meet stevie (she/her)
the journey to Ⓐctive ResistⒶnce
stevie (she/her) began work in the exercise industry in 2007. she has trained in large, national chains and at community and locally-run gyms. since 2014, she has offered outdoor classes and 1:1 training across Los Angeles, and added online / virtual services in 2020. as of 2024, stevie is honored to be training in-gym again (always masked!) in Northeast LA
stevie identifies as an activitist and community advocate, a path which began when she stopped eating animals in 2009. she spent more than 10 years working in nonprofit, before returning to teaching and training full-time in 2024
a committed student of anti-oppression, stevie's framework for movement training is justice-centered and trauma-informed; she is a person with multiple invisible disabilities, and her education is and always will be ongoing. Please see the REFERRALS & REPARATIONS section for more information
“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 Weight Lifting (TIWL) Coach (Center for Trauma and Embodiment, 2024)