Our trainers are both fun and highly-qualified. They specialize in giving you not only an effective workout, but a safe one too. Girl Fight has a stringent set of requirements to ensure that only the best trainers in the area are taking care of our members.
Amanda was voted 2020's Best Personal Trainer and 2021's runner-up by The Daily Gazette's "Best of the Capital Region" people's choice awards. Her journey in fitness began after college, when she had gained the Freshman 15 (and then some!) and decided to make a healthy lifestyle change. She is an Elite Trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association and holds multiple specializations.
In addition, Amanda is schooled in Israeli Special Forces Krav Maga, a devastating martial art used for self defense and hand-to-hand combat. She is a published author and summarizes her philosophy on nutrition in The 80/20 Plan. Amanda has also completed an Ironman endurance triathlon, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run -- all in one day! She combines all of these skills to create fun, fast, and effective workouts.
Stacey obtained her personal training certification through ACE and has assisted clients individually and in group settings. Notably, she managed and instructed at ILoveKickboxing in Clifton Park and then later at Girl Fight Fitness in Latham. However, her focus now is ensuring a seamless transition from “curious, excited, and maybe nervous” potential new member to “empowered and READY” new member.
Stacey is also a Certified Life Coach, specializing in helping women to “let loose their roar” to create a bad-ass life, with a strategic focus on improving self-confidence and the building of healthy, lasting habits.
In her spare time, you can find her with her wife and pets. Stacey also enjoys the outdoors - kayaking, hiking, and biking - as well as creative ventures of writing and candle-making.
Sami has been a NASM-CPT for over 10 years. She has her BA in Fitness, Exercise, and Nutrition and her MS in Applied Nutrition with a focus on ED Prevention and Obesity.
She is passionate about helping others in every way imaginable to help get them on a healthier path, whatever that looks like! Her focus in fitness is all about functionality for now and into the future. Her nutrition focus is all about enjoying food and her mental focus is all about neutrality.
In Sami’s spare time, you’ll find her baking delicious goods, trying all the matcha lattes in the Capital Region, and going for walks with her dog, Toast.
Donna joined the Girl Fight Fitness team in November 2021, bringing with her extensive coaching experience in youth sports such as soccer and softball, spanning both recreational and competitive levels for ages 4 to 17. Alongside her coaching roles, Donna is an accomplished runner, having competed in races ranging from 5Ks to half marathons. She has also volunteered as a running buddy for Girls on the Run, as a mentor for the American Heart Association's Couch to 5K program, and as an “Angel Runner” with Ainsley’s Angels of America, lending her legs to those in need of a little support.
Donna loves to create dynamic and engaging classes that cater to a wide range of fitness levels and goals. Her dedication and passion were recognized in 2023 when she received a Capital Region Living "Bestie" Award for her efforts as a trainer. Donna holds a certification as a Group Fitness Instructor through ACE.
Outside of the studio, Donna works full time in Information Technology for a large healthcare organization. Her passions extend to animals, nature, music, and photography. She is a proud pet mom and adores her feline fur babies.
Karen’s fitness adventure began about 10 years ago when, in order to keep up with her active toddler, she went from couch to 5k to 15k to half marathon to triathlon in just under a year. She has also completed 4 Ragnar races in Cape Cod. What Karen loved most about racing was not the competition, but the community developed along the way.
Over the years, she began to pursue other interests, including becoming a Level 2 Reiki practitioner, and in 2020 was ordained as an Interfaith Minister.
Yoga teacher training was a journey of self love so that she could live her vow to embody love. Teaching yoga combines Karen’s gifts for sharing, healing and grace with others, with guiding students toward the authentic expression of their best selves – mind, body, and spirit.
Karen works full time in health care-human services, specializing in caring for vulnerable populations. She lives in Glenville with her amazing children and their beloved cats, Sophia and Butters.
Angela received her Zumba license in 2013 and that was the start of her fitness craze. Since then, she has been taking trainings and has obtained several certifications/licenses.
Angela’s motivation to pursue teaching in fitness was from her own fitness journey. Having suffered significant knee and back issues, she struggled to find a consistent routine to keep her in shape. She also found her discomfort and pain were getting worse and worse. She finally committed to a healthier routine; she began taking Zumba classes and started the slow process of changing her eating habits. She also found a wonderful instructor who encouraged her to pursue her own fitness certification.
Not only did she find these new healthy habits erased her chronic knee and back pain, but she wanted to continue her fitness journey and became a licensed Zumba instructor.
