I’ve had a passion for fitness for as long as I can remember and I always knew that I wanted to work in the industry. However, I had no idea the path that my life would take or the events I’d endure that would lead to the creation of Georgetown Fitness…

I’ve had a passion for fitness for as long as I can remember and I always knew that I wanted to work in the industry. However, I had no idea the path that my life would take or the events I’d endure that would lead to the creation of Georgetown Fitness…

At a young age I was always into sports, baseball mostly. I seriously started weight training at the age of 17. As I went through college, I was just as serious about the science and learning behind weight training. I began taking my own training seriously and was in great shape. The results that I achieved also helped to enhance my career. I was in such good physical condition, my current clients realized that I had the knowledge to help motivate them to reach their own goals as well. It makes sense that clients would want a personal trainer that was living a healthy and fit lifestyle, so I continued to attract new clients and was even promoted to a position as the personal training manager at the gym I was then working at. Everything was going really well and I thought my life and career were on a good track. But life had a different plan, as it often does, and I was suddenly faced with some very difficult obstacles.

The death of my grandmother caused me to fall into a state of intense anxiety and depression; I was very close to my grandmother and her absence in my life was devastating. My fight with anxiety and depression led to a season where I didn’t take care of my health at all. I was staying up late, eating poorly and wasn’t training well. I was disappointed in myself and felt like I lost my motivation and purpose. Anyone who has struggled with mental health or emotional issues knows that it is not easy to pull yourself out, so I felt stuck in this rut of not taking care of myself and of not focusing on my future.

I dealt with my anxiety and depression head on through support from my family and close friends. I gained back a lot of confidence, started training again and made the decision to compete in a men’s physique competition. This was a really exciting time for me and I was working extremely hard! Then, I was hit with another life-changing obstacle: three weeks from stepping on stage to compete in men’s physique, at age 25, I was diagnosed with cancer.

The treatment process for cancer was long and difficult and I never thought that there would be a day when I would look back and be grateful for the journey. But today I can honestly say that I am thankful for the path that my life took because the time that I spent in treatment forced me to slow down and I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time reflecting on my life and realizing what is truly important.

It was because of this time of reflection and growth that I re-committed to taking care of my health. Nothing will make you realize how valuable your physical well-being is like having it taken away from you. With this renewed commitment to health and wellness, I also began to see the importance of my role as a personal trainer. I came to see how training is so much more than just a meeting between two people; it is a place of relationship and connection. I realized what a privilege it was for clients to trust me and I realized how much our relationship meant to them. It was a truly humbling experience and I vowed to honor this role moving forward.

Now that I had a new perspective, I wanted to move forward. But once again life had different plans for me. I had returned to school at Canisius College to get my master’s degree with the goal of starting my own fitness business. I saw how inspired people were by my story and my attitude and I wanted to create an environment that radiated the positive energy and encouragement that was valued by my clients.

At a young age I was always into sports, baseball mostly. I seriously started weight training at the age of 17. As I went through college, I was just as serious about the science and learning behind weight training. I began taking my own training seriously and was in great shape. The results that I achieved also helped to enhance my career. I was in such good physical condition, my current clients realized that I had the knowledge to help motivate them to reach their own goals as well. It makes sense that clients would want a personal trainer that was living a healthy and fit lifestyle, so I continued to attract new clients and was even promoted to a position as the personal training manager at the gym I was then working at. Everything was going really well and I thought my life and career were on a good track. But life had a different plan, as it often does, and I was suddenly faced with some very difficult obstacles.

The death of my grandmother caused me to fall into a state of intense anxiety and depression; I was very close to my grandmother and her absence in my life was devastating. My fight with anxiety and depression led to a season where I didn’t take care of my health at all. I was staying up late, eating poorly and wasn’t training well. I was disappointed in myself and felt like I lost my motivation and purpose. Anyone who has struggled with mental health or emotional issues knows that it is not easy to pull yourself out, so I felt stuck in this rut of not taking care of myself and of not focusing on my future.

I dealt with my anxiety and depression head on through support from my family and close friends. I gained back a lot of confidence, started training again and made the decision to compete in a men’s physique competition. This was a really exciting time for me and I was working extremely hard! Then, I was hit with another life-changing obstacle: three weeks from stepping on stage to compete in men’s physique, at age 25, I was diagnosed with cancer.

The treatment process for cancer was long and difficult and I never thought that there would be a day when I would look back and be grateful for the journey. But today I can honestly say that I am thankful for the path that my life took because the time that I spent in treatment forced me to slow down and I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time reflecting on my life and realizing what is truly important.

It was because of this time of reflection and growth that I re-committed to taking care of my health. Nothing will make you realize how valuable your physical well-being is like having it taken away from you. With this renewed commitment to health and wellness, I also began to see the importance of my role as a personal trainer. I came to see how training is so much more than just a meeting between two people; it is a place of relationship and connection. I realized what a privilege it was for clients to trust me and I realized how much our relationship meant to them. It was a truly humbling experience and I vowed to honor this role moving forward.

Now that I had a new perspective, I wanted to move forward. But once again life had different plans for me. I had returned to school at Canisius College to get my master’s degree with the goal of starting my own fitness business. I saw how inspired people were by my story and my attitude and I wanted to create an environment that radiated the positive energy and encouragement that was valued by my clients.

As I was in recovery from my second surgery, I received a call notifying me that the cancer had returned and that I needed to immediately start another round of chemotherapy. I had to drop out of school and put my dreams on hold. Again, this was an opportunity to learn and grow. I committed to keep moving forward, even if it was at a slow pace. Armed with my new perspective and motivation, I was able to see this setback as an obstacle, but not as a dead end. I saw this as an opportunity to dig deep and work hard and overcome.

I was in and out of Roswell Park Cancer Institute for the next several months; inpatient for a week and then home for a bit and back inpatient again. It was exhausting and I honestly don’t know how I would have made it through this time without my incredible support system. My family, close friends and my girlfriend at the time (now wife) were absolutely incredible: spending time at Roswell with me, taking care of me when I was at home and surrounding me with love and hope when I needed it most. It was because of their support that I was able to get back on the path towards my goals after my treatment was over.

A month and a half after I completed nine weeks of chemotherapy, I unfortunately had to schedule my third surgery. Recovery was longer and more difficult this time around and I spent over a month with very limited mobility; I felt like I had to start all over again. So that is what I did. I got back to the gym, back to school and also started the process of purchasing the facility that is now Georgetown Fitness. It was a lot going on at once, but after all that I had gone through, I knew that I could make it through just about anything.

I can’t even explain how much different I felt. I had a new energy and passion and I was hopeful for the future. I look at health so much more holistically now, knowing that we need to be emotionally, mentally and physically healthy in order to truly thrive. Because of this new understanding, I created Georgetown Fitness to be a small, intimate environment where clients can grow and relationships can develop.

After my journey to health, I’ve worked hard to make sure that Georgetown Fitness is a place where we focus on creating our best self.

I am very excited about the programs we have added over the years. We brought on a registered dietitian Ryan. He is also an owner. We have added an Exercise and Cancer Survivorship program, and a worksite wellness brand and program. Currently, we are developing our own fitness app, which will be launched within the next year!

I hope that you will stop by to meet with me and take a tour of the gym… I think you will like it here.

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