The CrossFit Achieve Story

Coach
Education: CrossFit Level 1

I’m originally from Southeast Missouri but moved to St. Louis in 2019. I’m very passionate about health and fitness but I haven’t always been an active person. I have very few regrets in life but one of them is not finding fitness until I was 36 years old. I played sports while growing up but never worked out. It wasn’t a requirement and I had no desire to pick up a barbell. Fast forward to when I turned 35 and saw a picture of myself from a family vacation. I was 60 lbs overweight and disgusted with what I had become. I had failed in the past with going to your average “globo gym” simply because I didn’t know what to do and was too embarrassed to ask. Luckily in August 2015 I found CrossFit. I was hooked right away. It gave me that competitive atmosphere I missed from playing Sports and a Community that suffered with me. I love that every single day I’m learning something new and there is always something I can improve on, both as an athlete and a Coach. My favorite part of CrossFit is definitely the community. Also as an added bonus, I met my wife Valerie in CrossFit and we even got married in the middle of a couples competition in Springfield. I owe everything I have now to CrossFit and that’s why I’ve made the decision to leave the corporate world behind and give back to a community that has given me so much. I’m beyond excited to join the staff at CrossFit Achieve and look forward to pushing you to your goals while having the best hour of your day!

Coach
Education: CF-L1

I’m Mike and I look forward to meeting you in class! I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm about our gym and how it has changed my life. I am originally from Texas and grew up around sports. Throughout middle and high school I played baseball, football, ran track and cross country before finally retiring from competition my junior year. After that, things went off the rails.

I completed my undergrad degree at Texas A&M University but to be honest, didn’t really take care of myself that well. I ate whatever I wanted, occasionally went to the gym and when I did, mainly stuck with cardio machines. After college, my new “fitness” habits didn’t really change for about 15 years. By that point, I was overweight and depressed with high blood pressure and cholesterol while trying to fix my issues with a week’s worth of whatever fad diet trend there was and 3-4x a week of cardio at the globo gym while barely touching weights. This wasn’t what was best for me, my wife or my three kids.

I walked into Coach Rachel’s gym, went through on-ramps and started taking classes. And honestly, it was brutal! CrossFit was harder than anything I done before, but I kept coming back because of the commitment to myself and because of the best part of the gym: the community. Over the years, I’ve improved in just about every area in terms of my physical and mental health, hit personal record lifts I never thought attainable and cleaned up my nutrition to be in the best shape of my life in my late 30’s.

Wherever you’re at in your fitness journey (including the beginning!) and whatever your goals are, this is the right place for you. And we look forward to helping you on your journey.

Coach
Education: CF-Level 1

I’ve lived in California for the last 19 years, then moved to Phoenix for a short 6 months and now have found myself back in my hometown of St Louis! I love dogs, going to Cards games, discovering cool music, and doing lots of outdoor things like camping, biking and hiking! I’m so happy to be back with family and close friends in STL experiencing all the adventures home has to offer. Throughout elementary and high school I ran cross country and played a whole lotta soccer. I kept up with the running after high school but traded the STL weather for Hollywood hills and sunny sandy beaches. After leaving the music industry I worked in for 8 years I wanted something a bit more positive and rewarding. I became a yoga and yoga sculpt teacher as I worked towards becoming a dog trainer to fulfill that giving back need. I’ve always had a passion for helping people and loved seeing positive change and results…And come on, dogs are awesome! I eventually worked with a company as their National Dog Trainer, training everything from puppies, agility, obedience to police dogs and even trained humans to become trainers themselves. I’ve been a dog trainer and behaviorist for 10+ years creating curriculum for stores nationwide and doing behavior and training consults for rescues and private clients in Los Angeles and Phoenix. That passion of wanting to help and be the best human (and dog) they could be translated over in my athletic training endeavors as well. I always love seeing my clients live their happiest, healthiest and best life. After dabbling in body building for a few years I really missed some endurance when I was training. This is when I fell, slipped and jabbed my way into boxing. I boxed for 6 years loving the sport and mixed it occasionally with body building. I eventually started instructing some classes and one on ones improving clients technique, building stamina, balance and working a lot of explosive movements. But I still wanted more, and missed the weights and the speed together. This lead to many people around me saying I should try CrossFit. I loved it right away. This was hard, this was challenging, this was new, this incorporated weights, endurance, body and brain connection and best of all it inspired and encouraged a community so everyone could thrive. I wanted in. I started reading, watching videos, and talking to coaches after class picking up knowledge and paying attention. I got my L1 in May of 2021 in LA and shortly moved to Phoenix where I started coaching at a wonderful gym encouraging my clients to hit prs, not just with weights but personal goals of getting to the gym 2x a week, moving just a bit when they had a bad day or just getting out of their comfort zone by learning a new skill. I’m so grateful to be home in St Louis and ready to inspire and to be inspired by this strong athletic community. I want every class to feel like a victory; small or large. It’s not always about big weight and numbers, it’s about how you feel when you’re done. I love seeing people leaving with a sense of accomplishment and filled joy. I hope I can help you meet your goals and make you smile. So let’s turn up the music and workout!

Customer Success Manager & Coach
Education: CF-L1

I was born and raised in New England and just moved here from CT! I was a full time health and PE teacher, track and field coach and a CrossFit coach. For years I had wanted to try CrossFit and finally 3 years ago I started and I’ve loved it ever since. I am very passionate about fitness and I LOVE seeing people succeed. Not fitness related, I have a cat named Mando and I am a full time nerd. I am a diehard Marvel fan, I love Star Wars, playing video games and more. Feel free to nerd out with me any time! I can’t wait to get to know you all, work out with you and to help you all accomplish your goals!

My name is Reid, and I can’t wait to see you in class!
I was born and raised about an
hour south of St. Louis, in a small town near Bonne Terre, Missouri. I am a huge sports fanatic, so if anyone wants to talk basketball or football I am always down! I was a multi-sport athlete for as long as I could remember and eventually played collegiate golf for one year before deciding it wasn’t for me. After getting out of the strict college training regimen I really let myself go. I ended up being around 50 pounds overweight and completely unhappy with my life. After attempting to play basketball with the kids I was coaching once and having to quit after 5 minutes, I knew something needed to change. Luckily, my Dad just started doing CrossFit at a very small local gym around us. I was hesitant at first, but after a while I became obsessed with everything CrossFit. CrossFit not only helped me lose 50 pounds and eventually get in the best shape of my life, but it also helped me break old habits, get my nutrition on track, and most importantly brought my best friends and role models to me.
As far as credentials and experience, I am a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, as well as an NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist. I have been coaching in some capacity since I was 18, and now at 23 I cannot wait to bring my own unique experiences and coaching style to this badass community you all call home! I cannot wait to learn more about this great community you all have going here at CrossFit Achieve, and I am beyond excited to help this crew reach their goals and become the best version of themselves they can be!