Personally, Brian’s been married to his wife, Crystal for 11 years, self proclaimed CrossFit wife turned CrossFit lover herself and is also a Father to 3 of the cutest little CrossFit girls. Professionally, an 11-year startup success story and CrossFit enthusiast. Brian has a drive and work ethic like none other. An insurance pro by day and a CrossFit junkie, basically every other minute he’s awake. Brian’s positive outlook, compassionate approach and “give me everything you’ve got left’ attitude bring out the best out in us all. Be it on the gym floor, out for coffee or gutting it out through a WOD, you want to do better for him, and he wants you to be better and get better for YOU. Brian has been passionate about Personal Training, Olympic Lifting and healthy living since(before it was cool) high school and college. He did back and bi’s & chest with tri’s at a Globgym, like so many before until he drank from the sacred Kool-Aid and his CrossFit hobby, soon became his passion. Brian’s coaching experience includes everything from 1 on 1 to small and large groups of 30+ Athletes.
Crystal is a CrossFitter by marriage and a business person by trade. Her professional background includes small business management and extensive time in her role at a global wealth management firm which she continues to do as a consultant during her day job. She is the proud mom of 3 girls with Brian and lives in Holly Springs. She enjoys cooking with her girls, fundraising and community events and wine and travel. Her favorite CrossFit WOD is anything with box jumps. Crystal’s role at CFC is managing the business side of our gym. She prides herself in creating an unparalleled fitness community AND growing our small business from the ground up.
Kelsey was born and raised in Seattle, WA with her parents and two younger brothers. In 2011, she started her cadet career at the United States Military Academy where she would eventually graduate in 2015 with her B.S. in Civil Engineering and commission as an Engineer Officer. At West Point, Kelsey was a proud member of Women’s Army Rugby for all four years. Since her time in the Army, Kelsey has been at Fort Knox, Fort Leonard Wood, Fort Belvoir, and Fort Liberty with a stint in Tel Aviv, Israel. While at Fort Knox, Kelsey earned her Masters in Engineering Management from the University of Louisville.
Her CrossFit journey started in 2017 at CrossFit Hard Knox and led her to earn her Level 2 Certification in August 2023. Kelsey is currently attending NC State as a full-time graduate and is hoping to earn her M.S. in Human Factors and Applied Cognition. Upon graduation, Kelsey will teach Engineering Psychology at West Point for three years. Outside of the gym you can find Kelsey at Costco, cheering on Seattle or Army sports, or going on a walk with her partner Katey.
Erin is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®) who teaches various styles of yoga; Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Slow Flow, Restorative and Yin. Her passion lies in tailoring yoga to suit your lifestyle. She truly believes incorporating a consistent yoga practice into your regular routine will affect positive change in all areas of your life. Her focus is awareness of body, breath and mind through stillness, flow and meditation.
She has found a passion in working with athletes, specifically CrossFitters, helping them supplement their extensive regimen with yoga to bring better mobility, strength, balance and focus to their training. As a CrossFit Athlete herself, she is able to use her own experiences inside the gym to offer personalized yoga sequencing that compliments the weekly programming.
Coach Meghan Barrett has been a CrossFitter and CrossFit Coach since 2012. She has helped hundreds of athletes achieve their goals both inside and outside of the gym.
She originally started CrossFit so she could do a pull-up in her wedding dress! She now continues to CF in order to keep up with her 2 boys.
She is 2x Regionals Team Athlete in both South America (2013) and the Mid-Atlantic (2016).
She has experience CrossFitting and coaching at all stages of life and uses this to tailor to individual athletes. Her motto is "something is always more than nothing."
Lacy is a wife, momma of 2 young children and a Flight Attendant for over 20 yrs. After living in Florida for many years Lacy a her family relocated to Holly Springs in February of 2020. That summer her dear friend introduced her to CrossFit for the first time, She absolutely loved it and has been doing it daily ever since.
