The CrossFit Achieve Story

Our founder

Rachel Compton

CEO
CF-L2, FMT Level 1 & 2, CrossFit Kids, NCI-L1, MWOD L-1

Hi all!! Welcome to CrossFit Achieve! I am so excited you are browsing through our website. Getting to know your coaches is important as it will be the connecting dot to helping you achieve your goals! I was a 3-4 sport athlete growing up and very competitive! I went on to play DI Soccer at Southeast Missouri State University where I received my BS and MS. After college soccer I needed something fun and competitive and that is where CrossFit came into play! I drank the Kool-aid just like you will soon ;)! After finding CrossFit in 2012, it changed my whole life for the better and I made the decision to start coaching Full-Time later in 2016. I spent 9 years in the space prior to deciding it was time to open my own gym. All I am going to say is, DO NOT JUDGE a book by it’s cover and understand you don’t have to get “FIT” to start CrossFit. CrossFit is designed to meet you where you are and get you where you want to go!

Our coaches

Bri Green

Full-Time Coach

CF-L2

What’s Up! I’m Bri and I’m so excited you’re here! I’m originally from south Jersey and I’ve spent the majority of my life on the east coast through college and grad school before landing in STL back in 2021. I have both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Chemistry, meaning being full time in the fitness space was never really part of my plan. But as life would have it, some things are just meant to be.

Athletics have been a big part of my life since I was a kid & competing in any fashion has always been something that inspires me. I was on the sailing team in college and once I graduated, I was left with a void to fill. I started powerlifting and found a lot of joy in getting strong, but for the most part it was a solo sport and left me wanting more. I found CrossFit in 2018 and I was hooked from the very first workout. It stoked my competitive fire, but more than that, it made me feel like I was part of a team again.

I got a taste of coaching at my first gym in NC where they let me lead bootcamp classes that were meant to help people transition to CrossFit. I fell in love with watching athletes gain confidence and learn how to move with purpose! I took that passion with me to CrossFit Achieve, got my CF-L1 in 2021 to start coaching, and my L2 in 2022.

I’m excited to keep learning as a coach to better serve this amazing community and help you achieve any goal you set out to!

Outside of the gym, I love going hiking with my dog, Lady, listening to live music, trying new coffee shops, and cheering on any Philly sports team! I can’t wait to get to know you!

Mike Williams

Coach
CF-L2

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.

Kylee Ploessl

Achieve Nutrition Coach

PN Level-1

1st Phorm Sponsored Trainer

What’s up guys! Coach KP here and I am SO excited to be a part of your health & fitness journey and helping you become the best version of yourself!

I absolutely love learning about nutrition and the roles it plays in our everyday life. I understand the abundance of nutrition information that’s available to us can be a bit overwhelming so I’m here to assure you that it doesn’t have to be that way!

I have been tracking macros for 7+ years and find that it’s the most flexible approach to achieving the goals you’re after!

I’ll be honest, if you tell me I can’t have something, I’m going to want it that much more! So if I tell you that you can achieve your goals in a non-restrictive way, I mean it!

That being said, I don’t believe in quick fixes. Sustainable results can take time but if you’re ready to put in the work, you can achieve your goals and truly be the best version of you. Shift your mentality from diet to lifestyle because this is what it is!

Join our FREE Private Achieve Nutrition Facebook Group for help on your nutrition and fitness journey! https://www.facebook.com/groups/763117670752940

Amanda Clifton

Coach

CF-L1 & BJJ Black Belt

Hi! I am excited share my passion for health and fitness as we all try to wake up and be a little better than we were yesterday. Attending classes with the CFA crew is one of my favorite parts of every day, and I hope to share that with all of you as well.

I grew up in a family of athletes and coaches so playing sports was always a central part of my life, family, friendships and communities. I still remember throwing a tennis ball thousands of times against our front porch growing up and fielding ground balls when it would come back to me. I did this every day, as regularly as I show up for CrossFit classes! Occasionally one of my older brothers would play with me, but not very often, because it is embarrassing to lose a made-up baseball game to your little sister. I played basketball and softball through high school and went on to play softball at SIU Carbondale. During my summer breaks from college, I helped coach my high school baseball with my dad and brother.

