CrossFit Seminar Staff

CrossFit Seminar Staff trainers teach the CrossFit Education courses and certifications, open to individuals and trainers seeking to improve their health and fitness through effective training and nutritional strategies.

Nicknamed the “Red Shirts,” these specialized trainers are recruited, selected, and developed for exceptionalism in the hard and soft skills of coaching. Armed with technical knowledge and social intelligence, the Seminar Staff trainers distill a large body of knowledge down to simple, salient teaching points to give athletes and coaches the comfort and confidence to immediately apply what they’ve learned.

These skills, although impressive, rank a distant second to the most important Red Shirt attribute: selflessness. Unrelenting service to the CrossFit community trumps all.

Please note that not all Seminar Staff trainers are listed. CrossFit’s Seminar Staff is made up of a diverse and highly experienced team from around the world, and this selection represents only a portion of the individuals who contribute to delivering our courses.

USA/CANADA

Melissa Reed

Specialty: Health Science, General CrossFit Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, Physical Therapist, Training Pregnant and Postpartum Athletes Certificate, CrossFit Kids Certificate, CrossFit Masters Certificate, CrossFit Gymnastics Certificate, CrossFit Weightlifting Certificate, Aerobic Capacity Certificate, CrossFit Football Certificate, Hybrid Strongman Certificate, CrossFit Endurance Certificate

Melissa Reed has over 20 years of experience as a physical therapist, 18 years as a CrossFit trainer, and 15 years as an affiliate owner. She specializes in injury rehab, women’s health, and postpartum care, and spent the last five years teaching “Extremity Management” for the Institute for Clinical Excellence, a physical therapy CEU company. She has also coached strength and conditioning for semi-pro hockey teams and high school youth sports teams.

 

Dan Hollingsworth

Specialty: Health Science, Masters Coaching, Personal Training

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach, Physical Therapist 

Dan Hollingsworth is a physical therapist with a B.S. in Exercise Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Army-Baylor. He owned an affiliate for 14 years and now runs a garage affiliate, CrossFit Upper Left. 

“Over the last few years, I have especially enjoyed chatting with health care providers and helping them better understand what CrossFit ACTUALLY is and breaking down some of their misconceptions.”

 

Jocelyn Rylee

Specialty: Nutrition

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach, BComm, MBA, CSCS

Jocelyn Rylee has been running a CrossFit affiliate full-time with her husband since 2008, gaining extensive experience in nearly every aspect of affiliate ownership and coaching. With Seminar Staff experience since 2020, she is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and helping the next generation of affiliate owners and coaches succeed. Her expertise includes negotiating lease agreements, buying and selling commercial property, managing business partnerships and investors, handling multiple affiliate locations, and streamlining operations. Rylee also specializes in member retention, leveraging technology for stress management and mental health, and navigating the unique challenges of operating a business with a spouse, including pregnancy and maternity leave.

 

Joe DeGain

Specialty: Kids Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach, Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education

Joe DeGain is a certified teacher in Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Michigan. He has 12 years of experience as a P.E. and health teacher and served as a high school strength and conditioning coach for seven years. A CrossFit Seminar Flowmaster who has led over 500 seminars, DeGain was also a CrossFit Regionals qualifier from 2011 to 2014.

 

 

Jennifer Hunter

Specialty: Masters Coaching, General CrossFit Coaching, Personal Training

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach, B.A. Psychology and Spanish, MFA Theatre

Jennifer Hunter-Marshall is a well-known figure in the CrossFit space. She is a mother of two, a former competitive bodybuilder, an artist, an affiliate owner, a 2014 CrossFit Games Masters athlete, and a three-time Regionals athlete.

Hunter-Marshall was introduced to CrossFit in 2006 and co-founded CrossFit Garden City with her husband, Dennis, in 2010. Since then, Hunter-Marshall has supported people in their health and fitness journeys and has traveled across the country for the last 14 years, mentoring future CrossFit trainers.

