Mike graduated with a degree from California State University at Chico, where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Construction Management. After over 5 years of success as an engineer and Project Manager for Rudolph and Sletten, Inc, a few Life Coaching calls with James, founder of OPEX (Formerly OPT), highlighted his true values. Then his vision became clear. It was helping others fulfill their lives through fitness. He found his true passion for health and fitness becoming an OPEX certified coach. In 2013, he transitioned from his engineering role and started coaching athletes all over the world with various levels of fitness. Most notably, coaching CrossFit Games podium athletes Tennil Reed (6th in 2017) and Valerie Voboril (3rd in 2013) Growing up a water polo player and swimmer, fitness has always been an enormous part of Mike’s life. With his engineering background, he utilizes a scientific approach to fitness for proven results. He enjoys being a guinea pig, testing performance variables, pushing health to new extremes and coming up with innovative ways to sustain performance, wellness and longevity with any individual. Mike believes in continuing education and constant learning. He has completed all 5 modules of OPEX CCP Level 1. He spent years training under USAW certification Coach Sean Waxman. Current aspirations in 2013 have him becoming an OPEX Level 2 Coach, Catalyst Athletics certified Weightlifting Coach, obtaining the American Council of Exercise – Functional, Nutrition and Sports Specialist certification and completing his USAW coaching certification.

