Pablo Bernath (Pro) | Jack Crane (Pro) | Hannah Malone (Elite) | Minh Nguyen (Pro) | Tess Oakley-Stilson (Pro)
PRO TRAINERS are within their first 2 years of experience working with personal training clients and many are current UCSC students. They've each already earned a Personal Trainer certification from a nationally-accredited certifying agency and are also CPR/AED & First-Aid certified, ensuring their ability to safely and effectively guide clients through towards most common fitness goals.
ELITE TRAINERS have 2 or more years of experience working with personal training clients, both at UCSC and in the private sector. They each have a Personal Trainer certification from a nationally-accredited certifying agency, are CPR/AED & First-Aid certified and have earned at least 1 additional training specialization (i.e. sports nutrition, Olympic weightlifting, injury rehabilitation, etc.).
MASTER TRAINERS have 6+ years of personal training experience, working with clients from a wide variety of demographics both at UCSC and in the private sector. They are each professionally-certified Personal Trainers through a nationally-accredited certifying agency, CPR/AED & First-Aid certified, and have earned multiple training specializations (i.e. sports nutrition, Olympic Weightlifting, injury rehabilitation, etc.). Most of them have also earned a Bachelor's or Master's degree in a fitness-related field.
Steve Anaya (Student Trainer)
Steve is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT) and is currently a 4th-year undergraduate student at UCSC, majoring in Psychology and Sociology, having transferred from Fullerton College. He started weight-training while playing football and lacrosse in high school and has been seriously training ever since then. He fell in love with fitness early and strives to work hard every day, in every workout. He hopes that through personal training he can lead others to enjoy fitness as much as he does. Steve is also the Student Sustainability Adviser for Cowell/Stevenson, working on educating students about sustainable habits in order to reduce recycling contamination rates, increase diversion from landfill, and reach other sustainable goals. He looks forward to training you!
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, Equipment Orientations, & Fitness Assessments
Aaron August (Master Trainer)
Aaron is a veteran personal trainer with 10+ years of experience helping a variety of clients attain their lifestyle, fitness, and “bucket list” goals. He has a B.S. in Kinesiology from Fresno State University, is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), a Certified Performance Specialist through EXOS, and has earned "Functional Movement Screen" and "Speed & Agility Conditioning" specializations. He believes we all have physical and mental limitations that interfere with our desired goals, and his training philosophy is to minimize limitations and to progressively improve the fitness qualities necessary to achieve goals – Strength, Power, Stamina, Flexibility, Mobility, Body Composition, etc. He considered his specialties to be in the areas of Foundational Strength, Improving Athletic Performance, Progressive Fitness, Fitness Education, and Injury Prevention/Improving Movement Quality.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Group Training
Kimball Barton (Master Trainer)
Kimball is a Certified Personal Trainer certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and has been a trainer in the Santa Cruz area for over 18 years. She works really well with a wide variety of individuals and really enjoys creating dynamic and fun workouts for her clients. Her specialties include core conditioning, functional training, general strength, and cardiovascular training, and adding FUN to your workout. In her free time, Kimball enjoys playing poker, gardening, hanging with her dogs, hiking, and painting.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Small-Group Training
Pablo Bernath (Pro Trainer)
Pablo is current UCSC ungraduate student majoring in Philosophy and has been an NCSF (National Council on Strength & Fitness)-certified personal trainer since 2023. He specializes in improving the overall fitness of young adults through his breadth of knowledge in weightlifting, nutrition, and kinesiology.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Equipment Orientations
Kia Blaustein (Pro Trainer)
Having grown up in Lemoore, California, Kia graduated from Cal-Poly with a B.S. in Animal Science. While in Santa Cruz, Kia has spent seventeen years studying Iyengar Yoga, in addition to being a certified personal trainer and massage therapist, and a mother of four. Through her yoga practice, Kia’s study of the expression of movement within the body led to a newly discovered fascination with dance. After having studied intensively with Worldanz, Kia became a certified Worldanz instructor in August of 2014. Wanting to learn how to help people to acheive their health and fitness goals even better, she earned her personal training certificaiton through the National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM) in 2017. Kia remains grateful to teach group exercise and provide personal training services at UC-Santa Cruz, sharing her passion for fitness and movement within the UCSC community.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Small-Group Training
Jack Crane (Pro Trainer)
Jack is a Certified Personal Trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) and an undergraduate student at UCSC studying Philosophy and Business Economics. His training background consists of 9 years of competitive wrestling followed by 2 years of bodybuilding, with a more recent focus on general fitness training. He began his personal training experience with several years of helping family and friends achieve their fitness goals, before taking the next stop of earning his professional training certification in order to better serve a broader range of clients. His primary goal for his clients is to help them find ways to incorporate fitness into their everyday lives in enjoyable ways. He believe that the only way to become healthy is to be healthy, and he strives to encourage and teach a healthy mind for a healthier body.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Equipment Orientations
Robin Fox (Elite Trainer)
Robin is a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise and has a Masters degree in Sport Psychology. She is also a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor working on her Doctorate to become a licensed sport and clinical psychologist.She believes that exercise is a powerful tool for mental health as well as increasing overall well-being. Robin has experience with many types of training including fundamentals of strength training, competitive powerlifting, and flexibility training.She combines her experience in psychology and exercise science to provide a safe, simple, and effective style of personal training whether you are brand new to the gym or a seasoned athlete.
