger, he says.
“The greatest showing of humility and communication is when we communicate our wrongdoings, apologize, and shift toward making things better. We all make mistakes, but very few admit to them,” he said. “Becca and I have done a lot of personal development, independently and together, to get to a place where we know and love ourselves enough to know and love each other.”
Their adventures are far from over, too. There are many fun family times, concerts, and travel in the near future for John and Becca.
“I am making plans to sail around the world in 15 years,” John said. “I am just hoping that Becca still thinks I am cool and will want to join me.” CBW