Angela is always taking classes to build her knowledge base to assist all, including active older adults, and help them achieve and maintain healthy and active lifestyles. As we age, we start to lose more of our ability to exercise properly which leads to no exercising. Angela’s goal is to not only work with and help the participants in her classes wherever she teaches but all active older adults she encounters.
Angela is also certified in Pedaling for Parkinson’s, Yoga, and many other fitness styles that allow her to help people of all ages and abilities achieve a better quality of life, more mobility, increased strength, and more energy and confidence.
Kirsten’s love for fitness started at a young age when her parents enrolled her in soccer and softball. Once she got to high school she joined the Marine Fitness team, which is a sport based off of the Marine Corp physical fitness test.
Ever since then, KJ has always made fitness a priority of hers and has tried out so many different work outs; kickboxing being her favorite! A close friend who studied Muay Thai taught her some kickboxing basics in college and she was immediately hooked. This started her search for a kickboxing gym, and luckily she found Girl Fight Fitness!
KJ joined as a member in March 2021 and appreciated the empowerment and support she received from all her trainers and the other members. She hopes to continue that trend and encourage other members to find their love for kickboxing and fitness as well!
Kirsten works at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in the Division of Water writing discharge permits, and is always weirdly excited to talk to people about wastewater treatment. In her spare time, she enjoys watching soccer, hanging out with college buddies, and hiking with her husband and dog.
Paula finally realized that the countless starts and stops of at-home exercises and videos just weren’t cutting it anymore. She needed something that would hold her accountable and keep her engaged. So, she decided to try a trial with Girl Fight Fitness in July 2018 and, since then, it has become a habitual part of her life.
Although she is a home body, Paula enjoys attending plays, traveling, and getting her "Rock On" at concerts with her family. She believes music in all its forms can really speak to one’s soul. And just like music, Girl Fight is an outlet to escape everyday pressures.
When not at Girl Fight, Paula work as an Accounts Manager for a local General Contractor and has worked in the construction industry for over 20 years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, drawing, catching up on Netflix, and sometimes channeling her inner child by breaking out the crayons and coloring books.
Carolynn has been active in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years. She started kickboxing in 2004 and earned her Masters Degree in Adaptive Physical Education in 2015 at Sonoma State University in Northern California. Currently she teaches adaptive physical education at the Center of Disabilities in Albany, NY to children with special needs.
She is a CrossFit Level 2 trainer and has a certificate in Autism Fitness. She loves functional fitness workouts that include CrossFit, gymnastics, kickboxing, swimming, running, weight training and yoga. She enjoys programming workouts that are always changing and adapting, so people stay challenged and don't get stuck in a training "plateau."
Peter (he/they) started Martial Arts as a teenager in the Bronx, NY at "America's Finest Karate and Kickboxing Academy." Throughout his time, he's trained in Karate, Kickboxing, Jujitsu, Tai Chi, and Tae Kwon Do. He obtained his 1st Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do in November 2022. He continues to have this art as his main focus and continues to work on obtaining the next rank.
He found a passion for Martial Arts with the understanding that he wanted to learn self-defense as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Peter identifies as transmasc, which caused him to feel uncertain/unsafe when training in cis-male-dominated sports. This fueled his ambition to create a safe and open training space for everyone.
In his spare time, you can catch him at a table playing Dungeons & Dragons or relaxing with his partner, their two cats, and dog!
Jen joined Girl Fight as a member in the winter of 2022. She was looking for a way to exercise, to push her limits, and to relieve stress. What she discovered was an energetic and supportive community with trainers who knew how to motivate her to work harder. After two years of membership, Jen set a new goal to merge her career in education with her passion for exercise by becoming an ACE certified trainer. When a trainer opportunity at Girl Fight presented itself, she jumped at the chance to join the team.
Teaching is in Jen’s blood. With a degree in English Education from St. Rose, she embarked on a twelve-year journey as a High School teacher in Schenectady. Earning a Masters in Education and then a Masters in Higher Education Administration took Jen out of Schenectady into Post Secondary work. After a rewarding span prepping a new generation of teachers in the Education Department at Siena College, Jen took the opportunity to evolve her career once again by joining the New York State Education Department.
At home, Jen is joined by her black rescue cat, Magic, and husband, Jack. A voracious reader, she enjoys non-fiction, true crime, and historical fiction novels. She also enjoys travel and all things summer related.
Call: 518-321-3524
Email: info@girlfightfit.com
Girl Fight Fitness
959 New Loudon Road (Route 9)
Latham, NY 12110
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