Jim Edwards

Owner

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.

Joy Hallfors

Owner

Joy has a great passion for health and fitness. The combination of 20 years of playing sports and her degree in Health Sciences from Gettysburg College in 2013 make it clear she is meant to be in the fitness industry. She was a dual sport collegiate athlete (softball and indoor track) and has recently completed sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons, half marathons, and a Tough Mudder. Prior to coming to Poolesville, she was the manager of Anytime Fitness Frederick for 3 years. She is a certified personal trainer (NASM) and always eager to help people reach their fitness goals!

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.

Noah Lucas

Staff

Noah Lucas is a Senior at Poolesville High School. Noah plays rugby for the Maryland Exiles . Since his freshman year, he has been a starter on varsity . In three years he has won two state championships and been selected to the Maryland select state team as well as the all star DC elite team that went undefeated in all four of their games against Ohio, New York, Rally and Pennsylvania. Strength and conditioning training has been very important to Noah over the last three years. Noah plans on attending a Division one rugby college in the fall of 2019. Noah is a Junior Fitness Coach here at Anytime Fitness and loves the Environment that the staff and members have created here!

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.

Zhara Abbassi

Trainer

Zahra is an avid yoga practitioner and certified yoga teacher. After a lifetime of avoiding all types of exercise, Zahra discovered yoga in her twenties. She signed up for one week of classes at a yoga studio to introduce her mother to the practice, fell in love, and signed up for a one year membership at the end of that week. Zahra's teaching philosophy is deeply informed by her own yoga journey. She loves helping her students discover the capabilities of their bodies through the calming of the fluctuations of the mind. She wants her students to walk out with a smile and a wonderful feeling of empowerment.

Joyce Berger

Trainer

Rather than be beholden to a particular yoga style, Joyce Berger teaches Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Restorative, Vini and others. In order to empower transformation, whether that means improving balance, flexibility and/or strength, Joyce observes her students carefully and adjusts the poses to accommodate their specific needs and goals.   In December 2011, Joyce obtained her national Yoga Alliance certification as an RYT, “registered yoga teacher”.  This year Joyce earned her E-RYT, which means that she has taught over 1000 hours of yoga.   In 2009, sick and tired of being sick and tired, Joyce decided to pursue an education in nutritional health counseling.  After making small, yet critical dietary changes, she began on a path toward vibrant health, more energy and clearer thinking, In fact, as soon as the fog of ill health began to lift, she was able to discover that her true passion was teaching yoga and supporting others to live a happier, healthier and more productive life!

Jim Edwards

Trainer

Marquette Heaven

Trainer

Marquette Heaven, E-RYT 200, is a life long fitness lover who did not discover yoga until the birth of her fourth child. Admittedly yoga at first was a vehicle to enhance her physical fitness but after a few classes she realized the importance of the mind and body connection. Yoga is now a vehicle to help her manage her type A personality. While Marquette enjoys being a yoga teacher, she considers herself a student first and foremost and enjoys sharing with others that yoga comes in a variety of packages and can be accessible to everyone.

Ana Hernandez

Trainer

Ana Hernandez is a certified Zumba and Strong by Zumba instructor. After taking her first Zumba class, she discovered her new passion. After many instructors suggested her to take the next step and start teaching, she got certified in 2013. She danced Mexican Folklore back in Mexico in her college years and today she combines Zumba and Mexican dances to provide variety and fun for her students. Last January, she stepped out of her comfort zone and decided to become a Strong by Zumba instructor (HIIT). She enjoys dancing, feeling the music and sharing her passion with her students.

Donna Kimball

Trainer

Donna Kimball’s love for fitness and wellness began at the age of 16. Only a personal hobby then which turned into a love for fitness. Since 2010, Donna has been a Group X instructor and enjoys seeing her students learn how to move actively and functionally toward their journey of wellness. By day, Donna works full time at NIST and by night leads fitness classes! Donna currently leads the INSANITY class here at Anytime Fitness in Poolesville and has many certifications which include AFAA  (Group Fitness Instructor), INSANITY®, Tabata Boot Camp™, Military Style “Operation Fit”, PiYo®, P90X®, Kettlebell Hardstyle (RKC), and CPR.

Jess Lindenfelser

Trainer

Jessica has been teaching adult ballet and LaBlast (ballroom fitness) in Poolesville for the past 7 years, and looks forward to growing her new Zumba classes at Anytime Fitness! Jessica specializes in transforming anxious beginners into fit and confident dancers. Jessica is an ACE-Certified Group Fitness Instructor with a 30-year background in dance. Following a lifelong passion for classical ballet, one of her proudest accomplishments was becoming an ABT® Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She teaches American Style Smooth and Rhythm social dance for beginners and creates custom choreography for wedding couples. Jessica also loves teaching “dance fitness” programs, including LaBlast, Shimmyfit, Zumba, and Zumba Gold. Jessica has created her own fitness program, “The Barre Circuit”, which fuses circuit training exercises with classical ballet technique, and she is the founder of Xpress Dance & Fitness.

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.

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.

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!

Sue Sokoll

Trainer

I've been a competitive athlete most of my life - soccer (high school) and fencing (in college!). I taught swimming lessons for 25 years and have been a certified indoor cycling instructor (Mad Dogg, creator of the Spinning Program) since 2001. I started teaching because I was bored in the cycling classes I was taking and wanted to bring the elements of exercise physiology, scientific training principles and athleticism into the cycling studio. Don't repeat the part about being bored!!! Today I ride outside but I don't compete. I swim (attempted and completed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim twice plus other distance races) and run but do not call myself a triathlete! By day I'm a Systems Engineer. I'm a member of Poolesville's Hope Garden Children's Ballet Theatre (not misspelled) Board of Directors, I take ballet lessons, love to bake. I love living in Poolesville and am thrilled to be working for Anytime Fitness, especially when Plato is in the house!

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.

Laura Burstein

Laura joined the Anytime Fitness Kensington family in 2010 with a mission to bring her decade of personal training experience back into an open club setting to help more people achieve their health and fitness goals. Challenging herself to work around a genetic connective tissue disorder, Laura competed in the Figure division of several Body Building shows and was proud to learn new physical and mental skills that enabled her to win the Overall Figure title in 2 regional competitions. Now a founder and co-owner of the Poolesville, MD Anytime Fitness and Regional Director of Operations for both Kensington and Poolesville, Laura is dedicated to sharing her knowledge with others and takes special pride in assisting people overcome lower back and joint pain through core strengthening, functional training, mobility, and exercise modification.

Plato Burstein

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 working at Anytime Fitness Poolesville as well. Now 13, Our friendly, fluffy Member Relations Support Specialist enjoys playing tag, spinning in circles, making friends, napping on clothes, and licking sweat off hard-working club members. Weighing in at just over 10 lbs and generally quite docile, his playful sass encourages smiles throughout the clubs.