meet stevie (she/her)
the journey to Ⓐctive ResistⒶnce
stevie (she/her) is a certified personal trainer (National Council on Strength & Fitness) and certified group exercise instructor (American Council on Exerdcise) who has worked in the f*tness industry since 2007. she earned her Bachelor's of Science in Physical Education from the Florida State Univeristy and a master's degree in Sports & Fitness from the University of Central Florida, with an emphasis in Leadership & Coaching
stevie has worked in group & independent exercise for more than 15 years - both in large, national chains and at small, private gyms. she began offering online / virtual services in 2020, and is honored to be training in-gym again (always masked!) in South Pasadena
for stevie, the uprisings of 2020 ignited a renewed frustration with - and awareness of her complicity in - an industry that upholds ableism, fatphobia, transphobia, and white supremacy. she overhauled her online classes to include anti-racist curriculum for herself and all white students, and facilitated recurring discussion groups with participants. (please see the REFERRALS & REPARATIONS section for more info.) a committed student of anti-racism, stevie's framework for movement training is justice-centered and trauma-informed; she is a person with multiple disabilities, and her education is and always will be ongoing
when she's not training or teaching, stevie is a tenant organizer and community advocate. she shares one rescued dog and two cats with her partner, where she lives on unceded Tongva land
“We’ve been complicit—not out of malice but because we have been groomed and raised in a system of racial injustice that has relied on our obliviousness and/or apathy to maintain its uninterrupted operation”
― Sonja Renee Taylor, The Body is Not an Apology
about us
mission & values
- our mission is to disrupt oppressive ideas of 'fitness' through accessible & trauma-informed movement training
- we are committed to being anti-ableist, anti-racist, fat-friendly and queer-centered
- we are informed by and grounded in the work and teachings of Black, Indigenous, queer and trans movement practicioners who created & continue to cultivate decolonial f*tness, including chronically ill and disabled folx. See the "referrals and reparations" section for more information
- we believe our bodies can be sites of active resistance against traumatic, exploitative, colonial systems
- we are anti-capitalist while living under capitalism. we prioritize collective care: all services are sliding scale. reparation rates available to Black & Indigenous clients
certifications & education
- B.S., Physical Education (Florida State University, 2007)
- Certified Group Fitness Instructor (American Council on Exercise (ACE), 2024)
- Certified Personal Trainer (National Council on Strength & Fitness (NCSF), 2024)
- Cultivating Anti-Racism as a Practice in Inclusive Fitness Community (Body Positive Fitness Alliance (BPFA), 2024)
- Decolonizing Fitness University (Decolonizing Fitness, 2024)
- Exercise as Anxiety Intervention (National Academy of Sports Medicine, 2024)
- Fitness for Healing: Trauma-Informed Approaches (ACE. 2024)
- Inclusive Fitness Training (ACE, 2024)
- M.A., Sports & Fitness, Leadership & Coaching (University of Central Florida, 2010)
- Trauma-Informed Coaching (BPFA, 2024)
- Trauma-Informed Organizing: Personal & Collective Justice, Connection and Safety (Lisa Gallegos, LCSW, 2022-2024)
IN PROGRESS:
- Strength and Conditioning Coach (NCSF)