Favorite Lift(s) I love to hate: There's a few! Pull-ups/chin-ups, bench press, hip thrusts, lateral lunges and lastly... the sled. Hobbies: I love supporting my friends at art shows, wrestling shows, music shows/concerts, and comedy shows. I basically try to fill up my schedule supporting the talented folks I know that follow their passions
I became ISSA certified in 2016 so I could start personal training at the commercial gym I had been working at since 2012 as a front desk girl, eager to help more people build the confidence and empowerment that strength training has helped me build over this time. I quickly learned I didn't have all the answers and kept looking for better answers to the struggles clients would come to me for advice with. I found it interesting when people would come to me for advice on what to do in the gym for their goals, and it would often lead to conversations about their lives outside of the gym that involve stress, time restraints, injury history, and nutrition. It was through this experience I learned there's so much more to help people reach their goals through personal training than just lifting weights. After suffering an injury in football - 2 years into my journey becoming a personal trainer, working a desk job full-time, while in school, I had to take a step back to focus on my own health and recovery to get back to 100%. This recovery process started in physical therapy to help me get back to football shape, as it was my first time having to re-learn how to walk, jump, and run, after a whole lifetime of being an athlete. Which lead me to Stoked Athletics. I sought out the advice of Michael James Bouranis and from day one felt I was being mentored to be a better coach and personal trainer to all those I get to work with. After 6 months of training with him and trusting the systems of Stoked Athletics, I returned to football to play my best season yet. I loved the systems Mike used to teach clients and was so excited to learn more that I interned that summer and was onboarded as a coach in October 2019. Since then, I've made so many friends at Stoked Athletics! Every day I feel I still learn something new from every person I get to work with, that becomes a lesson I get to use to teach someone else. These past few years I've been taking on more and more online clients, and it gets me excited to see so many people continue to benefit from all I've learned since becoming a coach at Stoked Athletics. Including becoming Functional Movement Systems Lvl1 certified and CFSC - Certified Functional Strength and Conditioning Lvl 1 Certified. I love seeing and being part of the growth of this gym and community, which also lead to my role as "Culture Queen" where we host a monthly Stoked Fam event to get everyone together for a fun outing, outside of the gym! Outside of Stoked Athletics, I coach tackle football in a local town organization, and outside of that I am part of an all-female staff of coaches with the Women's Gridiron Foundation, I am responsible for the programming of defense drills and assist in running the flag football clinic we host! I love coaching football and playing a role in the development of the next generation playing this sport, it is a good feeling to give back using the knowledge and experiences I've gained the last 7 years playing women's pro tackle football. I played football growing up and now continue to as a linebacker for the NY Wolves, previously known as the NY Sharks, in the WFA - Women's Football Alliance. I've made the National Women's Tackle Football team roster in 2017 as an Alternate LB and All-American Linebacker every season from 2014-2018, winning 2 championships this time. Throughout my football playing career I've learned more about training to prepare for the demands of your sport, and try to incorporate my Strength and Conditioning background into the drills I teach when working with youth athletes.
When I'm not out and about on Long Island trying new food spots or at a show, I try to escape into the outdoors as much as possible! I enjoy traveling, hiking/rock climbing, rollerblading, cooking, and try to improve my archery and trumpet playing skills in downtime. Fitness Role Model: I never really had one. When I first got into lifting I was 16 years old, working at a gym, and read Bob Paris' Biography who was into bodybuilding, I quickly learned that wasn't for me but there are many different avenues you can take when it comes to your fitness goals. I mostly pull inspiration from the strong women I know and have met in the gym, at powerlifting meets, playing women's football all over the world that prioritizes their own self-care and training beyond the demands of their careers and families. I think that's pretty badass.
