Katie Hayes: The Path of a Career CrossFit Coach

Katie Hayes is a Certified CrossFit Coach (CF-L4), a trainer on CrossFit’s Seminar Staff, a former affiliate owner, and a passionate advocate for CrossFit as a way to improve health and fitness. But prior to finding her way, Hayes underwent a transformation that changed her entire trajectory in life. 

As a junior in college, Hayes too often found herself leaning on eating food and drinking alcohol to forget about her physical state. Hayes was overweight, unhealthy, and lacking confidence. When she realized she wanted to improve her health and put some distance between herself and her party lifestyle, Hayes moved from Chicago, Illinois, to Jacksonville, Florida, to live with her sister, Meghan Russell — owner of CrossFit Jax. Although she had considered CrossFit before, Hayes says she was too intimidated to walk through the doors of an affiliate.

“The only way I would try CrossFit was at my sister’s gym,” she says. “I was unwilling to walk into just a random CrossFit gym … I remember thinking, maybe (CrossFit) will be the thing that completely changes my life.” 

And it was. Major changes to her nutrition habits coupled with a consistent CrossFit routine helped Hayes lose more than 100 lb, regain her self-confidence, and find a new purpose in life. 

The next clear step for Hayes was to become a CrossFit trainer. Hayes’ natural presence and rapidly evolving love for CrossFit made the decision a “no-brainer,” Russell says.

After earning her Level 1 Certificate in 2010, Hayes started coaching at CrossFit Jax. Things snowballed from there: Two years later, Hayes was hired on CrossFit’s Seminar Staff. In 2015, she became a Level 3 CrossFit Trainer, and in 2022, Hayes earned the title of CrossFit Level 4 Coach, the highest credential offered by CrossFit and one that denotes an expert CrossFit coach.

Today, Hayes serves to inspire people who are intimidated by CrossFit to give it a try.

“I really understand when people come in with that intimidation factor — and that happens a lot. And I’ve been there, I’ve walked through that stuff and I know how scary it is,” she says, adding with a smile, “but I also know what’s on the other side.”

Note: During the filming of this project, Hayes and her husband were the owners/operators of CrossFit Beaver Menace in Castle Rock, Colorado. Since then they have sold the gym to pursue more opportunities to grow and develop coaches and other affiliate owners within the community. They are still full-time coaches at CrossFit Beaver Menace.