Influencers in Fit Biz
John Howard and Peter Craig
Austin Professional Counseling
AustinProfessionalCounseling.com | 512.469.0535
Hear them on the Ready Set Love Podcast
John Howard and Peter Craig are psychotherapists who specialize in helping their clients thrive in life and achieve personal goals such as having healthier relationships, relieving stress, anxiety and depression, and finding deeper meaning and purpose in life. John is originally from New York and moved to Austin in 2004 to join his wife, an Austin native. Peter grew up in Louisiana and found his home in Austin after attending UT. He especially loves Barton Springs, where he swims and plays his guitar a couple times a week.
John trained with world-renowned couples therapist Dr. Stan Tatkin of Los Angeles for over eight years, and eventually taught with him alongside many top names in the field of psychology. He offers the newest methods in relationship improvement including neuroscience-informed couples therapy that helps partners retrain automatic habits to deepen connection.
John is also the Founder and CEO of PRESENCE, a comprehensive psychotherapy clinic that combines counseling with yoga, mindfulness, nutrition, genetics and functional medicine. The first of its kind in the world, PRESENCE opens its doors October 2019 and helps you have a healthier mind, body, spirit and relationships.
Peter is a beloved coach, poet, musician and therapist in Austin who radiates warmth and kindness throughout his community of friends and colleagues. A true renaissance man, Peter is also a triathlete, meditation instructor and is recording a new album with his band in his spare time. A gifted therapist, Peter leads counseling groups and works with individuals and couples.
John and Peter have been on a mission to de-stigmatize mental health care, educate the community, and make therapy ‘cool.’ Their approach, which focuses on personal growth, letting therapy be fun and offering engaging workshops, has resonated with the Austin community and brought them attention as thought-leaders in mental health and wellness. Austin Professional Counseling offers empathic, science-based care and houses some of the city’s top therapists.
Ariel Quintana
AQPT
7951 Shoal Creek Boulevard Suite 225
Aqphysicaltherapy.com | 512.323.AQPT
Ariel Quintana is the owner and physical therapist at AQ Physical Therapy (AQPT).
Having always been an athlete, Ariel understands the value of keeping your most important machine, your body, in good working order — for your sport, your passion, your work and your everyday life.
After working with some large physical therapy groups in Austin, Ariel decided to start her own boutique practice in order to give her patients the attention, time, and specialized physical therapy training they deserve. She brings almost 20 years of experience working with active people of all levels, but has additional expertise to work with runners, cyclists and a variety of athletes. Ariel is board certified in orthopedics and fellowship trained in manual therapy.
At AQPT, patients can expect a thorough exam of their bodies’ mechanics and individualized attention for the entire session in a relaxed, private setting without the distractions that occur in most busy physical therapy offices. A client is never set aside to perform exercises without supervision or with a lesser-trained assistant or tech. Exercise and retraining of proper movement are just as important as the hands-on treatment performed.
Services at AQPT include evaluation and treatment of overuse issues and acute injuries from head to toe as well as post-surgical care. Clients can also schedule a wellness visit or annual checkup for preventive care, such as screening for muscle imbalances to help avoid injury.
At AQPT, the client is the sole focus and is treated as a whole person.
Coach Kati Epps
MyBody GX, LLC
MyBodyGX.com
info@mybodygx.com | 512.777.9787
Coach Kati Epps, founder and health coach for MyBody GX, is removing the barriers to understanding the unique needs of the body by analyzing individual’s DNA. Long gone are the days of blaming genetics for unwanted weight, inability to gain muscle size or lack of endurance. Given SNP by SNP information for goals like reduction in body fat, increase muscular strength and sustained energy, all from allele performance, is taking the guesswork out of fitness and nutrition.
After 12 years of writing programs for competitive athletes, prenatal and postpartum moms, amateur body builders and those seeking a healthy lifestyle, Coach Kati found there were no two bodies that required the same food or the same workouts to get to the goals they desired. In the past it required trial and error to determine how the body was performing with a given regimen. This was extremely frustrating. Now with DNA testing, there is no question as to specifically what a person needs to attain their goals, short term and throughout life.
With certifications in health coaching, personal training, nutrition and advanced sports performance, as well as a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Colorado State University, Coach Kati has brought fundamental weight training and advanced nutrition to a whole new level. The knowledge of chemical breakdowns, micro-nutrient paring, cellular development and healing, muscle growth and cardiovascular strength give an elite advantage when training for specific goals and peak performance.
“Living and raising my growing family in Austin is a dream. Our culture encourages and supports a healthy lifestyle with nutritious food options, variety in fitness possibilities and endless opportunities to be apart of a self-love encouraging community. I feel incredibly blessed to be in the fitness families where I find my joy in training and love encouraging others to find their passions too!”
Follow Coach Kati Epps for workout ideas, delicious healthy recipes and loving encouragement on Instagram @mybodygx or on Facebook @mybodygx. For questions or comments feel free to reach out to info@mybodygx.com!
Lander Peerman
Crush Fitness
300 South Lamar, Suite O | 512.480.0077
info@crushfitness.com | Instagram @Crushfitnessatx
Born and raised in Austin, Lander Peerman graduated with a communication and business degree from UT, moved to NYC on a whim shortly after and there fell in love with group fitness. After opening a studio in Dallas, Lander moved back to Austin and co-founded Crush Fitness, the first treadmill based interval training studio in Austin. Crush just celebrated its four year anniversary last month.
