Kevin Garcia

Manager

Kevin Garcia is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). After three surgeries causing muscular dystrophy on his right arm and leg, he had to rehabilitate himself to regain lost muscle and address muscular imbalances. After being fully recovered for two years, Kevin has set his sights on competitions such as the Spartan Race and the Ironman Triathlon. Though he may be one of the youngest personal trainers on our team, he is experienced coaching clients as young as 16 and as old as 93. His training variety will surely keep his clients on their toes. His training techniques include kickboxing and calisthenics as well as the more common strength and endurance protocols. Kevin enjoys motivating his clients and seeing them achieve the goals they did not believe were possible months back.

Plato Burstein

Staff

Plato grew up assisting personal training sessions and was promoted to Mascot of Anytime Fitness Kensington by age 5. At 11, he started pulling double duty as the mascot for Anytime Fitness Poolesville as well. Plato enjoys playing tag, spinning in circles, making friends, napping on clothes, and licking sweat off hard-working club members. Generally quite docile, he can be a bit sassy sometimes. Weighing in at just over 10 lbs though, his sass is charming.

Rami Islam

Staff

Rami's fitness journey began as a toddler gymnast over 30 years ago. After 16 years of competing, he then moved on to coaching gymnastics until starting his military career. During his time as a naval officer, he took an interest in bodybuilding and packed on over 40lbs of muscle. As a certified trainer, he joins our Anytime Fitness team with experience in sports conditioning, group fitness training, corrective movement training, and general health.

Kaylyn Policastri

Staff

Our newest teammate, Kaylyn, is a senior at the Academy of the Holy Cross here in Kensington, who developed a healthy interest in physical fitness in 2011. Since then, she took after her Anytime Fitness member mom in learning weight training and practicing yoga and Pilates. Kaylyn also enjoys theatre and devotes her free time to community service. She looks forward to studying Psychology in college and is excited for her new adventure to improve the health of the community she grew up in.

Courtney Shields

Staff

Our Club Nutrition Coach, Courtney Shields, is an ACE certified personal trainer with a specialty in Fitness Nutrition. As a dancer, she developed an interest in fitness at an early age, but struggling with her weight in high school is what started her on her fitness journey. Her goal is to change people's view of dieting by teaching them how to maintain a healthier lifestyle long term.

Brett Bagshaw

Trainer

Brett Bagshaw grew up in the DC area with a fondness and talent for swimming. She swam in college at Villanova University, but after college, she gravitated toward the running/biking/triathlon scene. As indoor cycling became popular, Brett got her certification and has been teaching at area gyms for 10 years. Brett’s spin classes are lots of fun and never fail to provide a great workout. Her classes are focused and challenging, with goals appropriate for both the beginner and the elite athlete. Job 1 is to have fun! In her spare time, Brett enjoys doing anything outdoors with her husband and 5 boys. She loves skiing on water and snow, hiking and mountain biking. She also works as an RN at Children’s National Medical Center.

Jim Edwards

Trainer

Jim is certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, co-owner of Anytime Fitness in Poolesville, MD, spin instructor. He trains people of all ages, but he committed himself early in his career to helping the growing older population meet its fitness goals. He went back to school, earning a gerontology certificate at the University of Maryland, and then added a Senior Fitness Specialist designation to his portfolio. Jim is also a certified Spinning and group fitness instructor and has competed in nearly 50 triathlons, including the 2010 age group national championships in Tuscaloosa, AL. In 2014, he placed third in his age group at the Diamond in the Rough International Triathlon in Perryville, MD, and also qualified for the USAT Age Group National Championships. Additionally, Jim holds a bachelor’s in history from UMBC and a master’s in public communication from the American University.

Sandra Elliot

Trainer

Sandra has a Bachelors Degree in Physical Therapy and Physical Education. She is a bilingual instructor in Yoga, Dance-Aerobics, Conditioning, Step and has experience training pregnant women, seniors and children and is a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

Tess Felabella

Trainer

Tess's preferred mode of transportation has been biking since she was a little girl - first biking to school and then commuting to work. In college, she discovered indoor spinning classes, and in addition to playing soccer, spinning quickly became her workout of choice! She has been instructing professionally since 2015 and loves to bring high energy and a variety of music to each of her classes! While pregnant with her daughter, she believes that spinning kept her feeling great and helped her bounce back to her pre-pregnancy body in no time, which has fueled her passion for helping other mothers stay fit both during and after pregnancy. The positivity and camaraderie of group fitness to inspire Tess and her students to push themselves and spin their way to their health and fitness goals!

