Elissa is a native of Massachusetts and moved to Wichita in 2016. Elissa holds a Master’s Degree in Human Relations and a Bachelor’s in Behavioral and Social Science. Elissa’s experience includes over 10 years in the health and fitness field. She served as the Center Director at Wichita’s Opti-Life Health and Wellness Center and previously served as the Project Director for Youth and Family Services in San Diego as well as a Center Director for an overseas Navy Child Development Program. She joined the Downtown team as the Branch Director in December 2021, coming from the Andover Y where she was a Senior Program Director. Elissa’s hobbies include fishing, travel and exercise.

Brittani is responsible for overseeing the departments of Membership, Fitness, as well as Youth and Family. Brittani earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Kansas State University and is a certified American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Specialist (ACSM-HFS). She joined the Y team in December 2009 as a South YMCA personal trainer, served as Fitness Director for the Downtown YMCA from November 2010 to November 2014, and has now taken on the role of Senior Program Director. Brittani enjoys building relationships with new members as well as working with current members to reach their wellness goals.

Michelle has always loved working with children. It started with babysitting for families in the small town she grew up in. Later she progressed to work for the school district with children of special needs and then driving a school bus for children of all ages. She never knew where the YMCA experience would take her. Learning about the Y’s mission, she has developed a love and a passion for where the organization is today. Michelle‘s free time is spent with her fiancé and their four children. The family’s favorite activity is to go on bike rides on local nature trails.

Rachael graduated from WSU in 2015 and has been a part of the Y for 8 years. She grew up playing many different sports through school and knew that Fitness would always be a part of her life. During her years at the Y, she has enjoyed helping others make Fitness a part of their life as well, from beginners to advanced. She loves being able to push individuals in reaching their maximum potential. And the best part is seeing them realize just how much their body is capable of. You are never too young or too old to get started!

Jenni worked for 25 years as a full time RN at various locations in Wichita. She has been teaching Group Exercise since 1989 at various businesses but has been with the YMCA for 18 years. In 2014 she branched out to include group and personal training. She enjoys getting the most from her participates and her love of fitness came at an early age competing in Gymnastics, Dance and Track, throughout early childhood, high school and College. She approaches fitness as meeting your potential through hard work and consistency, using a clients baseline fitness to develop a program to excel growth and meet goals.

Karina became a personal trainer in 2018. She has experience in corrective exercise, joint rehabilitation and functional movement therapy. Karina played many sports growing up but her love of movement was heightened when she found Taekwondo at the age of 11. She went on to becoming National champion at 16 and again at 17. Karina has recently slowed her lifestyle down just enough to spend quality time with her two children. She loves helping people achieve their goals and believes that with proper nutrition, movement and a little bit of support, the benefits are endless. She believes that the body is meant to move and approaches fitness with a similar mindset as she did Taekwondo. Teaching clients basic movement patterns that can be progressed and sequenced together to create a routine that safely moves the client towards their goals.

Jalen is an undergraduate student at Wichita State and currently runs track and field there as well. Being a power tumbler, a competitive dancer of 14 years and overall lover of wellness, she enjoys finding ways to make fitness work for EVERYONE; regardless of where you are in your journey or where you want to go. She has worked with men and women who use fitness to look and feel better, young athletes, and mature adults wanting to improve their overall health. Being an athlete herself, she has also enjoyed doing sport specific training for individuals and teammates who are looking to improve their fitness for sports. Her goal is to share her knowledge of exercise science and health and wellness to everyone who is working on their fitness goals because it is so exciting to be a part of someone’s success story.

Caleb is an undergraduate student at Wichita State University. He became an ACE certified personal trainer in 2022 and is currently working towards a bachelor's degree in health and science. Caleb is striving to become his best self and persistently looks for opportunities to learn everything he can about the world of fitness and health. He wants to use his training and expertise to aid others.

Ashley is finishing up her degree at Wichita State University and will graduate in May 2023. She has been personal training and teaching as a group exercise instructor since 2021. Ashley’s passion for fitness evolved from growing up a competitive athlete and actively performing as a dancer. You may have seen her performing in many theatrical productions around Wichita. Ashley is a strong believer that fitness is for everyone no matter what age or level. Her goal is to help others make small, but impactful changes in their lives and improve their overall health and wellbeing.

Kale is a senior undergraduate student at Wichita State University. He became certified through the American Counsel of Exercise in 2022. Throughout his childhood, Kale was involved in many different sports and athletics including football, wrestling, track & field, baseball, basketball, and currently focuses on his performance in rock climbing. From his experiences through athletics, Kale was drawn to helping individuals reach their fitness goals just as his coaches did for him. He began coaching a youth competitive climbing team in 2019 and had four athletes qualify for the USA Youth National Championship in 2021. Seeing the progress and success of his athletes inspired him to begin personal training in order to help make a difference in not just his athletes, but in hungry individuals as well.

Daniella received her bachelor’s degree at Fort Hays State University in 2022. She then acquired her ACE Certification in personal training. Daniella spent 14 years playing soccer. Once she stopped playing soccer her fitness came to a stop as well. She took multiple years off from exercising and eating right. After all this time, creating a healthier routine was incredibly difficult for her. Once she changed her lifestyle to include regular exercise and intuitive eating, she was able to lose 30 pounds, gain muscle, and gain confidence! This helped her empathize with her clients and plan accordingly to ensure a transformative fitness journey. She understands that fitness is not a one size fits all. Her goal is for her clients to find a happy, well-balanced lifestyle that will minimize future health risks. Daniella is passionate about helping others find their confidence inside and outside of the gym.

Andrew has been in the training business for two years now, certified through ISSA. He found his passion for personal training only a few years back when he helped a close friend win a weight loss competition. That experience showed him that he has what it takes to help others achieve their healthy goals whether it be weight loss, prepping for a competition or just overall health. He believes in pushing others and holding them accountable, keeping it fun and friendly. Andrew is big on keeping his clients motivated throughout their fitness journey. His biggest goal in life is becoming 1% better every day and pushes his clients to do the same.