Since joining Lionel University in 2018, this instructor has brought decades of hands-on experience, leadership, and passion for human performance into the classroom. With a career spanning athletic performance training, entrepreneurship, education, and even military service, students quickly discover they are learning from someone who has truly lived the profession.
Before teaching at Lionel University, he managed two athletic performance facilities — one hospital-based facility for three years and another standalone facility for Cal Ripken Jr. for four years. In 2002, he launched his own training facility, which he successfully operated for two decades until 2022. Today, he continues to work with clients through an online personal training business.
His professional journey extends beyond coaching athletes. He has co-authored a book and workshop focused on human performance and has traveled both domestically and internationally since 2012 as an instructor for Original Strength, Inc., teaching professionals and everyday individuals how to improve movement capacity and overall well-being. Earlier in life, he also served as an E-5 in the U.S. Army Reserve — an experience he jokingly refers to as being “way back in the day.”
What he enjoys most about teaching at Lionel University is the opportunity to connect with students on a personal level.
“In some cases, I’ve been in their shoes before,” he says. “It’s very gratifying for me to help flatten out the learning curve.”
He understands firsthand the difference between being passionate about fitness and becoming a true fitness professional — and knows how overwhelming that transition can feel. His goal is to help students become more confident as they navigate the complexities of the field.
“There is so much to learn that it can be a bit daunting,” he explains. “I am happy and eager to help people in my classes feel more comfortable with that process in any way I can.”
When it comes to research and continuing education, his curiosity centers around one thing: the nervous system.
He is particularly fascinated by how sensory information is received, processed, and translated into movement, performance, and overall well-being. Topics such as gut health, the gut biome, and its relationship to the nervous system continue to inspire his learning.
“Everything from how the foods we eat affect our gut biome and how the gut biome interacts with the nervous system, and how that interaction can then affect our thoughts, emotions, and even our health always keeps me curious,” he says. “There is so much we don’t know.”
Living in Colorado allows him to fully embrace his love of the outdoors. Hiking and backpacking are two of his greatest passions, and he takes every opportunity to get outside and explore.
He also enjoys strength training and conditioning, believing the discipline required in physical training translates into every aspect of life.
Over the years, his career has introduced him to an impressive variety of elite performers and unforgettable experiences. He has worked with athletes from Major League Baseball, the NFL, NHL, professional soccer, and even a professional rodeo clown.
Among the highlights of his career:
These experiences gave him not only technical expertise, but also valuable perspective on leadership, discipline, and human performance at the highest levels.
Though he modestly says he was “never a great athlete,” his accomplishments tell a different story.
He walked onto his college baseball team as a sophomore and ultimately became team captain by his senior year. At age 43, he earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He once crawled continuously for 30 minutes “just to see if he could,” can perform a one-arm overhead kettlebell press at nearly half his body weight, and is currently ranked fifth fastest in his age group for the 100m Concept2 SkiErg.
His story is a testament to lifelong learning, curiosity, discipline, and the pursuit of growth — qualities he now brings into every classroom at Lionel University.