Meet the Trainer

Michele McCauley

Certified Personal Trainer

My Priorities

  • Inclusivity
  • Body Positivity
  • Accountability
  • Support
Contact me

About Me

I started my formal fitness journey with weekly tumbling classes at age 7. By age 10 I had started competitive gymnastics. In 1987 I represented my college at the NCAA Division 3 National Championships. But I found greater expression in dance, and in 1994 started college coursework for a second degree in dance. One thing I discovered, as I navigated this journey, was how hard gymnastics had been on my body. In fact, I’d developed injuries that, if I was going to keep moving, I was going to have to learn to move well. Not only were core support and alignment imperative, I also needed restorative movement. I needed movement that healed my body.

But the deeper I went into movement as a mode of healing, the more something else happened.  At times it would be emotionally difficult. Sometimes I would suddenly be crying for no discernible reason.  I would be moving smoothly one moment overwhelmed the next. Other times it was just incredibly hard to get started.   Working through these moments required tremendous determination, courage, and self love.  

At that time the general public had very little understanding of trauma, PTSD, or what “triggers” are, but it later became clear that, as my fitness journey progressed, I was also working through the emotional journey that is processing trauma.  And for me the triggers existed less in words, situations, and ideas, and more in my body, in letting go of movement patterns and habits that perhaps in the past had protected me, but were causing injury in the long run.

Most of my clients don’t go through this kind of difficulty when embarking on their own fitness programs, but for those who do, I’m able to provide the empathy and support that makes their program a success. 

In 2001, I became a certified GYROTONIC(r) instructor. I learned a great deal from how this work connects breath to movement. While the modality still informs much of what I do and how I move, I found it required a level of coordination that many people weren’t ready for. I continued dancing and returned to fitness in 2017 when I certified as a personal trainer with NASM. The last 3 years I’ve been able to bring together a love for movement and fitness, and a passion for sharing the empowerment and healing that comes from investing in your healthy body.