Lacy loves CrossFit because it truly is for everyone. No matter your age or fitness level there is something you can do and improve upon. As long as you show up and challenge yourself you WILL be able to do movements and lift weight you might not thought possible.
Lacy knows this first hand, at 42 yrs young she is lifting heavier weights, and doing gymnastic skills she had never done before! This is why she has decided to begin her coaching journey, she wants others to fall in love with CrossFit like she has and help people grow within this sport no matter their fitness level.
Moto: Do better than yesterday
Brit is extremely passionate about encouraging others in fitness and in life. She started coaching group fitness in Charlotte in 2011 and loves personal training one on one. Her background in gymnastics & cheerleading plus her competitive nature & love for community gave her an instant zeal for CrossFit. Brit started CrossFit in Belize in 2016 and after competing in the Garage Games in Mexico, she was hooked!
What she loves about CrossFit is the drive to achieve new challenges which in turn is motivation for all areas of life. As a coach, Brit loves affirming confidence in other athletes and witnessing transformation through technique, consistency, and accountability. She also acquired her Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Certification to help women through their journey and found it helped tremendously in her own.
Brit’s favorite place to be is with her husband Chris, their sweet daughter Avery, and two golden doodles Jack & Peedee. Chris and Brit are local to the area and have both been a part of CrossFit Contrivance since 2019..
Growing up Roxy was always active in sports and various extracurricular activities which led her to becoming the leader of her teams. After the end of her competitive sport career, she continued her physical fitness passion by taking up trail running and the joining the Iron Chapel (Gold’s Gym).
Roxy started her CrossFit journey in 2017 and since day one of stepping inside the box, Roxy was hooked. CrossFit gave her everything she was missing in the physical fitness realm; accountability, intensity, competitiveness, and an amazing community of friends.
Today, Roxy is happily married to an enchanting husband with which they have a beautiful daughter and another daughter on the way. When she isn’t in the gym crushing workouts, she is outdoors enjoying sunny days.
She aspires to help others reach their physical fitness and health goals, as well as help athletes carry forward the same mental fortitude used in the gym to their families, careers, and community.
I reluctantly started CrossFit in 2010 on a bet. At the time I was very happy doing Bikram Yoga and had no interest in CrossFit. But as one to never back down from a challenge, the deal was between a friend and I where we would each try the others activity for 30 days. The first one to miss a class would be the loser. Two weeks into the challenge my friend missed a Bikram Class, but I wanted to keep sticking it to them, so I finished up the 30 days. I can’t say I really loved CrossFit right from the beginning but after the 30 days, I had met so many fun new interesting people that I wanted to keep going so I could see them.
In 2011, I was on the committee that ran Hawaii’s first 4 man team competition. The Hawaii VA Loans Competition was founded to help Hawaii’s Veterans. Our first year over 80 athletes competed and we donated over $8000 to charity. Over the next three years, the competition grew with over 60 teams, 12 individual regional athletes and over $28,000 raised for charity. It was Hawaii’s largest local competition. I learned that all CrossFitters are very generous, caring and loyal people who love to workout.
By 2012, I was in love with the sport of CrossFit. It’s the only place where we as adults can work on ourselves daily, get positive reinforcement and track our progress. And we are still getting better! At that time, there was limited resources on technique and movement progressions. I loved my coaches because their integrity for movement and passion for community was paramount. I thought, if I could just join in on their conversations on getting people to move better and understand movement, that would be kind of cool, so I got my CrossFit Level 1.
My whole idea of beauty as a woman has shifted thanks to CrossFit. I no longer care about the numbers on the scale but instead the weight on the barbell. I am not chasing cover model beauty standards, but instead chasing my next PR. I look forward to going to gym everyday. My very best friends are CrossFitters. I met my husband through CrossFit. I can’t imagine my life without it. As a Coach, I get to share what I’ve learned and experienced and if that’s the lightbulb moment that helps someone else get better…BOOM!