Today, John lives a life filled with unique experiences, sharing the stage with luminaries and traveling the world.  But, it wasn’t always like that.  He started young. John’s unique business success story started in a 400 sq. ft. studio apartment where he slept on the floor. He had just $2,000. What began as a personal training business has grown into a global multi-million dollar group of corporations providing a variety of educational, consulting and entrepreneurial products and services. John has helped create over 500,000 jobs. FITNESS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS EXPERIENCE: Each week, over one million people enjoy a fitness, coaching and personal development program John developed. His systems are used in the top resorts, spas and fitness centers. John is the CEO of the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA), Personal Trainer Hall of Fame (PFHF), Fitness Hall of Fame (FHOF), Spencer Institute for Life Coaching (SI), International Triathlon Coaching Association (ITCA), and the Mixed Martial Arts Conditioning Association (MMACA). John created Adventure Boot Camp. He also co-created Intense Mixed Performance Accelerated Cross Training (IMPACT), Kung-fu Fitness, TACTIX and co-developed Survival Combat Fitness (SCF). His programs are used by Cirque du Soleil, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, U.S. Secret Service, FBI and Coast Guard, and he’s consulted the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships). SPEAKER/PRESENTER: John delivered the Commencement Speech for (IVC) Irvine Valley College and shared the stage/screen with the following luminaries: Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul), Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul), Leigh Steinberg, Daymond John (Shark from Shark Tank), Kevin Harrington (Shark from Shark Tank), Barbara De Angelis, Jon Biel, DC Cordova, Lewis Howes, Grant Cardone, Denis Waitley, Frank Maguire (founder of Fed-Ex), Michael Gerber, Les Brown, Joe Vitale, Simon T. Bailey, John Assaraf, JJ Virgin, Tai Lopez, Ali Brown, James Malinchak (ABC’s Secret Millionaire), Forbes Riley, James Altucher, Brian Tracy, Larry Benet, Dr. John Demartini, Marie Diamond, Topher Morrison, Martin Rooney, Kevin Nations, Peter Thomson, Gary Goldstein, Dr. Robi Ludwig, Ryan Lee, T. Harv Eker, Dr. Bruce Lipton, and many others. He has also been an expert panelist for TEDmed and fitness expert for eHow. AUTHOR/CO-AUTHOR: New Rules of Success, The Compass, The Code, How Badly Do You Want It, Peak Vitality, Power of Champions, The Wellness Code, The Ultimate Life Coach Business Book, Collaboration Economy, Rapid Body Makeover and Health and Wellness Today. John has collaborated on books with other leading experts such as Dr. Oz, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. John Gray, Eckhart Tolle, Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Michael Beckwith, Kevin Harrington, Yanik Silver and Mariel Hemingway. PHILANTHROPIST: John is the CEO of the Get America Fit Foundation (GAFF) (501c3), which educates the public about living a healthy life and provides exercise equipment for schools and helps military veterans with physical challenges. He also supports multiple additional charities including Miracles for Kids. ENDURANCE ATHLETE: John has ridden his bicycle enough miles to circle Earth. He competed in over 100 sports competitions including the Ironman triathlon. He also finished 5th at the U.S. National Run/Bike Championships and won the Montebello Cycling Classic and Roadrunner Inline Skating Competition. MARTIAL ARTIST: John has earned a 2nd degree black belt in Kung-fu, black belt in Ninjutsu, purple belt in Tae Kwon Do, blue belt in Krav Maga, and blue belt in Kempo Karate and blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He’s also trained in Muay Thai for many years. John is a certified instructor of self-defense, fitness kickboxing and fitness boxing. He’s competed in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championships FORMAL EDUCATION: John holds two bachelor’s degrees (business & health science), an MBA with an emphasis in marketing, and a doctorate in education. He also completed doctoral level studies in naturopathic health education. He holds fifteen certifications including massage therapy, plyometrics, physical education, flexibility, nutrition coaching, water fitness, exercise rehabilitation, golf conditioning, Pilates, personal training, clinical hypnotherapy, sports hypnosis, PACE circuit training, and yoga. His medical training includes a license in radiological technology, a medical assisting certification, and training in McKenzie rehabilitation. He has specialized training in ropes course facilitation and corporate team-building. TV/RADIO/MOVIES: John has been featured on Oprah radio, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, FOX, FOX Sports, FOX Reality, SPIKE, and ESPN. He was featured as the fitness and lifestyle expert on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County and Daybreak OC. John has also appeared on Starting Over, Life Moments, Camp Reality and America’s Premier Experts. He is the creator and executive producer of the awarding-winning documentary movie The Compass. He hosted the Ms. Fitness U.S.A. & World pageants on Fox Sports Net, The Fit Show, Health & Wellness Today, Core 360 Personal Gym infomercial, Personal Trainer TV, The OC Body, The Spencer Power Hour radio show, the now the Training & Coaching Lifestyle Podcast. John is also featured in the movie Riches. PRINT MEDIA: John is the former Fitness Editor for OC Flair magazine and has been featured or mentioned in the following publications: MMA Business, Muscle and Fitness, Businessweek, U.S. News and World Report, C magazine, IDEA Fitness Journal, Cosmopolitan, Fit, New York Times, Men’s Health, Better Homes and Gardens, Women’s World, Self, Bloomberg. He’s appeared on the cover of Income, Fit Entrepreneur, and Personal Fitness Professional Magazines. John is the publisher of Personal Trainer Magazine. AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS: Amazon #1 Best Selling Author “Health & Wellness Today” Amazon #1 Best Selling Author “Rapid Body Makeover” Amazon #1 Best Selling Author “The Wellness Code”Collaboration Economy Book Amazon #1 Best Selling Author “New Rules of Success” Amazon #8 Best Selling Author “Collaboration Economy“ Personal Trainer Hall of Fame Inductee (2012) Nominated for induction into the National Fitness Hall of Fame (2011) Best Health Book: Nautilus Book Award “Peak Vitality” Best Self-Help / Motivational Book: US Book News “Peak Vitality” Top 10 New Release: Hudson News “The Compass” book Communicator Award “The Compass” movie Telly Award “The Compass” movie Quilly Award from the National Academy of Best Selling Authors Nominated for the California Community College Distinguished Alumni Award Named One of the Top 100 Most Influential Personal Trainers of All Time Named One of the Top 100 Fitness Entrepreneurs in the World Named Outstanding Member of IDEA Association of Fitness Professionals Named Top 40 Fitness Blog of 2013

Matt Albrizio is the Vice President of Sales at Forever Fierce. Matt is passionate about working along side other small businesses. His focus is working with CrossFit owners to maximize their revenue selling original and branded apparel. His clients have made thousands of extra dollars per implementing his go-to strategies. Forever Fierce is a company dedicated to promoting a no-quit attitude for today’s athletes, coaches, businesses and organizations through their original apparel designs. In a day and age where apathy is the accepted norm, where it has become easy to quit and give up, they are forging a mindset of mental toughness, fortitude, and drive. Forever Fierce is steadfast in their mission. They seek to deliver unique, high-quality apparel for your team or club in a cost-effective manner. Gone are the days of low-quality t-shirts with generic clip-art designs that fit poorly... Gone are the days of unreturned phone calls and poor customer service...Gone is the apparel that lines the bottom of your drawer and gets used to wax your car. Welcome to a world of originality, quality, and distinction.

