Meet Coach Chelles

Movement has always been an anchor to bring me back to present.

ATHLETICS
My athletic journey taught me what it means to persevere. I often started behind—whether it was joining volleyball later than my teammates or spending my first year of community college as a redshirt—but those experiences shaped my work ethic, resilience, and determination.

By my final year of college volleyball, I became team captain and soon after began coaching, which allowed me to share the lessons I learned through my own athletic journey.

Looking back, I spent many years believing I had something to prove. While that mindset helped me achieve my goals, it also came at a cost. Over time, I learned that lasting strength isn't built by constantly proving your worth—it’s built by trusting yourself, embracing the process, and continuing to show up with intention.

That lesson continues to shape how I coach, how I practice bodywork, and how I support others today.

BODY WORK
My interest in bodywork began long before it became my profession. As a kid, I loved massaging my cousins and aunties, fascinated by how something as simple as touch could help someone feel better.

Years later, after college, I began experiencing my own aches and pains from volleyball and learning to lift weights. After one heavy deadlift, I strained my neck so severely that I developed tunnel vision and persistent headaches. I sought help from several massage therapists recommended by family and friends, but I often left feeling worse than when I arrived.

Everything changed when I met a physical therapist during an open gym volleyball session. Through a bodywork session focused on myofascial release, I experienced significant relief after just one treatment. That experience showed me what thoughtful, skilled bodywork could accomplish and inspired me to learn how to help others who feel lost in their pain.

I attended the National Holistic Institute from 2016–2018 and have continued to expand my education through advanced certifications. Today, my approach integrates multiple hands-on techniques to help clients move with less pain, recover more effectively, and reconnect with their bodies.

MENTAL HEALTH & STRENGTH TRAINING
There was a time when my depression and anxiety became so debilitating that I could no longer play volleyball—a sport that had been my outlet for years. Searching for a new way to feel empowered and present, I turned to strength training.

As I trained, I discovered powerlifting, hired a coach, and stepped onto the platform for my first competition in 2017. I haven't looked back since.

What surprised me most wasn't just how much stronger I became physically, but how much my mental health improved along the way. Through that experience, I realized movement is more than physical—it’s deeply connected to how we think, feel, and experience ourselves.

Strength training also taught me the power of consistency. The habits, rituals, and routines I built through training began to influence other areas of my life, helping me create more structure, self-trust, and awareness.

Today, I help others build that same connection by bridging strength, recovery, and self-reflection to support both physical performance and overall well-being.