Ewelina Ferenc

Trainer

Ewelina Ferenc began her journey of Zumba in 2008, not knowing that this would lead her to love an activity so much she stuck with it and wanted to share the love of Zumba with others. She attended a Zumba breast cancer fundraiser and could not believe how much she enjoyed the music and movements. After looking around for an activity that would have her maintain her activity level she felt it was worth pursuing to the end. The class had her coming back to feel the beauty of the music and the freedom of the movements, not to mention the workout she was getting. In 2012, after many Zumba classes, master classes and taking classes from a variety of instructors, she decided to go out on her own and became and instructor. Ewelina wants to share her passion for Zumba, the movements, the feel of this wonderful workout and stress buster. She encourages everyone to try a class and see what you can get out of it for yourself, it’s your hour and yours alone.

Marcela Garro

Trainer

Marcela Garro is a certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine and teaches group fitness classes at Anytime Fitness. A native of Costa Rica, Marcela moved to the United States in 2008 and relied on exercise and her friends at Anytime to adapt to life here—and to get healthier! Marcela gave up smoking and made significant changes in her diet. Marcela was a standout soccer player in Costa Rica, where she qualified for the national team as a teenager. She now has fun competing in road races. She has run in several of them and performed well.

Meg Goodwin

Trainer

Meg Goodwin has been teaching group fitness for over 20 years, with experience in step, cycling, boot camp, and kickboxing. She found yoga later in life and completed her 250 hour teacher training in 2006 at the North Carolina School of Yoga. Although she loves her cardio (!), she wishes she had been practicing yoga for as long, as she finds it to be an empowering practice allowing one to become truly in-tune with one’s body, both physically and mentally. She is a registered dietitian and registered nurse, currently working full time as a forensic nurse.

Susan Grant

Trainer

Susan Grant became AFAA-certified (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) as a group fitness instructor in 2013 to begin this exciting new career path. Susan holds a bachelors of arts degree and danced semi-professionally, and shared her love of dance by teaching ballet to college students, teens and young children. Susan then went back to school, earning a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in Arts Management, and began a 13-year career in fundraising/grant writing at The Kennedy Center and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. After time spent raising her 2 sons, Susan loves working in the fitness field, and keeping fit and healthy while inspiring her class participants of all ages. She teaches Boot Camp and Pilates at Anytime Fitness Kensington. In addition to group fitness, Susan is also certified to teach Bender Barre None Method, and is Pilates-qualified.

Alex Gray

Trainer

Alex obtained his Schwinn Cycling Certification in 2017 as a means for bringing the passion he has for cycling to the masses. Alex is a longtime member of the Kensington Anytime Fitness family, an avid cyclist, and triathlete. His class structure focuses on bringing an "on the bike feel" to an indoor spin class and is appropriate for beginners all the way up to hardcore seasoned racers.

ashlea gray

Trainer

Ashlea Gray completed her 500-hour teacher training in the Sivananda style of Yoga in 2009 after many years of dedicated personal practice. For her first 3 years of teaching, Ashlea co-ran a co-op yoga studio in Ohio. In class she focuses on the practice of mindfulness, settling into each asana, and leaving the mat with renewed spirit. Ashlea is also a mother, wife, music teacher, and accomplished cyclist

Marquette Heaven

Trainer

David Komlos

Trainer

David Komlos comes to Anytime Fitness with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Penn State, where he also played baseball. He holds teaching certificates in health and physical education as well. He has been teaching elementary physical education and personal training (NSPA certified) since 2005 and experience training clients from a wide range of age groups, abilities, injuries, and fitness needs. He is dedicated to motivating clients in helping them reach their goals and specializes in flexibility, conditioning, and strength training using a variety of techniques. One of his professional goals is to help educate everyone from 5 years old to 105 years old about the benefits of living a healthy and fit lifestyle. He enjoys playing a variety of sports and keeping up with the latest workout trends.

Lauren Nicholas

Trainer

Lauren runs doggie day care and camps by day and then runs a very intense (yet modifiable) total body conditioning class by night. Check her out Wednesday's at 6.15pm!

Ashley Oursler

Trainer

Ashley began leading group fitness ten years ago while serving in the Navy. Health and fitness soon became a passion of hers. After serving five years in the military, she and her husband moved back to Maryland where Ashley began to work on her B.S. in Exercise Science while continuing to teach fitness classes and personal train. Along with being a mom to two young children, she hopes to inspire the community by bringing her energy and knowledge to Anytime Fitness. She plans to continue her studies in nutritional education and become certified as a health fitness specialist.

Allison Palanzo

Trainer

Allison resides locally with her husband and two children. She originally wandered into a yoga class thinking it would be a good way to add stretching into her daily workout routine. Allison instead discovered that yoga would change her life and become the focus of her physical practice. Now, she shares her joy by teaching, and she continues her own growth by practicing regularly. Allison loves to teach a wide range of students; and while she can certainly cue the cool fancy poses, she particularly enjoys teaching beginners the fundamentals of alignment.

Jen Peter

Trainer

Jennifer, a dancer of 16 years, has been coaching dance for 10 years and fitness for 4 years. Jen initially started lifting weights to build her self-confidence, prevent injuries, and manage risk for lifestyle diseases. As a Nutrition Specialist and Personal Trainer - certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine - Jen is excited for the opportunity to assist the Poolesville community's health and wellness goals.

