Meet the Team

Fitness is a way of life for Matt, and he is dedicated to helping his clients of all fitness levels achieve their personal goals. As a CT personal trainer certified through American Fitness Professionals and Associates, he is committed to learning new techniques that will challenge his clients, and he is passionate about fitness and nutrition.

Matt grew up playing basketball and baseball, and he became active in fitness and weight training in college. Winning his first weight-lifting competition in college motivated Matt to start his career as a professional fitness trainer, and he enjoys helping people improve their own lives through exercise.

Outside the gym, he competes and has placed as a top finisher in 5Ks, relay races, triathlons and adventure races.

Darcy is a CT-certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor with a Bachelors Degree in Physical Education and Health. She has been teaching classes and personal training at mission FITNESS since its opening in 2009. She loves working with clients of all fitness levels to help them discover their full potential, while helping them identify what is holding them back. She has worked with a number of elite athletes at the collegiate and high school levels, including Gatorade All-Americans and Connecticut Basketball Players of the Year.

When not at mission FITNESS, Darcy is on the golf course, traveling in her camper with her husband and dog, or hiking or running in the woods. She is a competitive trail runner and endurance athlete who competes in adventure racing and ultra marathons. Her career highlights include placing 6th Female Overall at the 2014 50 Mile Trail Running National Championships, 1st at the Bimblers Bash 10k Trail Race, 1st at the Summer Solstice Trail Race and 1st at The Bitter P6ull 12 hour Adventure Race with Team Rev 3.

Lauren is an energetic certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor who loves what she does. Her passion for fitness is reflected in the thoughtful design and implementation of her workouts. At a young age, Lauren was drawn to physical activity and athletics. This brought her to the world of competitive gymnastics and springboard diving. Lauren was a member of the 2005 Wethersfield High School state championship gymnastics team and was inducted into the Wethersfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and is a certified Personal Trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA).  

Most recently, Lauren has taken her interest in nutrition and a healthy balance of diet and exercise a step further and received her Certified Nutritionist certification. Her passion for healthy living and properly fueling the body is illustrated in the product she delivers at the gym.

In her free time, Lauren loves running, cooking, and spending time with her husband Andrew and two little girls, Joy and Rosie. Lauren joined mission FITNESS in 2010 as a student member. Her love for the gym and specific style of workouts motivated her to get certified and start her fitness career. She has been training at mission FITNESS since 2013.

Anastasia focuses on helping mission FITNESS clients as a certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified USA weightlifting L1 coach. She joined us in March 2020 after working as a sports performance intern at the University of Connecticut and an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Trinity College. 

Anastasia is passionate about sports performance and integrating her education, skills, and experiences from working with elite athletes, into workouts for the general population. She focuses on proper technique, strength building, injury prevention, and return to activity post-injury.       

Anastasia became interested in exercise and sports at a young age and became focused on strength and conditioning during her collegiate soccer career. She holds a BS in health science from the University of Connecticut as well as a master’s degree in exercise physiology from CCSU.

Outside of mission FITNESS, Anastasia spends time with her family, frequents the Rhode Island shoreline, hikes, volunteers in local politics, visits local breweries and wineries, and serves as President of the local chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. Alpha Beta Alumnae Chapter. She also loves attending live sporting events and supporting local CT teams, especially UConn!  

Matt is a life long health and fitness enthusiast. He grew up playing a variety of sports and at an early age and began experiencing how working out consistently in a gym can enhance your quality of life in countless ways.

Matt is a University of Connecticut alumni with a Masters in Education, a U.S Army Afghanistan war veteran, and a former 10 year veteran Police Officer. Since 2012 he has developed a passion for endurance sports and training tailored toward 'injury prevention', having completed long distance Obstacle Course Races, dozens of Triathlons (swim, bike, run) ranging from Sprint distance to double Ironman(that's 2 Ironman's back to back!), and numerous road and trail running races ranging in distance from 5K to 205 miles (Tahoe 200).

Some of Matt's more notable highlights are qualifying for and running in the 2017 Boston Marathon and placing 3rd Overall in an Ultra Distance Triathlon (281.2miles). In 2018 he was a Top 10 finisher in three separate 100 mile distance trail events, with a 19hr PR. Matt believes in taking a wholistic approach to training for sport or toward any endeavor in life (mental, emotional, physical), with an emphasis on evidence-based exercise, health and wellness practices.

Since his first time coaching High School athletes in 2002 Matt has worked with a wide range of athletes and ability levels, including Military personnel and First Responders seeking help with job specific physical challenges. Outside of the gym he enjoys relaxing with his wife and dog, hiking, reading, trail running, yoga, pilates, “natural” movement, and catching up with friends and family.