After college, I needed a competitive outlet so I started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In 2021, I was awarded my black belt and in 2022 won the Master World Championships for my age group. I have been coaching jiu jitsu since 2018 and competing since 2012. In 2017, I started training CrossFit so I could be more physically imposing on the mats. It worked, but I also found a new love in a CrossFit journey and community.

Jorge Cega

Coach

BS in Exercise Science, MS in Kinesiology, CF-L1, USAW L-1

I was introduced to CrossFit in 2011 by my track and field coach from high school. I really enjoyed the challenge and the style of training. However, coming from a running back ground i was skinny and weak, so I started focusing on weightlifting. Then ended up getting a scholarship to Lindenwood where I competed in 2 national championships.

I have been coaching since I graduated from college in 2017. I first started coaching Olympic weightlifting in Brazil with Fernando Reis, top ten worldwide, while coaching CrossFit on the side. Right now, i only train CrossFit, i have been doing the open for multiple years and i like to see that i can still improve every year.

Ryan Blackburn

Coach

CF-L1

Hi! I am Ryan Blackburn & I have a beautiful wife and 3 amazing kids.

I run what is called a single family office for a successful family here in St. Louis. This means I’m essentially responsible for all activities related to the family’s balance sheet.

My fitness history started mostly with team sports as a kid. Basketball is still my favorite sport. As an early adult, I starting participating in small races. 5Ks led to 10Ks, half marathons, and marathons. I also started triathlons and cycling. I’ve done one half ironman and one full ironman (many years ago). I’ve run at least 6 or more marathons, culminating with qualifying and running in the 2017 Boston Marathon. I then had my first daughter one month later and lost interest in the intensive training involved with racing. During COVID, I was living in Dallas and I couldn’t play basketball. A friend introduced me to a “non-Crossfit” Crossfit gym. I started in March 2021 and moved back to Dallas then to St. Louis in May 2022. I found Crossfit Achieve in August 2022 and had some back issues I was navigating. I met Bri and Rachel one day and instantly felt very welcome. I’ve chosen to devote the hours of my day allotted to fitness to Crossfit because the variety and challenges are endless. In addition, the community within Crossfit is so impressive. I want to share these same feelings of being welcome and accomplished each day with others. Fitness can be scary for so many, especially some of the stereotypes that exist about Crossfit. At Achieve, I have seen Crossfit applied to every age and ability, which is so powerful. I enjoy helping others and sharing my fitness passion. I also learn from every person I meet, which I love.

FUN FACTS:

I love to travel & I love adrenaline. I’ve been skydiving, bungee jumping, and love thrill rides.
I’m an Air Force brat and lived in Germany for 3.5 years of my life. I’ve also traveled outside the country many times, including South Africa, Australia, South America.
I think I’ve moved more than 30 times in my life. That includes moves within the same city, but to different houses. Born in Nebraska, then moved to IL (the first time), then OH, then Denver, CO, then Germany, then back to IL where my dad retired and we stopped moving as a kid. I moved as an adult so many times as well.
I went to Wake Forest in Winston Salem, NC for undergrad.

I’m looking forward to being helpful to others.

Gavin Pivoras

Full-Time Coach

CF-L1 & Burgner Strength

I was introduced to CrossFit in 2015 while living in a small town in western Kentucky. I never had any interest in sports or being in any sort of active lifestyle. Through the help of family, I started at age 13 and it was all for the best. Through Crossfit, I made connections that otherwise would have never been possible. I fell in love with the strength aspect of CrossFit. With it, the love for seeing every athlete I worked out with filled me with joy and drove me to begin coaching in 2020. Continuing to coach and obtain my Burgner Strength in 2023, my spark for helping others grew more and I began to look for the next step in my career!

I dropped in to CrossFit Achieve once and it instantly felt like home. The athletes welcomed me and made it feel as though I was not just a drop in but one of their members. I had decided this was where I needed to be if I wished to grow as an athlete and a coach. Every journey will be different and I can’t wait for you to let me be a part of your journey to becoming the best version that you want to be!

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