Bethany Hartzell

Bethany is 46-years-old and was born in Jackson, MI. When she was just 2, her parents packed her siblings & her up and moved to the country of Panama to do missionary work. She lived there with her family until she graduated at age 18. Throughout her junior high and high school years, Bethany was active in every sport imaginable, although she preferred sports for the team aspect & not for the competition. In 10th grade, after suffering from severe debilitating pain in both knees, Bethany was diagnosed with youth arthritis & Chondromalacia Patella (also known as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome) in both knees. She was advised to immediately stop all activity that put extraneous pressure on her knees or she would require extensive surgery on both of them. After graduating from high school, Bethany returned to Michigan & became a ballroom dance instructor in the Kalamazoo area. Years later, upon moving to the Lansing area, Bethany put her passion for photography to good use when she secured the position as Studio Director for a local well-known photography studio. Currently, Bethany is balancing life as a homeschooling mom to her three kids, ages 18, 16 & 8 and working part time for a beyond-organic small fruit and veggie farm. When she's not working with the Lansing Triathlon Team from behind the scenes, she spends her free time inventing recipes for the restaurant she and her husband dream of opening one day, making gourmet chocolates, designing novelty mugs through her Etsy business La Bella Vida Originals (https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaBellaVidaOrig-inals), working as a Papa Pal, working on her family's organic hay farm and homestead and spending time with family & friends.