My name is Lori and this is my story :) I am currently certified as a personal trainer and nutrition specialist through the American Council of Exercise. Along with that I have my Biomechanics Corrective Exercise Specialist certification, TRX Suspension training certification, current CPR, AED, and first aid, and I teach remote and in-person group fitness classes. I am also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and self-defense instructor, and this is where my true path began.

I am originally from New Jersey and grew up playing a variety of sports with field hockey being my favorite. Going into my teenage years though I definitely did not stick with the active lifestyle. Dealing with anxiety and depression that I didn’t know how to handle I chose a lifestyle of unhealthy choices and moving around. I ended up in Oakland, California where I finally felt a little understood. After some time I realized that I could not sustain this lifestyle for long and I needed help. A friend convinced me to join a jiu-jitsu/MMA class she was teaching. I was terrified; I was in no kind of physical condition for that, but she made me feel comfortable to go. That was around 17 years ago and that day changed my life.

As I continued training I unconsciously started making healthier lifestyle decisions and my mental health started improving tremendously. I started competing and then moved to Maui, Hawaii to progress as a competitor as well as to work on the continuous path of healing myself. I stayed in Hawaii until shortly after I got my black belt and returned to Oakland. Through out this time many amazing things arose in my jiu-jitsu career. I managed the Academy as well as assisted with our kid’s program, competition team, and summer camps. I started a woman’s class and taught that, our woman’s competition team and the strength and conditioning classes. I was one of the founding members of a woman’s group called the Sweaty Betties. We worked on making jiu-jitsu accessible to women and girls. We also organized international women’s week long jiu-jitsu camps, and events to raise awareness and support female teachers in jiu-jitsu as well as all forms of martial arts, fitness, and wellness. I dived deep into learning, training, and teaching self-defense and for years taught free monthly women self-defense workshops for women of color in the bay area. We made it on a segment of ABC bay area life!

As I was growing and changing so were my goals. Teaching became such an important and gratifying part of my life. Through the experience of jiu-jitsu I gained a deep understanding of the individualization of our bodies and what they are capable of. And through my own personal experience I wanted to help all people to feel comfortable in starting something they didn’t think they could do. This is what led me into getting my formal personal training certification. I love working as a trainer. I believe in building healthy and attainable lifestyle changes through fitness and nutrition as a way to meet your goals whether it be for weight loss, strength, mobility, or depression. I also feel it’s most important to be kind to and love ourselves through every part of the process. When you find what feels good for you, your whole perspective can change.

I currently live in Asheville, North Carolina where I plan to stay. Outside of training I enjoy reading books by the river, climbing rocks, a good dad joke and spending time with my husband and our old handsome cat. Yes, I definitely said a good dad joke! I can’t ‘weight’ to hear from you!