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, & Equipment Orientations
Lyndel Fusello (Pro Trainer)
Lyndel is an Undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz who has developed a love and passion for health and fitness. Her passion stems from her experience as a competitive soccer player and the three knee surgeries she has had to overcome from her athletic background. Through the recovery process of her surgeries Lyndel witnessed first hand the value of healing, strength and wellbeing. Lyndel saw that she wanted to devote her life to maintaining her health as well as helping and motivating others to obtain and maintain theirs. In order to pursue her passion Lyndel earned her personal training certification through the American Council of Exercise. Lyndel has experience with one on one training and group training in which she focuses on strength, balance and flexibility, and core work.
Available for: One-on-One Training, Group Training, Initial Consultations, Equipment Orientations, & Fitness Assessments
Carys Garvey (Pro Trainer)
Carys is a certified personal trainer through the National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM) and a certified group fitness instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Carys’s training approach is to not only improve physical fitness, but also to help develop a relationship to exercise that involves fun, integration into daily life, and building confidence. Carys has experience with a wide variety of fitness activities such as weight-training, yoga, climbing, olympic lifting, hiking, calisthenics, and dance. Carys has a passion for helping her clients work towards their goals and find enjoyment in fitness.
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, & Equipment Orientations
Jaelynn Horton (Pro Trainer)
Jaelynn Horton is a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and also a certified group exercsie instructor. She's a Colorado native who's loved fitness and dancing her whole life. When she's not training or dancing, you can find her playing peekaboo with her 1-year-old daughter, playing the piano, and hanging out with her hubby.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Equipment Orientations
Arianna Khieninson (Student Trainer)
Arianna is fourth-year undergrad student at UCSC majoring in environmental studies with a concentration of agroecology. She has a deep passion for vitality and nutrition which she pursues through a combination of food systems and fitness. She is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Council for Certified Personal Trainers (NCCPT). Having been on her own journey for a few years now, she feels she has gained a good amount of knowledge and would love to share it with others, especially those just getting started. She prefers a well rounded functional-movement approach involving endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy. By tailoring workouts to each individual client, she aims to offer a sequence of movements that will prove most effective towards their unique goals, be it weight loss, muscle gain, improved performance or simply overall well-being. Most importantly she aims to make the experience fun and sustainable so that clients look forward to coming back. When she's not at the gym, Arianna can be found gardening, biking, or at the beach.
