Hometown: Dallas, Texas
When and why did you come to Austin?
I originally moved to Austin to attend The University of Texas at Austin. After graduation, I stayed in Austin for work and because I genuinely love it here. Austin’s access to nature, abundant outdoor activities, and strong sense of community make it a great place to live.
What is your background? How did you get into personal training?
Growing up, I was always really interested in movement and training. I’ve played sports from an early age. I loved being outdoors and being active. I played basketball, football, track, a little bit of swimming, and taekwondo.
During my senior year of high school, I suffered a career-ending injury playing football. At the time, it was incredibly difficult – but in hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise. Going through physical therapy and rehab opened my eyes to the human body and I became intrigued in how the body worked, how it moved, and how to improve and make it better.
It shifted my passion from playing sports to helping others. I wanted to be someone who would walk alongside people and athletes – helping them move from where they are to where they want to be.
I went to the University of Texas at Austin as a Kinesiology Exercise Science major. During my time at UT, I worked as a trainer for the Texas Football, Men’s and Women’s Swimming/Diving, and Men’s Basketball teams.
Tell us about your current fitness goals and training.
My philosophy has been longevity and helping my clients/athletes be healthy for the long term. As someone who played sports, I understand that you only play sports for so long but your health and fitness is life long. I don’t want my clients to say ‘I can’t move’ when they get older. I want them to live the best long life that they can, being able to live happy, healthy, and functional lives. I want them to move and enjoy physical activity well into their later years, fostering a lifestyle of wellness and vitality.
I try to practice what I preach. My own training consists of calisthenics, bodyweight-based movements, and three-dimensional training. I’ve found that focusing on movement that uses ‘free energy’ – my own bodyweight, gravity, ground forces – instead of relying solely on external weights has helped my joints, tendons, and overall movement feel a lot better.
What is the most common fitness myth you work through with your clients?
More traditional training demands the majority of your movement to be performed in the sagittal plane during training. Movements in real life also demand movement in the other two planes. When we look at the tissues and structure of the human body, we see a multidirectional architecture that naturally calls us to move and exercise in a multidirectional manner. If our bodies need to move in all three planes of motion, we should train our bodies in all three planes. Everyday requires us to squat, pivot, reach, rotate, lunge, and balance. Our ability to successfully perform these fundamental movements means we can live and play freely, enhancing our movement confidence and expanding how we enjoy life.
In our culture and society today, we love watching incredible feats performed by people on social media. There’s more of a focus on the flashy, impressive, and gimmicky things that capture attention, causing us to move away from health and just doing the simple well. While they can be inspirational and aspirational, I see the basics and simple movements as the foundation in order to elicit that longevity.
What do you want your clients to take away from each training session with you?
Before we’re athletes, we’re humans first and movers second.
My priority is helping people reclaim confidence in their body and daily movement – so they can engage more fully in activities that they love, whether that’s at home, at work, or on the field. I want each session to be a step toward reclaiming their body’s natural ability to move freely and confidently.
That means teaching them to move well before we move heavy. Strength and load come later – only after a solid foundation of proper mechanics, control, and body awareness is in place. Thoughtful progression and intentional programming will allow them to experience movement in ways they may have thought were no longer possible – reclaiming strength, energy, and freedom they deserve.
It all begins with understanding their unique story – where their body has been, how it currently feels, and what they want to do. My goal is for them to walk away from each session feeling better, more confident, more connected to their body, and more equipped to move well in everyday life. Ultimately, I want to give them a foundation for lifelong movement health.
What sets you apart from other fitness professionals?
I believe I can be the hardest worker in the room if I choose to be. Actions like this are within my control.
It’s how I’ve always gone about earning the respect and trust of my peers and leader. It’s how I demonstrate to clients that I’m someone they can count on – someone who’s committed to helping them win and succeed.
Favorite quote and who said it?
“I will bless you…and you will be a blessing to others” – Genesis 12:2-3