About Me

I grew up in a military family and have lived all over, including places like Hawaii

and Europe. I went through high school and my first two years of college in New York

before moving to Oklahoma in 2001. I graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2003

with a degree in Marketing. Athletics and fitness have been a part of my life ever since I

was child. Growing up in Germany, my brother and I played soccer, basketball and

baseball all throughout the seasons of the year. Looking back, sports were very important

to my childhood, they taught me the importance of teamwork and self-discipline. I can not

thank my Dad enough for all of his coaching, friendship and patience!

Throughout middle and high school in New York I played on basketball, soccer, football

and track and field teams. I was voted onto New York State and Orange County, New

York, All-Star Teams throughout my high school career. One of the most challenging and

biggest learning experiences of my life was the transfer into collegiate sports. I learned very quickly that God given ability would only take me so far. In order to compete at this level I had to work harder and become more educated about training techniques and proper nutrition. I started as a freshman and was awarded honors from the East Coast Athletic Conference and NCAA. Looking back my biggest accomplishment came in the classroom, being named to the Dean's List and USA College Football Honor Roll. It was in college that I grew to love the science and methodology

behind fitness and physical training. I worked with some great coaches and strength

coaches who taught me that there was much more to being an athlete than how much I

could pull, press or squat.

I moved to Oklahoma at the start of my Junior year and soon after, found a job

working in a fitness center. This was not your typical gym, it was a facility designed to

work with older adults, post-rehab patients and special needs clients. The facility was

based around an indoor warm water pool. I originally applied there to work as a

lifeguard and quickly took on the tasks of teaching classes, supervising the weight room

and working with the company web-site and marketing programs. I attained my first

personal training certification with NETA (National Exercise and Trainer's Association)

and began working more and more with clients on a one-on-one basis. I started

attending trainer's conferences and learned as much as I could from the owner, Physical

Therapists and Doctors who utilized our facility. I was named Assistant Manager to the

Owner and continued to gain experience working with new and different clients, with new

and different problems.

I moved to Oklahoma City and began working in a large fitness facility teaching

classes (both water and land based), working with the sales and marketing team

and training individuals, teams and groups with all different interests and goals. I

obtained my NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) Personal

Trainer's Certification and started working with more athletes and teams on

speed, power and explosiveness. I continually work with collegiate, high school

and middle school athletes on their own, in and out of season training programs,

but most importantly for these ages, their diet! With the way our population is

aging I will continue to work with older adults and special needs patients. It is

very important at every age to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle!

I am now married to a young fitness enthusiast, Stevie Schardein Kennedy,

who continually pushes me to be a better runner, mentor and person. Although I

do not like her turning on the lights at 5 in the morning, I do love her passion and

willingness to run behind me in Oklahoma's high winds. I am thankful for my

personal experiences and appreciative of all those who helped get me to where

I am today. I hope to continue to learn as much as possible through my own research and continued education. This industry is constantly changing and so are the products and guidelines it sets forth. I put myself through the same routines I put my clients through. I run, lift and whine like everyone else, but I do try to set the example. I love what I do and who I work with, I hope to continually grow my client base and open my own facility one day. As I have said before, "the human body was designed to move and think, not sit and stare at the TV!"

Your Trainer