Available for: One-on-One Training, Group Training, Initial Consultations, Equipment Orientations, & Fitness Assessments
Andrew Lantzy (Pro Trainer)
Andrew is currently a Marine Corps Officer Candidate, studying at UCSC as a double major in Economics and Legal Studies. He is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Council for Certified Personal Trainers (NCCPT) and also holds certifications in Sports Nutrition and Personal Training through Expert Rating. He has been working in the field of health and wellness since 2014 and was first became a certified personal trainer in 2016. He is very passionate about working with others to set and achieve their goals in corrective exercise, competition preparation, and overall health & fitness. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys being in the outdoors, white water rafting, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Group Training, Initial Consultations, Equipment Orientations, & Fitness Assessments
James Lewis (Master Trainer)
James is a Certified Personal Trainer through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from CSU Monterey Bay and a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology from San Jose State University. He is a retired Navy service member and former Command Fitness Leader for Navy sailors. He specializes in exercise routines designed to improve overall fitness and health, including strength, muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory conditioning. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, playing sports, spending time with family and friends, and freelance writing. His latest book is entitled Exercises for Older Veterans with PTSD.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Small-Group Training
Thaddeus Martin (Pro Trainer)
Thaddeus is a Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Performance Specialist through the American Council on Fitness (ACE). He is a Modesto Junior College alumni and current UCSC undergraduate student, pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. He holds a firm belief that the positive changes promoted by a healthy lifestyle improve all aspects of one's life, be it motivation, functionality, or just feeling comfortable with yourself. In his spare time, Thaddeus enjoys playing the piano, working on cars, and learning new skills.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Small-Group Training
Hannah Malone (Elite Trainer)
Hannah Malone is a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor through the American Council on Exercise. She completed her certification in 2016 and has found great fulfillment in training clients ever since. Hannah is also certified in both Yoga (RYT 200) and Mat Pilates instruction with additional certifications in Perinatal Mat Pilates and Senior Fitness. She supports her clients in reaching their unique goals related to strength, weight loss, or maximizing overall health, and enjoys working with individuals of all ages and fitness levels, from seasoned athletes to first-time gym-goers. Her passion lies in empowering people to feel strong, confident, and mobile. During her free time, Hannah enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and son.
Available for: One-on-One Training
Tatiana Mullen (Student Trainer)
Tatiana is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and currently a psychology student at UCSC. She is in her freshman year after taking a gap year to focus on getting certified as a trainer and learning more about fitness. Tatiana has always been active, including running, swimming, kickboxing, weightlifting, calisthenics, mountain biking, hiking, yoga, and with a background in gymnastics and aerial silks. Fitness is of utmost importance to Tatiana, and she believes that it benefits all areas of life. She is inspired to grow as a trainer because of her passion for sharing with others the joy of fitness as an essential life component. With experience in a wide range of types of exercise, she can help achieve goals from fat loss or muscle gain to flexibility or even learning how to organize workouts.
Available for: One-on-One Training
Minh Nguyen (Pro Trainer)
Minh is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and also holds a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification, which he believes is essential for safe outdoor activities. He is an undergraduate student at UCSC, majoring in Computer Science. After two years of high school sports coaching experience and classes in exercise science, Minh has developed a deep passion for understanding the movements and mechanics of sports and exercise. Minh’s fitness journey began in 8th grade during the pandemic when people were staying indoors and becoming less active. He believed in the importance of staying fit even in limiting environments, and took it upon himself to train at home. While training without much equipment was challenging, Minh discovered the art of fitness: you don’t need fancy gear to stay active—you can train anywhere. This realization shaped his approach to personal training, with a mission to help others start their fitness journeys wherever they are, whether in a dorm, at home, or outdoors, by creatively utilizing available resources. Outside of training, Minh enjoys biking, hiking, and running in his free time. His ultimate goal is to inspire others to embrace fitness as a part of their daily lives, no matter their environment.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Equipment Orientations
Tess Oakley-Stilson (Pro Trainer)
Tess is a Certified Personal Trainer through National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA). She discovered her love for fitness through her participation in intercollegiate athletics as a basketball player, and played two seasons on the UCSC women’s basketball team. She has a particular interest in strength training, but is passionate about helping her clients find whatever kind of exercise they enjoy most in order to best assist them in reaching their goals. She aims to make everyone feel comfortable and confident in the gym, cultivating a warm, welcoming environment so that everyone knows that they belong. When she is not in the gym, Tess loves to paint, read, and spend time with her dog.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Equipment Orientations
Allison Pfefferkorn (Pro Trainer)
Allison is an ISSA-certified Personal Trainer and an Ace Group Fitness instructor. She believes we all have an inner athlete that just needs to be ignited! Allison desires to help you find movements and programming that you enjoy and want to keep doing so that you can maintain lifelong fitness. She's taught Boot Camp HIIT style classes for 10 years and looks forward to working more one on one with clients.Her passion is to create workouts that build strength and endurance in a creative and challenging format. She loves to help others train not only for daily life but also for the activities they love to do outside of the gym. Allison has played sports most of her life and is an avid mountain biker. She loves to be outside hiking, running, and playing in the ocean.
