Mike grew up as an avid gamer and massive Batman fan. He had dreams of playing Middle Linebacker for a Division 1 football program and attempted to walk on to the University of Maryland’s football team as a freshman. Long story short – things didn’t work out, but the strength & conditioning coach gave Mike one of the team’s old lifting programs to stay active, which proved very effective with consistency and dedication.
Following his freshman year, however, the typical college party life started to take over. He struggled to maintain the progress he had built and continued to yo-yo with his weight for several years. Mike began working as a Personal Trainer in 2013, where he began experimenting with all of the major “fad diets” in an attempt to get back on track. This gave him an insight into the lack of sustainability found in extremely restrictive plans and resulted in the realization that he needed to fix his relationship with food.
Mike’s big turning point came when he learned about Precision Nutrition’s approach to cultivating a healthier lifestyle through behavioral change. While working toward his Precision Nutrition certification in 2016, Mike began implementing their principles into his own life and realized that finding a sustainable and personalized approach to nutrition was the ticket to the success he had long been working towards.
Through much experimentation, Mike discovered what it’s like to try pretty much every dietary approach out there – and still feel lost on what proper nutrition looks like. He hears his clients’ struggles and frustrations, as he’s experienced many of them himself before. Whether you’re an athlete looking to level up your performance, or new to focusing on your health and want to keep up with your kids – you’ll find a relatable and safe space to nurture your wellness journey. Working with him, you’ll have a coach who’ll not only rant about how he thinks George R.R. Martin will never finish A Song of Ice of Fire, or how they ruined the ending to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie. You’ll also have a coach who can help you wade through all of the distractions present in the health industry to find a personalized fitness and nutrition approach that suits your life for the long term.
Credentials and Certifications
- M.S. Biomedical Sciences – Neuroscience Concentration, Rutgers University
- B.S. Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University
- Certified Personal Trainer, ACSM
- Precision Nutrition Level 1
- Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1, C.H.E.K. Institute
- Integrated Movement Specialist Level 1, C.H.E.K. Institute
Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?
LotR, hands down. It’s tough to compete against a series that has a literal history book written, complete with origin & creation stories (how many authors are actually that creative? Not many)
Your favorite video game of all time?
This is a tough one…but I’d have to say the 1st 4 Assassin’s Creed games (can I technically pick 4?). Having the “modern-day” Desmond Miles storyline woven into the Crusades and the “Ezio Trilogy,” to me, created a level of depth that I wasn’t used to from other games.
What are you passionately nerdy about?
I’m nerdy about many things. My stereotypical fandoms include superheroes (mostly DC, but I’m also a pretty big X-Men fan), fantasy novels (especially LotR and ASOIAF), and early 2000’s Will Ferrell movies (as well as rewatching old SNL Celebrity Jeopardy sketches). Besides these, I’ve been diving deep into ancestral eating, so my wife and I pretty much make everything from scratch…and our 2-year-old attempts to help; with metabolic/mitochondrial health; and studying the Bible (I jokingly tell people I’m becoming a “Word-Nerd”).