Personal Training

Madeline Baird (she/her)

Bio: Hello, my name is Madeline Baird and I am a Kinesiology major. Growing up, I was always intimidated by sports and fitness. I was obese in my early teens and dealt with a Binge Eating Disorder in middle school. I tried a dozen diets from Pinterest, magazines, and celebrities, but all they did was create a sense of failure. I did, however, enjoy physical activity, I just felt like I did not belong in the gym or other fitness spaces because of the way I looked. Over COVID, I struggled with my mental health but was able to find some relief in fitness. Once I got diagnosed and treated for my ADHD, I started self-taught powerlifting and never looked back. Weightlifting, for strength or hypertrophy, created a sense of empowerment and confidence that I had not been able to find anywhere else. I am very passionate about fitness, and I believe that the gym is a place where everyone belongs. When working with me as your trainer, I want to help establish healthy habits and mindsets to ultimately reach your fitness goals.

Specialties: Fat loss, habit building, strength and hypertrophy training, beginners
Major: Kinesiology/ General Exercise Science
Mantra: “Everything in time”

Noor Butt (she/her)

Bio: Throughout Middle and High school, I was the least athletic in all my friend groups. I tried playing soccer and basketball in order to feel connected to my peers and quickly figured out that I was absolutely terrible at sports. Not being active and not playing sports made me feel lesser than the people who did. I also felt like because of not being sporty, that was the reason I looked the way I did. I struggled with body dysmorphia for most of my teen life and with society's changing views of the "ideal" body type, I thought that the way I looked was wrong. Junior year of High school during the peak of Covid I started weightlifting with my sister and fell in love. Slowly but surely, I started to feel more comfortable in my own beautiful skin. Over time I have ventured out to try different forms of physical activity including boxing and jiu-jitsu which has taught me so much including discipline and patience. My goal now is to help others feel comfortable in their own skin by helping them achieve a more blissful, healthy, and productive lifestyle through physical activity.

Specialties: Strength training, corrective exercise, rehab, motivation, athletic training
Program of Study/Major: Kinesiology Pre-PT
Mantra: “Live uncomfortable”

Steven Chirayath (he/him)

Bio: Hey! My name is Steven and I am a first year Kinesiology major (Pre-PT). My entire life I've been the tall, skinny kid who was put into sports because of his height. Although I was forced in the beginning, I fell in love with basketball and volleyball, but I always hated the "skinny" part of my description. My coaches would always tell me to get into the gym and gain muscle, as the lack of it was holding me back. Long story short, one day I decided to get into the gym and never looked back. The gym was a place for me to not only get stronger and build muscle, but a place where I could drop off my insecurities and pick up the confidence I truly needed. I began to make weight-lifting my priority and fell in love with the process of getting better everyday. Unlike basketball and volleyball which are team sports, the gym was me versus me. I dictated the outcomes and results which would come over time. I slowly started to learn more about weight-lifting and am still taking in knowledge every time I show up. I became a personal trainer to spread the joy the gym brings me to those who need assistance in doing so. My goal is to help others achieve their own personal goals and build a healthy relationship between their mind and body. 

Specialties: Strength training, athletic training, fat loss, motivation
Program of Study/Major: Kinesiology, Pre-PT
Mantra: Every day is another opportunity to be better than yesterday.

Sarah Mayhue (she/her)

Bio: Hi, I'm Sarah and for most of my life I have been involved in sports until recently beginning my college journey, where I've been tasked with figuring out what physical activity really means to me and how I can nourish my relationship with body and wellness habits. For all of high school I struggled with body dysmorphia and feeling disconnected from my health, participating in volleyball but not finding joy in it the longer I spent trying to ‘keep up’ with my teammates, but now Nearly five years after I first started learning what exercise is and the things it can do for me, I am continuing to learn and educate myself on physical activity and finding a balance between exercise and living my life in a way that enriches my happiness and my experience, instead of hindering it and forcing myself to adhere to a standard that doesn’t actually exist. Throughout my journey, starting from the beginning of covid to now, I have fallen in love with weight training, the volleyball court was not where I thrived the most physically or mentally, but that didn't mean I had no talent anywhere, I just needed to try something else. It was intimidating to start, but after walking into a private gym on my own for the first time, everyday after falling into place, I knew this was what I had a passion for. I never felt like I had a place that welcomed me when I was wanting to learn and to try something new like strength training or powerlifting, but it was up to me to try, and after just one season of powerlifting, and three years of being in the weight room, I knew where my future was heading. I want to create a place for everyone to feel welcomed in, I want to be the help I didn't have when starting a fitness journey and relationship with the gym.