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, & Equipment Orientations
Tianie Scott (Student Trainer)
Tianie, "T" for short, was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and moved to Santa Cruz in 2013 to attend UCSC as a Business Management and Economics major. T is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified personal trainer who specializes in weight loss/management and strength training. Personally, T has lost over 100lbs since discovering a love for fitness training and is dedicated and willing to help anyone crush their own goals and reach their fullest potential.
Available for: One-on-One Training & Group Training, Initial Consultations, Equipment Orientations, & Fitness Assessments
Stephen Taylor (Master Trainer)
Stephen is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). After playing collegiate baseball, football, and soccer, he spent seven years as an assistant to Istvan Javorek, former head coach of the Romanian Olympic weightlifting team. While working with Coach Javorek, Stephen gained a great deal of experience in Olympic lifting and functional training, as well as injury prevention and rehabilitation. In addition to personal training, Stephen teaches strength training and martial arts classes at UCSC. Regardless of the type of class or student he’s working with, Stephen emphasizes the structure and principles inherent in any physical activity.
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, & Equipment Orientations
Simran Verma (Student Trainer)
Simran is an undergraduate student at UCSC, majoring in Psychology and planning to become an occupational therapist after graduating. Fitness has always played an important role in her life and she strongly believes that it can be beneficial for everyone. She was very active as a child, participating in gymnastics, Tae Kwon Do, swimming, and competing in dance. She also enjoys hiking and practicing yoga. Being active and participating in different actives throughout her life has allowed her to grow both mentally and physically, and enabled her to overcome challenges and become a stronger individual. She hopes to inspire others to break through their limits and always believe in themselves. Her goal as a trainer is to help others achieve their fitness goals and feel confident in themselves.
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, Equipment Orientations, & Fitness Assessments
Jake Washeka (Student Trainer)
Jake is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM) and is currently an undergraduate student at UCSC, majoring in Business Management and Economics. His fitness journey began when he was 14 years old and accustomed to being obese. He started to make the gym part of his daily routine and eventually lost 60 lbs. At age 16 he started to take weightlifting more seriously and then at 17 he began working towards his Personal Trainer Certification. He has a passion for health and fitness stemming from his childhood obesity and is anxious to spread his knowledge and passion through his work as a personal trainer.
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, Equipment Orientations, & Fitness Assessments
Xiomara Wimmer (Student Trainer)
Xiomara is a current UCSC undergrad double-majoring in Art and History of Art & Visual Culture. She has been training clients at UCSC since the Fall of 2018 and teaching group exercise for several years (functional fitness, boot-camp, Insanity, and HIIT classes). Xiomara received her professional personal trainer certification in 2017 (NCEP). She has experience working for several gyms and is excited to be working here on campus at UCSC. She has a love for fitness and finds it to be an important part of overall well-being. Her approach to training clients is based on being non-intimidating and focused on empowering clients to find activities and exercises they love. She believes that in order to achieve healthy and sustainable results we need to create workouts we enjoy doing but that are also challenging. Xiomara loves to run, lift heavy, surf, snowboard and all-around move her body. She has competed in Spartan races with the Jack O’Neill team based out of Santa Cruz. Feel free to come to talk to her whenever you see her in ATH-REC!
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, Equipment Orientations, & Fitness Assessments
Keegan Wold (Elite Trainer)
Keegan was born and raised in Montana and has been a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) since 2021. He earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology, with a minor in Coaching, from Montana State University. With a wide range of skills like assisting NCAA Division I strength training, to preparing clients for running marathons, he is prepared and anxious to help clients achieve any and all fitness goals! He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Acupuncture, specializing in Sports Medicine, and is here to help educate and guide everyone towards living a life geared for functional health, and well being! When he's not in the gym, you can find Keegan surfing, rock climbing, or hiking around Santa Cruz!
Available for: One-on-One Training, Initial Consultations, & Equipment Orientations
