Spring Moon StudiosAbout Spring (Yueh-Chun) Chang
Twenty-five years in every role a spa has.
A Seattle native, Spring studied elementary physical education at Seattle Pacific University and began her career as an elementary PE teacher. She went on to become a six-time world champion drug-free powerlifter and a 2023 inductee into the USA Powerlifting Women's Hall of Fame.
She has worked internationally with Mandarin Oriental, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Six Senses and Hilton, in performance analysis, budgeting, forecasting, branding, pre-opening, management, sales and marketing.
A business strategist and community builder, she co-founded the Youth and Fitness non-profit in 1995. Her mission: wellness, fitness, health and beauty accessible to everyone.
Credentials
The path so far
A seasoned consultant who still works hands-on
Spring advises hotels, resorts and spa owners at the business level, and she has done the work herself. As a licensed massage therapist and esthetician and a yoga, Pilates and barre instructor, she has performed the treatments and taught the classes she designs. Her plans work on the treatment-room floor as well as on paper.
Recognition
A champion on the platform and in the community
- 1989–1998
Competitive powerlifter
Set five world records. Named Best Lifter by the U.S. Powerlifting Federation in 1995.
- 1993
Seattle Sports Star of the Year finalist
A finalist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Sports Star of the Year for her national titles in the 111- to 114-pound classes, as recalled by Sportspress Northwest. She also appears on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's 1993 Star of the Year nominee list, alongside winner Randy Johnson.
- 1995
Co-founded Youth & Fitness
With Willie Austin, a non-profit that created free health and fitness programs across Greater Seattle.
- 1998
Giving back through Youth & Fitness
The Seattle Times named her one of twenty local people who influenced the fitness world, highlighting how she recruited students for the free Youth & Fitness program and volunteered as a lecturer and mentor at local schools.
- 2007
Washington State USA Powerlifting Hall of Fame
Inducted in the class of 2007 for her achievements in powerlifting.
- 2023
USA Powerlifting Women's Hall of Fame
Honored among the women who "set the standards for current and future women powerlifters."
- Today
Spring Moon Studios
Making wellness and fitness accessible for everyone.
Highlights
- One of the first women of Asian descent to hold a six-time world champion title
- Interviewed by Powerlifting USA magazine multiple times
- Finalist for the 1993 Seattle Sports Star of the Year award
- Her abs were featured in a Nautilus abdominal machine ad
- Photographed in 1993 for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; the photo is held in the collection of the Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Spotlight
Youth & Fitness: giving back to the community that raised her
Spring co-founded Youth & Fitness with Willie Austin in 1995 to bring free health and fitness programs to young people across Greater Seattle.
- Recruited students for the free Youth & Fitness program at Gateway Athletic Club
- Lectured and mentored as a volunteer at local schools
- Visited high schools to talk with students about powerlifting and help with their programming
- Started a pilot fitness and nutrition program at Harborview for low-income children and their families (1998)
- Created a lift-a-thon fund-raiser for the Sharehouse program for the homeless
Sources: The Seattle Times, June 7, 1998 · USA Powerlifting Women, 2023 · Youth & fitness services today →
In their words
What people say about Spring
“Thank you Yueh-Chun Chang for not only the impact that you had on the platform during your competitive powerlifting years, but also for the impact you had on your community and continue to have today!”
“Yueh Chun (Spring Moon) has been so generous to share her extensive knowledge and expertise with my high school Strength and Conditioning and Yoga classes over the past five years. Not only is she a decorated athlete, she is an excellent teacher who is able to create immediate rapport with students by seeing and acknowledging each student and what they bring to a space. Her visits are informative, hands on, and engaging and are always a highlight for my students (and me!)”
Health and Wellness Teacher, Certified Yoga and Personal Trainer
“I hope that we can show women that you can be beautiful and at the same time a lifter.”
“The fitness community that raised one of the strongest, pound-for-pound, women in the world is now getting plenty back from Chang.”
“Spring Chang. My favorite yoga instructor. Although she always seems to find a way to impact me in every single variation she teaches, today, as I dug a little deeper, I found out the extent of who she really is.”
See Spring in action
On Instagram, in the press and in the archives
Where Spring has worked
Inside the world's leading hotel brands
Representative photos. Not images of the brands named.
Why "Spring Moon"?
“With over 30 years of experience in fitness, massage, luxury spa, and holistic wellness, I bring a global perspective and a personalized approach to well-being. My passion is helping people restore.”
— Spring Chang
Sources: USA Powerlifting Women (2023 Hall of Fame announcement) · Washington State USA Powerlifting (Hall of Fame list) · Sportspress Northwest (Jan 22, 2013) · Sportspress Northwest (Jan 23, 2012) · The Seattle Times (June 7, 1998) · Museum of History & Industry (photo caption)
“Wellness, fitness, health and beauty should be accessible to everyone.”
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