Specialties: Strength training
Major: Kinesiology
Mantra: Nothing worth doing is going to be easy.

Matthew Pearson (he/him)

NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Bio: My personal fitness journey began when I was in 8th grade. I was 300+ lbs and was told by a doctor that I needed to lose weight quickly before I developed fatty liver disease. I immediately got to work and lost 100lbs over the course of a year, but I did it the wrong way by doing tons of cardio while eating very little food. I soon gained most of the weight back over the course of the next few years and I learned that this wasn't a good way to lose weight and keep it off for good. I began reading about resistance training and how it can improve one's metabolic rate by building muscle and strength, so I began lifting weights. Ever since then, I have been consistently weight training while educating myself on all things strength training and my fitness journey has been set on the correct path. Although I'm dropping off the fat slower than before, I feel the best I have ever felt and I know that I will reach my goals, albeit may take more patience than I had before. My training philosophy centers around using training to improve one's health, quality of life, and longevity while reaching various fitness goals and maintaining those goals. What's the point of looking a certain way if you don't feel healthy as well? Why lose 20lbs in a few months the wrong way just to gain it back a year later? It is my goal to help clients reach their goals in a healthy manner while being able to maintain their new lifestyle. 

Specialties: Strength and hypertrophy training, mobility training, corrective exercise
Major: Kinesiology Pre-PT
Mantra: "Do not let perfect be the enemy of good."

Galilea Rodriguez (she/her)

Bio: As a little kid, I never thought in my life I would be a part of the fitness community; growing up overweight, I thought I could never change and believed it was a part of my culture. I felt I was falling behind, and I could never catch up to the people around me. I was embarrassed of myself for wanting to try to be "fit" with no education or knowledge. In the beginning of my early high school years, I ventured out of my comfort zone to find something I was truly passionate about. My training journey taught me much about myself and what I can and cannot do. It showed me that I am stronger than I think, and I am a normal, flawed human being. I did all the wrongs and learned all the rights. I am now a competing USAPL powerlifter, and I want to help people start their fitness journey as I had no guidance for mine. To be a part of your journey is an honor; no lifting path is linear, and no process is quick, but all you need to do is be persistent

Specialties: Strength and conditioning training, free weight/body weight, Powerlifting
Major: Biology Pre-Med
Mantra: Never regret anything; mistakes are lessons, not failures

Jaime Sheets (she/her)

NASM Certified Personal Trainer 

Bio: Hello! My name is Jaime and I am in my senior year here at TWU. I have recently obtained my certification to be a trainer through NASM. This is my first facility that I will be taking on clients. I look forward to sharing and exchanging knowledge not only with clients, but with my colleagues as well. Growing up, I did competitive swimming for a few years and track in middle school and then in high school I was in marching band on drumline. In my free time I would go for long runs, but once I was through high school, I didn't have band anymore, so I transitioned to the gym and started lifting weights. On deployment, I had limited resources for weight training, so I focused on calisthenics training and still do, as well as weight training. All of these experiences have had a massive impact on my mental health, well-being, and social life. Not only do I want to help push people toward their goal, I want them to experience how exercise can have a massive positive impact on their overall well-being. 

Specialties: Muscle endurance, strength training, calisthenics, inspiration 
Major: Kinesiology, Exercise Science
Mantra: "A person can change at the moment when the person wishes to change."

Sharon Wilson (she/her)

Mental Health First Aid Certified

Bio: Hi. I'm Sharon. I am currently a Nutrition - Wellness major. I previously graduated from TWU with a B.S. in Government and minor in Business Administration in 2001. I went on to earn my J.D. at Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2008. I have been a practicing attorney for 15 years. I primarily work in Child Protection Law and Family Law. After around 10 year, I became burned out and began looking at what I was really passionate about outside of the law, and decided to pursue another degree, which is why I am here. I am adamant that we should not be putting work over our own health and wellbeing. I am working as an attorney full time and going to school part time while also working as a personal trainer. I was an athlete my entire life. In my early years I was in gymnastics, but as a teenager I switched to soccer. I found strength training as a college freshman and loved it. I have been strength training for over 25 years. As I have gotten older, my focus has shifted from trying to look better to maintaining a better quality of life as I age. I hope to be able to share my passion for fitness with you.

Specialties: Strength training, fitness over 30
Program of Study/Major: Nutrition - Wellness
Mantra: Overall health is the goal, weight loss is just a side effect of improved health.