 

Zach Forrest

Specialty: Military Training, General CrossFit Coaching, CrossFit Games Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach, Military and Law Enforcement Experience

Zach Forrest has been a dedicated part of the CrossFit community since 2005. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, he brings nearly two decades of experience in the fitness world to the table. From 2008 to 2019, he successfully opened, owned, and operated five CrossFit affiliates in the Las Vegas Metro area, helping countless people transform their lives through fitness. Forrest’s expertise goes beyond the affiliate floor. Since 2010, he has been a member of CrossFit’s Seminar Staff, leading Level 1 and Level 2 Certificate Courses. His passion for CrossFit also led him to compete at the CrossFit Games four times, a testament to his commitment to his own fitness. His deep understanding of the challenges and rewards of owning multiple gyms makes him uniquely equipped to guide others toward building thriving fitness businesses.

 

Jessica Pilling

Specialty: Health Science

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMHC), M.S. in Counseling Psychology

Jessica Pilling began her career in a community mental health center as a generalist, counseling individuals between 5 and 78 years old. Later, she started specializing in therapy for young children between the ages of 3 and 11. She also serves as a school-based therapist supervisor, mentoring and overseeing newly graduated therapists.

Pilling is licensed in the state of Iowa, and although she doesn’t practice anymore, she uses her therapeutic skills as a CrossFit trainer at CrossFit Smokeshow.

 

Aimee Lyons

Specialty: Kids Coaching, Masters Coaching, General CrossFit Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach

Aimee Lyons’s CrossFit journey began in 2008 when her first workout left her unable to stand straight for three days — despite a decade of consistent fitness. This transformative experience led her to travel 500 miles to Maine for her CrossFit Level 1 Course, and just three months later, she opened her own affiliate, CrossFit King of Prussia, which she still runs today. With over 15 years of experience, Lyons has worked as a head trainer and Flowmaster on CrossFit’s Seminar Staff, coaching tens of thousands of athletes and mentoring many who have opened their own affiliates. Since 2018, she has been providing global coach development, helping individuals reach new levels mentally, physically, and emotionally through CrossFit.

 

Adrian Conway

Specialty: Nutrition, CrossFit Games Coaching, General CrossFit Coaching, Personal Training, Kids Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer,  B.S. in Human Performance, Nutrition Coaching: PNL1 + ISSA Nutrition Coaching, CrossFit Weightlifting Certificate, CrossFit Power Lifting Certificate

Adrian Conway started his career in 2006 with performance development for children ages 8 to 17. His first coaching job was with youth athletes wanting to enhance power, speed, agility, and strength with dreams of becoming professional athletes or Olympians. Since 2011, Conway has designed programs to help CrossFit competitors level up their abilities and has coached elite athletes in the individual, team, and age-group divisions at the CrossFit Games.

 

Larry Thomas

Specialty: Kids Coaching, CrossFit Games Coaching, Masters Coaching, General CrossFit Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Adaptive and Inclusive Trainer, USA Weightlifting Advanced Sports Performance, Degree in Exercise Science

Larry Thomas spent years working as a full-time collegiate-level strength coach, working with athletes aspiring to compete at the professional level. He is the owner of Commonwealth CrossFit and CrossFit Accolade, where he coaches local high school athletes to build general physical preparedness in the offseason, runs an Olympic weightlifting program, and offers masters programs for athletes over 55. Thomas also helps the Adaptive Training Academy run workshops and clinics for disabled veterans looking for accessible training programs.

 

Lisa Ray

Specialty: Masters Coaching, General CrossFit Coaching, CrossFit Games Coaching, Kids Coaching, Adaptive Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach

Lisa Ray found CrossFit in 2004, and she and her husband, Mike Ray, opened CrossFit Flagstaff in Arizona in 2006. They both joined CrossFit’s Seminar Staff the same year. Ray is a Level 1 and Level 2 Flowmaster, a mentor, and a judge for the CrossFit Games. After 16 years of affiliate ownership, she sold CrossFit Flagstaff in March 2022 to turn her attention more fully to teaching seminars and sharing her affiliate and coaching experience to help others.