After competitive sports ended at the end of high school, Ryan was looking for a new way to compete with others while maintaining his health and fitness. A small CrossFit box was located in the ice hockey rink where he grew up having practice, so he decided to give it a try. After getting smoked by people two and three times his age in a simple WOD, he knew he need to come back and figure this “CrossFit” thing out.
Now after over 6 years of being members of various boxes across the country, 3 of which also as a coach, Ryan’ passion for the sport and love for the CrossFit community is stronger than ever. His favorite movements and workouts include anything with a heavy barbell and short sprints. When Ryan is not in the gym he is working as an engineering and construction project manager, building biotech and pharmaceutical facilities in the greater Raleigh area.
Favorite movement: Back Squat
Favorite WOD: Fran
In 2016, Jojo found herself in her mid-30s, with two young kids, a busy life, not having exercised in about 10 years and suddenly feeling weak, out of shape, and as if her body was falling apart. After sharing her concerns with a friend who had recently started exercising, she was introduced to CrossFit in St. Joseph, MI. The first 6 months of exercising were HARD and stepping into the gym was a necessity rather than enjoyment, but as strength, health, and friendships at the gym grew, so did the love and passion for CrossFit.
In late 2019 / early 2020, she decided to take her love for CrossFit to the next level and she earned her CF-L1 trainer certificate, as well as her CrossFit Kids certificate, and was coaching in southwest Michigan until the summer of 2023 when her family made the cross country move to North Carolina.
As a coach, one of Jojo's favorite things is seeing athletes' progress and growth not only physically, but also mentally! It's rewarding seeing the moments when members realize they CAN do all of the things they never thought they could do. Guiding and growing members of all ages from an often hesitant or intimidated state into a confident and strong athlete is what gives Jojo the most enjoyment out of coaching.
Elaina stumbled onto CrossFit in 2004. From the first workout, she knew she had found something that would change her life forever. She thought she knew what fitness was, but, CrossFit totally changed her appreciation for being in shape, strong, and healthy.
Elaina believes the best part of CrossFit is discovering what your body can do, regardless of your age, gender, or size. That was the element that kept her going to the gym - the accountability, support, and community that CrossFit provided.
She is a former Affiliate owner. Elaina is continually working to improve her knowledge and expertise as a trainer.
She enjoys being a positive influence on those around her. Teaching fitness can enhance the quality of life, so why not spread it?
Liz graduated from RPI with a BS in Chemistry and a minor in Education, and then went on to pursue her MS in Physical Sciences from The University of Chicago. She began her career as a Chemistry teacher, and also coached Cross-country, track and field at the HS level. She had been a competitive runner her entire life, and considered herself a runner until she started crossfit. Her love for fitness and background in education coupled together to drive her to become a crossfit coach. She has been coaching crossfit for over 11 years. She feels fortunate to have found a career that she loves every day, all the time. She is happily married with 5 kids, 5 dogs, and 2 cats and understands the demands life brings. It is her goal to make this the best hour of your day. She’s a crossfitter for life and everyday she’s helping you to become a little stronger and a little better and that’s what she LOVES!
Max found CrossFit while living in Berkeley, California in 2010. Since then he has been a member at multiple CrossFit affiliates while living in four different states over the last decade. He and his family moved frequently due to his service in the U.S. Army Rangers and his full time job of leading preconstruction efforts and overseeing construction projects for a multifamily developer. When not at CrossFit Contrivance, Max loves spending time with his family, checking the boxes on a 'honey-do' list and being in the beautiful outdoors.
Max joined CrossFit Contrivance in June 2021 after moving to the area and joined the coaching staff in November 2021. Constantly striving for personal improvement and the endless challenges CrossFit presents are what fuels Max's desire to learn more about CrossFit and share that with our members. He enjoys sharing a 'Word of the Day' in his whiteboard briefs and helping members improve their movement patterns which enables them to live a healthier life.
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