Name: Brandon Miller
Relationship Status: proud single parent of a puppy punk
Hometown: Clermont, Florida
Department: UREC Fitness
Having a boss can be a scary thing; they are the person giving you a pay check, can make or break your next job as a reference, and they’re the person you have to spend a lot of time with. Having a boss can also be a really great thing. They can teach you skills for the workplace, they can help you grow as an individual, and they can teach you how to make work fun.
Lucky for me, my boss rocks. I get to work with a relatable, kind hearted, (sometimes) funny, intelligent and overall inspiring dude. He has helped me learn how to deal with frustration, how to use my talents and develop the ideas, and most importantly, he’s shown me how to balance friendship with professionalism in and out of the workplace.
You’re probably thinking, who is this guy and when can I sign up to work for him?! Well, his name is Brandon Miller, he’s the Assistant Fitness Director for Appalachian State’s UREC , and if you want to work for him, you’ve just got to want to get involved in fitness –which is what he loves!
It took a while for Brandon to finally make his way to Boone, NC. He spent his undergraduate years at Florida State University studying exercise science, then moved on up to get his Master’s Degree in public health with a concentration in health promotion and behavior at the University of Georgia. It’s pretty clear he is fond of warm climates, so moving to a place where it’s 58 degrees and sunny one day, then snowing, windy and in the 20’s was quite the change! When he moved here he said, “everyone was like, it’s so hot and humid, and it was 84 degrees! I was like where is it hot? I’m from Florida, this is nothing!”
Moving states, getting a new job, coming to an unfamiliar town… that’s a lot of changes for someone in their mid-to-late twenties! How’s he coping? With the help of his trusty sidekicks, the Harleys! Aren’t these girls beauts?
I gotta say it is pretty cool having a boss that rides a Harley-Davidson. He’s been riding for six years, and says he loves it because he doesn’t have to worry about being connected to the world through his phone while exploring some pretty neat places. He loves being able to just ride around, get lost in some pretty place, and find his own way back. But of course, what I find even cooler is that he has a dog! I’m pretty sure the first day I met Brandon I told him I would watch his dog any time he needed. Luckily he saw that and trusted me, so I’ve had several weekends this past year that I’ve gotten to play with a puppy who loves to play fetch until she passes out!
So he’s got his Harleys and he’s adjusting to living in Boone, but what in the world drew him to Appalachian? What does he even do as Assistant Fitness Director? Does he have any big plans? Well folks, this man is bursting with ideas and energy to make things happen! (Seriously, he’s like an energizer bunny 24/7! I’m not really a morning person, but he’s helped me to accept that early mornings do indeed exist.)
Brandon has been really involved in fitness since his freshman year at FSU, and says he got involved because he had played sports his whole life, so it just made sense. “College was hard for me, and going to the gym was just the place I could escape to.”
“I prefer lifting, but I’ll do anything cardio, go to a class, really anything to work out,” Brandon said. Fun fact, he has indeed taught a yoga class.
Now Appalachian State is known to have some pretty fit students; how could we want to stay inside and be bums when we live in the Blue Ridge Mountains?! So loving the world of fitness like he does, Brandon says at Appalachian, one of his biggest goals is to break down the silos surrounding fitness. By that, he means “in terms of how different seasons come around, and using fitness to get the students ready for the hiking season, the rock climbing season, the snowboarding season.” He says he wants to adapt the fitness classes to get them out in the area we live in since it’s so perfect. (Aw see guys, he really does like Boone despite the crazy weather changes!). He also told me he would love to do a hiking and yoga class so we can get to enjoy the beautiful scenery! I don’t know about y’all, but I’m totally down for that kind of fitness here at App!
If you’re looking for Brandon, you can find him in the UREC office/the SRC, chillin’ with his pup on the parkway or at AMB, hitting the slopes, or out on a joy ride on the hog! Seriously y’all, how cool is my boss?!
P.S. did I mention he’s single?