Meet the CrossFit Achieve team

At CrossFit Achieve in St Louis, MO, we are dedicated to creating a fitness community where everyone can thrive. Our gym combines expert coaching, cutting-edge facilities, and a supportive environment to help you reach your fitness goals. Discover a place where your fitness journey is guided by passion and professionalism.

Our Coaches

Our coaches at CrossFit Achieve in St Louis, MO, are more than just trainers; they are passionate professionals committed to your success. Each member of our team brings a wealth of experience and a personalized approach to help you achieve your fitness objectives. With diverse specialties ranging from strength training to wellness, our coaches are here to support and inspire you every step of the way.

Rachel Compton

Owner, CEO CrossFit Level 2, 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 its 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!

Shawn Crocker

Head Coach

OPEX CCP (Comprehensive Coaching Program)
Active Life Professional (AL-P)
WAG (Working Against Gravity) Nutrition Coach
USA Weightlifting Level 1 (likely expired)
Conjugate Method Certification

Since 2016, Shawn has worn nearly every hat in the CrossFit world.

Over the years, he’s coached national-level Olympic lifters, competitive powerlifters, ultra-marathon racers, and CrossFit Games athletes, as well as moms, dads, and busy adults who want to move without pain and claim the strongest, fittest years of their lives.

With a background in strength, conditioning, flexibility, and mobility, Shawn specializes in bridging the gap between recovery and performance.

His coaching blends intelligent, individualized programming, mobility and flexibility systems, and lifestyle strategies to help clients eliminate pain, build resilience, and achieve goals they once thought were out of reach.

Shawn brings both a coach’s eye and an athlete’s understanding to every session, drawing from years of experience across CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and endurance sports. His mission is simple: to help people live strong, confident, and without compromise.

Mike Williams

Coach CrossFit Level 2

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 did 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.

Amanda Clifton

Coach CrossFit Level 1 & BJJ Black Belt

Hi! I am excited to 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 Ceja

Coach BS in Exercise Science, MS in Kinesiology, CrossFit Level 2, 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 background 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 CrossFit Level 1

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 started 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.

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!

Amanda Grogg

Full-Time Coach

CF-L2
NCI Level 1

Hi! I am Amanda Grogg, you’ll hear many also call me Coach Ping (it’s my middle name and represents my Chinese background) and I am so excited to be back in my hometown at CrossFit Achieve!

With that being said, I grew up here! Graduated from Webster Groves High School back in 2010, then started my college degree down at Southeast Missouri State University and that is where I met Rachel (and this is where I say the rest is history right? Just kidding)

During my time in college, I felt a need to do something more with my life as well and that is when I enlisted into the Missouri Army National Guard in 2014. After enlisting, I went to Basic Training where I was awarded the highest honor of being the Soldier Leader of The Cycle and that is when I really started to grow my leadership and want to help others reach their highest potentials as well.

When I got back, Rachel and I actually went and got our Level-1’s together! And I started coaching at a local gym. I continued my college degree and interned down at CrossFit Springfield to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science.

I knew I wanted to professionalize my coaching so I went to a completely new city and state to coach at Fast Factory in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. I had the opportunity to work with coaches from CrossFit Invictus, Coach a CrossFit Games Masters Athlete, assist in running the Granite Games CrossFit competition and personally train athletes with accessory programming to help them reach their goals.

This is where my coaching career took a bit of a back seat as COVID hit and shut many gyms down and the Army National Guard presented a full time opportunity through that crazy time. Being full time in the Army led me to truly develop more as a leader, administratively learn systems and organization, and use my coaching to help Soldiers in their physical fitness and mental resilience.

I used those skills to pivot once again and pursue a remote opportunity to establish and build a Client Success Department with the Nutritional Coaching Institute (NCI). I was able to coach clients through the programs we offered as well as lead a team and build the greatest support we could for the coaches in the program.

Then life took a shift when I was given the news of my Army Unit being deployed. They brought me back on full time as mobilization support as we prepared and deployed overseas to the Middle East. I was over there for about a year and performed missions in Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan. And while I was able to grow as a leader in the Army, deployment aided me with an opportunity I never saw coming.

I was able to step out onto the floor as a CrossFit coach again!

Unique Features and Facilities

CrossFit Achieve boasts a spacious, open-layout facility designed to maximize your training experience, featuring a dedicated CrossFit space and a specialized turf section for sled pushes and agility drills. Our unique black box workout space allows for our small groups and personal training clients to train in their own space while CrossFit class is going on. This space is also open to extra work for our clients to perform outside of class with programming assistance from our staff. Additionally, we provide a top-notch lobby area with bathrooms, showers, and espresso machine for hanging out. Lastly, our in house Chiropractor Dr. Kelly offers his own services to ensure a complete fitness journey from start to finish.

Top-Notch Fitness Equipment

At CrossFit Achieve, we pride ourselves on providing top-of-line equipment to ensure our clients achieve success within their fitness goals and nutritional habits. Our facility is equipped with Rogue barbells, Concept2 rowers, Ski erg and Echo Bikes to enhance your CrossFit training experience. We also offer a variety of kettlebells, medicine balls, and plyometric boxes for comprehensive functional fitness workouts. In our black box section we offer a full functioning cable machine for our hybrid/ personal training clients. With our extensive range of equipment, CrossFit Achieve is committed to helping you become stronger, faster, and more agile.

Book Your Free Intro Session Today

Take the first step towards a healthier lifestyle with a free intro session at CrossFit Achieve in St Louis, MO! Our team will provide a personalized tour of our facilities, introduce you to our services, and help you start your fitness journey. Schedule your session now and experience firsthand how CrossFit Achieve can support your goals.