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More than a decade of coaching—and a philosophy that has continued to evolve.

I began studying personal training in 2012 because I loved movement, strength, and helping people discover what their bodies were capable of.  After becoming certified, like many new trainers, I entered the industry thinking that if I could give someone the right exercise program and teach them what to do, I could help them change their health.

It didn't take long to realize that people are much more complicated and much more interesting than a workout plan.

Over the years, I've worked with people with vastly different bodies, goals, abilities, histories, and relationships with health. I've coached people pursuing competitive strength and physique goals, people learning to exercise for the first time, and people simply trying to feel better and remain capable as they move through life.

And again and again, I saw the same thing: knowing what to do wasn't necessarily the hard part.

People were trying to navigate stress, work, families, injuries, changing bodies, health concerns, motivation, fear, expectations, and years of messages about what they should be doing. A perfectly written program couldn't account for all of that on its own.

So my work began to change.

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From personal training to whole-person coaching

I became increasingly interested in the space between knowing and doing.

That curiosity led me deeper into nutrition, behavior change, health coaching, pain-aware movement, and the science of how people actually create sustainable change. My education expanded, but more importantly, so did my understanding of what it means to be a coach.

I stopped believing my job was simply to provide answers.

Instead, I began seeing coaching as a collaboration: bringing my professional knowledge to the table while recognizing that you are the expert on your own life.

Sometimes coaching means teaching. Sometimes it means programming. Sometimes it means asking a really good question. Sometimes it means helping someone experiment, adjust, or recognize that the plan they thought they "should" follow isn't actually the one that's going to work for them.

That philosophy eventually became the foundation for Lifted Up Fitness as it exists today.

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And then came The Lighthouse.

For years, I imagined creating a space that reflected the way I wanted people to experience health and fitness.

I didn't want a gym where people felt watched, compared, or like they needed to already be "fit" before walking through the door. And I didn't want a clinical wellness space that separated movement from the rest of someone's life.

I wanted something in between.

A place where you could lift something heavy, have an honest conversation about what's getting in your way, learn something about nutrition, celebrate a win, modify the plan when life happens, recover, laugh, and come back tomorrow.

In 2026, that idea finally became a physical place.

The Lighthouse is the home of Lifted Up Fitness and the physical expression of what I've come to believe coaching can be: private, welcoming, evidence-informed, individualized, and deeply human.

The name felt fitting. A lighthouse doesn't tell you exactly where your journey has to lead. It doesn't steer the ship for you.

It simply provides some light while you find your way.

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What I believe now

After more than a decade in this profession, I don't believe health is something you achieve by finally becoming disciplined enough to follow all the rules.

I believe movement should expand your life, not consume it. I believe nutrition can support your health without becoming a source of fear or perfectionism. I believe evidence matters—and so do your experiences, preferences, values, and circumstances.

And I believe good coaching should gradually make you more confident in yourself, not more dependent on your coach.

My role isn't to create a version of health for you and convince you to follow it.

It's to bring education, experience, curiosity, and support to the table while we discover what works for you.

Because ultimately, this isn't my journey.

It's yours.

I'm just here to leave the light on.

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The Long Term Vision

My vision for The Lighthouse extends far beyond what exists within our walls today. I hope to grow this space into a truly collaborative wellness clinic where professionals from different areas of health work together toward one shared goal: helping each person feel, move, and live better. I envision personal training, nutrition, health and wellness coaching, direct primary care, massage therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic care, and other wellness services all working in tandem rather than in isolation. Instead of clients having to piece together their own care, The Lighthouse would be a place where trusted professionals can communicate, collaborate, and support the whole person. What we have today is just the beginning of what I hope The Lighthouse can become—a community of professionals and clients working together to create healthier, stronger lives.