Name: Michelle Steilen aka Estro Jen
Representing: Moxi Roller Skates
Pronouns: they/them
Professional roller skater and founder of Moxi Roller Skates, Michelle Steilen, is our first Human of the Month. (Curious why we switched to Human of the Month from Cool Girl? Read about that here.)
Not only have they been Margot Robbie’s skating stunt double in “Birds of Prey,” but they have transformed the world of skate style with their gear and hand made roller skates called Moxi.
Relocating from Philly to the west coast with little more than the clothes on their back, it was obvious that Michelle wasn’t one to shy away from taking risks. While founding Angel City Derby roller derby league in LA, they have always found a way to inflect everything they do with both their love of skating and their grit and, well, moxie.
With their derby name Estro Jen, they went on to found Moxi Roller Skates back in 2008. Growing from their initial explosion of 10,000 skates sold, Moxi is now featured in shops including Dolls Kill, Urban Outfitters, and hundreds of others. The Moxi brand doesn’t just offer roller skates, but has expanded to include ice skates, helmets, pads, wheels, apparel, and accessories. Check them out at moxiskates.com!
We asked Michelle what they thought about our name change, and they said, “I think it is wonderful that the Sock It To Me brand has rebranded to feature “Humans of the Month" because the struggle for equality and equal rights has been won as much as it has been lost, and it's important that we lead with openness while we all get better connected as a world. Equality is important, and identifying as being a part of a spectrum rather than a binary is a message I like to carry through all that I do. I have masculine and feminine energy that I am proud of and I prefer to go by they/them pronouns. We all have different minds and hearts, and to classify one another as a part of a generalization feels to defeat of respect to diversity and inclusion for all.”
So who do they think would be a most excellent Human of the Month for April?
“I would nominate Megan Petersen, an employee of yours, who in her free time, pushes blading, MAKES ROLLER BLADES in collaboration with the leading skate companies to make aggressive inline skates for women, energizes a community of skaters welcoming more women into the sport, and promotes a sport that is so healthy and good for people!”
**Note: Megan was a "Cool Girl" back in 2019, before she worked at SITM! Check out her interview here.**
For their badass attitude, determination, talent, and moxie, we are honored to feature Michelle as our very first Human of the Month!
Find Michelle on Instagram @estrojen!
Find Moxi Roller Skates on:
Instagram: @moxirollerskates
Facebook: Moxi Roller Skates
Youtube: Moxi Skates
or at their website moxiskates.com!
