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WHAT IS BARBELL BARKADA?

event calendar

Photo used with permission from Chloe Amanda Photography

Take up space and discover ​your potential

Confidence in the gym is confidence in the workplace—success starts with a barbell and a dream. Join our mission to teach young women how to take up space in the gym and gain the confidence to take on the world.

Proceeds from our merchandise shop go directly to organizational costs, free educational events and funding our mentees’ professional and powerlifting pursuits.

Find a mentor. Become a ​mentor. Opportunities to get ​involved are endless, so ​become a part of our vibrant ​community today!

Want to make a difference ​but short on time? Your ​generous support paves the ​way for future sponsorships ​and life-changing ​scholarships!

CAREER MENTORSHip

“If I hadn’t met Gen through ​Barbell Barkada, I would not have ​the support I need to apply to law ​schools with stats ‘out of my ​reach’...Thanks Gen and Barbell ​Barkada for helping me make my ​dreams-powerlifting and ​professional-come true!”

CHRISTINA FRASER, UIUC ​CLASS OF ‘24, FOUNDER OF ​ILLINI BARBELL AND FUTURE ​LAWYER

HOW DOES IT WORK?

STUDENT ATHLETE MENTORSHip

Photo used with permission from Aesthetic Lens and Co.

OUR STORY

Long before they were colonized by the Spanish, my ancestors were voyagers who ​sailed the high seas in swift outrigger ships called barangays. Through wars, raids, ​and perilous journeys, members of the barkada—“boatload”— fought and died for ​each other, forming a tight-knit community closer than even blood ties. When they ​settled the archipelago which would become the modern-day Philippines, each ​barkada became a village, and remain the smallest division of Filipino society even ​now. Your barkada are not just the friends you hang out with, your crew, posse, ​gang—it is a chosen family with long-lasting bonds that transcend the strict ​definition of kinship. Barkadas teach interdependence, cooperation, and solidarity, ​shaping individuals for adult participation in their communities at large.

I’m Kat Muraglia, MD, PhD and I’m the founder of Barbell Barkada. We are a ​community resource available to young women of all levels of career and ​powerlifting aspirations.

I’m a doctor, scientist, powerlifter, coach, and mom—and every step of the way, I’ve ​relied upon mentors, professional networks, and close-knit communities to help ​me get to where I am today. The women I have met over the years in the sport of ​powerlifting span an incredible breadth of career paths and are thriving and ​succeeding in fields that once excluded them: medicine, engineering, science, ​business, finance—just to name a few. I’m even fortunate to have met several ​female small business owners who are supported and championed extensively by ​their gym community.

Barbell Barkada is the bridge between these incredible women and the young ​women just discovering their strength on and off the platform, through thoughtful ​matching of mentors and mentees who share their career or skill interest. Mentors ​can be as involved as they are able: a training partner, a coach, a friend, or even just ​connecting with someone making a career choice over text, phone, or IG. Through ​the skills and confidence they gain through powerlifting, we will foster a new ​generation of women unafraid to assert themselves and take up space in largely ​male-dominated career fields.

Mentorship is not the only way to support our cause. We need event volunteers, ​business and marketing savvy, legal counsel–all the things that go into a successful ​organization. Fundraising is another integral part of helping us move forward; all ​proceeds from your monetary gifts and merchandise purchases go towards startup ​costs of the organization, legal fees, our free-for-mentees coaching program, ​events, sponsorships and prize packages, and our ultimate goal of mentee ​scholarships.

We depend on YOU to spread the word and broaden our network to every corner ​of the world. Is there a strong, successful woman in your life who would be willing ​to help a young woman navigate the gym or learn more about a potential career? ​How about a bright young woman looking for career mentoring, powerlifting ​coaching, and/or a community to call home? Send her our way! There’s always ​room for one more.