 

 

Kurtis Bowler

Specialty: Masters Coaching, CrossFit Games Coaching, General CrossFit Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach

Kurtis Bowler started CrossFit in 2003 and opened Rainier CrossFit in July 2004, making it one of the oldest operating CrossFit affiliates. He has trained competitive CrossFit athletes and implements Strongman in the classes at his gym. Bowler has been part of the Seminar Staff for more than two decades, joining in November 2005.

 

 

Chuck Carswell

Specialty: Masters Coaching, CrossFit Games Coaching, General CrossFit Coaching, Military Coaching

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach

Chuck Carswell has been part of CrossFit for nearly two decades, making an impact as a coach, mentor, and longtime member of CrossFit’s Seminar Staff. He’s one of the most experienced trainers in the world, having taught thousands of athletes and coaches through the CrossFit Level 1 and Level 2 Certificate Courses.

Outside of seminars, he coaches strength and conditioning for teens and youth, is a CrossFit Masters course instructor, and guided the creation of CrossFit’s nutrition programs.

 

SOUTH AMERICA

Carlos Andrade

Specialty: Nutrition

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, Degree in Dietetics and Nutrition 

Carlos Andrade has 20 years of experience in dietetics and nutrition. He started CrossFit in 2007 and earned his Level 1 just two years later. He is also the affiliate owner of Haku CrossFit in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He started translating CrossFit courses in 2010 and officially joined Seminar Staff in 2012. 

 

 

Ricardo Rivas

Specialty: Nutrition

Credentials: CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, Masters in Clinical Nutrition, PN1

Ricardo Rivas is the affiliate owner and a coach at Rarmur CrossFit in Mexico City, Mexico. Starting CrossFit in January 2011, he earned his CrossFit Level 1 credential in November of that year and has been coaching ever since. In 2012, Rivas joined the Seminar Staff as an intern, translating seminars across Latin America. He officially earned his Red Shirt in August 2013. 

Rivas received a master’s degree in clinical nutrition in 2012 and continues to research the latest trends in nutrition to share with his clients. 

 

EUROPE

Angelica Veskoukis

Specialty: Nutrition, Health Science

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition and Science

Angelica Veskoukis started CrossFit 13 years ago and earned her CrossFit Level 1 credential in 2016. She joined the Seminar Staff in 2018.

Veskoukis started her journey in nutrition after listening to the nutrition lecture at her CrossFit Level 1 Course. In 2019, she earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and science, and for the last two years, she has been employed as a nutritionist at CrossFit Medis and CrossFit Sickla.

 

 

Kathrin Elias

Specialty: Health Science

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, Psychotherapist

Kathrin Elias has been training in CrossFit since May 2010 at CrossFit Vienna, where she still trains today. She started coaching CrossFit in the summer of 2012 and joined the Seminar Staff in January 2014. For the last six years, she has studied to become a psychotherapist in the humanistic field, focusing on Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach. 

Since 2023, she has worked as a psychotherapist, viewing the therapeutic relationship as a process of personal development, fostering growth, learning, adjustment, and healing. Her practice is grounded in solid theoretical and practical training, including personal therapy, ongoing supervision, and the core conditions of empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard as a lived attitude rather than mere techniques. She regularly reflects on her blind spots and ethical responsibilities through peer consultation and self-experience, always honoring clients as autonomous individuals with inherent dignity and life expertise, while integrating research on person-centered therapy, attachment, and neurobiology to align science with real-session insights.

 

ASIA

Juria Maree

Specialty: Health Science, Masters Coaching, General CrossFit Coaching, Nutrition

Credentials: Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer

Juria Maree started CrossFit in 2008 and joined the Seminar Staff in January 2012. Outside of the Seminar Staff, she supports affiliates across South Asia as a country manager and runs the scholarship program at her affiliate, CrossFit Enduro. 

Maree is formally trained in marketing management, working in Big Pharma and aviation logistics before choosing to move into CrossFit full-time.