About
Our Gym

Starting in the fitness industry in 2003, she went on to compete at the CrossFit Regional level in 2013 as part of a team. Over the years, she has coached and trained alongside some of the best athletes in the world, gaining valuable insight and experience.

Her passion lies in helping people improve their health, fitness, and overall quality of life. She thrives working with a wide range of clients—from beginners to advanced athletes, young to old, and everyone in between. Whether someone is eager and ready or hesitant and unsure, she meets them where they are.

What drives her most is helping people break free from feeling trapped in their bodies and empowering them to discover what they’re truly capable of.

Chelsey started her fitness journey at Lindenwood University, where she pursued a degree in Exercise Science. There, she found success as a member of the University Olympic Weightlifting team and Women’s Rugby team being a part of their national championship teams. After graduating, Chelsey delved into coaching CrossFit and running the Olympic Weightlifting program at a gym. She worked with the strength and conditioning staff at various universities, including Lindenwood, SLU, and UMSL. Along the way she got her Masters degree in Human Performance at Liberty University. She then worked in private personal training for 3 years with people of all ages and abilities. Before finding a home at Xtra Mile Fitness she had the incredible opportunity to serve as the head Athletic Performance coach for the Missouri Baptist University football team.

Outside of coaching Chelsey is an artist who specializes in blockprinting and making messes in my art studio. She loves nature, traveling and longboarding!

Abram was introduced to CrossFit in 2016. He often recounts walking through the doors with wide eyes and the intimidation of what he had heard about CrossFit. Like many, he was overweight, had poor mobility, limited skills and strength, and not the best self image. What he found was a coaching staff that was invested in his success and a community that was supportive, caring, and knowledgeable. It was everything he needed to call Xtra Mile home. Through his time at Xtra Mile, Abram has advanced every aspect of his fitness, competed in multiple events, and even became a USA Weightlifting Masters National Champion. Abram attained his CrossFit Level 1 certification so that he could bring his passion of life and fitness to others so that they might find their own personal growth. In this critical role of education, support, and encouragement, Abram always brings his unique blend of passion, performance ,and making fitness safe and fun!

In 2011, Brenden graduated college from Missouri State University with a BS in Kinesiology. During this time, he completed a 210-hour internship at Crossfit Springfield. It was during this experience that he realized his passion for helping improve the health, fitness, and wellness of others. Brenden believes the best investment you can ever make is in your own health. Crossfit provides a wonderful, unique experience and opportunity that allows individuals with all backgrounds the chance for their own personal investment in a fun, engaging way. Accumulating over a decade of hands-on experience and coaching hundreds of classes has allowed him to specialize in group fitness training, exercise prescription, fitness assessments, and weightlifting. As a coach, his goal is to ensure that members leave the gym feeling empowered and more knowledgeable than when they walked in. One of his favorite proverbs is – ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ It is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something for themselves than to do it for them.

Brittany Lewis has been doing CrossFit since around 2011 and has been a dedicated member of the Xtra Mile Fitness community since its very beginning. She was immediately drawn to the variety, challenge, and supportive atmosphere that CrossFit offers. Over time, Brittany developed a deep passion for strength training and Olympic weightlifting. She finds feeling strong incredibly empowering and is especially passionate about encouraging others to embrace strength training and recognize its vital role in long-term health and well-being.

As a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer, Brittany brings both experience and technical knowledge to her coaching. Although not a full-time coach, she serves as a bench coach and typically leads classes about once a month. While she may not always be on the schedule, she’s consistently in the gym working toward her own fitness goals and supporting others. When coaching, Brittany focuses on helping athletes move safely, challenge themselves, and leave feeling accomplished.

In addition to her CrossFit expertise, Brittany is a Certified Nutrition Coach who believes in a balanced, sustainable approach to eating. She encourages clients to treat food as fuel while embracing moderation—recognizing that life’s pleasures, like the occasional donut or ice cream, are part of a healthy lifestyle. Her nutrition coaching focuses on creating realistic, lasting habits that support individual goals without unnecessary restriction or guilt.

Whether she’s coaching a class, training alongside members, or guiding someone through their nutrition journey, Brittany’s mission is to help people feel strong, capable, and confident—both in and out of the gym.

Julianne has had a lifelong passion for fitness. With a mom who was an avid fitness instructor and marathon runner, exercise has been a normal part of Julianne’s daily routine for as long as she can remember.

Julianne has explored all forms of workouts and group classes, and started CrossFit in 2019, inspired by two of her older sisters who were already CrossFit fanatics.

CrossFit has been her main mode of exercise ever since—the challenging nature of CrossFit and uplifting community got her hooked.

Julianne began coaching in January of 2024, with the desire to share her passion and knowledge of CrossFit with fellow athletes, and to help them push their limits & become their best selves. Even after a long day at her job as an electrical engineer, she shows up with her upbeat, positive energy, ready to lead CrossFit athletes through a great workout. Julianne’s favorite part of coaching is getting to see athletes push their limits and accomplish things they never thought they would.

Katarina began her CrossFit  journey at 18 and was immediately drawn to its blend of intensity, community, and constant challenge. She came from a diverse fitness background, currently holding black belt titles in the tradition Korean martial arts of Taekwondo and Yongmoodo, competing on an international stage in Taekwondo. In college, Katarina ran NCAA D3 Cross-Country and also was a member of Webster University’s cheer team. CrossFit was able to combine the challenges of each of these sports into one (very addicting) program while also offering community.

