Alyssa - Owner / CrossFit Trainer / Weightlifting Coach
Alyssa has been an athlete since she could walk, which is probably one of the things that drew her and Brady to each other. (They're married, and run Rocket together.) Having tried, and hated, all team sports, she mostly pushed herself at solo things like skiing, running, biking, swimming and, obviously, triathlons. Back in the old days of velcro high-top sneakers, she taught aerobics, though resisted the leotard and legwarmer look. Alyssa was resistant to CrossFit for several reasons, which gives her perspective as to why others resist CrossFit as well. She also has a very severe neck injury that “should” have left her dead or paralyzed, so she knows quite well what it’s like to overcome and work around, including dealing with the fear and the habit. At "almost 50", she’s in, by far, the best shape of her life, and believes in CrossFit as a way to build your body, your mind, your spirit – and even your ability to relate to and work with other people. Her favorite coaching challenge is people who think they can’t do it, for whatever reason.
At Rocket, Alyssa mostly coaches Weightlifting now. And mostly with kids. She loves the power of Weightlifting to help kids find strength and confidence both in and out of the gym. So if you're at Rocket, and hear some kid (or adult, really) say "gym mom," they're talking about Alyssa.
Truly, though, she spends most of her time these days working with other gyms and coaches on inclusivity issues. She is proudly touring the country with The Out Foundation, as part of their Don't Be An Asshole tour about trans athlete inclusion. When she's not on the road doing that, she runs Inclusive Coaching workshops at gyms around the country (which she loves more than almost anything) and consults with people in the fitness industry about inclusivity and representation in fitness. She tries not to swear so much, but that's hard.
CERTS: CrossFit Level 1 & 2, CrossFit Kettlebell, CrossFit Olympic Lifting, CrossFit Kids, CrossFit Striking, USA Weightlifting Level 1
More about Alyssa's public speaking and published writing can be found here.
