I have been a Strength and Conditioning Coach for 10 years and a Cystic Fibrosis Exercise Specialist for five years. I received my B.A. and M.A in Kinesiology from Sonoma State University. I hold certifications as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS), Certified Massage Therapist, Postural Restoration Trained (PRI-PRT), and I am Russian Kettlebell Certified (RKC) Level 2.
Before I decided to pursue a degree in exercise science, I had a passion to play baseball. That passion took me to Northern California to play for Sonoma State University. It is amazing how the world works because during my college baseball career I found an interest in biomechanics and movement through tri-planar sequencing. I left college a year before graduating because I had to explore exercise science from a different perspective, a more application driven approach. It doesn’t make sense on paper, but I just thought knew was more and “jumped ship” for a few years. I set up shop in Fresno, California, where I am originally from, and started reading and traveling. A big influencer in my work is Dan John who has been my mentor and very close friend for the past seven years. If you don’t know him, I highly recommend checking into his content. He has a unique approach that just makes sense. He is also an, all-around, great guy.
Five years ago I was back at Sonoma State as the Head Baseball Strength Coach and was pursing my Master’s degree. During my program I shifted my interest and started working with patients with Cystic Fibrosis. It was a big jump from working with baseball players, but Dan John always inspired me to, “Make a Difference”.
Over the past 4 years I spent countless hours doing observational work at Stanford Medical’s Pediatric and Adult Cystic Fibrosis Clinic in Palo Alto, California. I have spoken at Stanford’s CF Day and written for their news letters. I have had the opportunity to present research at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference on the impact exercise has on lung function and quality of life in patients with CF.
I am pursing a Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance from Concordia university to increase my ability to help patients with Cystic Fibrosis and other pulmonary diseases. My passion is to help improve their quality of life and help my fellow colleagues bridge the gap on the impact exercise has on patients with pulmonary diseases. The better I am understanding the human system, the better prepared I can be to apply it in a more specific manner.
I am really excited to be apart of the Health Industry and look forward to talking with anyone and everyone who about exercise and the impact it has on pulmonary disease.