Abby Black

Abby moved to Seattle from North Carolina, bringing a strong background in fitness and performance training. She played both soccer and track in college, earning a degree in Exercise & Sport Sciences along with certifications as a personal trainer (ACE) and group fitness coach (AFAA). With experience training and coaching in both collegiate and gym settings, she has worked with a wide range of individuals to help them achieve their strength training goals.
Her passion for strength training began in childhood, driven by a desire to get stronger and faster. She thrived in a gym environment with a coach, witnessing improvements not only in her athletic performance but also in other aspects of her life. That experience inspired her to pursue a career in fitness, helping others build strength, confidence, and resilience through training. Outside the gym, she enjoys discovering new coffee shops and exploring the city.

Alex Maloney

Alex has always wanted to work in the sports/medical/rehab world but didn't know what her direct calling would be with the vast array of options. She started playing soccer at the age 9 and through her first 3 years in college. After missing her senior season and back-to-back shoulder surgeries, Alex took a yearlong athletic training internship - which led her to the question, "How do we prevent injuries instead of waiting for one to happen?". That's when she found the world of strength and conditioning and obtained her NSCA CSCS certification in May 2023. Alex is also a Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC) and USA Weightlifting L1 Certified Coach.

When she is not coaching, 90% of Alex's time is filled with her Great Dane Oreo - they love hiking, traveling and exploring dog friendly places in Seattle. The rest of her time is spent either in the gym, playing recreational soccer, or in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes.

Camaira Metz

Born and raised in Seattle, Camaira grew up loving soccer, dancing, and always moving her body. When she was in high school, she started experiencing severe chronic pain in her back, shoulders, and neck. In 2019, she discovered strength training and the huge benefits that came along with it. Camaira found that not only did lifting heavy make her stronger both physically and mentally, but she wasn't in as much pain on a daily basis. This led her to wanting to help other people become stronger and feel better in their bodies. Camaira is now a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer.

When not coaching or weightlifting, Camaira is also a professional musician! You can find her around the greater Seattle area singing and playing the piano at various venues and bars. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and family, attending concerts, and going to way too many Mariners games.

Chris Travis

Chris was active in his youth playing football and basketball, but digressed while in college at the University of Washington and post-college as he progressed in his corporate career in technology, where he spent close to a decade at Amazon. In 2013, he decided to focus on his health as a priority. At that point, he was letting the stress of his job take a toll on his body, nutrition, sleep, and overall health. Two events that year helped him shift his mindset to ensure his own health was a priority: 1) the upcoming birth of his daughter, and 2) a Spartan Race he completed with friends. His first step was to enter a gym, and thankfully, he found the original SSP in South Lake Union. In 2019, Chris became inspired by his own experience and passionate about how he can give back to others. He left Amazon to begin coaching full-time and opened SSP Queen Anne in August 2020. When he is not at the gym, you can find him running Spartan Races at longer and longer distances and hanging with his wife, 8 year old daughter and 11 year old pup, Molly!

Chris holds the below education and certifications:
- Masters of Science (M.S.) in Exercise Science
- Certified Personal Trainer, Performance Enhancement Specialist, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM-CPT, PES, FNS)
- Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC)
- Precision Nutrition L1 Certified Coach (PN1)
- Spartan Race SGX Certified Coach
- Girls Gone Strong Certified Pre & Postnatal Coach (GGS-CPPC)
- Functional Movement Systems L1 Certified (FMS-L1)
- Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms)
- BioForce Certified Conditioning Coach
- Level II Certified Speed Coach through the National Association of Speed and Explosion (NASE)

Cory Axmear

Growing up in Kansas City, Cory spent her childhood dancing but never felt particularly athletic. However, her passion for understanding the human body and optimizing performance led her to pursue a degree in Exercise Physiology. In this pursuit she fell in love with strength training, realizing you don’t have to play sports to feel athletic. After an internship at a sports rehab physical therapy clinic, she found her true calling in helping people bridge the gap between rehab and returning to their sport or everyday activity. Cory holds certifications in NASM CPT, CrossFit Level 1, FMS Level 1, and (coming soon) CFSC.

In 2022, Cory moved to Seattle, drawn by the outdoor opportunities like hiking and exploring the mountains and lakes. When not coaching, you'll find Cory outside enjoying nature, reading, cooking extravagant meals, or screaming to world how much she loves her two cats, Olive and Leto.

Dalton Burr

Dalton's passion for fitness comes from a decade long career as a professional dancer in Chicago where
he performed with such companies as Aerial Dance Chicago, Elements Contemporary Ballet, Chicago
Repertory Ballet, and Drifters Collective circus arts. This culminated in the founding of his own company
DNA Circus Arts in 2018. Dalton relocated to Seattle just over two years ago with his partner Jeff Scott
and dog Kiba. A move that has allowed him to be closer to his family that live in Portland. As of
December 2023, he is recognized as a 500hr certified yoga instructor with an emphasis in both vinyasa,
and yin restorative practices. Also, in 2023 he served as a national trainer in the launching of a strength
based training program with the nation’s largest yoga corporation, incorporating strength based
exercise fundamentals within a traditional yoga practice. In addition, he is completed his Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC) certification in Sep 2024!

His understanding of somatic breathing practices has had a direct impact on not only how he personally trains but how he coaches as well. SSP’s core value: “strength training is for everybody” has been a personal life mission of his (in yoga this is called a sankalpa), and a defining factor in his decision to join the team.

When not in the gym Dalton is usually relaxing at home with his partner and dog watching your favorite
reality television show or playing video games online with his friends.