Brian is CEO/Founder of CrossFit Illumine and Illumine Fitness in Chicago.  He has a rapidly growing business with two locations and a clear distinction between Illumine and his competitors. Having found CrossFit after a decade of hitting the weights and running at the gym, Brian hasn’t looked back.  He always says CrossFit makes you a better human being physically, mentally and emotionally and is passionate about everything he does.  When he found CrossFit it was a “Lightbulb” moment and he knew he had to share it with the world.  His biggest assets are his leadership and motivation skills.  Three passions in life are Nutrition, Fitness, and Pitbulls. CrossFit Illumine is a direct reflection of his philosophy on Fitness and Life in general.  He teaches people about the big picture, longevity and taking risks.

Jim is CEO of OPEX in Scottsdale, AZ.  They are a global coaching education company offering remote coaching and gym licensing. Every endeavor that Jim Crowell has tackled throughout his life has led him to his coaching role with OPEX. In school, whether he was playing 5 sports in high school, competing as a member of the Big Ten Men’s Tennis at Penn State, or mentoring numerous students and athletes Jim’s reputation was built early around hard work and tremendous care for the people around him. Even though athletics were a huge part of his college life Jim’s double major in Finance and Economics led to enter the hedge fund world where he would become an energy commodities trader in Austin. It was in that fast-paced environment where Jim learned how crucial continuous education is. He found a great love of researching his craft inside and out. Learning became one of Jim’s highest values. That focus on learning helped teach him to strive for the best possible methods to benefit his clients. After 5 years in the financial arena, Jim couldn’t ignore his heart anymore. For the next 4 years, he opened and successfully managed multiple fitness facilities in Pittsburgh. It was in Pittsburgh where Jim spent countless hours learning and testing principals with his athletes. But, he also tested those strategies as an athlete himself. His athletic drive solidified him a spot in the 2014 Individual Mid-Atlantic Regionals. He built his coaching reputation around two main points: progress and fulfillment. That reputation of positively impacting his client’s lives provided him the opportunity to work with thousands of wonderful people ranging from professional athletes to adults hungry for better fitness and wellness, and to kids of all ages. After his tenure in Pittsburgh, he was honored to join OPEX. He has the privilege of working with inspired clients and learning from some of the finest coaches in the world. His unique experiences have helped him understand that everybody is unique. That understanding helps him ensure that his approach for each and every athlete meshes with their specific goals and values in a way that will help them reach their highest potential in a way that they truly enjoy.

A 2-Time Olympic Gold Medalist in rowing (W8+) from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. She has podiumed at every World Championship rowing competition she has ever competed at accruing a total of 6 World Championships Gold Medals and 2 Bronze Medals. Erin began her rowing career by walking on to University of California, Berkeley and was part of the 2-time NCAA Championship Cal Women’s Crew in 2005 and 2006. She takes us through her experience as an athlete and what life is like on the other side of hitting the apex of her sport.

James is THE "O.G" when it comes to competitive functional fitness and the very first man to be crowned the CrossFit Games Champion in 2007. He is the founder of OPEX which is a high-level educational company for fitness coaches and a conglomerate of qualified online coaches. He is often times the smartest guy in the room and has made it his mission to pave a path where professional coaches can make a great living with purpose and prestige.

Ever thought about writing a book?  Many of us, but rarely execute.  Jason has and he details that process and how he reaps the benefits.  He is a co-founder of OwnYourEating.com along with his fiance, Roz.  They are a growing force in the world of online nutrition and his story is a great one

Box Pro Magazine is a publication with the mission of educating and empowering fitness professionals. Heather is a professional journalist providing highly valuable methods that will assist fitness professionals in producing relevant content for their clients and prospects. She also has a unique vantage point that allows her to see trends in the industry (hint: digital marketing is a big one).

Jason is an expert in program design and has leveraged that expertise into a global brand. He provides a ton of insight into what makes solid program design, his mentors, and the everyday tools he uses to do great work. He also digs into the importance of explaining the "why" to your clients (hint: increased retention, results, and referrals).