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I was born in Los Angeles and despite being athletic as a kid, I was never really involved in team sports. I loved being outdoors and running around, but after a brief stint in t-ball followed by a year or two in AYSO, my youth athletic career fizzled unspectacularly. Despite wanting to participate in athletics in high school, my lack of preparation frequently left me on the sidelines. I discovered theatre and music, became enthusiastically involved, and by the end of high school, was accepted to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1991. I attended for only a year and a half before beginning more than a decade of the bohemian lifestyle of an actor / professional chef / traveler.

In 2003, the little nagging voice in the back of my head finally motivated me to earn my bachelor’s degree. I graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in June 2006 with a degree in philosophy which left me perfectly prepared to wonder, “What now?” I had become a lifting and cardio fanatic while attending NYU and participated in individual recreational sports like climbing and cycling up until my days at UCLA. By the spring of 2006 I had become entirely unsatisfied with the modern traditional philosophy of working out and began experimenting on my own with alternatives to the bodybuilding/endurance model of fitness. When I happened upon an LA Times article about CrossFit and Petranek Fitness that spring, it looked a bit crazy, but it seemed like a good fit for me. After filing the article away for a few months I began training with Petranek Fitness in September of 2006 and have never turned back.

CrossFit inspired me to push myself harder than I ever thought possible, and delivered results that exceeded all of my expectations. For the first time ever, I felt like I was participating in a team sport and training like an athlete, a totally new experience for someone used to traditional weight training and cardio at a “globo” gym. Working out ceased to be a chore and actually became fun, thanks in part to friendly competition and camaraderie, both sorely missing from most of the athletic endeavors of my adult life. When Andy invited me to become a trainee, it sounded like a fantastic way to become an influential part of something that I loved to do every day anyway!

I am now CrossFit certified and a certified Olympic weightlifting coach. I love coaching because of its constant source of inspiration for me – to watch and assist “normal” people from all walks of life as they learn to “do the impossible.” I feel extremely fortunate to have been given the chance to contribute to people’s lives in such a meaningful way. Nothing has been better for me physically or mentally, and I look forward to sharing it with the rest of the world!