After getting her B.A. in Psychology, where her senior research centered around positive psychology and the science of happiness, she realized how she wants to help others’ journeys in wellness and happiness, receiving her CrossFit L1 in 2024. At Xtra Mile Fitness, she aims to create an environment where athletes of all backgrounds feel empowered to push their limits and have the best hour of their day. As humans, we have the opportunity to control up to 40% of our overall happiness, and through programs at Xtra Mile that create challenge, community, and never ending growth, members have the opportunity to completely change their lives.

My name is Ali Seoud, but inside the walls of the gym, most people know me as Coach Ali. My goal is simple. I want to positively impact as many lives as possible through fitness, consistency, and connection.

I believe fitness should become a habit, not a chore. While there are countless shortcuts and quick fixes advertised today, real progress comes from building routines that fit into your life. The process is not always easy. There will be challenges and setbacks along the way, but the long term goal always remains the same. Creating a sustainable lifestyle that supports your health and well being.

Fitness has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Early on, it became my outlet and my escape. As I grew into adulthood, that passion evolved into a career of coaching others. Through my own experiences, formal education, and nearly a decade of professional coaching, I have learned how to help people make fitness a lasting part of their everyday lives.

One of the most rewarding parts of coaching is getting to know each individual and understanding their routine, their motivations, and the obstacles they face. I meet people where they are. I have worked with professional athletes, parents who want to stay healthy for their kids, and individuals rebuilding strength and confidence after injuries. Every person brings a different story, and that story guides how I coach.

There are standards in fitness, but there is no single formula that works for everyone. The right approach is the one that works for you. My role is to help you find that approach and turn fitness into something that supports your life rather than disrupts it. Together, we focus on building routine, discipline, and confidence. Once those pieces are in place, everything else begins to fall into line.

The journey can be challenging and demanding, but it is also incredibly rewarding. Over time, you will feel stronger, more capable, and more confident in your everyday life. My goal is to help you reach that place and show you what is possible when fitness becomes part of who you are.

My journey into fitness began in an unexpected way through my degree in Communications. After college, I started my career as a Social Media Strategist for Planet Fitness where I discovered my passion for connecting people to health and wellness. While promoting fitness to others, I began taking my own journey seriously and quickly realized the mental and physical benefits that come with consistent movement and a healthy lifestyle. That experience sparked something in me, a desire to do more than just market fitness, but to live it and help others experience those same life changing results.

In 2025, I set out to turn that passion into purpose by earning my NASM Certified Personal Trainer credential, followed by a Corrective Exercise certification, with Nutrition Coaching soon to follow. I wanted to do more than study, I wanted to learn from real coaches and work directly with people who were chasing their goals. Joining Xtra Mile Fitness has allowed me to do exactly that. The mentorship, hands on experience, and supportive community have helped me grow both personally and professionally, and I am excited to continue helping others discover what they are capable of.

Maria Alexopoulos is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach with a strong background in exercise science, rehabilitation, and performance. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of Evansville and her Master’s degree in Sports Science and Rehabilitation from Logan University. During her time at the University of Evansville, Maria also competed as a Division I soccer player for four years, an experience that shaped her understanding of performance, resilience, and what it takes to build a strong and capable body.

During the final phase of her master’s program, Maria completed a clinical internship in a rehabilitation setting, working alongside professionals who treated both athletes and individuals from the general population. This experience deepened her understanding of injury prevention, movement mechanics, and long term physical health. It reinforced the importance of building strength and movement strategies that support real life, not just time spent in the gym.

After graduating in 2024, Maria began coaching a wide range of clients in both fitness and nutrition, with a strong focus on individualized coaching. She previously worked as a personal trainer at BFit Fitness and Gyms in Evansville, Indiana, where she helped clients improve movement quality, build strength, and create sustainable routines that fit into their everyday lives.

Maria is most passionate about helping people truly understand their bodies and how they move, adapt, and respond to training and nutrition. She believes education is a key part of effective coaching and strives to empower clients with the knowledge and skills needed to take ownership of their health and fitness. Her goal is not just to guide workouts, but to help people build confidence and improve their overall quality of life.

Joining Xtra Mile Fitness has allowed Maria to continue growing as a coach while connecting with members in a meaningful way. She values the coaching based approach and the supportive community that helps people build strength, move better, and feel more confident in their everyday lives.

I have been an athlete for most of my life, and throughout that journey I developed a deep appreciation for discipline, hard work, and pushing my physical limits. When my time as a competitive athlete came to an end, I discovered a new passion in weightlifting and strength training. It was not just a way to stay active, but a powerful tool for personal growth and resilience. What began as a personal pursuit quickly became something much bigger.

I fell in love with the strength training community, the shared mindset, the mutual support, and the unspoken bond that forms when people challenge themselves together. There is something incredibly empowering about being surrounded by individuals who are all working to better themselves both physically and mentally.

This experience has fueled my passion to help others build confidence, not only in the gym but in every area of their lives. I believe strength training is about more than building muscle. It is about building self belief, improving longevity and quality of life, and creating a sense of belonging. I want to create spaces where people feel welcomed, supported, and empowered, where the gym feels less like a place to work out and more like a second home.

My goal is to use my background and love for strength training to guide others on their journey, helping them unlock their full potential, gain confidence, and become the strongest version of themselves inside and out.