Kellie Redmond

Trainer

Three-year Anytime Fitness Member Kellie Redmond is a NASM and IDEA certified personal trainer & fitness instructor. Kellie has displayed a lifetime passion for health and fitness as a competitive, high-level athlete, majoring in exercise physiology with an emphasis on cardiac rehab. In 2005, Kellie carried this passion to Wootton High School’s Track and Cross Country programs, where she created one of the top programs in the State, compiling 5 Coach of the Year awards as well as numerous County, Regional & State Track and Cross Country awards. Besides teen athletes, Kellie also focuses on development and implementation of both adult and youth group fitness programs of varying intensity levels. Her creativity and dedication to fitness make the long hours required to constantly adapt her programming completely worthwhile. To keep “walking the walk,” she still competitively and was awarded 2013 MCRRC Masters Runner of the Year.

Patricia Rios

Trainer

Patricia was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and has a B.S. in Health Promotion and a Masters in Public Health. During college, Patricia discovered her passion for exercise and health. Ten years after taking her first spinning class, Patricia decided to become a Certified Spinning Instructor so she could share her passion for spinning and help motivate others to maintain physically active lives. Patricia’s philosophy when it comes to exercise is “strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will” (Mahatma Gandhi). Since 2005, Patricia has been performing, at private functions, cultural events, competitions and parades, a Bolivian dance called “tinkus”. And, Patricia joined a Latin performing dance group called Alma DC. Patricia is excited to be able to use her dancing experience as she continues to grow as a fitness instructor for both Spinning and Zumba.

Pedro Rivera

Trainer

Pedro graduated from Catholic University with a B.S in Biology after completing the Pre-Med program. His personal exercise routine began at a young age with soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and cross country. His athletics continued through college- starting all 4 years on the Catholic University baseball team. Upon graduation, he began lifting weights regularly and performing HIIT workouts. In addition, he added mobility drills to those regular workouts. After several years as a Physical Therapy Assistant, he entered the Personal Training realm to help more people reach goals ranging from rehab to sports performance.

Chris Sabate

Trainer

Chris Sabate became certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine in 2018 and has enjoyed all that the fitness world has had to offer since then. Beginning at age 5, Chris began playing ice hockey and continued playing until the age of 20. Having been an athlete, Chris understands the important role that fitness plays in performance, injury prevention, and recovery. Chris has since joined the fitness world as a trainer in the hopes of helping clients live a healthier, injury-free lifestyle and helping them achieve their individual fitness goals. Although Chris enjoys just about any type of workout, he particularly enjoys high intensity workouts that challenge the entire body. When Chris is not in the gym, you can likely find him watching hockey, basketball, or football!

Debi Schenk

Trainer

Debi began practicing Yoga 20 years ago and is currently both E-RYT and YACEP certified and featured in the Nov/Dec issue of Bethesda Magazine 2017! She is thrilled to be able to help students discover the amazing physical and mental benefits that yoga can offer as well as to coach other yoga instructors how to maximize their impact on their students. Debi also has over 17 years of alternative health experience working for a company that produced cutting edge health content, nutritional supplements, organic foods, and natural skin care products. She continues to consult in that arena and loves to share healthy lifestyle tips with her students.

Wai Tam

Trainer

Wai Tam has a BS in Kinesiological Science from the University of Maryland, is certified through the National Council of Strength and Fitness and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and has 15+ years of professional personal training experience. He is excited for new challenges, new types of clients, and new group fitness classes. He is just as comfortable working with a 20-year-old healthy athlete or a 70-year-old grandma with back pain, rotator cuff strains, and bilateral knee replacements. He’s looking forward to being able to reach more people in his quest to educate and train on health and wellness.

Heather Thompson

Trainer

Heather first sought out massage therapy to help manage her own chronic pain, but she soon discovered it was not just something she could benefit from herself; it’s also a skill she could develop to help others. Heather graduated from Potomac Massage Training Institute and became a Registered Massage Therapist in 2012. She left school with comprehensive knowledge of anatomy & physiology and has only broadened her skill set since graduation. With experience in Swedish, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Prenatal, Injury, Oncology, Assisted Stretching, Trigger Point, Sports Massage and more, Heather is proficient with many techniques to help a variety of clients obtain their massage goals. From relaxation to recovery to maintenance and beyond, Heather is excited to help you with your customized massage experience.

Lee Ventura

Trainer

As a member at Anytime Fitness, Lee studied hard for his Exercise Physiology classes and ACSM Personal Training certification. Now as our newest team member, he's excited to share his knowledge with others and to start teaching classes and learning business operations as well! Lee's favorite training style for himself is powerlifting, as he can deadlift 475! But he enjoys the challenge of systematic regressions and progressions for clients of various needs and abilities.