Here are some ways Lander Peerman makes Crush Fitness the best fitness experience in town:
By mixing tread intervals with resistance training, you burn up to 800 calories in just one of 55 minute classes, giving you the results you want faster.
Lander’s approach is designed to motivate, energize and take your workout to the next level — from the awesome red lighted workout room to a state of the art music system, she has created a whole new workout experience.
Lander’s workout format was designed with all fitness levels in mind. Whether you’re just getting back into a workout regime or competing as a professional athlete, you will be able to modify our workout to meet your needs.
Kathleen Parker
iGniteYour Life
kathleen@igniteyourlifenow.com
igniteyourlifenow.com
Kathleen, certified trainer and wake surf/water ski instructor, has been part of the Austin fitness community for over 10 years. Her training philosophy: Participate in Life.
“I encourage the women I train to live their best life possible everyday. For me this means staying healthy, fit and strong to live life BIG.
As a fitness instructor for iGniteYour Life, Kathleen teaches Cardio Strength classes outdoors at Rollingwood Park and in her home gym, which is “outside.”
“Our iGnite participants prefer working out outdoors. Being outside gives you major endorphins, a boundary free environment and studies have shown that when you work out outside as opposed to inside, you work out 15 percent harder, plus you get some much needed Vitamin D. We also have a wonderful shaded pavilion with ceiling fans there.”
Wednesdays are her favorite days. She grabs “Sparkles” (her boat) and heads out on Lake Austin for a “Lake Escape” — four hours of fun, friends, wake surfing and water skiing!
“I take all ages out — from 6 to 60 plus, some who have never skied or surfed before. So far I have a 100 percent success rate in getting people out and up behind the boat. The best part of the day is to see the joy on their faces from learning something new, or improving on their existing skills.”
With both land and lake classes, Kathleen’s mission is to empower women to step out of their comfort zone and try something new, or just push a little harder in their workouts.
“Where the comfort zone ends, all the fullness of life begins! The greatest joy from the whole process is witnessing the improved and empowered lives of these amazing women. Just getting to be a part of their lives each day is what energizes me!”
Amanda Picken L.Ac., MAcOM
Goodbody Wellness
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
hello@goodbodywellness.com | 512.222.3198
“A good body isn’t about having a body that looks good, it’s about cultivating a body that feels good to live inside of…” Amanda Picken, founder and practitioner behind Goodbody Wellness, believes that wellness starts with how we care for our minds and bodies on a daily basis. When her father passed away suddenly in 2010, she began searching for ways to cope with the emotional and physical pain caused by her grief. This lead her to discover all of the wonderful healing benefits from acupuncture and herbal medicine. Once she found the world of holistic, integrative health, she never looked back. Amanda is now a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is board certified and licensed in both Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine.
Gone are the days when fitness simply meant pushing your body to burn calories. Today, Amanda associates fitness with less pain, better mood, better sleep and longevity. She sticks to low impact workouts that include yoga, pilates and power walking, but no fitness plan is complete without a nutrition and recovery strategy. She advocates for an anti-inflammatory, plant-based diet filled with healthy fats. Acupuncture and cupping therapy are two of her favorite ways to keep her patients pain free and active. Part of her mission for Goodbody Wellness is to create the conditions, beliefs and structure for healing to happen within each of her patients.
Mary Caromata
ResilientRx
1705 S Capital of Texas Hwy Suite 204
resilient-rx.com | 512.777.0330
Mary Caromata is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of ResilientRx. ResilientRx empowers others to enjoy pain-free, active lives through modern physical therapy.
Reasons why you should choose ResilientRx as your physical therapy provider:
-Initial complimentary discovery sessions to evaluate your symptoms to see if physical therapy would be beneficial for you
-1:1 sessions with a Doctor of Physical Therapy for your entire session
-Modern approach to physical therapy so you attend less often with more efficient visits
-Treats both orthopedic and pelvic floor diagnoses
-Access to an online portal or app where your home exercises will be demonstrated for you as a reminder
-Easy communication between you and your provider
Garrett Salpeter
NeuFit
2501 S. Capital of Texas Highway
Neu.fit | 512.225.6909 | @neufitrfp | hello@neu.fit
While finishing his Masters in Engineering at The University of Texas., Garrett Salpeter was eager for a way to pursue his true passion of health and physiology. He decided to delay a career in Engineering in order to try something new, and opened his first clinic in 2009. Though very modest, working out of 150 square feet in the back of a local Chiropractic office proved to be a perfect launching pad.
His work used techniques from a new field called Functional Neurology, which he combined with electrical stimulation to help clients recover faster from injuries and enhance their workouts. As the methods evolved, Garrett started to build a team of practitioners and adopted the NeuFit name to emphasize the neurological nature of the approach. He also worked with a team of Electrical Engineers to create the NEUBIE device. With one patent so far and more pending, the NEUBIE provides a unique type of neurological stimulation that helps re-educate muscles that have “turned off” because of injury or bad habits.
NeuFit has two Austin locations (Westlake and Domain), where they offer rehabilitation services, personal training and group fitness classes. They even use the NEUBIE to amplify the effect of traditional group training classes like Yoga and Barre. In addition, Garrett and his team have trained over 250 practitioners around the country in how to use the NEUBIE and implement the NeuFit System with their clientele. The device is being used by MLB, NHL and NFL Teams, major NCAA universities (including U.T., Hook ‘em!), P.T. and Chiropractic clinics, gyms and more. Garrett is now focused on scientific research, with several clinical and academic studies currently underway, and continuing to educate people on the life-changing power of NeuFit.
