Tips From

If there's one thing I wish I could change about my own journey, it's that I didn't start sooner. Five years of lifting, fifteen years of playing and training in sports, and every single day I think about how different things could have been if I wouldve began my journey way earlier. There's an old chinese proverb that says, The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. That quote lives at the center of everything I do. It's why I show up. It's why I built these programs. And it's why I'm so committed to making sure your athlete doesn't have to look back with that same wish.

Growing up, I was always the smallest kid in the room — and I mean always. I got held back a grade when I was young, which meant I was already behind emotionally, and being the shortest and lightest in every class on top of that hit my confidence hard. I remember feeling like my body was working against me, like no matter what I did, I just couldn't keep up. That insecurity was real, and it stayed with me for a long time. That experience is exactly why I'm so passionate about youth strength training done right. I know firsthand what it feels like to be a kid who doesn't feel comfortable in their own skin — and I know how transformative it can be when a young athlete finally starts to feel strong, capable, and confident. Teaching kids to train safely isn't just about building muscle; it's about building belief in themselves. If I can help even one kid avoid the years of self-doubt I carried, that's everything to me.

I grew up in South Bend, Indiana — a city that taught me toughness, community, and the value of hard work from a young age. Eleven years ago I made the move to Missouri, and this state has become home in every sense of the word. My love for the outdoors runs deep — you'll find me fishing or hunting every chance I get, staying active and connected to the world outside the weight room. That love for movement, nature, and staying physically sharp has always been a part of who I am — long before I ever touched a barbell.

But my relationship with training hasn't always been easy — and that's something I want every parent and every young athlete to hear. When I was younger and playing baseball, I used to constantly complain about my feet hurting. Every practice, every game — the pain was real and it was relentless. For a long time people thought I was making excuses. Coaches, teammates, even people close to me assumed I was just trying to get out of working hard. I wasn't. We eventually discovered I had PDS — a lower-body postural dysfunction where tight hip flexors and calves cause the feet to flatten excessively (overpronation), knees to knock inward, and hips to rotate internally. Suddenly everything made sense. What followed was six months of physical therapy and a daily commitment to stretching that never really ended. To this day I still have to maintain that routine. Static stretching, dynamic mobility work, intentional recovery — these aren't extras in my life. They are necessities.

That experience changed how I see every young athlete who tells me something hurts. I believe them. I know firsthand what it feels like to have a real physical limitation that nobody can see — and to be dismissed because of it. It's also why dynamic and static stretching are non-negotiable pillars of every single program I build. Not as an afterthought. Not as a five minute formality at the end of a session. But as a genuine, science-backed foundation for long term health and performance. I lived the consequence of not having that foundation early enough — and I made sure every program I build protects your athlete from that same path.

Coaching and training has never felt like work to me — it has always been a calling. That passion didn't come from nowhere. My father coached for 18 years, and watching him pour himself into the development of young athletes shaped everything about how I approach this work. The patience, the dedication, the genuine investment in every individual — I saw what that looked like up close for my entire childhood. I carry that with me into every single session.

Over the past year of personal training and coaching I have had the privilege of working with athletes and individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and goals — and I can honestly say there is nothing I love more than watching someone discover what they are truly capable of. People who know me will tell you I have a big heart. They will also tell you I might talk a little too much — and honestly, they're not wrong. But that's because I genuinely love people. I love their stories, their goals, their struggles, and their breakthroughs. Every conversation matters to me. Every athlete matters to me. Every family that trusts me with their child matters to me more than I can put into words.

Whether you are a parent looking for someone you can truly trust with your young athlete, a kid wondering if this whole training thing is actually for you, or an adult ready to finally invest in yourself — I want you to know something. You are in the right place. I built this for you. And I promise to show up for you the same way I wish someone had shown up for me.