Bulletin for November 20, 2025

THE PIKES PEAK CLUB: Bulletin for November 20, 2025 Pikes Peak Club Meeting: Dr. Carolyn Ervin: Bodybuilding and Bio-tech

Overview

Dr. Ervin, a former Ms. Olympia competitor with a Ph.D. in Epidemiology, shared her journey from professional bodybuilding to co-founding the virtual biotech company BioRealm LLC. She discussed the disciplined culture of Gold’s Gym in the 1990s, shared anecdotes about training with celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and explained how the principles learned in bodybuilding applied to her academic and professional career. She detailed BioRealm’s business model, its work in clinical trial analysis, and the challenges of data credibility in public health, using COVID-19 as an example.

Club Business and Announcements

Opening Formalities

The meeting began with a prayer (from Benny), the Pledge of Allegiance (led by Dick), and the singing of “God Bless America” (led by Marty). Dana provided a pithy quote from Walter’s Words of Wisdom and Albert Einstein: “Things that count can’t always be counted, and things that can be counted don’t always count.”

Fundraising and Fines

• The club collects money through fines for minor infractions, such as not wearing a pin correctly.
• Dana is in charge of collecting fines for small infractions (“the small stuff”), while another member collects for “the big stuff.”
• The club used to raise more money through a bingo license.
• The club gives money away and votes on grants.

Board of Directors Meeting

The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for December 12 at 4:00 PM.

Member Recognition and News

• Marlene will be a speaker at a breakout session on the topic “surviving the holidays.” The session is from 11:05 AM to 11:45 AM.
• A former club member, Dan, was encountered and is expected to visit the club again.
• A member was mentioned in the Gazette, which traditionally requires them to bring ice cream for everyone, though this rule has not been formally passed by the board.

Upcoming Events and Speakers

Christmas Party

• The Christmas party is on Wednesday, December 17 at 6 pm at Patty Jewett’s.
• The cost is $70 per person.
• To date, the following members have signed up:
• Franzen (2), Marti, Paula, Wilhelm (2), Elliott (2), E. Scott (2), Jeff Gaddis (2), Larry and Barbara Gaddis (2), Brandon & Hetoi (2), Benny & Katie Sauceda (2), Marlene (2), Skip Hale (2), Dalton and Alexa Houghton (2), Frank Ulrich (1), Boby and Kathy Lucia (2), Mike Cimeno (2), Randy Kruse (2), Dick and Karen Backsley (2), Kevin and Christine (2), Dan Fix and Anne Baldera (2).
• Current total is 39 people. (Apologies for spelling.)

“Ivesot” Tour

• A tour of a location referred to as “Ivesot” is being planned, but details are being kept hush hush to manage group size.
• Availability will be limited.
• Requirements for the tour include a background check, a specific ID, and appropriate dress.

Upcoming Zoom Speaker

• The club will host its first Zoom speaker, a professional author from Texas named Bob Tiede.
• Members were asked to mark chapters of interest on a printout to guide his presentation. It was noted that members cannot Zoom in from home for this meeting.
• The meeting will be held at the regular venue, with the speaker presenting via Zoom. The option for members to join remotely from home is not yet available.
• The speaker was invited after his grandkid was at the Air Force Academy.
• The presentation will be based on his book. The club members were given a printout of the book’s chapters and asked to mark which topics they would like the speaker to cover.

Future Speaker Schedule

• A speaker list was passed around for members to verify details like date, time, and spelling.
• The speaker for January 15th was confirmed via text message.

Keynote Presentation: Dr. Carolyn Ervin

Journey from Bodybuilding to Biostatistics

• Dr. Ervin transitioned from being a multi-sport athlete and cheerleader to professional bodybuilding, competing in the 1990 Miss Olympia.
• Her training was highly data-driven, involving meticulous tracking of weight, body fat, macronutrients, and recovery, with a regimen of six workout days per week.
• Recognizing the need for a career transition, she pursued a Ph.D. in Epidemiology at USC in her 40s, finding parallels between the discipline of bodybuilding and the rigor of academia.

Gold’s Gym Venice: Culture and Community

• She trained at Gold’s Gym in Venice, known for its “culture of excellence” and serious, functional equipment.
• The gym was a hub for professional bodybuilders, Hollywood actors, and athletes. She shared anecdotes about training alongside figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Lou Ferrigno, Tony Curtis, and Magic Johnson.

BioRealm LLC: A Virtual Biotech Company

• In 2006, she co-founded BioRealm LLC, an entirely virtual company based in Monument, Colorado, to minimize overhead.
• The company provides statistical expertise and analysis for major pharmaceutical companies (e.g., Sanofi, Novartis) for FDA regulatory submissions.
• Key projects include an AI toolkit for addiction treatment, a proposal to analyze sewage for COVID-19, and a tool to identify suicidal tendencies in individuals with PTSD.

Data, Discipline, and Public Health

• Dr. Ervin highlighted five core principles from bodybuilding applicable to science and business: consistency, process, learning from failure, community, and excellence.
• She discussed the challenges of public health data collection during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the lack of standardized data and the difficulty of making credible inferences without a “delta T” (change over time).
• She compared the spread of COVID-19 by asymptomatic individuals to the initial spread of AIDS, where social and political factors hampered containment.

Summary

It is clear that Dr. Ervin has a passion for learning and teaching, and helping people, and it is obvious what a powerful educator she is, whether it is teaching, training, or health. One of my favorite quotes, by an anonymous author, is: “Teaching mathematics is showing students the beauty in patterns and the power of reasoning.” Whether she is in the classroom or in a gym, or heading a tech company, it is clear that Dr. Ervin approaches any task with enthusiasm and joy. Her students were lucky to have her as a teacher. And I hope that all of you had a terrific, dedicated math teacher and biotech expert like Dr. Ervin in your lives to inspire you.

P.S. I can’t resist sharing my second favorite quote about education: “Dear Math: I’m not a therapist. Solve your own problems.” — Anonymous

Things To Do

1. Members who have not yet signed up for the Christmas party should email Barbara or Kevin to sign up.
2. Members should check the speaker list being passed around to ensure their scheduled speaking details are correct.
3. Board members are reminded of the meeting on December 12th at 4:00

PM.

1. Members are encouraged to attend Marlene’s breakout session on“surviving the holidays” from 11:05 AM to 11:45 AM.
2. Club members in need of statistical or mathematical analysis are

encouraged to reach out to Dr. Carolyn Ervin for pro bono assistance.