Diane Stephani

Diane was born and raised in Northwest Indiana, where she played tennis and did marching band in school. When she moved to Seattle in 2014, she was in her early 20’s and knew she needed to start taking her health more seriously. She didn’t know how to get started with exercising, so she got a job working the front desk at a local gym. The people she met there had such a positive impact on her life that she decided to get her personal training certification in 2020. She loves working with those who are new to weightlifting, and helping them get more comfortable in the gym. In 2022 she began working with Exos, where she took an interest in sport performance and created a strong fitness community that gained global recognition. She joined SSP in 2024 to create a brand new community in West Seattle.

When she’s not at the gym, she’s spending time with her pets!

Jaiden Elliott

I grew up in northern New Jersey and have been playing sports ever since I could walk. I picked up basketball and football as soon I was able and later track and field in high school. When I had to miss a whole season after getting hurt I quickly found my interest in strength training as I did rehab. From seeing how important strength training was as it helped me return to sports it led me to get my degree in Health & Exercise Science at the The College of New Jersey where I was able to play football and compete in track and field. Here I was able to learn more about health and fitness and how I could use it to help others the same way it has helped me.

Outside of the gym I love playing basketball or any kind of sport. I also enjoy rock climbing and discovering new music while learning how to play the saxophone.

Miranda Perez

Miranda is thrilled to be joining the Seattle Strength and Performance team as the Facility Leader! She’s been in the fitness world since 2019 as a personal trainer and just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in May 2024. Originally from Victoria, TX, she’s always dreamed of living in Seattle and now she’s finally calling this amazing city home!

With a strong background in strength training and powerlifting, Miranda has worked at a variety of gyms, including Anytime Fitness, Gold’s Gym, and YMCA as a manager and trainer. Her passion is helping people push their limits and crush their fitness goals while having fun along the way. She believes workouts should be something you look forward to, and she makes it her mission to bring that energy to every session.

Outside of the gym, you can find Miranda hanging out with her three chihuahuas or rocking out at a concert. She’s not just about lifting weights she’s also known for stage diving at rock shows!

Miranda can’t wait to help the Seattle Strength and Performance community crush their goals, have a blast while doing it!

Natalie Ribble

Coach Natalie wasn't a super athletic kid, but fell in love with fitness in her early 20's after discovering strength training. Strength training helped her embrace her body, do things she never thought were possible, and learn that there was more to fitness than just losing weight. After that, it became her personal mission to bring the powerful experience of getting strong to as many people as possible and make the fitness industry more inclusive and welcoming.

Since 2018 Natalie has had a wide variety of experiences in the fitness industry - most importantly finding SSP in July of 2021. Natalie was initially hired as a Coach and Programming Assistant due to her passion for exercise physiology and the art of writing exercise programs, but has worked her way up due to her dedication to the mission of SSP and ability to inspire and lead others to do the same. Over the years, she's helped grow our Youth Athletics program tremendously, helped open new SSP locations, hire and onboard your favorite coaches, and so much more. Her role as Chief of Staff allows her to use her almost decade of coaching experience to "coach coaches" so to speak, and has found a real passion for leadership and mentorship.

When not in the gym Natalie spends her time exploring the outdoors, reading, trying new restaurants, and watching sports with her wife Emma.

Natalie's education and certifications:
- Bachelors of Science in Biology - Furman University
- Masters of Science in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology - University of Florida
- NSCA: Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
- Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC)

Sam Holter

After an emergency surgery took her out of the one sport she loved, Sam struggled to find a form of movement that she truly enjoyed. Rehab from this surgery was also limited and left her walking with a limp and chronic pain for nearly a decade, since it would be considered a success if she could simply walk again. Any sport or form of exercise felt impossible.

After moving to Seattle in 2021 she began working with a new health care team to address these concerns and slowly but surely developed strength and mobility, and with it, a new found love for strength training. In a few short months, she realized her limp had significantly decreased, she no longer woke up in pain, and her quality of life had improved dramatically. She wanted to learn how to help others experience what she had, so in 2021 she enrolled in the NASM CPT course. Sam is a Certified Personal Trainer through NASM and a Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC).

In her free time, you can find Sam either cooking up something new in the kitchen or in the mountains somewhere.

Taylor Bender

Taylor's journey began in the vibrant city of San Luis Obispo, California. From a young age, she discovered her passion for athletics, immersing herself in soccer and volleyball. Throughout high school, Taylor embraced the challenges of being a three-sport athlete, eventually finding her stride in softball.

Despite facing numerous obstacles in her youth, Taylor remained resilient, working tirelessly through college while juggling a full time role as a restaurant manager and server. Her determination led her to pursue a degree in Exercise Physiology, with a focus on Strength & Conditioning, Sports Performance and Physical Education. Taylor also became a certified personal trainer through NASM. Alongside her academic pursuits, she dedicated herself to coaching volleyball for 3 seasons, fostering a love for both competition and mentorship.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Taylor finds joy in reading, lifting weights, walking her dog Scout, and on the pickleball court, indulging in her competitive spirit.

Zaira Armendariz

Zaira Armendariz is a transplant from Southern California. She is a passionate advocate for mental health and well-being and earned her master's in Positive Psychology from Arizona State University along with certifications in Resilience Coaching and Personal Training. She is also currently obtaining a certification in Wellness Coaching. Zaira loves empowering others through their journey of healing and finding their mental and physical strength. Through her journey of discovering what a healthy relationship with exercise and fitness could look like, she was inspired to pursue her personal training certificate and help others. She is very excited to have joined an amazing team of compassionate coaches and a fantastic community of members here at SSP.

When she is not coaching or at the gym, she loves spending time in nature, trying new food, and spending time with her loved ones. She hosts a wellness podcast on the side and likes to participate in obstacle course races like Tough Mudder and Spartan!